Leap of Faith
Updated: 7 days ago
"...what if we can--it changes the perception of whats possible." - Steve Yu
The incredible stories never stop. In 1982 Angela Cavallo a 50-year-old woman gathered the strength to lift a vehicle long enough for neighbors to come and pull her son to safety.

The Discovery Channel interviewed Sinjin Eberle a rock climber who was trapped under a falling boulder that he alone was able to push off. There's Tom Boyle, interviewed for a History Channel story, he was able to help a cyclist trapped under a vehicle.


*good point
This extraordinary display of strength is called Hysterical Strength. It's prompted by a life-threatening situation. In a small section deep in the brain called the hypothalamus it is responsible for maintaining physiological balance such as stress levels and body temperature, heart rate, and mood by influencing the autonomic nervous system (basically a highway for information to flow from the brain to the body, vice versa but-) with hormones.
It keeps your body at a state of balance called homeostasis. It is linked to the adrenaline releasing adrenal gland. An overactive hypothalamus is the result of this strength but understanding the physiology remains a mystery as this occurrence is rare. Survivalist Shane Hobel founder of Mountain Scout Survival School. Featured in the same History Channel interview says this is an example of "Fa Jin".
In the practice of Tai Chi martial arts this refers to a seemingly effortless sudden release of energy that is obtained through a coordinated movement of the whole body. The idea is flowing the energy from your legs and core to flow to your arms, hands, etc. Many are familiar with Fa jin from the philosophies in the martial arts of Bruce Lee and his one-inch punch.

Originally, meant to be a Wing Chun (self-defense technique) training exercise called "explosive force moment" Bruce Lee improved on it making it more powerful and effective.
side note-`in some studies Tai Chi practice is linked to improving the balance and decreasing falling injures and frequency of the elderly
The body is mystifying, what it can do and withstand is enough to make you proud and pump you up. Our bones are extraordinarily strong about four times as strong as concrete of equal weight. Bone is less dense than steel meaning if measured by the same volume bone would break long before steel breaks.
Bones are made to be light for maneuvering but strong for survival. The majority of mass is soft making it capable to bend and hence 'alive'. Every 7 to 10 years the body replaces every bone cell. This process keeps them adaptable, changing in terms of patterns depending on the stress it gets on a particular area.
For example for athletes the arm bones grow stronger than for a professional dancer. There is no material on earth that can mimic the human bone and one lucky man is proof. Matt Suter a 19 year old was swept up inside a tornado about 1300 ft high and landed a quarter mile away and only sustained a head injury.
He was knocked unconscious by a lamp; therefore, when he landed his body was completely relaxed and was fully limp allowing for his bones to absorb the impact and protect his organs from being smashed.
When we consciously test our strength, our muscles, bones, and mental power they collaborate to give us unbelievable results. In 2014 The former WCW Champion Dallas Page's fitness program, DDP Yoga aired on Shark Tank. He didn't leave with a deal but became a huge success.

What set this program apart from others and the main reason for its popularity was the success story he told to the investors. He improved his own broken body and a blown-back from years of wrestling through yoga and then improved it creating his own routines. His program shocked people when he presented Arthur Morgan's story.
The former staff sergeant and disabled veteran's body was torn up and was told by doctors he would never walk unassisted again. He gained a lot of weight, reaching 297 pounds, and said he completely given up.
Because of DDP Yoga he regained his ability to move regularly, run, and even hold his weight on his head. Before this he was using a knee brace, back brace, and a wrap around brace with two canes and could still barely move.

"Just cause I can't do it today doesn't mean I can't do it someday."
About 15 years later, DDP Yoga is still challenging the capabilities of the body. DDP Yoga has released several documentaries over the years and is currently working on a new one about another person it has helped. A boxer known as Butterbean. He was in terrible shape and his career left his body beat.
Through the support of his friends and with the help of Dallas Page and his partner Steve Yu, Butterbean is back. He can jog and train again. Butterbean, Dallas and his crew give lots of credit to the mindset.
Preparing yourself for the action, and constantly reminding yourself why you're making the change, is crucial. Butterbean was in terrible pain but he got his spirit again and didn't hold back.

"..back in the day I believed I could accomplish anything, I could do anything but somehow down the line I forgot that."
These people and their stories prove that our bodies are always ready to adapt at any time, any age— and it's truly astonishing. When we're cornered and must act fast and be decisive or when you're ready to control a situation the best you can and overcome something meaning life or death. The body with the spirit is always going to have a will, buried but ready to push on.
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