Energies flow freely if our bodies are open – expanded, and relaxed. On the other hand, condensing power creates tension, stagnates and restricts flows. These qualities affect practically all the flows: waves of kinetic energy, the flow of vital energy, the flow of breathing, blood, lymph, etc. The same is valid for flow as a mental state of mind. Therefore, being aware of expanding and condensing powers is beneficial if you want to be fluid. If you are relaxed enough, you can flow like water. Nay, you can flow like a flame! The fire quality can help us hold our body mass and strengthen tensegrity. It uplifts us and makes our movements even lighter, smoother and more efficient. Life with flow is easier, happier and healthier. The quality of fire can also automatically bring us to a balanced position. We can have a fluid body without expanding and ‘fire quality’; however, a body like this is much heavier. The expanded, relaxed body could be very soft and adaptable. The wave of kinetic energy and another flow streams freely via that body. We much more easily harmonise and synchronise with our surroundings. Kinetic energy could work for you or against you. If you accept kinetic energy, it can power your movement – you can surf on the wave of kinetic energy. If we can’t work with kinetic energy, we tend to absorb it with muscle power and move just by muscles. Many of us believe that strength is pressure (tension). However, real power comes from softness. When you are relaxed, expanded, and soft, you are more sensitive and can quickly change the direction of your movement. In the same way, as pressure makes diamonds, it crystallises tissue. Every tension is written into our tissue in the form of crystallisation. That process is one of the most characteristic parts of getting old. Crystallisation restricts our movements and often causes pain. Therefore, it’s crucial to avoid undesirable tension and stress-condensing power. And actively decrystallize our tissue. The best ways to decrystallize are expanding, waving movements and massage. The quality of your body is a reflection of the quality of your mind. To have a fluid body, you need a fluid mind! The fluid mind doesn’t have expectations; it can be in the present. If you let your body and intuition react instead of rational mind, your movement will be much quicker. Actually, you would flow instead of reacting. Read More…
There are two ways to build a strong body construction… The first one is building up by shrinking and tensing up. This construction is rigid. It could be firm like stone, but it also can be brittle, like a mud house. The second one is building up by expanding. Then, our bodies are supple, elastic and light like a bouncing castle. It is valid not just for the body but also for the mind. “Men are born soft and supple; dead, they are stiff and hard. Plants are born tender and pliant; dead, they are brittle and dry. Thus, whoever is stiff and inflexible is a disciple of death. Whoever is soft and yielding is a disciple of life. The hard and stiff will be broken. The soft and supple will prevail.” Lao Tzu
Vision is the closest physical aspect linked to our mind. It follows that vision is a helpful tool to switch between focused and expanded awareness. A focused vision leads to focused awareness. Peripheral vision leads to expanded awareness. With focused (tunnel) vision, you can see sharp details of a small point. Your view is narrower. Your attention flows to the point. With (expanded) peripheral vision, everything is slightly blurred, but your view is much wider. Your attention expands – you can work with more perceptions/impulses. Focused vision is good when you need to focus on one thing (e.g. one arm, one ball or one body). The problem arises when you try, with a focused vision, to keep track of more than one object, e.g. 3 limbs, 8 balls or a crowd of people. Peripheral vision is much more suitable for multitasking. You have much better spatial awareness in the expanded vision mode.
In essence, two mechanical systems can maintain weight: 1. compression – bracing – bracing maintains your posture primarily via the bones, joints and discs. 2. tension – hanging – hanging maintains your posture via our fasciae, tendons and muscles – tensegrity. Tensegrity helps to hold your body weight. In addition, functional tensegrity decompresses your discs, vertebrae & joints. Thus, movements are easier and smoother by decreasing the chance of injuries. In addition, it makes you feel lighter. With strong tensegrity, you can flow much smoother! Tensegrity makes our structures stronger and more elastic, similar to ropes, which strengthen the structure of tents. How do you build up stronger Tensegrity? Expand from the ground to the sky with muscles. That would demand a lot of muscle power (vital energy) and create undesirable tension. Expand from the ground to the sky by conscious expanding (especially fasciae), which is much more efficient. Using the uplifting power of Inner Fire (fire flows to the sky). It demands an expanded and relaxed body and mind to create space for Inner Fire. And be able to feel the flow of Inner Fire to harness it and let it uplift us.
Our soft tissue (especially fasciae) exhibits different qualities depending on our emotional state. In a state of fear, the fasciae condense. When you are happy, the fasciae usually expands. However, we can consciously control the expansion and condensing of the quality of our tissue. We can add the power of conscious expanding tissue from the opposite side to the power of regular muscle contraction. We also can add the power of conscious condensing tissue from the same side. So, we can use these three sources of power: muscle contraction expanding tissue condensing tissue You can combine the muscle and expanding / condensing powers into one united movement. Using less muscle power, you become more efficient and create less tension. The power of the expanding and condensing fasciae is the secret of ‘the superhuman power’ that Cossacks and Chi Kung masters demonstrate.
Expanding and condensing our bodies usually happens subconsciously – depending on our emotions. However, we can expand and condense consciously by focusing our attention. You can learn a special meditation on the conscious control of our expanding and condensing body. We can expand and condense practically the whole body; however, the most significant ability to expand and condense is a fascia*. Expand The quality of Expansion makes our tissue (especially fasciae) larger or more extensive. Direction to expand: 1) From the ground to the sky. 2) From the centre to the periphery or away from the body. It could be from the core, ming men, knees, etc., towards fingers and toes. 3) 90° from the bone to the skin surface or further. Condense The quality of Condensing makes our tissue (especially fasciae) denser or more concentrated. Direction to condense: 1) To the ground. 2) From the body’s periphery (or space around) to the centre. It could be from fingers and toes towards the core, dan tian, etc. 3) 90° from the skin surface, hairs (or space around) to the bone.
From outside – suspending There are many ways to suspend. We can use a bar, branch, wall, ground, or bone structure. We have a whole program about how to suspend. From inside – muscle contraction We expand with the desire to touch as far as possible with some part of our bodies. In the beginning, we usually do it with muscles. From inside – without muscle contraction Expanding and condensing of tissue is not muscle contraction! These qualities can be reached and move us without muscle contraction. Or they can support muscle contraction to move more efficiently – with less tension, to be stronger or quicker. Expanding and condensing can be set up without movement as a predisposition or energetic circles. Expanded, condensed or statical tissue has different qualities and will react differently. In some Chi Kung systems, energy expands from Ming Men via jang tissue and condenses back via jin tissue to Dan Tien Dantian to make an energy circle. Expanding and condensing usually happen subconsciously as a reaction to our emotions. However, with a specific meditation, we can learn to control these qualities consciously, which is not easy but opens up a long list of benefits… From inside by Inner Fire Our expanding and condensing qualities have an eminent influence on our Inner Fire. Inner Fire has expansive quality. If we have a strong Inner Fire, we expand more easily. When we have a smaller Inner Fire, we tend to condense. On the other hand, when we expand, Inner Fire will have more space and will be stronger.
Always obtain medical clearance if you have any chronic illness, have had surgery, or are unsure whether your condition is safe for traction-style training. 🔴 Red Flags These are conditions in which full lifting is usually prohibited; only very gentle, ground-based work (if any) should be considered, and only with the agreement of a medical professional. A spinal disc herniation (a slipped disk or a ruptured disk) Strong backache Severe pain or acute damage to the spine Pregnancy before 12 weeks Cardiostimulator Severe cardiovascular disease (severe hypertension, angina, serious arrhythmias, advanced coronary artery disease) Epilepsy Acute inflammatory processes Advanced osteoporosis After injuries and operations of the spine or joints (especially joint replacement) Osteosclerosis in an advanced stage Genetic pathologies of vascular walls Varicose veins (expansion of the vessel walls) Brain swelling Serious infectious diseases 🟡 Yellow Flags These conditions do not necessarily forbid practice, but they require modified loads, careful monitoring, and often prior medical consultation. Bad tolerance for stretching or poor stretchability After using alcohol or other drugs Bodyweight about 150 kg Headache Long-term high blood pressure Arthrosis or arthritis (small joints – rheumatism) Diabetes mellitus (due to increased tissue fragility and slower healing) In some cases, it is possible to lift a person facing up or not lift at all, as long as the body is reasonably expanded to keep it on the ground. All cases must be considered individually. Read Guidelines before Pravilo
The Effects of Ageing How does the process of ageing affect us? The body and mind are closing, shrinking, bending, and crystalising. We lose the flexibility of the body and usually also the mind. We have less Inner Fire – vital energy. Joints, tendons and muscles are weaker; bones are more brittle. The imbalance of the myofascial body usually becomes worse. All these negative trends are part of life; however, we can actively slow down the ageing process! Pravilo helps us to expand and be open for a longer time. When we expand, we are opening to the flow of vital energy. Pravilo strengthens ligaments (joints), tendons, fasciae, and muscles. It positively affects bone density. An expanded body has more of the uplifting power of Inner Fire, making the body lighter – we have less pressure on our joints and discs and less crystalising force. Pravilo is a device which keeps us younger and expands our lives!
Condensing power is suppressing and restricting our movement. Expanding relaxes us and allows us to flow freely. Then, your freedom of movement also depends on aspects such as the range of movement and power. It’s obvious how Pravilo massively expands the range of our movement by expanding and stretching. Elastic and supple tissue is an excellent prevention for sports injuries. Switching off antagonistic muscles also increases our power, speed and endurance efficiency. Pravilo also decompresses your vertebrae discs and joins, strengthens your tensegrity and makes you move lighter. Life manifests itself by movement, so Pravilo helps us to be more alive!
