"Simple" Isn't Always "Easy."

My martial arts training is back in full swing this week. On Monday, I led a tough physical workout and combined it with a kata seminar, and on Wednesday I completed three hours of pretty intense training in the dojo. (There was a wee bit of snow shovelling in there somewhere this week, too.) I took Tuesday and Thursday off from training for physical recovery. As it turns out, I did catch a little bit of the "Gould family bug" at the tail end of last week, so I've been very dehydrated and more than a little groggy.

I have no idea how many pushups, box jumps, crunches, and form repetitions I've done this week, but I know it's been an awful lot. I'm sore. Not too much so, but enough to know I that while I'm making progress, I have some work ahead if I'm to get in the kind of shape I want to be in.

I love digging an old kata "out of the vault of my mind," dusting it off, and working on it. To me, practicing a kata that I haven't done in years is like catching up with an old friend. "Well hey there! How have you been? My, you haven't changed a bit! I really miss you, old friend — You know, we really ought to hang out more often..."

My new "old friend" is Itosu Lohai Shodan — It's the first kata in a series of three versions of the kata Rohai (a.k.a. "vision of a crane") created by Itosu Anko (1831 - 1915) from the form that he learned from Matsumura Sokon, It's a very short and relatively simple form, but it's fun and full of fighting spirit. (I'll try to get it on film in the next week or so.)

Reconnecting with my long-ignored kata, I think, is a parallel for the other important connections in my life that I should re-establish and strengthen. I'm beginning to see that maintaining an important relationship is like keeping a kata sharp: If you don't put some work into it, it will deteriorate. But the more you practice your kata — or your relationships — with sincere effort, attention, and mindfulness, the more beautiful they can become.

Put effort into your forms, and your forms will improve. Put effort into your relationships, and they'll improve too. Sounds pretty simple, doesn't it? In the martial arts and in life, "simple" isn't always "easy," but this is where my work lies: Just do the simple, hard things.

So my life is my new kata practice. I'm sure I won't always be perfect, but I'm working at it.

Back in the Swing of Things

A while back, I reported to my UBBT teammates that I'd somehow lost my mojo. I was exhausted, stressed out, and completely unmotivated. I was dropping weight, feeling lousy, and generally down in the dumps. I needed a break, and I took one. I dropped off the map. And now, things are different.

Maybe it's the change in the weather. Maybe it's because we're finally about to close on the house. Maybe it's because I've changed my routine at the dojo so I can spend more time with my family. Or perhaps its a combination of many factors. In any case, I like what I'm seeing:

• I'm blogging more
• I'm meditating daily
• I don't feel as stressed
• I'm sleeping a little bit better (not MORE, but better!)
• I'm training harder
• I'm smiling more
• I'm getting more reading done

At the start of the year, I weighed in at 187.4 lbs. Four months into the year, I'd dropped below 180 lbs for the first time in a decade. (The bad news was, I wasn't trying to lose weight!) Today I checked in at 182.8. I'm slowly putting some muscle back on while focusing on joint mobility and flexibility.

 

 

 

I'm feeling better and better, even as the dojo enrollment continues to drop, and "staying in business" is getting trickier and trickier. Somehow, though, I'm not concerned. I'm letting go, and that feels right to me, because one of the outcomes is that I'm enjoying my time in the dojo more. I'm feeling more creative and I'm having fun teaching again.

 

Perhaps, as I approach my 40th birthday, I'm feeling a bit of an energy surge -- call it an "eye of the tiger moment," if you will. I don't care. I'm riding this wave all the way to the shore!

Keeping Up A Pretty Good Pace

So far this year, I've been keeping up a pretty good pace when it comes to my physical training. I'm feeling good -- and sleeping better, too! Our dojo just completed week four of our annual six-week fitness cycle, wherein we focus on bodyweight exercises, calisthenics, ab work, and aerobics. Each week, we either add exercises, increase repetitions, or lengthen the duration of the training, so that by the time we get through the end of week six, we're all in pretty good shape. The coming week will be a tough jump, but I'm ready: I've been getting in some extra training with weights and extra kata reps here and there.

I'm slowly working through my reading list and taking in all kinds of new and interesting information. One of my students pointed me to the free "peace ambassador certification course" on the Monks Without Borders website, which I completed a week or so ago. The peace education material is so wonderful, that I've decided to make completing the course a requirement for all of my adult students advancing to purple belt. At this stage in their training, I ask my students to complete self-directed work in peace education, nonviolent communication, anger management, and/or conflict resolution. The MWB course adresses all of these subjects and is a great launhing point for more study. And did I mention it's FREE? This course seems like a good warm-up for the more involved Peace Education course offered by Teachers Without Borders, which I'd like to tackle some time soon. One thing at a time!

I've started filming a series of videos for my students that I call "tokonoma-side chats." My original intent was to share these little clips only with my students at the dojo, but since I've not gotten any response or feedback from them, I've decided to share the video posts with anyone who will care to watch. I've had too many wonderful experiences in the martial arts to keep these stories to myself. Enjoy!

Be Grateful For Your Problems

I don't want to complain or whine in this entry (coach Tom hates that!), but it's been a tough week. Challenges at work, a minor crisis at home, several extra-long commutes, and a few unplanned expenses to boot. In all of the chaos and stress that this week introduced, my discipline broke down. I haven't done any physical training or stretching in the last 4 days, and my new habit of healthy eating has really taken a beating. I'm off my game, out of my routine, and feeling rather cranky about it all!

I did manage some quite time for meditation, though, and in a sudden insight, a little voice spoke to me and said, "Love your problems."

I'm learning that "what we resist, persists," so I'm trying to go with the flow and look for the lessons. And, I know darn well that there are many, many other MAJOR problems out there that I'm fortunate enough to NOT have to deal with. So I've been trying extra hard to smile, be kind, stay centered, and help others. Doing this takes my focus off of my petty little problems — even though they seem big right now. In fact, I believe my problems are life's way of encouraging me to grow.

Fall down seven times, get up eight. Right?

Tomorrow's another day, and the first day of a new month will be the perfect time for a fresh start.

Got some motivation this week!

A good friend of mine just sent me a You Tube link to some outtakes and trailers for a new Japanese karate action film called, "Black Belt." Now, I know the stuff in the film is precisely choreographed, but I can't watch it and not marvel at how GOOD these guys really are. The techniques and control the artists demonstrate is AMAZING! Makes me want to go out and train right now. Exactly the motivation I needed today!

See the You Tube film here.

Got some other motivation this week: my yoga instructor told me that she thought I was making progress in improving my flexibility. Now THAT was nice to hear — such a small compliment, and yet it made a HUGE difference in my outlook. I'm really enjoying the yoga class because it provides me with a weekly opportunity to do some "inner" and "outer" work. While holding some of the balance poses, I have no choice but to stay focused on where I am and what I'm doing RIGHT NOW.

It's a nice lesson for the "balance" I'm trying to achieve in the rest of my life.

So Far, So Good!

My Stats To Date:

• Push ups: 1,500
• Crunches: 1,500
• Miles: 12.5
• Kata Reps: 30

I'm a little more than a week into my UBBT. The push ups and crunches were tough at first — day 4 was really hard — but my body is slowly adjusting to the new demands, and I'm less sore with every passing day. I've created a nice morning routine while I'm out walking the dog with my daughter, Ava: By the end of our morning walk, and long before I leave for work, I've completed my crunches, push ups, and kata repetitions for the day. (I've selected Gojushiho as my UBBT kata.) I've pushed through one rainy day so far — and now I'm a little apprehensive about what will become of this routine in the dead of the coming New England winter!

Next week, I start running again. Logging 1,000 miles seems impossible... Coach Tom, when do I sleep?!?! I'm counting dojo training as sparring time, getting "real" rounds in whenever I can. As for the boxing and BJJ? I have no idea how I'm going to fit that stuff in. Like a few of my teammates, I am NOT a full-time instructor, so I guess I'll just have to get creative! I know I'm "doing" daily acts of kindness, but I've got to get cracking on keeping better track of them. Periods of meditation have been brief, but relaxing. This is a lot of stuff to cram into a day!

I'm keeping a closer eye on my diet now, which means I'm frequenting the salad bar more often during my lunch breaks. I've stopped drinking coffee, too, replacing it with green tea. (My students had a good laugh when I told them that a soy milk green tea latte was my new guilty pleasure!)

Support from my fellow UBBT team members has been great so far: Hal Gustin was in town this week and he dropped by my tiny dojo to train with my students and me. Thanks, Hal!

So far, so good!