Respect
The spiritual meaning of namaste is The Divine in me bows to the Divine in you. When a yogi bows with hands pressed together, this is a physical expression of respect that transcends the ego. This is what all bows can be. When I first heard this explanation of a bow, I thought it was the most beautiful thing ever. Before that, I of course understood that a bow was about
Perspective from Martial Arts – The Lost Year
We are now entering the 9th month of Covid-19 in the US and the 6th month since California announced a stay at home order. Many people have died and everybody’s life has changed. It seems like our entire world has changed. We can choose a perspective from Martial Arts. When we look at this year in our own lives especially since we entered quarantine, it seems in some ways like time
Do I like the person I am?
I like the question of the week, "Do I like the person I am?". It gives me some insight into how I have changed over the years. When I was younger I didn't like myself. It seemed like other kids were always making fun of me and only me (they must have sensed some innate weakness). I actually thought I'd like to be someone else, anyone else. When I was in
Breathing with a mask
Returning to the dojo means breathing with a mask, and some of us find that difficult. What can happen is a feeling of breathlessness, of not being able to breathe enough. This feeling is called dyspnea by scientists and clinicians, and dyspnea comes from the brain rather than not getting enough air. The feeling is triggered by higher than normal levels of carbon dioxide, which we may get when the
Martial Arts in Troubled Times
I had planned on talking about forgiveness in this newsletter, but I’m finding it to be an increasingly difficult topic to navigate these days. I’m not going to tell you to forgive anybody, nor will I attempt to tell you what is right or wrong for you to do. I don’t believe that martial arts comes with any set moral code; rather, our practice should help us better understand our own
