Thanks to everyone who responded and shared about this idea of “following the smile.” The advice of ‘do what you enjoy’ seems to resonates with so many people; Who knew? 🤷♂️
‘Following the smile’ for me this year will include focusing on the containers of:
Indoor Bouldering: Wall Climbing
Locomotion: Floor Climbing
Bouldering stacks two things that I enjoy and really need in this phase of my life - problem-solving and hanging with friends. A nice complement to climbing is locomotion which allows me to be able to practice and learn more at home and outside with minimal barriers to practicing. I find that climbing walls and touching ground can be the most intimate interaction you have with the environment around you.
What about you… What does “following the smile” look like in your practice during this phase of your life?
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READ, WATCH, LISTEN ⤵
READ: When Twister Was Too Risqué for America
(Reading Time: ~4mins)
Since we’re on the topic of touching the ground, here’s a fascinating read on the history of how the game Twister came to be. This story serves as a case study in culture, politics, and marketing for the game that “ties you up in knots.” In the end, what saved the game of Twister was having Johnny Carson play the game on his famous late-night show on TV.
“After filing the patent and bringing the idea to Milton Bradley, design firm owner Reyn Guyer feared the concern over the game’s undertones meant it would never be released. ‘They warned Mel that the idea of being that close to someone––especially someone of the opposite sex––was socially unacceptable… The rule we were breaking almost broke the deal.”
*Random Side Note: The game of Twister is kind of like the ‘push’ version of bouldering. Think about it… in both these endeavors you have to solve a problem where you place your hands and feet on specific colors while trying to stay on until you’ve completed your objective. And both are way more fun when doing it with other people.
WATCH: Climbing Performance Coaching Minute w/ Udo Neumann
(Length: 1 min)
An interestingly edited breakdown by climbing coach Udo Neumann. I love the creativity that went into this quick one-minute video that packs so much insight. I’ve been going down a rabbit hole on Udo’s videos which are rich in content and edited in an “edu-taining” way.
“Visualization is a SKILL. As a skill it can be improved. Better climbers like two-time bouldering world champion Tomoa Nararsaki make better use of ideomotor effects and materialization of intention. Mental imagery is most effective when images are clear and include specific details, like for examples colors, angles and size. Using all the body's senses during imagery helps you in achieving vivid or “lifelike” images. Lifelike imagery helps the body to respond physiologically the same way it would as if you were actually physically performing.”
Here’s another one on kinetic chains.
And one more on momentum.
WATCH: Does Hanging Help?
(Length: ~ 16 mins)
*Not worth the watch* - If you’re reading this you probably already know and understand the importance of hanging. I’m sharing this because it seems these two therapists who have been in the industry for many years and have almost 5 million subscribers only recently heard about the benefits of hanging.
The point here isn’t to bash others. The point I’m making is this… what seems like common knowledge to you isn’t so common for 99% of the population. I encourage you to keep sharing what you’re learning about movement with those around you. Spread the good word of brachiation.
You’re better off reading the book they reference in the video. It's a great read that geeks out on the anatomy of the shoulder and gives practical solutions to shoulder pain via hanging.
AESTHETICALLY PLEASING 👀
“For The North Face, we created a campaign that called for an end to the current political climate surrounding immigration. Instead of building walls to separate people, we built walls so that people could come and climb them.”
Whatever your take on the topic is, there’s no denying the ingenuity of North Face’s “Walls Are Meant For Climbing” campaign. The design includes two simple, but impactful lines (representing walls, just in case that wasn’t obvious) enclosing 5 words. This campaign exemplifies everything I try to achieve within my work - how can I make my point with as little as possible?
Learn more about the campaign here.
TINY INSIGHT 🧠
“Touching the ground daily is something powerful we can do to keep ourselves... GROUNDED, happy, connected, strong, nimble and well-oriented. It’s of course much more than just ‘touching it’ and requires one to study the interaction between body and ground.” ~Ido Portal
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👨🏻💻 Get Your Project Off The Ground in 2024
Thank you to those who’ve reached out about projects you are working on. 🙏 January is booked, but I have some slots open for mid-to-late February if you’re looking to get a project off the ground. Logo, website, social media visuals, workshop presentation, online course, etc.? Hit ‘Reply’ and let me know how I can help.
To Grounding Oneself,
Galo Alfredo Naranjo
Quiet walks in the woods!
While I practice floorwork dance, bouldering, tree climbing, mountain biking, Olympic lifting, and more, nothing has been more nourishing than quiet walks in the woods recently.
I have two kids under five and some of the more rigorous practices feel like they take away my presence from the family and my capacity to father. My body is enjoying the sensory experience of being in the woods, I’m able to practice mindful movement and expand my ecological literacy, and I come back restored, present, and energized to connect with the kids and family.
Interestingly, I’ve been holding onto these other practices, even though they aren’t feeling enlivening at the moment, because I’m scared to lose the skills, the adaptions, and honestly, the attention that one gets by moving fluently in athletic and unusual ways. Curious to see how this will unfold in 2024...