Practicing Patience

Patience requires an empty mind and discipline. In a sense patience is a practice of meditation. Viktor Frankl wrote about this fundamental principle of the nature of humans in his book: Man's Search of Meaning. The principle is that between stimulus and response is our freedom to choose. F.M Alexander also speaks of this in regard to changing habitual patterns in our lives when he speaks of "inhibition."

How often do we react the same way we always do in an argument? How often do we respond the same way to stress in our lives with self-destructive behavior? As a martial artist, how often do respond with the same counter technique in sparring? We condition a response through repetition. So how can we change these responses? The answer lies in connecting mushim and geukgi with innae of course!

At the start of our practice it is crucial that we become completely present in mind, body, spirit, and emotions. When we disconnect, we will always go to our default reaction. This is why the continual practice of putting our mind into our body and breath is so helpful. I suggest you read Eckart Tolle: The Power of Now for great incite into this subject.

As Viktor Frankl waited it out in a Nazi concentration camp, he discovered that his captors could control his enviroment but not his reaction to it. That space between stimulus and reaction is patience. If we start our training very present, move very slowly, we will be very aware of our habits. Moving fast or adrenalized, we will have no time between stimulus and reaction.

This is why I want you to start each exercise slowly and build speed slowly. This will keep you aware of your muscle's reaction to each movement and allow you to choose how fast and high you make the movement. If you stay present and slow down, you will not only hear your body, but you will hear your instructor's instructions, and you will be able to make adjustments.

For many of us who are Type A, we have a hard time going slow enough to be aware of our habits. Make a commitment to learn the value of slow movement. Try all of your forms, self-defense, etc.. in slow motion, taking at least three seconds to complete each move. If you are having a hard time disciplining yourself to do this, join in on one of my kimoodo classes. This is one of the ways I have learned the process.

In my next post, I will connect the concept of discipline, or "holding yourself to what you know is right," to our learning process.

Making mushim work!

The key to enacting our words of wisdom are always the words that proceed and follow. In the case of mushim, it is choshim (beginner's mind) and innae (patience). The best way to understand this is to think about listening to someone in an argument. If our sense of self is strong, we will think that we know the answer and have the best arguments for it. Instead of actively listening, our mind will become full of rebuttals. By telling ourselves that we may not know (choshim), we open ourselves up to new viewpoints and answers. This will definitely take Innae, patience. We may start to say things before we even realize they are leaving our mouths and we have to focus on our breathing and just WAIT! The waiting is the key. Time heals all. It seems so important to say or do something in the heat of emotion, but then time goes by and it is not important at all. This is the power of patience!

Acts of Wisdom

Senior Grandmaster Choi's moogong-ryu system incorporates a list of "Words of Wisdom." This list is more like recipe for living life than just a group of nice words to think about. They have been a guide for my daily life over the past 15 years.

Mushim - Empty Your Mind

You must be present to win is often quoted. How are we present when our mind is elsewhere?
Living in the present is the only way to fully live life, yet we are so consumed by what is next and what we did yesterday that it rarely happens for the average person. There are two concepts that need to be accepted before the ego will let go of thought: Thoughts are energy and we are more than our thoughts.

Much of our modern living separates our mind and bodies activities. Right now I am writing this entry, about being present, but my mind is anything but present as it searches my memory for the right words. The best way to get into the present moment is through putting one's awareness into our bodies. One of the great benefits of exercise and particularly our martial art is how it does this. When we are "in our bodies," It is impossible to not be present.