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
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