The Fullness of my Week!

 

As I look back over the past 7 days, I take stock of the fullness of my week. Extra hours at work, the stress of our annual board breaking challenge, along with navigating life and all it entails adds up to a busy week. A busy week evolved into a week full of opportunities for growth and insights. I'm sitting here marvelling at how much can transpire and be gained in just 7 seemingly short days. 

By the time I left Monday nights class after breaking 8 boards, I was feeling irritable, had a bruised and swollen wrist and a bruised finger. By the next day I realized the emotion I was feeling was actually anger. A residual negativity that attached itself to my mood over the course of most of the week.

I can recall one specific board/technique (the hammer fist) causing the most difficulty. I need to break this board! So determination and persistence took over despite the pain and wanting to quit. After too many failed strikes and increased pain I became angry at the board. 

The board is obviously not the problem. Logically I know this to be true. My mental state going into the board breaks was off to start with. I wasn't looking forward to it and I had already put myself out of my comfort zone in the level 1 class by holding a shield while students hammered away at me with different techniques. So I was already a bit rattled at the start of my class. Hmm...

As I'm writing this I realize the need for self defense will most likely not take place in an optimum environment or setting. The ability to remain calm and in control is a valuable and necessary skill. Stepping out of my comfort zone can have unintended benefits and helps me to improve and develop those skills. Being rattled was actually good practice in learning to regain my mental focus and staying calm. 

The failures and the difficulties are all great opportunities for me to learn and grow. Distancing, targeting, hips, rotation, ego and mental preparedness all factor in. I can take the emotion of anger when things go sideways and reconstruct it into something positive to learn and move forward. Knowing this helps immensely and lessened those negative feelings, but it was still taking up too much space. After identifying where the anger was sitting in my body and intentionally working on releasing it I was able to remove most of the negative emotion. Clearing the anger provides me with more mental and emotional space to move forward. 

The mental space I'm existing in today doesn't happen solely on my own. Perspective was gained through internal processing, a One on One with Sifu Brinker, a 2nd degree class discussion and a conversation with a valued friend. It is a combination of those conversations, being open to giving and receiving information and feedback that made the difference and brought an enormous fullness to the week. 

*On a side note,  the conversation with my friend also helped to germinate a solid plan for a personal demo. 

Totals

Push ups: 855/33560
Situps: 862/33520
Hand form: 1/662           
Weapon form: 2/588    
KM: 30/1361                 
AOK: 8/1266               
Sparring: 25/696             
Blogs: 1/52                   
Yoga: 1/33.5

A Little of This & That

I've always gravitated more to forms and feel that is where most of my understanding and skill is. I know the skill I've developed in forms has also transferred over into other aspects of my Kung Fu. Because application is very far out of my comfort zone I often find myself drawing a blank. There is often a slight moment of panic. It is very hard to just do and not need to think first. 

Working on my 5 techniques has been a struggle and a blessing in disguise. As I slowly figure things out I'm understanding and feeling more comfortable with the application side of my training. Concepts and lessons already learned are surfacing. Feedback from blackbelts and my partner has been an enormous help. Repetition, making adjustments along the way and feeling what works and what doesn't work are also helping me to gain confidence and improve as a martial artist. 

I'm finding my knowledge of key concepts are expanding lately. It's interesting how utilizing a different application or setting and intent can change perception and understanding. 

Control is expanding in ways that I previously hadn't thought of. This will most likely be a separate blog in the future.

Recently a comment was made regarding the flow in multiple board breaks that had me stopping and thinking "wait a minute, what?" Basically I can continue in the obvious pattern of movement or redirect my energy with the appropriate footwork, expansion and contraction, timing, etc. Hmm, is it really that easy? Nope, but also yes. This opens up more possibilities with the right combination of skill and control. I found myself in that very silo that we are told to stop training in. I think the silo and the ego are very close friends. 

Acquire your target is something we work on in our forms and so, so important when it comes to application and board breaking. Great opportunities for reinforcement.

The concept of power zone and feeling where that is for me is becoming more tangible the more I work on practicing board breaking and my 5 applications.

Push ups: 948 /32705
Situps: 862/ 32880
Hand form: 17/661           
Weapon form: 17/586     
KM: 35/1331                 
AOK: 25/1258                
Sparring: 40/671             
Blogs: 1/51                   
Yoga: 2/32.5

Happy to be a Work in Progress!

It's been an interesting week with some great self discoveries. Wednesday's class started with us running through the woods, jumping over logs, dodging or ducking under branches and avoiding the odd bear here and there (thank you Sidai Csillag). 

Most of the remainder of the class was then spent on pretty much anything involving a horse stance. I can safely say never have I never spent that much consecutive time in a horse stance. Side heel kicks, side stepping, slide stepping, power to the instep, balancing bean bags and some sticky hands all took place. It was a class of pushing myself and then pushing some more. I even managed to do a couple of power of the insteps, which I don't usually attempt because of my knees. And there was at least one that felt decent!

By the end of the class my knees and legs were done! There was also a sense of accomplishment knowing that I was able to draw upon my inner strength and push my limits to do more. I can feel when those mental and physical limits are getting close and I give myself a quick pep talk in that moment. And then, I find it helpful to focus on counting, my breath, my core, etc.  I'm developing awareness of different aspects of my body, building focus and self control.

Thursday's IHC class pushed us to work on some of our requirements in small blocks of time. Much can be accomplished in 10-15 minute chunks. We then banged out some form reps to 2 different music choices. With the form reps I pushed myself to see how many I could do by the end of the song and had fun in the process. I made full use of my time, felt productive and enjoyed myself!

The word dabble was used in our 2nd degree class this week in regards to practicing Kung Fu outside of class. This grabbed my attention because I can be a dabbler. As I thought about this I was able to quickly acknowledge the enormous amount of time and effort I give to incorporating Kung Fu into my life. It goes beyond the physical aspects of my training. My natural progression has me travelling a slightly different path and developing a more holistic approach to weaving Kung Fu and life together. Healthy intentional eating, mindfulness practice, self reflection and yoga have all become part of my regular routine. And they all stem from Kung Fu and have an ongoing positive affect on my Kung Fu. I do struggle at times finding the balance between the physical and holistic paths. Maybe that is because I'm still seeing them as somewhat separate. I know and feel the connection, it just hasn't been fully anchored into my brain.

Those moments of dabbling are happening less often as I stretch and push myself more and more. I am learning how much more I am capable of and it is a great feeling. It's also an opportunity to recognize when ego is trying to take control by pulling me down or puffing me up. Every time I engage and push myself, I'm gaining knowledge about myself, I'm stretching myself and creating forward momentum. 

I am enjoying being a work in progress and have already experienced a huge amount of growth. Pushing my limits shows me I am capable of more than I give myself credit for.

                                           Totals
Push ups: 30372/1385        31757
Situps: 30583/1435            32018
Hand form: 607/37             644
Weapon form: 526/43         569
KM: 1261/35                      1296
AOK: 1203/30                    1233
Sparring: 621/10                 631
Blogs: 48/2                          50
Yoga: 27.5 Hours/3             30.5

Team Connection

Recording our numbers at the end of our blogs helps to keep us accountable to ourselves and to our teammates. As with all of our requirements there is always value to be gained when applied.

After reading a few recent blogs with the numbers added at the end, I noticed a couple of other benefits as well:

1.  I feel that by sharing numbers and progress it immediately builds connection within the team. Even though our journey is unique to each of us it is great to know we are not travelling alone. I want to have others with me when I reach milestones in my journey and be able to share the ups and downs in getting there. A team provides support to each other and can be a very powerful environment when utilized to its full potential.

2.  I feel pride and a welling of emotion when I see in print the effort everyone is putting into the Year of the Rabbit. Effort and progress no matter how big or small is a beautiful thing to see and hear about. Navigating everything that life throws at us can be challenging and adding in mental health and mental illness just adds another layer of complexity. Remember, we all started at zero. Way to go everyone!!

This requirement will also help me to see in real time where I'm at, what my trajectory is, room for improvement and any adjustments to be made. And I am reminded more often of how far I've come. 

The goals/requirements are tools to help drive and push myself, not beat myself up with. I am slowly learning this and making progress in many areas.

Push ups: 30372
Situps: 30583
Hand form: 607
Weapon form: 526
KM: 1261

AOK: 1203

Sparring: 621
Blogs: 48

Yoga: 27.5 Hours

Mastery Under Development

Memorize and recite Mastery by Stewart Emery. This is one of many of our IHC requirements. 

I had made this requirement a priority last year and read through Mastery on an almost daily basis. I don’t have the best memory so I knew this would be a challenge and not something that I could do quickly. Not completing this quickly turned out to be a good thing because the end goal isn’t to just memorize Mastery it more about understanding the messages within and learning to apply them to your own life. 

It took me almost a full year to be able to memorize Mastery. I’m happy that it took me as long as it did because I actually experienced the value intended instead of just checking a box. I know my routine of regular reading and reciting of Mastery provided me with a solid foundation and helped guide me on my journey. Without those efforts, last year would have been a year with different outcomes.

Unfortunately this year I let my routine of reading and reciting Mastery fall to the side. I failed to maintain my practice and I let some mediocrity in. Oh I’d look at it off and on, but I didn’t give it the time or effort it deserved. 

Why is it we stop doing the things we know support us and provide positive results? Are we looking to sabotage ourselves? Is there a fear of success? Is there a some part of us that understands the growth we can experience from self sabotage and failure? Regardless I knew it was time to hit the reset button and for the past month I’ve gone back to reading and reciting Mastery daily, usually from a horse stance to incorporate other aspects of my training at the same time. 

I recently recited Mastery with my eyes closed and had an interesting result. The word power jumped out at me. For a moment I wondered if I had remembered something wrong. No, I had it right. Power was there in the last paragraph linked to mastery, which makes perfect sense. I had read it and said it out loud many times, I just had not fully absorbed it. Hmm interesting… and cool. 

That is the beauty of Mastery. There is so much to be absorbed. It is not and should never be a box to check. Mastery by Stewart Emery is a tool with immense value that is best unraveled and absorbed over a period of time on an ongoing basis. And as a person changes and evolves, the value and lessons gained grow with you. 

Long story short- there are times when I can recite Mastery from start to finish. There are also times when I get stuck or stumble, a bit like life. I have a current understanding of Mastery and I’m continuing to absorb and learn as I spend more and more time with Mastery by Stuart Emery.

Numbers Update

This is just a quick update as to where I am currently. I haven't posted any numbers for the past 2 months, but I am working on everything and pushing myself to do more. I plan to do a more in depth recap on all the requirements next month. Adjustments and incremental progression is being made.


Numbers - Year To Date

PU - 29,505                Sparring - 621

SU - 29,695                KM - 1,224

Hand Form - 605       AOK - 1,189

Weapon - 524            Yoga - 24 hours

7 Days in the Life of the IHC

Attention team mates!

7 days in the life of the IHC challenge is set to run from October 29 - November 4.

This is a school wide challenge intended to provide a snapshot of our team, some of our  requirements and what pursuing mastery looks like. 

The plan is to make use of most of the videos from last year. 1 or 2 additional videos from anyone not on the team last year or those that weren't able to participate would be a great addition. Videos can be done with 1 or more partners.

Explanation of Content for New Video's

Each video should be about 1-3 minutes long. It should include an explanation of the topic, including how it applies to the IHC team, why it is important and how it can serve us and/or others. If there is a physical component involved, please include a demonstration as part of your video.  

Each bonus video should include a challenge pertaining to that topic. Feel free to get creative, but please run your idea by Todai Ward in advance. We will want to ensure that the videos and challenges support and fulfill the spirit of this initiative and we'll want to make sure we avoid any duplicate ideas. Please remember that all challenges will need to be adjusted to suit each class level, and you will need to specify the challenge requirements separately from the video.  

Each person or group will be responsible for posting their video and challenge requirements when the time comes as we move through the 7 days of the challenge. I will need to view the video prior to the challenge starting.

For those of you that participated last year please check and let me know if you still have your video from last year's challenge.

For more information text me at 780 974 7004 or email me at michele.lw11@gmail .com