(Made some changes to the way I write training logs to include more data and better formatting for easier reference. Hope this is for the better!)
Hours of sleep: 3.5 (23:00 ~ 02:30)
HRV: 70
Reflection: For some reason I felt fully rested after waking up at 2:22 AM. I tried going back to sleep but by 2:58 AM I started meditating to dull my frustration.
AM: Meditation + Yoga
Meditation
Time: 30mins (03:30~04:00)
Reflection: Tried the Wim Hoff Method of meditation as I was amazed after watching this video documentary about it.
Did 3 full cycles and each time after blowing, as much as possible, all the air out of my lungs I timed how long I could hold my breathe for. The results were consistently about 1’30”!!! 😱😱😱 This is staggering because I have been trying to train my breath holds after each swimming session and so far, after 5 WEEKS, I have only been able to hold for about 1 minute.
I have some postulated reasons on how this was achieved. It could be a combination of purposely inducing hyperventilation through deep and fast breathing (think about blowing up a balloon!) and the conscious act of relaxing and letting go of all tension in your body, in line with general meditation principles.
I find that this also helps me fine tune my awareness with my body, which as an athlete is indisputable important as one will be better able to ‘listen to your body’ and prevent overtraining or injury by knowing when to push or take a step back. This happens because while doing the meditation, practitioners are encouraged to scan and analyze every nook and cranny in your body and for wherever there is tension/discoloration/blockage, to send warmth & energy there to release the tension.
I did not feel any weird tingling sensations or uncontrollable wave of emotion or any hallucinations though. Apparently some people get this but thank god I didn’t haha.
In conclusion, I feel that this is a powerful habit that when practiced everyday can help one to elicit more control over your body, and possibly over one’s autonomous system which is usually automatic and uncontrollable(e.g. our immune system). Other reported benefits include being able to resist extreme cold and heat, accomplishing superhuman feats of athletic endeavors and possibly consciously control one’s immune system to fight back against seemingly incurable diseases like HIV, arthritis, cancer, etc. So if ever my Ankylosing Spondylitis strikes back, at least now I have an alternative to the costly $2400 injections! 😄
Man flow yoga session 3
Reflection: Another tough yoga session for improving flexibility, mobility, balance and some basic strength & conditioning. Learnt some new poses too like the 3-legged dog and a new pose called ‘Frog Pose’ which was a really, really good hip opener! People with back pain, ITB syndrome, shin splins and tight hip will definitely benefit from this session!
PM: Self Myofascial Release (SMR)
Planned to do this but was too tired after touring the city with my relatives the whole day so maybe tmr!
JT 