Mindful Martial Arts

Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba 1935

An elegant history lesson…

Aikido, The Samurai Spirit

This is a fantastic video!

Deeper in the Heart

Taoist propriety and ethics emphasize the Three Jewels of the Tao: compassion, moderation, and humility, while Taoist thought generally focuses on nature, the relationship between humanity and the cosmos; health and longevity; and wu wei (action through inaction). Harmony with the Universe, or the source thereof (Tao), is the intended result of many Taoist rules and practices. >The deeper I am in my heart, the deeper my well of compassion. I consider myself quite humble. Moderation??? If moderation suggests I eat a cheese burger, I’ll have to be a radical but I would prefer to think of it as compassion for animals.

Fo Guang Shan

While my husband skied with his son, I sent myself off to a day retreat to the Fo Goang Shan Humanist Buddhist temple in Mississauga, Ontario. A day of tea, vegan food, meditation (about 3 hours!), practicing Tai Chi, and exploring the library. It was mindful, peaceful. and quite liberating to have so much time to do nothing (and everything). Retreat is not a place – it’s a state of mind.

xposted to http://www.mycheapliving.com/

Be Content

“Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” – Lao Tzu

Intent

DEALING was struggling with certain standing movements and falling into a chair in subsequent exhaustion. During a class this week, the idea of INTENT was emphasized several times. I then decided to abandon DEALING in favour of HEALING – focusing on my intention rather than fixating on my desired end goals. Bringing my intention (of relaxation) into my practice brought a consciousness of my bones, muscles, and sinews than I was never fully aware of before. Rather than struggle to stand and fight through, I sat and FULLY enjoyed every moment and movement. Rather than utilizing my brain, I engaged my heart. This will be my place of healing.

Out of the Zone

“To go forward with strength is to have ambition.” – Lao Tzu (Te-Tao Ching)

I thought my comfort zones were clearly defined – at least they were in the forefront of my mind. I have learned, however, that there are many more layers of subtleties than I had fathomed. Fascinating how something can be wretched one day and a vital asset the next – the trick is to work through the monkey mind in a mindful manner. The m-mind is useless chatter – telling us that we can or can’t, should or should not – creating road blocks in the life that we want to lead. When I push through my comfort zones, “stuff” comes up that needs to be dealt with appropriately, but once it is gone, a world of possibility opens. We are limitless – it is our comfort zone that keeps us locked in a cage. I am grateful that I have a key.

Journey of 1000 Miles

“Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” – Lao Tzu

A journey of ANY distance is impossible if you are in your own way, and taking even a single step is impossible. I went through a period where I couldn’t even master one donyu[*] – I was so weak that my legs wouldn’t support a single squat nor single step. I was sorely tempted to get in my own way with a painfully defeatist attitude, the internal damaging voice of criticism. My inner wounded child wanted to stomp her foot and scream: “Journey? What journey? How could I possibly go ANYWHERE when I can barely walk?” She resisted though. With closed eyes, I visualized my perfect form moving through the donyu exercises with great ease, coordinating my arms with the breath. This was my first step – creativity in the face of a small setback. The second step was faith. I am now able to do several donyus with near ease once again; my strength is coming back as I journey.

[*] – from the Xing Yi Quan tradition. Meaning: “Pounding the Spine Down or Stretching the Spine”.

Balance

The important thing is knowing when – when to hold on and when to let go.

Dealing with chronic pain and less-ability means that I need to hold on/let go of different things. I have let go of any internal issues of “wanting to be the best” – my innate competitive nature is nothing short of ridiculous when practicing Taoist Tai Chi.

Even when I WAS physically capable of all 108 moves in the Tai Chi Form of Master Moy, I was not practicing Taoist Tai Chi; too busy being the diva of the party. Now, even if *I* was fully physically able, the only person I would be competing against would (and always) be myself. How pointless!

Bringing the philosophy of wu wei into my practice this week has yielded incredible result in a calm mind and meditative body, filled with energy and vitality. Wu may be translated as not having or without; Wei may be translated as do, act, serve as, govern or effort. The literal meaning of Wu Wei is “without action”, “without effort”, or “without control”, and is often included in the paradox wei wu wei: “action without action” or “effortless doing”.

The Life of the Tree

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. – Confucius

I was absolutely transfixed by these trees. What life! They held a personality all of their own. How could anyone witness such beauty and deny the existence of a higher being that left it here for us to behold ♥
Furthermore, how would it be possible to be aware of its preciousness and blindly destroy it. Nature demands respect. Man has been in tune with the natural elements for most of the past and yet with the demand for corporation and profit, so much of it has been lost. I believe that most of the answers we seek in the present day can be found quite simply in the past; in nature. So often, that which we desire most is right in front of us – we only have to open our eyes to SEE its beauty and its perfection. In seeing the beauty, the desire to live in harmony is nurtured and respect becomes a natural development. The Life of the Tree is here to teach us.