Air Hugs Only!!

 

I have been thinking a lot lately about compassion and Kung Fu has taught me to use it in all aspects of my life. I have seen a shift in me since I began training almost 2 decades ago. While I still occasionally make a snap judgement, I am more often likely to see something or someone with compassion. I am more accepting of people as they are, and of their character. It’s easy to label someone based on what we see in the media, or even with what we have grown up with. But Kung Fu has taught me so much more. I don’t see an aboriginal person - I see my neighbour, who ran outside in her pajamas as soon as she realized we couldn’t find our dog. I see the person dressed in goth attire with a wild hairstyle and piercings who is the most polite person I could imagine meeting. I see a homeless person who will feed their dog before they feed themselves. We never know what lies beyond what we see. And only compassion and empathy will allow that.

Choices

 

We make choices so often each day, that we are not even aware of. And these choices start as soon as we wake up. We choose to either hit the snooze button or get up and at em right away. We make choices when we get ready for the day - work out perhaps, eat breakfast , leave for the day and so on.




Most of these are made without much thought, and are more than likely made on auto pilot. These choices however, can me monumental in size when you are struggling with your mental health. Over this past month or so, I’ve had to dig deep most days to get out of bed, and deeper still to not crawl back in. Every day I have chosen to keep moving forward. I chose to fight back against my mind, and I have been the victor with each choice. Except yesterday. I stopped fighting long enough to lay down in afternoon, but when my husband called, I was reminded to keep fighting. And so I got up and got moving again. Depression didn’t win, I did.




Going to Kung Fu was good for me. I considered staying home as I wasn’t sure I could handle interaction with people. But you guys aren’t just people. You guys continually inspire me and motivate me. I chose instead to go to class, and it did me so much good. I had a chat with a tiny tiger not too long ago about this exact thing. He didn’t participate in class, and my normally very smiley student was sad. During my chat with him after, I told him I had days where I didn’t want to come to class but I did anyway. And those were always my best classes. And it’s true to this very day.




If you don’t feel like doing it, do it anyway. You will always come out ahead.

 

I fell asleep during Tai Chi...

 

Awareness of yourself is multifaceted. You are aware of your acts of kindness, hopefully aware of your emotions, and aware of where you fit in society. However, being aware of yourself in Kung fu requires a little more. It’s feeling how your body moves, comparing it to how it should look, and questioning what is going on when things don’t quite add up. But these questions should be first asked of yourself. Always relying on someone else to tell you what’s wrong doesn’t provide you with any tools for the future. Blasting through a form, while it might feel good, doesn’t mean it is good. And so you have to develop self awareness. How? Always try to ask yourself what is going on first, then if you still aren’t sure, then ask for assistance. We all move a little different, so it’s imperative that you learn to listen to your body and recognize when you are not quite in step. 

Sifu Brinker has said regarding the tiger claws in Lao Gar “ I asked myself if I felt the way Master McDonald looked.” This statement requires a lot of self awareness and that statement has stuck with me for a long time. I have asked myself if I look the way I feel, or how I think it should feel and vice versa. 


Just because it feels good, doesn’t mean it looks good.

My intent, or lack there of

An intention is not a goal. An intention is simply a dream if there isn’t any follow through. Without follow through, then nothing can change.

This is me acknowledging my part in my engagement last week. I had every intention on focusing on my training, but I didn’t follow through. Therefore the goals (intentions) I had will never exist in that time. Will they exist in the future? Absolutely, if I make a plan and follow through.