Living as a Witness
This blog isn’t about being in witness protection. Our student Taunia sent me a quote the other day from poet David Whyte: I want to be born again, in exactly the selfsame life, aware this time from the inside out, and
The power of Framing
Seeing Through New Frames at Retreat At our internal retreat at Kenneth Hahn Park we practiced Tai Chi and meditated in several beautiful spots including a Japanese garden, a grass field with a stream flowing through and a tree spotted hilltop
It’s not about you
Seeing Beyond Ourselves Well, this blog is about you. But not everything in the world is about you. We have a tendency to view the events of our life through the lens of how they affect us. Of course we do. We
Asking Questions
Sometimes, at the end of class when I ask for questions, nobody raises their hand. I take this opportunity to remind everyone of the importance of asking questions and say, “There is no such thing as a dumb question, only
Letting go and learning
One of my favorite zen stories is A Cup of Tea in Zen Flesh, Zen Bones:Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen. Nan-in served tea. He poured his
Grounding Yourself During Turbulent Times
This article was written by one of our senior students, Chaya Silberstein, for QuantumTouch.com after spending some time with our kids at summer camp. It’s a great article about grounding and being your highest self during difficult times. I was hanging
WHAT IS ART?
I get asked a question from time to time in kids class classes and I think the dojo's adults should ask too (don't you get tired of feeling like you're supposed to know everything because you're old?): What does Martial
Lessons from Retreat
Flowing Instead of Forcing This year’s Kung Fu retreat was all about flowing with energy rather than fighting against it. I had a few opportunities to practice and learn about this myself. On Friday night we did the drill we usually start
Throwing your Hat over the Wall
What It Means to Throw Your Hat Over the Wall I heard a phrase a few years ago that I really liked. In reference to committing to something, you “throw your hat over the wall.” Imagine you’re walking across a wide
Using the Right tool
A Simple Fix Last week I was trying to unscrew a Ring doorbell from next to my front door. I was using a small screwdriver and it took out 3 out of 4 screws. The fourth wasn’t budging. I put all
