BREEMA Wednesday!
Breema has become my channel for spirituality, self-discovery and personal growth. I have a monthly session with my Breema “master” and also participate in various local Breema workshops.
What is Breema?
When I first started having Breema sessions, I considered it bodywork. Many people likened it to Thai massage or partnered yoga. Yes, there is a bodywork component to Breema, but it can be much more far-reaching than that. It may sound a bit like jargon, but I quote a Questions and Answers fact sheet:
What is Breema?
Breema is a profound understanding of the underlying unity of all life. That understanding is expressed in a dynamic and practical philosophy that can be put into practice in any situation.
What is Breema Bodywork?
Breema Bodywork is a living expression of the philosophy of Breema through touch and movement. It’s a direct communication of Breema’s Nine Principles of Harmony. The Nine Principles of Harmony distinguish Breema from all other methods of bodywork. Yet the principles are universal. They can be applied to other techniques and methods of bodywork, health improvement, health maintenance and, in fact, to any activity in life.
What has it been for me?
It’s definitely had some physical effects. Initially, it solved a painful shoulder issue. More long-term, I am more aware of my body. I now don’t settle for unconsciously posturing or positioning my body in ways that can be uncomfortable.
Emotionally and spiritually, it’s had a much bigger impact. Initially, I had a newfound sense of openness with my interactions with other people. I found I could connect more honestly with people. My connections with others become much deeper and meaningful. After that, I had a profound insight about how much I didn’t know. Or conversely, how infinite my ability to grow and learn was. I blogged about it at the time. Most recently, I have a much stronger sense about who I am at my core. I’m still working through this one, so it’s still blurry. But the self-confidence of clarifying some central truths about who I am has been very empowering lately.
I am very happy to have my monthly session today.
Breema isn’t widely known about on the East coast of the U.S. It’s more widely known in California, and parts of Europe. But it is growing quickly. I’d highly recommend checking it out. Especially if you’re receptive to this kind of opportunity for growth.
Current Knitting
It is with great joy that I announce I have finished the Tilt Cardigan sleeve!
This means there is no more stranded knitting in-the-flat left to do! I also started the button band.
Soon I’ll be steeking both the front of the sweater and the arm-holes. Exciting times!
You’re a braver man than I, Gunga Din! I’ve been knitting most of my long life, and still cannot garner the courage to steek. Good luck, and I hope you post when you do steek the front of that lovely sweater.
Thanks Lou…I don’t consider steeking dangerous at all. This particular yarn is a bit less “grabby” than 100% wool yarn, so I will machine sew a stabilizing line of stitches on either side of the cuts. But a wise knitter once told me that knitted stitches drop vertically very easily, but not very easily horizontally. And that has been my experience as well.
I look forward to my weekly visit with my fitness trainer. It’s teaching me to be friends with a big-muscled man, 20+ yrs younger than I, tattooed, non-nerd. It’s a change for me. I don’t even know how or if he votes. It’s nice that the focus is on me for at least 1/2 hour a week.
I asked this in a previous post but you didn’t answer 🙂 what are the benefits of steeking VS a regular button band?
Sorry I missed your comment/question last time…I almost missed it again this time! Steeking is useful for me when I’m doing stranded (or Fair-Isle) knitting. I find it very difficult to switch colors on the purl-side of knitting and also very difficult to catch floats on the purl-side. I’ve gotten very fast at doing it on the knit-side. By putting a steek in for the front opening of a cardigan, I can knit in-the-round instead of back and forth flat. Thereby avoiding purl-side stranded knitting.
I’ll just add to this that a steek and a button band are 2 different things.
A steek is a section within the knitted tube that is intended to be cut open, and the steek itself is where the cut is made and the fabric is stabilized to prevent ravelling. Sheila McGregor notes (in her book “The Complete Book of Traditional Fair Isle Knitting”) that while there are different methods of forming and finishing a steek, they are planned (e.g., intentionally cast on 5-7 stitches where you plan to cut). So you think of it as a bridge or a gate across an opening. (McGregor also notes that to “steek a yet” is an expression meaning to shut a gate so that it is difficult to open again.)
Knitters in other countries will cut a tube open without creating a steek. And I think “steeking” has now become a verb used to indicate that you’re going to cut open a tube of knitting.
A button band are the chunks of material carrying the buttons and the buttonholes.
One can knit the body of the sweater as a tube employing a steek to create the front opening. And then button bands are made for the sides of that steeked front opening. From the photos here, this is what Joe is doing.
I had never heard of Breema. Thanks for sharing and teaching… The sweater is gorgeous! Can’t wait to see you model it.
Please take some photos through the process. I have not yet tried this technique
I won’t take photos of Breema, but I imagine you were talking about steeking anyway.
That is INSANE colorwork – and in the FLAT?!!! Yowza – you are good!:) Steeking is great. Cannot wait to see the finished sweater.