Le Schedule: Take One

Over the past few weeks I have come to identify a few things that were not working for me not only in the way I trained, but also in what my day shaped up to be like. First of all, I was lacking structure in my day particularly in my glass art and that overflowed in other areas. Next my training got to be a hamster wheel of excitement. In other words: boring!! Some people do well in day to day routine of doing the same thing day in and day out. That's purgatory for me. The third thing I noticed is that I have my UBBT yearly goals and my daily goals, but no weekly goals. For me, a weekly goal is a better measuring stick of how I am doing. So now that I've identified the issues, what are the solutions?

Solution 1: a weekly week-at-a-glance schedule of my core activities that include Kung Fu classes, I Ho Chuan classes, fitness classes, open training, Hot Yoga Classes, torching (glass art), and appointments. Of course my shows are scheduled in as well. These are the first things that go into my schedule. I have instituted the structure but also left it open enough so that I'm not micro-managing myself.

Solution 2: a color-coded week-at-a-glance schedule much like the class schedule I had when I worked at Nait. The purpose of this schedule is to theme my days. For example: Mondays are Kung Fu and Hot Yoga with the afternoons for the business side of my glass art. When I worked at Nait, I used both types of schedules and it worked really well for me so I'm implementing it here (good thing I still have the template). The beauty of this schedule is that when I wake up in the morning, and realize what day it is, I know what direction my day is going and where I can slot in my daily training.

Solution 3: speaking of daily training, I looked at my yearly goals and broke them down into weekly goals. Then I divided my activities into a daily and specific day schedule with Sunday being a total rest day unless I want to play around with something. Pushups and situps are a daily activity, Monday/Wednesday/Friday I do Kempo, combinations, horse stance, air squats, Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday I have hand and weapon forms, plank, squat thrusts, kicks. Getting back to pushups and situps: I have a weekly goal of 1000 per week, however, that does not mean 150 a day. I have a routine where 240 are done in a day therefor I have just about all of my pushups and situps done in 4 days. So what this looks like is Monday/Tuesday and Thursday/Friday are heavy numbers days. Wednesday is a light day (my chiropractor appointments are on Wednesdays and no training after) and so is Saturday where I can test myself with different positions and try other methods. By setting up my training this way I am giving not only giving variety but also inserting rest periods. I will also do an at-a-glance schedule specifically for training so at the start of my day I know what I have to accomplish.

Solution 4: I noticed a BIG difference when I took a break from Hot Yoga. My shoulders were crawling up to my ears and my hips were crankier. So I have now incorporated Hot Yoga after Kung Fu classes on Mondays and Wednesdays as well as on Fridays. A side note is that my Hot Yoga is before my chiropractor appointment so that should yield good benefit there. The buckets that I sweat during the class leads to fat loss (safer not to argue with me on this one) as well as a toxin flush-out.

I'm quite excited about my new schedule as it gives me direction and structure in my day as well as a guide to see how well my goals are being accomplished. As I see it, the only way to know for sure is to take this on a test drive. Nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Sherri Donohue
Silent River Kung Fu, Stony Plain, Alberta

Goals

So I started school again this Monday...it was really, really hard to get out of bed. I am finally taking Animal Health, something I've said I was going to do since I was about 10, although I wonder sometimes about how wise it was to take on 10 courses and my black belt grading at the same time. I was thinking back to some of the goals I had set for myself in the past few years and it was pretty cool actually. I had made a list of 43 things I wanted to do during my first go around of the UBBT and the coming years, this was UBBT 6 so a few years ago. I actually did a lot of them. I got my motorcycle license, got good at kempo 2, did at least one pull up, held my horse stance for 5 minutes, and a lot of my personal goals too.

In the last few years I have gotten a lot done and made big changes in my life. I will give all the credit to being a part of the UBBT. I had never set actual goals for myself, always vague things I thought I might do someday. I have learned how to set a goal and follow through and in doing so I have gotten a lot less afraid of failure- I can't say I enjoy it but I have learned that failing isn't the worst thing that can happen. I have really learned to put myself out there and fail over and over and publicly too. It's been good for me.

Looking over my goals of 3 years ago was really good for me, sometimes I feel like I haven't progressed in my training or personal life and it was fun to see how many things I have accomplished and the ways I've changed and taken another path. Happy training everyone.

Andrea Prince

Back to School!

Tomorrow is the first day back to school for many of our students, and I am sure it wrought with both anxiety and excitement. It’s nice that the kwoon is closed this week for the kids (and their parents) to prepare. Not to mention our annual renos.

The Advanced Black Dragons had their last class of the summer outside at Rotary Park. It was fantastic weather wise, and the kids had a blast. I did too. I do it for the kids, and for myself - as both an end to summer, and a kick off to the new year.

This week is a nice break as an instructor in two ways. One, to regroup and refresh myself. And two, to be able to put some sweat and blood into the kwoon.

So, until classes start in September - Don’t forget to keep practicing!!!!!!!

Am I serving kungfu or is it serving me?

With a 2 weeks of vacation under my belt, and now a week off of training, it seems a good time to reevaluate my training and how I feel about it. I have noticed I cyle in and out of enthusiasm; but that aside, I do feel a distinct lack of enthusiasm lately, and I wonder. Am I serving my kungfu or it me? What were my goals way back when, and have they been met, or have I strayed? Am I bored of kungfu or am I bored with how I do my art? Not easy questions and the answers arent forthcoming either.
Can I turn my training upside down and do something completely different with it? Do I walk away from almost 5 years of work? Can I stop stressing about my training long enough to step back and enjoy it for the art it is?
Time to let the subconscious step in and guide for awhile....

Forms and Training Balance

For the last 2 weeks I have been very committed to increasing my conditioning level and the results are great.  Last night I decided to switch to forms, which I have neglected for the most part for the last 2 weeks, and the effects were devastating.  I have lost so much in 2 weeks in forms. 

Forms will be a priority this week, and every day up to grading, and I am confident they will recover.  My learning is to practice forms every day and surround this activity with conditioning, techniques, cirriculum review, and my 5 individual techniques.  The key will be to balance my training in all areas including some family time.

Have a great training week!

Allan Gamble

Mastery

Do you ever wonder why people go through life in an unhappy state? Why do they accept mediocrity? I have been working towards improving me and how I live my life for enough time that I am not really sure how not to be. I have a hard time imagining being dissatisfied for a long time and not doing anything about it. I know that when negative thoughts start creeping into my head that I need to figure out how they are getting in and rectify the problem. I can't begin to imagine what my life would be like if I accepted mediocrity and didn't strive to improve myself and the world around me. I am not saying that my life is perfect and that I don't make mistakes, I am saying that I am not going to accept everything as it presents itself in my world. I am going to question, explore, investigate, and change all that needs to be in order to achieve mastery.

"Correction is essential to power and mastery. You see, we are all ordinary. But a master, rather than condemning himself for his ordinariness, he embraces his ordinariness and uses it as a foundation for building the extraordinary. Instead of giving up, like ordinary people do, a master will use his ordinariness to correct his errors, which is essential in the process of attaining mastery. You must be able to correct yourself without condemning or invalidating yourself, accept results and improve upon them."

This quote is from Mastery by Stuwart Emery and these words have been helping me create the direction in my life for a while now. It has not been easy, especially the accepting part, well, and not condemning has been a bit challenging, and maybe the embracing part. Okay, so it has been challenging and sometimes down right hard. I am determined to achieve my mastery in every corner of my life, I will succeed.

Until next week, work hard and have fun.

Uncensored Wanting

A statement that has been repeatedly coming up in my personal development books, courses, interviews, and what not has been to "focus on what you want." Focus on what you want instead of what you don't want. However the question that has kept cycling back to me is "what do I want?" Good question and not so easy of an answer.

During our drive back from our weekend camping trip Dennis and I decided to play a game that I invented (okay, I decided and he played along). The game was called "Uncensored Wanting" where we ask each other what we want and we would answer back with the freedom of a 6 year old with the new edition of the Sears Christmas Wish Book. Sounds like an easy game full of frivolity, well hold the frivolity and it wasn't so easy. I found myself playing the game "safe" and the censorship was rearing its head. Excuses such as "my studio isn't set up for something that big", "I really don't need that", "I can do with something smaller", "I should ask for this first", " I want this because of these reasons" and so on. Oh yes and the "be careful for what you wish for" kept chiming in as well. (Who invented that damned saying anyway??!!) I also found myself silently seeking approval for what I wanted.

What an eye-opener this game was for both of us! Talk about some blocks! How can I focus on what I when I either don't know what I want or I talk myself out of what I want? Yeesh! So now I have decided that I need practice in this game (as uncomfy as it is) and to practice frequently either by saying out loud what I want or by writing a list. Also, make some outrageous requests just to flex and stretch that asking "muscle".

So Sherri, what do you want? The only rule of the game is that you cannot censor your answers. Let's begin..... what do you want? P.S. Don't forget to breathe.

Sherri Donohue
Silent River Kung Fu, Stony Plain, Alberta

Focus

It's been an okay week for me. The training has been going okay but I've been a little distracted preparing for next week. I'm excited about getting started on the renos but will be glad once they are completed. Then I can focus on training hard(er) for my black belt grading.

Kevin Lindstrom
Student UBBT Member
UBBT 8
Onoway Alberta Canada

Bullies! Who needs them?

Each time I sit down to write (possible make a video) about bullies and how to guard against them, I find that yet another one has wound it's way into my space. I am confronted with the many emotions that come along with an attack and I am challenged to separate myself from those emotions so that I can do what I set out to do. I realize as I write this that I am in exactly the right place to be writing about bullies. I can't wait until the storm has passed and then analyze the situation and gain some perspective, I need to write now while I am in the throws of it and can identify first hand what is happening.
I don't think that I am quite ready to explore my emotions on this, I have been trying to put them into to words for the last half of an hour and have not been successful. I have learned from writing this that I need to put some serious time into identifying my emotions and explaining them and dealing with them.
Until next week, work hard and have fun

Tai Chi

I had something else written and when I went to post, it just didn't feel quite right. I guess I should have posted it anyway and carried on. Oh well.

Something that has been really good for me, is learning Tai Chi. The process of it relaxes me, and the movements bring me peace. It has helped me through some injuries by giving me strength, both mental and physical. I truly believe that while it will show you every injury you didn't know you had, it also strengthens all of the little muscles.

I also find it really resets me after the Lil Leopard class. Whoever planned that was really thinking! I love the Lil Leopards and the energy they bring, but I need a break after all that cute chaos. It's like I get all pumped up, and then that energy is quieted and spread out within me in the Tai Chi class.

I also feel, that for anyone who needs to work on flow, this is the class to take. It forces you to slow down, and really feel your body and what it is doing. (And the atmosphere is wonderful) (Was that subtle?)

Back again...???

Its been a wonderful couple of weeks for vacation; went down to the lower mainland and stayed at alouette lake at the provincial park. Kayaked, swam, hiked, had nerf wars in the trees with the kids....why did I come home again? I admit I didnt do much training, although the acts of kindness found its way everyday, and I was much more working on the spiritual parts of training. (which is sorely lacking sometimes.) I've been reading alot about change, direction, what is my passions in life, etc. As was mentioned in a previous post, its scary to break the mold.
What did I learn in my travels? I'm learning who I am and where I want to be. And I dont think I'm anywhere close to that yet.
One thing I did read (when I did actually sit down...wasnt often!) that I thought was a funny coincidence; first Master Brinkers post before I left with the cat staring at you (perspective), then reading abit of Zen and motorcycle maintenance, then this:
"Cats are spontaneous, content to live in the present moment. They're small, shedding, scratching, inscrutable Zen masters sent to teach us the paradox of undoing in a hectic world where things always have to be done"
I want to be a cat.

Back at Last

Tomorrow my kids arrive home after their two week stay in Nova Scotia. Yes I am excited to see my kids again, and have been spending a lot of time thinking about them. So to say the least, my mind has been more on how they are and what they have been up to instead of been focused on my training, like I wanted to be while they were gone.

At our last UBBT meeting I had mention that my kids had left on their vacation and I found that my motivation was lacking. Sifu Brinker had commented on this and said that even a little thing like my kids leaving for could disrupt my routine enough that it would affect my motivation. I spent some time on this concept and realized that a person’s body/mind is always looking for an easy way out, from doing anything hard, it seems to a nature instinct or a lazy instinct. I have maintained doing pushups and sit-ups and my forms even though I did feel like doing them. I am hoping that when they get home and we back into our regular routine, things will get back to normal and my motivation will come back.

Greg Wiebe

Stony Plain, AB, Canada

www.silentriverkungfu.com

Don't Give Up

I have been working for the past month on my 5th choregraphed technique which includes a flying arm bar.  I have practiced this with multiple partners and until today, I have landed many times on my head or back.  Each time the technique failed I would go back to the beginning watching videos and discuss the step-by-step specifics with others.  Very slowly, and maybe a little concussed,  I have been able to piece this together and now have the technique basics in place.  Until today, I was at a point of giving up and moving on to a different technique.  Just this morning I was able to successfully comlete the techniques with Mr. Young and he deserves much credit as we have been working on this for some time.

Here is my learning;
Never give up on something that is important to you.
Seek the advice of others.
Walk through the specifics many times with your partner before trying physically.
The path to success will include many obstacles and failure points.
Succeeding at something you have worked very hard for is very rewarding.

Have a great training week!

Allan Gamble

(Scary) True Story

I often have dreams, as well as nightmares, about kung fu. My dreams are probably fairly common- I kick butt with cool weapons or I can jump from tree to tree like Chow Yun-Fat. My nightmares usually consist of my students deciding to go crazy, climbing the walls, screaming & yelling and hanging from the rafters on the same day Sifu Brinker decides to give a surprise visit, and there I am yelling at some random kid to quit beating on an adult, all the while Sifu is giving me the eyebrow glare, with a 'tsk tsk' finger wag.

Then there's what I dreamt last night- completely and utterly failing the test for my next stripe.

And it wasn't that I had bad technique on my side heel, or broke my hand on a board. It was... Tai Chi. My nemesis. Oh how I both love and loath you.

It was grading day, there we all were, gathered in the old elementary school gym (that's always the setting for these dreams). There were so many second degrees going for third. Strangely, several were black belts from years past, several from now that are still first degrees, one was even Spock. Yes, Dr. Spock, pointy ears, overly logical and formal with a bad hair cut. And if I didn't achieve my 3rd, he'd be standing to my right instead of two rows back.

Spock and all the others were asked to perform the Tai Chi form together. They did, most of them. Many could not make it through the form, and I could see Sifu Dennis docking points off for whatever was not sufficient or for what they didn't know. Then, I went, all by my lonesome, doing great at first, then struggling, then utterly forgetting everything I knew. Oh the shame.

Then, mercifully, I woke up. It was 5am, I had to get up for work in an hour, but now I'm sweating, my heart is pounding and my mind is reeling. Oh how do I go back to sleep when I'm all wound up?

Then (this is all a true story) I remembered something Sifu Brinker said in the last UBBT meeting- "if you think you're too busy and don't have the time, I'll show you how to set your alarm one hour earlier". Well, by golly, I had woken up one hour earlier and now I'm extremely motivated, after that scary dream!

Guess what I did... how'd you know? And, today seems a bit brighter now. Brighter than yesterday, and definitely brighter than 4:59am this morning.

Khona Rybak, Silent River Kung Fu, Alberta

Pencil Me In

At this writing I am in Saskatchewan again. Mom is back home and happy to be back with her friends, her familiarity and basically, back to normal. As she put it "Great vacation, but home is home." So for me, it will be back to normal again, right? Well, not so fast.

Before our UBBT meeting I was pondering on the concept that I had my yearly goals, but not really anything further. Yes I do have my daily training goals, but.... At our meeting Sifu Brinker said a word that had me go "A-ha, ring-a-ding, Eureka!" and a cascade of realizations arose that got me really thinking.

Yes I have my yearly goals and there they are, on the wall, I look at them fleetingly, throw darts at them once in a while, and that's where it's at. I'm not using my goals as the tools they are meant to be. I have not divided my goals down to the weekly and monthly bite-sized chunks that make life more exciting. (A note is that I'm also talking about ALL of my goals, not just training.) I am working towards my goals, but with the energy of a cork bobbing in the ocean versus a set course. Sure a cork bobbing in the ocean will still reach its destination plus or minus a few miles and however long in time, but a set course carries much different energy.

So what was the word Sifu Brinker said that gave me the Eureka!? The word was "structure." When I had a job/career the structure was preset for me. Now that I am my own career, I am responsible for providing my own structure, something I wasn't doing mainly because I didn't know firmly what I wanted. I still don't have all the answers, but the one answer I do know is to just start.

Tomorrow during my 8 1/2 hour meditation, I will be reflecting as to how to incorporate the structure into my day. When is the best time for torching, for training, for study, for journaling, and for me? What do I want to accomplish by the end of the day, the week, the month? Keep things simple to avoid overwhelm but still have direction and focus. Draft up a schedule that will work for me and still be flexible. And as always have a backup plan.

Sherri Donohue
Silent River Kung Ku, Stony Plain, Alberta

Skidoosh!

This week has been a big week already. I finally broke some boards! I had a really powerful “skidoosh” moment (I just watched Kung Fu Panda 2) when I turned and saw that last board and it broke so perfectly. The entire blue brown class applauded and my daughter ran over and hugged me…Adrien was there smiling and so was Sifu Brinker. At that point I felt a little like Kung Fu Panda myself! I realize I’m playing this up, but it felt pretty awesome and as most of you know I’ve been agonizing over the boards for a few months now.

At the UBBT meeting this week I talked about my struggle with the boards to all of my team mates. Sifu Brinker pointed out what a great learning experience this has been for me, yes, including not breaking my boards and then bringing them home to stomp on and burn, but instead bouncing off “like a raisin off an Oldsmobile”. Those boards would have made excellent construction material.

I do need to break again but I feel that my mental block is gone, and it has been quite the learning experience. I feel confident that I can repeat my breaks successfully again. OK, I’m officially done talking about boards!

Andrea Prince

Being real....!

I'm a true believer in the fact that each and every moment is individual and will only come once, however can will come back to bite you in the butt!

In my school years I had a teacher, who was also our neighbor on the farm, who after a visit would quite often say "its been real". I always say him as the cool adult, so I just pegged that saying as being his and part of "his" usual vocabulary, however as I think back, I wonder if he was onto something.

When I read other journal entries written by fellow students, I see the mental struggles that we are all facing. We are all looking for that magical cure. I'm not certain there is one, partially because each moment is a new moment, the factors to the equation are never aligned in the same manner.

In my opinion, the cure lies within being real, stay true to yourself, know when to speak and when to listen and not to react with emotion. Create a foundation and know your boundaries, a basis to the situation must be determined. Rely on honor, integrity, honesty, quality, knowledge....... stay confident and in control of emotion ....... You (I) must continue to pursue and go beyond the ordinary, continue to grow and learn; and respect not just others but yourself (myself).

Darcy Regier, Silent River Kung fu, UBBT, Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada.

Awareness of balance to a grounded individual

One thing that kung fu has done for me, is made me more aware of my "self". It has made me more aware of my inner being, what makes me tick and why. The trick is the ability to control it, which takes me back to my previous blog entry. If you read that, you will see the progression or non-progression of events taking place in my kung fu/ life.

I have felt the build up coming on for a while. The past two months I have worked about 800 hours. This is where for me things get ugly; I feel grounded and I know where being grounded is for me; I'm also aware of balance and where I am on the scale. I hit bottom a while ago and kept pushing myself through. I've tried to recapture myself but it got a way on me... I blew a gasket today.

Work for me has been ugly stressful so far this year, rain for the first two months (next to no work), then none stop work for the past two months. I have been assigned contractors who don't practice the same quality of work, and haven't meet my standards through this duration, which means micromanaging my projects (that's another story)..............all of a sudden, SNAP! The worst of it is, I felt it coming and I let myself down. I lost self control and finally blew up at the contractor!

What have I gained through this, besides a few good pay cheques...not much! My family life has suffered, my kung fu has suffered and my spiritual maintenance has suffered, even work sucked because it had become work (the enjoyment disappeared) and I'm still sitting on the bottom of the scale. I have my justifiable reasons for going to work, just like everyone else.

I need to listen to my body and most of all take action. I got too caught up in pleasing the people who supply me with work, the money and keeping my family feed! The last one is important, but there needs to be a balance.

This occurrence was a big part of me challenging the UBBT this year. Last year, I became overwhelmed with everything, "balance", actually it has been that way for about 17 years. When I work the hours I do and the long durations, short run balance is difficult to achieve.

Weird place to end, but I just needed to release.


Darcy Regier, Silent River Kung Fu, UBBT, Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Attack

I don't understand when people treat others with less respect than they deserve. I believe that all people deserve respect 100% of the time. I don't think that just because you don't agree with someone, you should talk down to them. If you have more knowledge, it is your job to teach not degrade. I also don't understand why when someone gets in trouble (caught doing something that they are not supposed to) and they try to shift the focus to everyone else, pointing out their errors and mistakes.
I am sitting here in a cloud of confusion. I returned to work, refreshed, relaxed and ready to commit to my work and I have been confronted with criticism, judgment and accusations. I am not really sure how to handle it. I know that I have done nothing wrong, save a few errors that are my normal, and I am feeling attacked from most fronts. What is one to do, hide until it blows over, confront the issues with confidence, quietly go about my business until the storm passes. I prefer to do anything but confront, I also know that what doesn't kill me will make me stronger. So confront it is.
Until next week, work hard and have fun.

Alone

After getting back from vacation it was a whirl wind of 4 days of unpacking the trailer, washing cloths and get the kids repacked so that they would be ready to fly out east to visit their Grandmother and Grandfather in Nova Scotia on Saturday August 6^th. So now it has been a week since my kids left and the house is empty and quite. Staying engaged in my training has been tough this past week.

Greg Wiebe

Stony Plain, AB, Canada

www.silentriverkungfu.com

Inspiration from Others

This past Wednesday, I had an opportunity to lead a board breaking drill in our Kung Fu morning class.  Each student chose a specific technique and we practiced three elements which were form, vector, and releasing chi.  At the end of the drill each student had an opportunity to break a board.  Everyone broke their board and it was inspiring to see, as many had not broken a  board previously.  Having an opportunity to see your training partners and fellow students break through a barrier or complete something for the first time is very inspiring!!  Have a great training week!

Allan Gamble

Control

For the last while I've been thinking about this word that gets tossed around the kwoon on a regular basis, at the same time wondering why it is not used as much outside the kwoon.

I believe that many take the word 'control' as, a physical term. The ironic part is that it is purely mental.

The majority of my thoughts lately have been about controlling my emotions. Controlling anxiety, anger, what generally stresses me and altering those feelings. When I think of control inside and outside the kwoon, I find them to be one of the same. We recognize a lack of control in the kwoon and address it! Do we recognize it the same outside the kwoon?

A martial artist who can't control his or her emotions outside the kwoon, is failing inside the kwoon. Being involved in martial arts is not just about training in the kwoon and leaving it there, it is a way of life.

Exercising and conditioning the mind is a full time practice. With the fast paced, stress filled world that surrounds us, this sort of training can not just remain in the training hall.

Darcy Regier, Silent River Kung Fu ,UBBT, Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada.

Livin' The Dream

I am doing what a lot of people dream about and that is to do what I love on a full-time basis. Oh boy, to be able to torch (or whatever the craft is) all day, every day! What's it like to live the dream? Two words: friggin' scary. Didn't think those would be the two words, did ya? So why the scary factor?

It's one thing to dabble and another to make it one's own. I hear frequently that one cannot make a living with art and that one must make what the public demands. One word: baloney! The biggest challenge is not what to make, but to be true to oneself as to what one loves to make or do. Decisions, whether it's a show, or a piece must be made with the heart or via intuition not with the head/ego. I have found that pieces that I love to make have no issue finding owners yet items that are would be "good sellers" collect dust. Why? The decision to make the "good sellers" came from my head versus from my Spirit and people subconsciously tune into that.

I tuned into a webinar by Master Coach Jeanna Gabellini from Masterpeace Coaching who says that it is essential to do what you love in your business. When you do what you love, the opportunities and the sales find you. Now that doesn't mean that I make a product and sit on the couch. I still go to shows, list on my Etsy shop and promote my goods. However through these avenues the correct people will show up. It's up to me to keep doing the steps.

So really, why is it so scary? Take a look at society as we are programmed to fit in, to mold to someone else's belief system, to put on a show, to hide one's true self, to seek approval from others, and to try to control the outcome of a situation. However now I am expressing (or starting to) express myself, warts and all. It's a nakedness of its own kind, a vulnerability and that's where the scariness comes in. It's not easy to let go and especially to let go of the outcome and expected results. Basically I'm in a crash course in Self Trust 101, 201, 301, Masters and PhD levels.

Getting back to Jeanna and her webinar, I like how she sets up her business plan: simple, fun and full of Spirit. She believes that we are not only entrepreneurs, but more importantly, Spiritualpeneurs. I will be setting up not only my glass art via her plan but also reflecting that plan on other areas of my life including my training especially when I set my goals for UBBT 9. I'm not saying what I'm doing now is wrong, I'm saying that it can always be improved to make living the dream even that much more exciting and better.

Sherri Donohue
Silent River Kung Fu, Stony Plain, Alberta

same old

I've been really wishy washy with what I wanted to write about this week, it feels like I'm always writing about the same things. But kung fu is on my mind 24/7 right now. Every day there is ups and downs and always the anxiety about being ready to grade in October, and whether I will even be eligible to grade if I don't break my boards one day soon. One good thing about NOT breaking boards in front of a whole bunch of people is that it really gets rid of any ego you may have been harboring. I feel like a brand new white belt. It has also been a very good wake up call about my technique- the boards don't allow anything less than perfect, and it's humbling.

Today I got some much needed perspective after reading a blog post. Suddenly all of the things that feel insurmountable seem so small in comparison to the hurdles some people face. There is a lot to be learned from others about how to face adversity with strength and positivity rather than buckling and admitting defeat.

Andrea Prince

New and Old

All day I have wondered what I am going to write about this week. I feel like every topic is a re-run of something that I have already written about. That is exactly what this journey is about, doing something over and over again until you get it right. I once heard a pastor speak about lessons being presented to you over and over again until you understood the message and acted upon it. Well, that is what my journey is about, learning, trying, testing, practicing, exploring over and over again, until I figure out the answer.
This week has been challenging because I have bronchitis once again. It is not as bad as it has been other times, but still requires me to modify my activities. Instead of two to three hours of hard core fitness and forms, I went slowly. I didn't complete as many reps, and I didn't perform any cardiovascular fetes, but I did mindfully practice for the same amount of time that I usually do. This is a step in the right direction.
I returned to work this week, after a month of being away from there. I did not enjoy the change in schedule and not seeing my family as much. I did enjoy seeing my clients and my team mates. I feel much calmer at work than I have before, I am sure that it has happened gradually but due to my absence, I am really noticing it. I am finding that I am not getting excited about things that I can't do anything about. This is a definite improvement.
I work really hard in my group of training mates to ensure that everyone feels supported and has everything they need to train hard core. I continue to be amazed that I am lucky enough to be a part of this group. I encourage everyone to reach out to a training mate and see if they want to work together, want to be your partner, want to practice together. The risk is well worth it.
That is what is new and old with me, until next week,
Work hard and have fun!

Forms

I have been thinking about the progression of my Kung Fu. Where it has come from, and how it has developed over time. What are my favourite things nows, are not necessarily my favourites from the past.

I love forms, Tai Chi included. I love how they feel, and the flow that comes with them. I have been working on them lately in slow motion, so that I can focus on how each stance feels, and how they connect to the next technique. My biggest challenge has been the Hung Gar forms, as my hips just don’t seem to want to cooperate. However, by slowing them down, I think they are coming. Nowhere near perfect yet, but slowly getting better.

I am also aware that I have to by mindful of how much I slow my forms down to pick them apart, as something that has always eluded me is speed and power. In the past, (and probably still now to a degree) always look like Tai Chi. Too much flow. I guess the balance comes in practicing forms slow, and then going full out to make sure that whatever changes I have made will continue to be present when speed and realism are added.

The other challenge, is how to express my passion for forms to my students. How can I make them excited, and want to practice them? Hopefully, that one will be a continuous one, that will keep my passion sparked.

My Buddy and Me

Since I came back from my reunion trip my Mom has been staying with us. It is a bit different having an 87 year old senior in the house. If anyone has not spent time with seniors, I suggest doing so as they are a species all of their own with no two days (or hours) being the same. If you think kids have ADD, try an 87 year old and getting a group of them together is much like hurding a bunch of chatty cats that want to check out every flower and other cat around.

Having said that having Mom around has been great as she's "eager-beaver" to pitch in, help out , and enjoy the scenery when I have to do an errand. We did the big Costco run yesterday and Mom was quite happy to push the cart. (ok, I pulled she pushed, but none the less). Mom even surprised me by coming down to my glass studio when I was working and watched me work.

The only downside is that I am having to shoo myself to train as I feel I should be spending all my time with Mom since she is here. This is not her request, this is my stuff. When I practiced forms Mom was quite happy to watch and asked questions about what I was actually doing. It comes down for me to give myself permission to train when she is here. I still need to take care of me and my needs even when there is someone in my energy space (no issue with going to class). This I need to be conscious of and practice, practice, practice and when I get that, practice some more. Good thing Mom is here for a while so that I can practice. I hope this gets easier.

Sherri Donohue
Silent River Kung Fu, Stony Plain, Alberta

Vacation is over, back to the grind.

The past week I was on vacation with my family, our vacation may not be like most people now a days think a vacation should be (sand, sun, a tropical ocean breeze, a beautiful resort). We did have the sun and the sand, but also the rain, mud and mosquitoes that come with the Alberta weather, and the beautiful resort was a mud filled clearing that was filled with trailers, campers, and RV’s.

Vacations are fun no matter where you go as long as you’re with family and friends, and every year that is exactly what we do. We go to the same mud filled clearing up at the Brazeau Reservoir to enjoy time with friends and family, to do some water sports and ATVing.

The only thing I find hard on vacations is to keep up on my training in Kung Fu and Blogging (no internet). So back to the grind.

Greg Wiebe

Stony Plain, AB, Canada

www.silentriverkungfu.com

Renovations to Injuries

Today I was offered the chance to go on a golfing trip to Panarama from August 31st to September 5th. I would have loved to have gone except for one thing... Kwoon renovations will be going on that week and I have committed to that already. It is a little bit dissapointing but what can you do. Speaking of renovations I have to post the dates on kwoon talk.

On a side note my shoulder(s) (both now) are starting to get very painful. I am sure that the pushups and the tiling are doing them no favors. It may be time to talk with someone about this and figure out whats going on with them. Sorry that was kind of random but I just wanted to throw that out there. It helps to relieve some of the frustration.

Kevin Lindstrom
Student UBBT Member
UBBT 8
Silent River Kung Fu
Onoway, Alberta, Canada

August Planning

Hello, here is my detailed plan for August.  When I write thing down through blogging, I have them in front of me top of mind, and I am on the path to success.  This blogging is working for me.

I will maintain my physical fitness level and do more running (windsprints and distance) to increase quickness and endurance.
I will do pull ups every night.
I will eat right and lose the last 4 pounds I have committed to.
I will practice and fine tune my 5 personal unique and original applications choreographed with a partner.
I will review and practice all yellow to brown requirements in our cirriculum including forms.

That is it for now, have fun!

Allan Gamble

A Good Read

I am not a person who reads a lot of books but I did take a recommendation from Sifu Brinker to read a book entitled Peace is Every Step, written by Thick Nhat Hanh. 

As I started reading the book I became very enlightened as to the simplicity of being mindful in life and the connection we should have and appreciate to our planet earth.  I am at the very infancy to understanding the concept of meditation and this book has helped me tremendously.  The greatest gift in this book for me is the summarization near the end of the book called the "Fourteen Precepts of the Order of Interbeing".  All of these make sense to me, more than any other guiding faith or previous learning I have.  I will quote the first Precept from the book to provide a flavor:

1. Do not be idolatous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or idealology.  All systems of thought are guiding means; they are not absolute truth.

This is a great book and I will recommend it to everyone I know.  It has helped me a great deal with my individual spirituality, well being, family and friends, and kung fu training.  Have a great training week!

Allan Gamble

Time flies

August is off to a busy start. In less than a month I'll be back in school and we'll only be about a month from grading. Where did the summer go? Although I have put a lot of work into my kung fu it seems like there is always tons to work on.

This week has been a tough personal week, there has been a lot going on unrelated and also related to kung fu. As always my training mates have been super supportive and inspiring, what would I do without this place?

I've seen a huge difference in my older daughter's attitude towards kung fu lately. Something really clicked for her last week during class when the benefits of having a training partner were discussed. She found a training buddy (my training partners daughter) and also asked me to train with her. She has been practicing at home and taking initiative in class- asking Sifus questions etc. Tonight she got a stripe for the stick basics she's been working on, the timing couldn't have been more perfect to reinforce what some hard work can do. It's awesome to see the fire in her eyes, she's already planning her next goal, and I have another training buddy.

Andrea Prince

Posting My Training....

Because my schedule is always array and I don't make it to the SRKF training hall on a consistent basis, when I do arrive, I'm quite often asked how my training is going. It seems to be a common question asked amongst the kwoon family and is totally understandable, because most of us don't know one another on a personal basis, so we ask about something that we have in common.....makes sense.

The thing is, not every one's answers are based on the same journey or on the same goal. So, even though I may not be spending as much time on my curriculum training, that I'd like to or need to, I may be at the top of my game with my mental conditioning and spiritual well being. Part of the thing is, I do what I can...! My schedule is always loaded, my career leads my personal life in different directions, which is where my balance is a challenge to maintain. Unlike most, my life is not balanced daily or weekly, I work on a 3 month balancing regime.

For me, my training is always with me in everything I do; be it in the quality of my work, more efficient at work, not to mention the consistency in being a better husband, father and overall person. Continuing to be more empathetic and understanding of people and my neighbours. To me this is part of my training. When I maintain balance, growth and success are consistent and easier to achieve. When I better manage my stress and spiritual being, I find balance is easier to maintain and a pleasure to achieve.

When I'm not practicing forms, going over curriculum, or doing what I do when I'm in the workout facility, I have numerous other things in my life that I struggle to master. There are many things in my life that I feel I can work on that will make me a better person at home, at work or at the studio. Training is continual...the mind does not shut off!

Managing my mind, breathing and stress level, is a key part of my kung fu training, so when I'm not physically able to practice the physical part of my kung fu, I always seem to find the time and the space to exercise my mental being.

Darcy Regier, Silent River Kung Fu, UBBT, Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada.

gearing up....for rest?

I swear that it takes more effort to relax sometimes than just to keep going. This last weekend(and this week) my family and I are gearing up to go on vacation....and its a mad house. And in the middle of it all its "oh yeah, my UBBT requirements!" Crazyness! I'll need a vacation to recover from the vacation:)
  I am looking forward to the rest, yet hate to let go the routine; am I alone in feeling that when I step out of my routine, its unknown just what will happen? Everytime I go on vacation, take a weekend away, whatever, I am overwhelmed with the desire to just keep going. If I were near a boat I'd be setting sail for unknown lands, to hell with the consequences. Every year the desire is stronger. Am I alone in this?
  At any rate, I will see everyone for one more class, fitness and otherwise, then its off to the wild blue yonder. Time to set sail!! Oh wait....was I supposed to rest?

Grande Cache "Death Race"

The 11th Annual Grande Cache Death Race took place this weekend, within one of the most beautiful, invigorating, natural and pristine areas of Alberta. I had the opportunity to be a spectator and volunteer helper. The experience was one that will never leave me. My brother-in-law ran this race solo this year, which gave me a first hand look into what was involved as a supporter and station helper. I can't comment on the run itself but it was apparently excruciatingly challenging and beautiful at the same time. The environment was invigorating and contagious to say the least.

The length of the race was a total of 125 km, it was divided up into 5 legs, with check in points at the end of each leg. The race can be run solo or as a team comprised of as many as 5 runners. Each leg has its own cut off time, if you don't make the set cut off time...then you don't continue. The total length of time given to run this race is 24 hours. The race starts at 08:00 hours Saturday morning and continues through until Sunday at 08:00 hours or earlier, that depends on the runner.

There is also a 5 km race for the 15 years and under group, "Kids Death race", which is held on Sunday. The entire weekend is filled with fun stuff for the kids and young at heart.

Supporters, spectators and death racers came from far and wide; there were local racers and some which came from as far as Europe. The participants varied in age form 16 - 70, it was as uplifting and invigorating as anything I've every experienced.

There was a certain amount of irony which played out for me, in relation to hanging out with people who have similar interests, goals, respect and appreciation for their surroundings and personal well being, partially because I met people who knew people who were once a part of my life; also because I was in a congested, overly populated and confined area with people in my face every step of the way, the irony is that it didn't bother me, these people were polite, considerate, cared about who they were and where they were (they were like the people who I surround myself with at SRKF). Typically, I'm not the type who could enjoy the confined quarters with people on my heals and on my toes at the same time, but it was all good, the environment was awesome, right from 07:00 hours Saturday morning until the time that I closed my eyes at 07:00 hours Sunday morning. As I helped on the last leg of the race, waiting for Vince to approach me from the dark of night, death racers were passing me with smiles on their faces and still showing their appreciation and saying thanks to the volunteers who stuck by them through the night, it was amazing.....!

My brother-in-law, Vince Krebs, was truly inspiring, his persistence and mental engagement through this race was......how do I put this into words!....Let me put it this way, he is the younger brother I wish I always had, so the heart felt proudness that I felt was overwhelming! To jog beside him through his final 400m of the 125 km race and cross the finish line with him was awesome.

The insight from this experience, as I watched the runners at the check in points, viewed what they ate, and how they utilized their few minutes of sit down time, leaves me to believe that like most things that seem unattainable, is a huge mental game. These people fought and fooled their bodies and reprogrammed their brains every step of the way. As, I said, before nothing but inspiring......

This weekend and experience has enlightened me to my next yearly challenge, it will be to train and compete in the "Death Race". I will never know..............if I don't try!

Darcy Regier, Silent River Kung Fu, UBBT, Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada.

Many blessings

I was reading about Mr.Kreb's personal victory this weekend and it got me thinking about the amazing people that we surround ourselves with each day at kung fu.
The next time that you are lined up and waiting for class to begin, look at the people standing beside you. These are the people that will eventually inspire, encourage and challenge you in ways that you never imagined. I am constantly surrounded by people who encourage me and expect more of me that I do. These are my kung fu people. They come in all different belt levels and they all come from Silent River Kung Fu. Be open to the people that you train with and allow them to influence your sphere.
I feel blessed to be surrounded by so many like-minded people. I have been encouraged to change what I have always done to make it better. I have been challenged to question how things are put together so that I can take them apart and study them. I have been supported so that I can grow in trusting my judgment and in learning to accept my ordinariness in pursuit of mastery. I am inspired by each person that I encounter that learns the value of setting goals (some of them outrageous! seriously? the DEATH RACE????) and pushing themselves to take the steps to accomplish them.
Take a moment to appreciate the many benefits that you receive as part of our kung fu family.
Until next week, you know what to do, just go do it!
Robyn Kichko
Silent River Kung Fu
Stony Plain, AB, Canada