Tuesday, June 19, 2012

I Have Such a Long Way to Go, And I'm Thankful For It

Last night Sifu Beckett and I were talking about our Friday class, and I believe I had an epiphany. The two of us ran through Mlong Kuen, and I was trying to pay attention to where in my body I was generating the power and flow, and some things felt great whereas some things felt mechanical and lacked draw from the earth. And I realized the things I felt good with are the moves I had been struggling the most with over the last couple years. There were several places in the form where I had never felt comfortable, and I was constantly looking for feedback on them, asking repetitive questions and fighting with the flow. As always, eventually an answer would ring true with me, or perhaps I'd finally understand the answers I was getting and translating them into movement. On the other hand, the areas of the form where I had always felt comfortable with I was no longer content with.

This reiterated to me the importance of striving for mastery. You will always improve, as long as you are pushing forward. And remember, forward is fluid, circular. So yes, you may feel as though you're moving backward, but it is all essential in reaching for mastery. "Correction is essential to power and mastery". Stewart Emery nailed this. If you are comfortable with something, don't just settle there. In my mind, comfort is just another word for mediocre.

http://dogsthinking.blogspot.ca/

No comments:

Post a Comment