Stretching

The river ship I was on this past week had a great wellness program and coach. There were opportunities throughout each day to work on strengthening, stabilizing and stretching exercises and even get in some extra steps. 

There were some sore upper abs early in the week due to a class focused on core stability which was a good indicator of work needed in that area. 

I wasn’t able to do it all so I chose to focus on the stretching classes most days. The stretching felt good during and after and provided some good feedback in the moment. So if I understand the importance and value of regular stretching, why then has it not become a habit in my life? 

I could make excuses, but in reality it comes down to not prioritizing and creating the necessary time to make it happen.

For the Love of Forms

Am I having fun? Or… is it all work? This was asked of me recently with regard to my forms. 

I know there is a measure of enjoyment and satisfaction as I work through problem areas and feel the difference a small adjustment can make. Also applying what I’m learning in Tai Chi to my forms and also being able to apply aspects of my forms to my Tai Chi has been very inspiring and impactful all around. So yes, although it has been work, my time spent practicing is very satisfying and is moving me forward.

Where is the fun, and where is the love though? I knew almost immediately I’ve gotten caught up in applying lessons, connecting dots and improving. I’ve forgotten to just be in the form. To let go, have fun and practice for simple enjoyment. 

There is a sense of freedom I feel when I let myself go and just move freely. The form becomes a moving meditation. Six harmonies start to align and magic happens. Unfortunately I don’t practice this way very often.

Moving with joy and love in my heart can add another much needed layer and depth to my training and bring joy. I’ve always enjoyed forms, now it’s time to let go and surrender to the form with pure enjoyment. This is what will sustain me long term for years to come.

Gratitude & Appreciation

The little moments of negativity I've been experiencing lately are opportunities to change my perspective and view whatever is going on in a more positive light. This is not something new to me. I am however becoming aware when it happens and more importantly seeing these moments as lessons to learn and grow from. 

My desire and goal is to work towards changing my perspective so I can go about my day with more positivity. The intrusive negative thoughts affect my ability to fully embrace life at all times and be the best me I can be. I don't however see them as the enemy. They are more of a poke, encouraging me to practice and exercise positivity. 

So how do I build more positivity into my thoughts, my emotions and my life? 

A deeper and all encompassing appreciation and gratitude practice will help me to improve my perspective and move about my day with more positivity. I know this will require lots of practice and may be a slow process, but it will be worth it.

Stances, Transitions & Technique

Tuesday night’s class gave me a much needed glimpse of where I am and where I may be headed without awareness and some self directed intention. After doing Da Mu Hsing at the end of class, we talked about the importance of proper stances and transitions even if we can't execute them due to injury or knee issues. 

Sifu Rybak then asked us to video ourselves doing Da Mu Hsing. The goal isn’t about numerous retakes until we have a video showing our best form, it’s more of a tool that we can look at and get a good picture of our current execution and areas for improvement.  It's about also about building self awareness to continue moving forward. Are we in a proper stance, do transitions need work, are we committing to and finishing techniques? These are all things to ask ourselves.

After recording the video and thinking more on my stances and transitions I realized my stances are becoming sloppy as I have to compensate more and more for knee pain, and stability issues. That’s sloppiness is also starting to and/or has the potential to spill over into other areas of my forms as well. Everything then becomes muddled, which is something I want to avoid going forward. 

Without this tool, without this self awareness, I see myself sliding down a very slippery slope. So, my goal is to uphold the purity of each form to the best of my ability while also understanding and working within current disabilities while also enhancing my skill. In order to accomplish this I'm going to need to slow down a bit so I can focus on proper stances and techniques. I need to be clear in my head what the goals are for my forms so that even if I can't execute completely, I can still relay and teach others.

All in all an excellent class!

A You Inside of You!

There is a you inside of you!

I think of this as untapped potential. It is both Internal and external.

My blogging throughout the summer has been connecting with and bringing my internal 'you' to the surface. And everything I'm discovering and learning this year in Tai chi and as I work on my forms, consistently point me in the direction of my internal energies. The synchronicity of lessons being presented to me and how everything is connecting continues to surprise and delight,

Kung Fu isn't just technique or performance. It's rhythm, discipline, and presence.

It's moving with awareness, eating with gratitude, breathing with intention.
It's the art of aligning your body, mind, and daily life.
It's waking up early even when it's cold.
Kung Fu is not something you do.
It's something you ARE.

So how do we get to this state of being? How de we develop our internal 'you'?

BLOG!

This can be both simple and complex.

Pen, paper, keyboard or microphone - these are the easy components required to get started. The difficulty afterwards lies in the effort, reflection and intent required for each blog. Discipline is then needed to create a pattern of regular weekly blogging. At some point you will then find yourself becoming insightful more and more often as mindfulness and awareness increases. This is where we start to awaken and exercise our inner 'you' and evolve as human beings and martial artists.

Something Doesn’t Feel Right

Most of my training questions lately, start as a result of something not feeling quite right. And the answers end up being mostly about footwork (retreating vs advancing) which then becomes linked to vectors, both internal and external and core engagement. Energy and power transfer occur more naturally as a result of everything working together. 

The other issue I encounter is release. I'm having to rewire my brain when it comes to release and really shift my focus from external to internal. So much to apply and be aware of in any given moment. It still doesn't come naturally to me yet, but as I continue to practice I know there will improvement.

There are a number of areas currently being worked on and tweaked. My favorite right now is the high rising block with a palm heel strike from a horse stance. My understanding and execution of that section has expanded and - wow, what a difference!

I find I am really enjoying this process. As I apply what I am learning I can feel the difference and additional pathways of knowledge open up to expand on. 

Light at the End of the Tunnel

The light at the end of the tunnel is coming closer and brighter. Mindful breathing and applying the concept of ‘owning the mat’ has really helped me with awareness and shifting my perspective. I was able to get in some extra training this week at the Kwoon and attend Tai Chi in person. And for the first time in a couple weeks I felt uplifted and enjoyed black belt class.

Regular blogging, eating mostly healthy and practicing daily gratitude have helped to slowly steer me back on track. These work because I have developed them as regular habits. Some of my other tools like mindful breathing and meditation have become a bit dusty due to being underused.

Even though I’ve been struggling I see this as a reminder to not become too comfortable. There is much value and necessity in not neglecting core tools and practices and staying open to new tools and resources. 

Veering off path, struggles and failures, these are all gifts! While I may at times become frustrated or discouraged I know there will always be a light at the end of the tunnel if I at least apply some measure of effort towards moving forward.