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Starting these blogs can be a challenge sometimes. I know what I want to say but finding that perfect segway isn't always easy. Anyway, I had a moment yesterday in Tai Chi that made a lot of sense. We have a couple of new students taking the class, and one asked Sifu Dennis where the power is in tai chi. Her answer basically explained how the internal power generated from tai chi is the driving force behind our physical power. Not to say that someone with brute strength doesn't have power, but that they don't have the grounding and energy that martial artists have. When our internal energy is behind our external we become a formidable force.

 

Now I have worked with Sifu Dennis outside of tai chi, and she has more power than I expected. I see her as a very peaceful person, with a strong spirit, and I have never really opened myself to how powerful tai chi really is. Sifu Dennis is a martial artist that I really respect, and I hope that one day I can have the power and spirit that she does.

 

In a nut shell, the six harmonies are only possible when your internal harmonies are strong. We need our flow, we need to feel our chi, and we need to have a strong spirit in order to master our external strength.

 

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Pit of doom

 

What inspires you? Is it a higher belt in Kung Fu who seems to have it all together? Is it the fact that you finally get a technique? Or is it just being in a place full of like minded people? I find I am inspired all of the time by these things and more.

 

I get inspired by teaching, by learning new things, and by pushing myself harder. I haven't been up to snuff on my kung fu for the past few months, but am once again feeling more inspired and am finding a few minutes throughout each and every day to fit in a little training. I try to pump out small batches of pushups during the day, I throw kicks when I can, and I think about kung fu all the time.

 

 

I encourage everyone, to find some inspiration within everything you do. It can come in the smallest packages - whether it's a smile, a small gesture of appreciation, or simply a compliment for something that you have done. I can get inspired by watching another student finally understand something. Or have a Lil Leopard ask to see a weapon after class.

 

But remember, you have to keep being in the right place - it won't always be the right time, but if you keep showing up, the opportunity will present itself, and your patience will be rewarded. And if you aren't feeling inspired, then please talk to someone who can help. You are surrounded by like minded people - who else better qualified is there that can help you feel inspired?

 

( The title of my blog is based on a nameless game I really love playing with the Lil Leopards. It's great fun)

 

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I forgot

 

Yes, forgot to blog last week. Oops. I have spent the last little bit trying to figure out a way to inspire the black dragons, and I hope I am on the right track. It can be difficult to stay motivated when the sun is out, and the days are calling you outside. School is out, and vacations loom. So how can you stay engaged in your training?

 

 

I think part of the trick, for kids anyway, is to keep it fun. Taking it outside will work well too. And I think that working in some general summer fitness will help to keep them engaged, as well as myself as an instructor.

I am finally finding my rhythm again after months of trials and tribulations. It felt good to bring out my fan again yesterday and I could feel my chi flowing. It was a good feeling, one I have missed.

 

 

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And so it goes

As of today, I am setting a monthly goal - it isn't really Kung Fu related, but I suppose in a way it is. My goal consists of a few parts and elements, and I hope to give to the community while perhaps initiating healing within myself.

 

For those of you that may have met my mom, will remember her as an avid quilter. Although, avid doesn't quite seem to cut it. She had quilting friends all over North America as well as Europe. You may or may not recall the quilt she made with our pandemonium handprints and auctioned off a few years ago. Now, I have been going through her things, which isn't easy, however necessary. I have come across many near finished quilts, many blocks waiting to be sewn into quilts, and a wall full of fabric. I have decided that I am going to finish the ones that need finishing, and donate them to either the Seniors center, or the Cross Cancer Institute. And maybe keep one or two for myself.

 

My goal, is to complete one per month and to post a picture of the completed project before it goes to a deserving person. I m by no means a quilter, but I can sew, and this project will be dear to me.

 

You loved me first

I am not sure if I can write what I want to write about yet. Or if I will ever be ready to share my loss. The loss has affected my whole family, not just me, and these last 4 months have left us all reeling in it's wake. On one hand, our lives were flipped upside down and inside out, but it brought my family closer together too. I never imagined how much one person could touch so many lives in a short lifetime, but it is possible. I have been humbled by the simple act of being kind, and the difference a genuine smile can make. When you make others a priority, and take their wellbeing seriously, you can make a difference. And it doesn't even have to be in person to do it. Kind words, words spoken with optimism, and words spoken from the heart, can travel the globe with the strike of a button. We don't know how much of a difference we might make, but if we concentrate on our acts of kindness and being sincere, I know we have the ability to change the world. My world is a better place, and I am a better person because of my mom. I am starting to understand the power of kindness, and the feelings of peace when it is given unconditionally. She is my angel, the wind that blows, the sun that shines, the rain that falls and nourishes, and the cold sleep of winter. She is the light that I see in my children. I miss you mom. (and your hugs too)

In the Moment

I think I have written about this before, but I am needing to again. I have come to realize again lately just how important it is to stay in the moment no matter what you are doing or who you are with. Our lifestyle today seems to dictate multitasking, and running from one thing to the next. I am not sure how we can truly appreciate anything in this state, or even benefit from the situation.

 

We should always try to keep our focus on the here and now, because we don't know what we might miss.

 

 

 

Spring is Sprung

The grass is riz, I know where the birdies is. In fact I hear them all the time as there us a family living in the birdhouse just outside our living room in the birdhouse my daughter built.

I am sitting outside right now, while my kids are picking up garbage from around the apartment building. I have been attempting some planter gardening, and while I do not have a green thumb, I have hopes that something might grow.

I love this time of year when everything starts fresh. In fact, I think some tai chi on the lawn is exactly what I need right now.