Our practices of Martial Arts and meditation are very special, not everyday experiences. We bring our best, highest selves to class. We use each technique as an opportunity to hone our body and mind. Our focus and mindfulness increase as we push ourselves to new heights. It is meant to be a holy experience, one that we treat with awe and respect.
Yet to look at it another way, our practice should be an everyday activity. We bring Kung Fu and Tai Chi into our everyday lives by moving with power and fluidity. The same kind of mindfulness that we use to improve our technique is applied to improve our performance at work. We practice being great partners rather than opponents in our relationships.
“Before I learned the art, a punch was just a punch, and a kick, just a kick.
After I learned the art, a punch was no longer a punch, a kick, no longer a kick.
Now that I understand the art, a punch is just a punch and a kick is just a kick.”
– Bruce Lee
This quote is referring to the three stages of mastery. In this context, it means before we begin practicing martial arts, we don’t really understand the significance of anything we do. Looking from the outside, perhaps watching a kung fu movie, we see “cool moves” but have no real understanding of the experience.
After we begin practicing Martial Arts, we experience what it really takes to tap a partner in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or to properly execute White Stork Cools Wings, and we are in awe of every detail.
After we achieve a degree of mastery, that newness and awe seems to dissipate. But not in the way you might expect. Rather than losing that mindful excitement for our practice, we gain it for the rest of life.
Master one thing, master all things.
Years ago I was washing the dishes when I realized for the first time that I was very tense and a bit angry at having to clean. I had no real reason to be angry, but something about what I saw as a menial task really bothered me. I could see that I had been doing the dishes and many other things with the same annoyance for most of my life. Then I remembered one of the biggest lessons of our practice, to be present and stop trying to rush through any given moment. I thought to myself, This is silly. I should do the dishes like Tai Chi. So I began scrubbing the plates with circular movements. As I scrubbed I inhaled, I exhaled as I rinsed. I moved fluidly from my center as I put the dishes in the cupboard. Washing the dishes became a moving meditation for me, and I have enjoyed it ever since.
When we start to view our entire lives through the lens of our practice, we bring that same mindfulness into everyday life. Our practice becomes everyday. This is when we become Martial Artists.
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