Doing Stance again. Have a nice compromise for my structure that lets me stand without hurting my knees too much.
I learned something whilest doing laying down Wujifa practice. It’s tricky to tell sometimes when I’m “forcing it.” I had discovered a beautiful, clear and clean release in my lower back through stance practice. Then I started moving towards that, I found I could push just a little with some of my other back muscles to get the ones that had released to stretch further… I didn’t even notice I was doing it. I ended up weakening my back where the practice should have strengthened it.. then my knees started to go also and I could not do stance anymore.
So in laying down stance I noticed how to REALLY let go in my lower back. Laying down practice is odd because so much pressure is taken off the body… I guess the pressure that’s left is the pressure I add to it. So I found ways to notice my lower back in even more detail, and notice a larger part of it. Then I started to “catch on,” bright boy that I am, to a couple of the neat places that laying down practice could take me. I played there for awhile, just going straight to those places, and I was noticing effects generalizing into my life from that developement.
Then my kung fu began to suffer again because I had stopped doing laying down practice properly, but had begun to chase something I had found little bits of. After weeks of my practice drying up, I felt at a loss as to what the fuck I was even doing anymore. Then I realized, it was the same process I had gone through with standing.
So now I am looking again, for the right mindset. I think there is something stonger to “allowing” rather than “making” my body to go into the right structure. Also, there is something Rick characterized as “Ease” that has proved elusive for me. Just as “relaxed is not limp,” “ease is not necessarily easy.” I think Ease might be tied to functionalism, and calibration. Being a student that often pushes myself very hard, I think ease will fall on the side of pushing less… perhaps doing the same amount of work but with less force.
Noticing Ease and Not Ease
Cool bro,
I identify with this post closely. I have often hit spots such as this where I chase a feel and find myself forcing it and then either get lost or injured as a result. In fact this just happened last week when I get excited about strech in my arm and back when punching and didn’t realized I was jerking/swinging my hips to get some of it and I pushed a bit too hard and strained some muscles in my left hip. Cool thing to notice, this post has helped me integreate this idea of ease further into my concious knowledge. Ease is an awesome way to practice that I am starting to explore yet again good luck to you and keep on sharing man it helps you and others as well.
Re: Noticing Ease and Not Ease
I have a question, Black Egg Tar, John:
For me, “pushing hard” feels like I’m justified and valid… If I am hurting and exhausted, starving and about to drop, stressed to my maximum distance, and juggling ten thousand things… At least if I fail then I feel more okay about it. I feel frustrated sure, but I feel more okay deep down inside.
If I just do what’s reasonable, eight hours of work, some stance, eating a good meal, spending some time in recreation, and sleeping for eight and a half hours then I tend to do okay in life… I seldom crash and burn. However, I am then terrified that I will still fail (at which point I will feel worthless), I am also terrified that I am failing to accomplish to my full potential.
Do you come from a similar place?
–JPhunk
You guys ROCK
I think this is so cool
when we help support each other
share and explore
our sucesses and insights
I am seeing where I am (up till now… LOL)
“Had” been needing… and even though
I talk about allowing
I to… “had” been pushing my
believe of “NEEDING” too
with the injury stuff I have going on
Thank you guys
PS – Mis talking on the Phone JP… My cell is acting up now too… so you know my Home line… and my work… hopefully my cell will be back up in a couple days… AT&T said it’s a newtwork thing… so who knows… LOL