Universal Truths?

   Funny how things connect sometimes. While working with my Physiotherapist Karen, we were chatting about posture, breathing and low and behold, centering. Stop the presses,  I need to hear her view on this. Now she was approaching it from a Pilates point of view but the similarities were remarkable. We talked compression and expansion,  breathing to your core/center, and muscle interaction between quadrants of your body and so on. Sounds pretty familiar to me I think 😀. So I countered her Pilates with our six harmonies. So many concepts were the same but just slightly different that we were both grinning as we compared notes. 

   One exercise she has me doing has to do with engaging the vertebra one at a time starting at the base of the scull and slowly rolling/engaging all the way down to my pelvis. Shoulder, arms, diaphragm, hips, all engaging separately but together (sound familiar?). Took a bit to get this Pilates move down (very beginner understanding by me so far) but once I vaguely got the basics it felt really good. There are so many steps to make this work, so many separate parts that need to work together to make this effective. Cool! 

   This was just like learning a new form. Learn the steps, apply intent to the steps, allow the steps to write their own vocabulary, enjoy. As I write this I realize I am behind on my reps (Whoops - sorry Karen ).

    So as it tends to happen, the connections between Kung Fu and the vast universe appear everywhere if I just allow these gems to show themselves to me. Western medicine and eastern healing are intertwined whether they like it or not. Foundations of healing thousands of years old are slowly revealing themselves, silently sometimes, to the resistance of the "established" doctrine of western healing. Anyways....

    So to sum it up, Kung Fu is everywhere, and I love it when it unexpectedly peeks around a corner at me and smiles saying "got ya".

 

Push Ups  24378

Sit Ups  22321

Sparring  595

1609KM  1330.55km

Acts of Kindness Recorded 1300

Hand Form  421

Weapon Form  401

Mastery recited 18

The Pros Know a Better Way

   Update on my shoulders. After the better part of five years, my shoulders have finally been diagnosed to the point of treatment. It was, and is, a fairly frustrating process but here I finally am. Now I can make a purposeful plan to move forward with some kind of treatment, FINALLY!

   I saw three professionals last week. One physiotherapist (Monday-Karen), one massage therapist (Wednesday-Alesha) and one acupuncturist (Thursday-Nigel). By Thursday afternoon, I had motion and minimum pain like I haven't felt (not felt?) in decades. Now being Sunday morning that has diminished a bit, but I now know what is possible with just one series of treatments. I am excited to repeat this next week and I am hoping for similar results. A lot of this requires me to do my "exercises", but that is such a small investment in myself it is a no-brainer.

And this gets me excited for Kung Fu. 

   Expansion. I love the idea/reason/necessity for expansion but I shy away from it because of the pain it can cause me. Extending myself to fully expand is something I haven't done in quite a while (years!!). And that prevents me from doing so much of what I need to do to fully engage my six harmonies that at times it frustrates me to no end. I really notice it in my forms. And I have been using it as a crutch, an excuse. But hopefully I can now minimize this impediment and move forward, fully experiencing the joy of expansion (I'm smiling right now). 

   It will be slow and cautious at first, expanding slowly to my "maximum", I don't want to overdo it right out of the gate, but once I have tested my "boundaries", I will dip my toe outside of them and see how wondrous that can feel.

   Is this a new chapter in my Kung Fu journey? Why yes, yes it is. Sweeeeeet.

 

Push Ups  23778

Sit Ups   217211

Sparring   550 (unchanged)

1609KM   1296.74km

Acts of Kindness Recorded  1250 ( zero recorded - my bad - lazy)

Hand Form   410

Weapon Form    375 (unchanged)

Mastery recited 18

Maintain Inspiration

   It was a good week. Lots of engagement, lots of sweat and activity. Just cruzin along. After last weeks' lack of a blog, I came to some realizations. Sometimes inspiration is just plain old elusive and regular maintenance is okay in the meantime. 

   I was very frustrated last week. I felt I had absolutely nothing to blog about. Usually I have the gift of gab (digital), but last week I was bogged down with overthinking about what to blog about. I had nothing that stood out and felt "special". Why why why?! I am training regularly, I go to as many classes as I am physically able to, I pay attention, I participate, I engage. So why was there no inspiration to be found? 

   Am I over Kung Fuing, exhausting myself physically and mentally? Na, that's silly. Am I thinking to much and not enjoying where I am and what I am doing? Getting closer. Is it a combination of both? Maybe. Again, I could chase this and overthink it to death but I won't. I'll just do some Kung Fu and let the universe direct me and guide me.

   So to wrap this up. I cannot force inspiration, it must happen all by itself. But I must give it opportunity to present itself and this comes through purposeful and intentional training and engagement. If there is no inspiration I know it is me and not Kung Fu that is the culprit.

 

.Deb and Bailey enjoying a little quiet time on the shore of Lake Edith at my cousin Mike's cabin in Jasper. Beautiful.

My Cousin Mike and his new Tahoe, delivered to him in Jasper yesterday by Deb, Kody and I, all smiles from him, another step for him to recovering losing so much in the Jasper wildfire. He lost his house, absolutely burnt to the ground, nothing at all left. Everything he had that was his mother's, gone. Everything from the first 60+ years of his life is no more - ashes. My heart aches for him but like I said to him yesterday, now it's his turn. He has given so much to so many in his life, now it is coming back to him ten fold. He is loved by many and whether he likes it or not, we will give back to him till he is tired of our faces. Love you my brother from another mother.

P.S. The wildfire not only took his house but was within a 100' of taking his cabin as well. So a HUGE thank you to every single person who fought this monstrous demon of a fire, Heros, every single one of you, true heros, thank you.

Push Ups  23058

Sit Ups   21001

Sparring   550

1609KM km   1258.79km

Acts of Kindness Recorded  1250

Hand Form   400

Weapon Form    375

Mastery recited 18

Zero

   For the first time in a long time, I have no topic. I am feeling mentally blocked. I actually feel mentally exhausted to tell the truth. So I am using this as my mulligan (golf thing). Once the cork pops or the mental dam breaks, I will write a blog, promise.

P/UP  22458

S/UP  20391

SPAR 530 min (unchanged)

1609KM 1222.5 km

AOK  1212 recorded

HAND FORM 380 (unchanged)

WEAPON FORM 360 (unchanged)

MASTERY 18

Whirlwind

    So much has happened in the past week and a half. 

   Lets start with last Friday and Sunday, double header of a band I have wanted to see for the past 43 years, Metallica. Kody and I shared what I hope will be a lasting father/son moment(s). Sure I wasn't a fan of all the smoking/vaping/toking but it was a small price to pay for the spectacle that is Metallica. What a show(s). I will remember it fondly for many years to come.

   Then there was Back to School Week. A mammoth shout out to Mr Mike Kohut, you put in a phenomenal amount of time and effort. Thank you! From the bulk head to the mop closet to the men's change room to the new toilets, well done sir! Even with a sore back you did an amazing job and showed leadership like no one else. And for everyone else who put in the time and effort to help out, Bravo!! I am not going to list everyone and what they did, they know, so thank you.

P.S. A shout out to the Smith-Jansen girls, students like you two are the future of this school, you two Rock!!

   Now for my training, non-existent this week. From having to be at work before 6am all week (short staffed) to being at the Kwoon to working on my pergola, my days were very full. Funny how sometimes taking holidays turns into being twice as busy as being at work. I am looking forward to being back at work so I can slowdown a little (haha). I laugh cause it is the beginning of tire season, the next two and a half months are pretty much chaos for me. 

P.S.S Speacking of my pergola....

99.9% done!! Just some fine tuning and a few more odds and ends to go. Thank you Kody and Deb for your help pushing me hard to get t this point.

So looking forward to getting back to some normalcy such as it is.

 

P/UP  21978 (unchanged)

S/UP  19951 (unchanged)

SPAR 530 min (unchanged)

1609KM 1183.84 km

AOK  1100 recorded

HAND FORM 380 (unchanged)

WEAPON FORM 360

MASTERY 18 funny how this hasn't changed in a while, gotta change that x 2 +1