Everything Old is New,,, Again!
There's a saying in Neijia ( Chinese Internal Martial Arts ) that goes how your training will bring you back to your " original " energy. I had previously considered this to be a kind of mystical, esoteric state of being similar to Star Wars' The Force. A very Taoist, almost unattainable level of existence. I never really gave it much thought, but over the years, this proverb to become a more personal and practical experience than I could ever had imagined.
As I wrote in an earlier entry on my blog, I made a decision to make physical fitness a part of my life. Running was the chief focus of that essay, and it still is as far as my workout routine go. I'm currently up to a two to three miles a day, five days a week. Previously, I was only running a mile, every other day, three days a week.
I've also added weights, calisthenics, and aerobics to my workout routine, but as essential as the methods are; none are as important to me as my re-commitment to martial arts training.
Since the early 80's, I've been a martial arts practitioner. I've had the opportunity to be able to train with some extremely fine teachers and a wide array of styles and systems. To be brief, I've trained in Korean Karate, Chinese Kung Fu, Filipino Escrima and Kali, Historical European martial systems, Western boxing and kick-boxing, and Japanese Ninpo.
For the past 30 years, I've always been working on some aspect of what I've learned and since my renewed determination to improve my fitness level, I've put an emphasis on trying to elevate my skills.
Fitness training and martial arts go hand to hand. One feeds the other. For every added push - up that I've achieve, it's just one more Choong Dan Kong Kyuk ( Reverse Punch, ) I can do. For every day that I running, there's another 30 minutes I can perform a kicking set. For every hour I spend at sword-work, the deeper my resolve for weight training.
I still have a long way to go with this. My flexibility isn't where I would like it to be. I sometimes get frustrated with myself over the things I've forgotten or lost over the course of time, but one thing that has returned with a vengeance has been my enthusiasm for the martial arts. I feel like where I was when I first started out in my old Korean Karate class at EMU. Eager, and thrilled to be a part of a tradition that spans across an ocean, into the deepest recesses of time.
" Original " energy doesn't have to be some strange metaphysical spell conjured up by wizard found in a Tolkien novel. It can be our faith, our joy, our work to a discipline or craft or art. I'm beginning to experience a feeling something akin to how I felt when I was younger. I don't mean to say that I'm feeling younger, but rather I'm feeling like what it was to be young. Too many times, I think, we become jaded as we get older. We experience disappointment with the things in our lives. Sometimes we experience great pain for our endeavors. We expect rewards and praise, but instead get grief and criticism. It's only natural to become a little hesitant about involvement in anything new or to restart an old pursuit. The fear of pain and failure is hard to ignore. Maybe this is why we need to do things for their own sake, to experience the feeling of accomplishment that only comes from constant practice of a thing. To feel like a beginner and an advanced student at the same time. Years and experience are to be treasured and honored, but so too, is the novice.
In the end, we all just travelers walking the same path. Does it really make any difference in the long run who's ahead of the other? Is anyone really ahead of the other?
Lakotah performed most of the instruments on her new album. She also performs most of the vocals, and the harmonies, as well.
