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Gary "Gazza" Trucks

@gwtrucks

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Yoga 🔻Captions in a Circular Narrative 🤓🔻Fitness🔻

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Can you believe your eyes? Please join us for this #WednesdayWheelParty 🎉 to find out. Our lovely and spectacular lead host @latebloominglotus brings us #Wheelyillusion Please see Chesca’s post for tips and variations.

Inspiration: @innerpeace_jo

Oxford professor Alain Goriely (@goriely) published a paper in the Royal Society Open Science entitled, “The illusion of illusions: there are no optical corrections in the Parthenon”. He states, “One of the oldest and most enduring myths in human history is the belief that the Parthenon was cleverly designed with various curved structures and sizes in order to correct visual illusions and thereby make it appear straight and regular.” It was some 400 years after the Parthenon was built before any notion of visual corrections were discussed. Roman architect and engineer Vitruvius detailed several in his treatise De architectura. Nevertheless, he provided no proof. In the time that followed a number of writers repeated Vitruvius’s assumptions; although, none of the supposed corrections for the visual illusions were universally accepted by experts. Goriely goes through each and provides proof that there is no basis in the myth. Nevertheless, he states that the myth is repeated to the point that the large language models ChatPGT, Gemini and Claude all cite the Parthenon as “the example” of optical refinements in architecture. Goriely so elegantly states, “Yet, these myths are so widespread that they have been repeated in specialized books about the Parthenon, encyclopedias, documentaries, and, ad nauseam, over the planetary dumping ground of human knowledge, propaganda, truths, lies and myths, called the internet.” The moral is to not believe everything you read or see on the internet...

Hosts:
@gabrielle_edwards_yoga
@lilyoginigirl
@free.a.yoga.girl
@lesliegreinstein
@latebloominglotus
@helenehopyoga
@gwtrucks
@sigikolbeyoga
@sportandtravel
.
#challengeyourbalance #challengeyourstrength
#yogawheel by @gwtrucks

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4 days ago

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5 days ago

Already gazing toward the weekend? Please join us for this #WednesdayWheelParty 🎉 Our lovely and talented lead host @helenehopyoga brings us #WheelyTwistToTheSky Please see Hélène’s post for tips and a video.

An article at Athenian Tours says it best, “Long before telescopes and star charts, ancient Greeks looked up at the night sky and saw more than stars—they saw stories.” The Ancient Greek called the constellations “katasterismoi” which means “placing of stars”. They believed that the gods put people, animals and other objects into the heavens. Further, it was done for four reasons:

* A reward for virtue - Often the gods did this for divine promotion also called apotheosis. This was a type of immortal honor.
* To remind - For example, the story of Heracles.
* To punish impiety - For example, Cassiopeia’s pride.
* Protection - For example, the Pleiades. Zeus transformed the daughters of Altas to doves who flew into the stars to escape Orion.

Hélène has us twisting towards the heavens for a reason. I am sure it is one of the four, but I will leave it to the experience to tell the story. 😉

Hosts:
@gabrielle_edwards_yoga
@lilyoginigirl
@free.a.yoga.girl
@lesliegreinstein
@latebloominglotus
@helenehopyoga
@gwtrucks
@sigikolbeyoga
@sportandtravel
.
#challengeyourbalance #challengeyourstrength
#yogawheel by @gwtrucks

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11 days ago

Ready to roll toward the weekend? Please join us for this #WednesdayWheelParty 🎉 Our bold and talented lead host @sportandtravel brings us #WheelyWingIt Please see Sabine’s post for tips, variations and videos.

Having just come off a science based challenge, I can’t help myself from discussing the physics of this pose. Here we are very reminiscent of a tight rope walker, but instead of a pole, we are using our limbs. Why? We are increasing our rotational inertia. The rotational inertia or rotational resistance in loose terms is the measure of an objects opposition to changing the direction of rotation. The center of rotation is called the pivot point. When we are standing, it is our feet. If we extend our arms, like wings, we spread the mass away from our feet. This makes it more difficult for us to rotate. It also slows down how quickly we can rotate (topple) providing more reaction time. This allows us to counter any rotation. When we sit on the wheel, the same basic thing happens except we combine our rotational inertia with that of the wheel. Of course, we all know that the pivot point of our wheel is where it rests on the ground, and you know exactly what way it rotates most readily. If not, you will!

Hosts:
@gabrielle_edwards_yoga
@lilyoginigirl
@free.a.yoga.girl
@lesliegreinstein
@latebloominglotus
@helenehopyoga
@gwtrucks
@sigikolbeyoga
@sportandtravel
.
#challengeyourbalance #challengeyourstrength
#yogawheel by @gwtrucks

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18 days ago

Welcome to Day 8️⃣ (Monday) of 📣🩺 #AloboutSTEM7 🔬

Today’s topic is: Machine - Yogi’s choice

𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙢𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨: 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚?

Remember electronics kits? Now computer simulators are widely available. They have obvious benefits such as cost, safety and control (for example, the ability to slow things down), but are they any substitute? This has been a topic ever since computers entered the classroom. In 2001, a group of physicists from the University of Colorado presented a discussion entitled “Can Computer Simulations Replace Real Equipment in Undergraduate Laboratories?” Their findings with a DC circuit laboratory demonstrated that students who used simulations outperformed students who use real equipment in terms of conceptual and practical proficiency. This was embraced throughout COVID and seemed to accelerate with AI. However, a recent article in Education Week by Alyson Klein and Lauraine Langreo acknowledges there is a backlash in Ed-Tech. They state, “More than half of educators who work for public school districts—61%—say that most parents and caregivers feel there’s too much technology in schools.” This is, in part, based on concerns that AI can be misused as a substitute for learning (and teaching and grading in some cases) and that increased screen time has contributed to declining mental health. What are your thoughts?

Thank you so much to all who participated in or supported this challenge. Much appreciation to my talented cohosts and our generous sponsor!

🧬 STEM Hosts:
@crazyasiayoga
@jenbellyoga
@PreferTheStorm
@gwtrucks

📐 Sponsors:
@AloYoga by @gwtrucks

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20 days ago

Welcome to Day 7️⃣ (Sunday) of 📣🩺 #AloboutSTEM7 🔬

Today’s topic is: Structure - What pose allows you to feel the most stable?

Flying crow is very stable for me, but I’m always looking for ways to push it. How? Physics. Stability in physics is an object’s ability to maintain its position or return to its original state after a disturbance. Stability depends on two things: center of gravity and base of support. Those are the variables we can play with. I lowered my center of gravity and widened the base by having three points (or one hand, one edge and one point 😉) here.

There are three states of stability:

- Stable Equilibrium where the object returns to its original position.
- Neutral Equilibrium where the object stays in a new position without falling or rolling.
- Unstable Equilibrium where the object falls.

I’m sure we all have experienced all three. I may have run through them in this variant alone… 😅

🧬 STEM Hosts:
@crazyasiayoga
@jenbellyoga
@PreferTheStorm
@gwtrucks

📐 Sponsors:
@AloYoga by @gwtrucks

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21 days ago

Welcome to Day 6️⃣ (Saturday) of 📣🩺 #AloboutSTEM7 🔬

Today’s topic is: Gravity - Let’s defy it with an Inversion!

Let’s not defy gravity. I’ve discussed the consequences previously as even a few seconds without gravity would be a catastrophic event including loss of oxygen and the Earth splitting open. But… If what you really want is to levitate that’s completely doable. The proof is in Sir Andre Geim’s frog experiment. In 1991, Eric Beaugno and Robert Tournier reasoned that since water is diamagnetic (weakly repelled by both poles of a magnet), it could be made to levitate if the upward magnetic force was precisely equal to the downward pull of gravity. This was then achieved with extremely powerful magnetic fields (about 10 times stronger than a MRI machine). According The Harvard Gazette, this got Geim thinking that other objects containing water could also levitate in a strong magnetic field. He exhibited this with strawberries and cherry tomatoes before his wife suggested a frog. Sure enough, Geim levitated a living frog. The frog was unharmed, and Geim won an Ig Nobel Prize (which is sort of a tongue-in-cheek award for weird science. Later Geim would win a Nobel Prize for other science). In theory, one could build a magnetic field big enough (the apparatus would be gigantic) to levitate a human. In fact, Geim said there was a leader of a small religious group in England “who offered us a million pounds if we could levitate him in front of his congregation to improve his public relations.” Dude could have just taken some yoga classes… 💁‍♂️

🧬 STEM Hosts:
@crazyasiayoga
@jenbellyoga
@PreferTheStorm
@gwtrucks

📐 Sponsors:
@AloYoga by @gwtrucks

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22 days ago

Welcome to Day 5️⃣ (Friday) of 📣🩺 #AloboutSTEM7 🔬

Today’s topic is: Evolution - Which pose have you grown the most in recently?

I have worked hard on straightening the leg when it rests on another part of the body. I’m not where I want to be, but I’ve seen flashes of progress.

DAVRON provide engineering staffing and recruitment services so they are very familiar with STEM training. A blog on their website is entitled, “The Evolution of STEM Education: Preparing the Next Generation of Engineers”. As you may have guessed, the way we prepare students has changed a great deal. DAVRON writes, “Over time, STEM education has shifted from traditional lecture-based methods to hands-on, project-based, and interdisciplinary learning approaches. This evolution ensures that students are not just passive learners but active problem-solvers who can tackle real-world challenges.” In the article, they highlight that STEM education has become increasingly interdisciplinary. Project-Based Learning (PBL) uses real world problems as a teaching tool. This approach improves critical thinking and retention by 82% according the the National Academies of Sciences. As I mentioned in 2023, Arts are being integrated (STEAM) to add creativity and innovation. Other changes have involved the use of online STEM platforms, virtual labs and simulations, robotics, coding, machine learning and, of course, artificial intelligence (AI). The article ends with “we are not just preparing students for jobs—we are empowering them to build the future.” Similarly, we are not just preparing ourselves for today’s yoga practice, we are building our future. A future I hope includes straight legs…

🧬 STEM Hosts:
@crazyasiayoga
@jenbellyoga
@PreferTheStorm
@gwtrucks

📐 Sponsors:
@AloYoga by @gwtrucks

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23 days ago

Welcome to Day 4️⃣ (Thursday) of 📣🩺 #AloboutSTEM7 🔬

Today’s topic is: Use your civil engineering skills in your plank or straight-line pose to defy pressure and stress.

Stuart Pedley-Smith has a blog entry entitled, “Stress or Pressure - Don’t let the bridge collapse”. His point is to use today’s topic from engineering to assist in understanding our mental health. He begins by relaying the engineers definitions, “Pressure is applied on the external surface of a body, while stress is the internal resistive force per unit area of that body, which resists its elongation or compression. Alternatively – Stress is generated within the material whereas pressure is the applied force.” He then turns to an example from a stress management seminar where the presenter used an analogy of cars going over a bridge. The cars create pressure on the bridge and the bridge experiences stress. The presenter then pointed out, “No matter how strong the bridge, there is a point that if too many cars were on at any one time it would collapse.” The way to avoid that is either to not have that many cars on the bridge or support the bridge so it can handle more cars. His point was to reduce “the number of external pressures you are under (less cars) and having coping strategies to help when you are under pressure (some support).” Such strategies were given by Richard Lazarus and Susan Folkman in their landmark book “Stress, Appraisal and Coping”. There are two ways of coping:

* Emotional-Focused - dealing with emotions rather than trying to change the environment. This is useful when the stress is outside one’s control.
* Problem-Focused - dealing with the problem itself. Here we remove or reduce the pressure.

In my pose, aligning the arms with the body resulted in collapse so I sloped my arms slightly and rested them on blocks to obtain some support. After all, it became a simple engineering problem once I was no longer attached to the outcome. Hmm… That sounds a lot like Aparigraha (non-attachment), right?!

🧬 STEM Hosts:
@crazyasiayoga
@jenbellyoga
@PreferTheStorm
@gwtrucks

📐 Sponsors:
@AloYoga by @gwtrucks

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24 days ago

X marks Wednesday this week! Please join us for this #WednesdayWheelParty 🎉 Our lovely and artistic lead host @sigikolbeyoga brings us #XWheel0 Please see Sigi’s post for tips and variations.

Sigi invites us to put our signature on this pose and that’s completely fitting. Historically an “X” has been recognized as an official sponsor signature. The reasons:

- X is simple and recognizable.
- The Greek word for Christ is ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ so the “X” became somewhat of an oath of honesty.
- Notaries and courts still recognize an “X” as official as long as it is witnessed.

Careful with this one, you may show signs of a perfectionist. 😅

Hosts:
@gabrielle_edwards_yoga
@lilyoginigirl
@free.a.yoga.girl
@lesliegreinstein
@latebloominglotus
@helenehopyoga
@gwtrucks
@sigikolbeyoga
@sportandtravel
.
#challengeyourbalance #challengeyourstrength
#yogawheel by @gwtrucks

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24 days ago

Welcome to Day 3️⃣ (Wednesday) of 📣🩺 #AloboutSTEM7 🔬

Today’s topic is: Pressure - Anything you feel pressure in. I went with Bhujapidasana or shoulder-pressing pose.

As far as feeling pressure goes, there are a number of places:

1. Blood pressure - This is what immediately comes to mind. There are two measures: systolic (when the heart pumps) and diastolic (when the heart relaxes).
2. Intraocular pressure - Fluid pressure in the eye that maintains its shape.
3. Lung pressure - This varies with each breath. Inhaling causes pressure to drop below atmospheric pressure and exhaling results in pressure above atmospheric pressure. The lungs are attached to the chest wall by liquid adhesion; otherwise, they would collapse.
4. Spinal fluid pressure - This keeps the brain floating. If it didn’t, you would experience severe headaches, constricted blood flow and brain damage.
5. Skeletal pressure - We feel this when lifting. This is by far the highest pressure in the body reaching up to 50 atmospheres or about 735 pounds of pressure per square inch.
6. Bladder pressure - This is what we feel the most. This pressure causes the micturition reflex, which results in feeling the need to urinate.

In poses, we typically think about lung pressure and skeletal pressure, but if you’ve ever attended a class, you know bladder pressure is rather common as well. 😄

🧬 STEM Hosts:
@crazyasiayoga
@jenbellyoga
@PreferTheStorm
@gwtrucks

📐 Sponsors:
@aloyoga by @gwtrucks

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25 days ago

Welcome to Day 2️⃣ (Tuesday) of 📣🩺 #AloboutSTEM7 🔬

Today’s topic is: Force - Arm balance using muscular force to hold up your mass*9.81 m/(s*s).

Just how much force are you exerting in an arm balance? Simple, your exact body weight. Keep in mind that a normal person can lift about 30-50 lbs. In order to lift that 50lbs you need just over 50 lbs of force (if you only applied 50 lbs then the weight would remain stationary). So what gives? Are yogi’s superhuman? Well, maybe. But, that’s not what is going on here. We stack the large bones so the load is carried by the skeleton not the muscle. The bones in the adult arm can handle about 900 lbs of compression (downward force) before failing. However, that is very directional. Bones are strongest with vertical compression and much weaker with bending, shearing or twisting. That is why we use our core, back and shoulder muscles to tighten the body. That reduces any rotational torque (twisting or turning force) and spreads the weight across the entire upper body. So arm balance aren’t achieved through strength. They are applied physics. 🤓

🧬 STEM Hosts:
@crazyasiayoga
@jenbellyoga
@PreferTheStorm
@gwtrucks

📐 Sponsors:
@AloYoga

📚 STEM Shapes:
1. Thermodynamics - Twist to move energy
2. Force - Arm balance using muscular force to hold up your mass*9.81 m/(s*s)
3. Pressure - Anything you feel pressure in
4. Stress - Use your civil engineering skills in your plank or straight-line pose to defy pressure and stress
5. Evolution - Which pose have you grown the most in recently?
6. Gravity - Let’s defy it with an Inversion!
7. Structure - What pose allows you to feel the most stable?
8. Machine - Yogi’s choice by @gwtrucks

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a month ago