The Evolving Journey

 

Evolution is a natural part of the Kung Fu journey. Over time, our techniques change a little as our bodies age and we adapt to injuries or other limitations. It doesn’t make us less of a martial artist though. As long as we are moving forward and keeping an open mind, we will continue to grow and improve.

The same can be said for techniques or forms. Over time we find better ways of doing them, or adapting them. And change can be hard when we have been doing something the same way for a long time. However, the exciting part of Kung Fu are these adaptations or changes. I love how I have to look at it from a new perspective and make it work for me.

But I see frustration in students sometimes when we change things and they wonder why we do to this to them. They feel they are just starting to understand something and then we pull the rug out from under them and point them in another direction. We do this because the discover better ways of doing things. The key is to take a deep breath, and remove our ego so that we can see how this new direction can improve us.

Manifesting Chi

 

During a simple Tai Chi exercise yesterday, I experienced something that I haven’t yet experienced or at the very least noticed before. As my arms moved across my body, I could feel my chi between the two. That energy was manifesting on the outside where I could feel it between my arms and my chest and it amazing.

I can pretty much gather my chi in a ball at will, but to feel it on the outside while moving either in a form or during a warm up exercise is new to me. It’s exciting and I look forward to working with this more.

I AM A Student

 

I love when a seemingly simple concept is introduced in class and my mind gets blown. Recently, I had the privilege of a applying lesson in which I spent the whole class with my tongue hanging out while I tried to wrap my mind around something I thought I already understood. One recent class focused on projecting forward in a form, another on chi and sticky hands (that one felt awesome!)

The chi class was particularly powerful for me, as my oldest had just been commissioned to write a poem for a dance event in Edmonton. This poem was fresh in my mind, and the words painted such vivid images that I found really focused my chi, and it was so, so strong. I have never experienced that amount of heat flowing from my body before and it left me in awe.

That’s what I love about this journey. It truly never ends, as long as I keep my ego in check and I keep my cup empty. However, without my instructors, I wouldn’t be on this journey and for them I am grateful.