Gone for a short time

I will be away from the Kwoon for a few weeks.  I am heading out on a vacation with my wife on a trip we have been planning for two years.  I am looking forward to spending time in the mountains and by the ocean and hope to come back reinvigorated  and with a clear head.  I am sorry I will be missing Pandamonium,  but rest-assured I will be doing push ups and forms that day.

As they say in the islands

‘A’OHE PU’U KI’EKI’E KE HO’A’O ‘IA E PI’I   "No cliff is so tall it cannot be climbed"

What does it mean to be a martial artist?

What does it mean to be a martial artist?  I am not sure I know what this means.  For the first 4 years of training in Kung Fu I could never see myself as a martial artist.  I think this is because I would go to class and learn but after class I would leave and not think much about Kung Fu until the next class.  Yes I would do some training at home but not where I thought that I was a martial artist.

I am now in my second year of I Ho Chuan and things feel a lot  different for me.  The daily requirements have become a normal part of life.  I would not say that is as routine as say eating or brushing my teeth, but it is always front and centre.  Not like  a chore, but more of like, I need to do this to make my day better.  When I played hockey running and doing push-ups was like torture to me.  Now it is more like a stress reliever.  It is becoming something that I need in my day.

I Ho Chuan has made me more aware of my surroundings.  I am more aware of how I train and am more able to realize when I am making mistakes or when something does not feel right.  I am more aware of the world around me and how I interact with people and the environment.  I now look at things a lot more critically and question more why things are as they are.

I am not sure this is what being a Martial Artist is but, I am more comfortable seeing myself as a Martial Artist.  I expect that the was I see myself will change as I move forward in my training but for now  I like where I am going.

Brakes

I have been thinking a lot lately about how I can get my body relaxed when I begin training.  I have constantly had an issue with my shoulders tightening up when I begin training.  If I am told to relax or tell myself to relax, I consciously loosen up my shoulders and arms.  This week I was reading about training and this passage really turned on a light bulb in my head.

"Overall tension and unnecessary muscular contractions act as brakes, reducing speed and dissipating energy"


I never though about it in those terms.  The muscles get tight and restrict the speed at which the arm or leg can move.  To me this is brilliant.  I hope going forward that I keep this concept front and centre in my thought's.  Nothing worse than having the brakes on when you want to move forward.

Mental relief weekend

I took off this weekend for what I call a mental relief weekend. I need time by myself in order to shake the thoughts in my head that I call the little mind. That junk that keeps putting negative things in the thought process.

I have also been having some physically issues mostly in my shoulders, tightness and tension, and in my right leg, It just won't do what I want it too do and it keeps tightening up.

I was able to do some walking in the Bragg creek and Canmore area.  I didn't do any of my requirements for two days.  This was on purpose.  I wanted to rest my body.  As I write this on Sunday evening my body feels strong and more importantly I came back from this weekend with a renewed purpose and a clear head.   No junk bouncing around in my cranium.

So was it resting my body or clearing my mind in the mountains that I feel so much better?  Not sure but probably both. Either way I have clarity again.