tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28375284779624883722024-03-06T02:56:17.060-05:00WujifaWujifa is a practice of depth in personal (and interpersonal) understanding of subtle connections. Individuals practice Wujifa as; qigong, martial arts, zhan zhuang, meditation, yoga and/or as a unique form of "fitness" training. Congruency, intention and connection of mind and body unification is the aim in Wujifa.Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03435911314664052046noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837528477962488372.post-75890885989329194862014-10-11T19:41:00.001-04:002014-10-11T19:41:46.873-04:00Think like a child and respond like a scientist<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The people who make progress tend to think in specific ways. I use the word “specific” here purposefully, instead of saying “thinking in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">certain</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> ways.” Many people (and by people, I mean adults) look for certainty. When you’re “certain” about something, it tends to limit possibilities. So, specifically, don’t think like an adult who gets locked into looking at things a certain way, but start to focus like a child in a world of possibilities, bringing openness and curiosity to whatever captivates your interest.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV5JOmWw7ZRfGVea2eorPQ6JkVgTTO7Fb5KiwnjY47f4gW2DYajEzD2_ES1jO29W9y77l6fYx8K40EtewiSVwsUxfdwUxXj9QX4TF_3jvG202mnJrlOJl894a2IhIqYAd5MyHvrb-QakM/s1600/Christmas+Chick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Children are known for their questions. “Why?” or for taking a watch apart because they’re curious, “How does this work?” They want to know things like why frogs jump, why fish swim, why the sky is blue, and where rainbows come from. They want to know how to build a taller sandcastle, or how to get the blanket to stay on top of their pillow fort. They come up with simple and direct answers, often through observation and experimentation. They figure out that if the sand is a little wet (but not too wet), it will stick together better, or that a book isn’t just something you can read, but that it will also make a pretty good weight for holding down the corners of a blanket.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV5JOmWw7ZRfGVea2eorPQ6JkVgTTO7Fb5KiwnjY47f4gW2DYajEzD2_ES1jO29W9y77l6fYx8K40EtewiSVwsUxfdwUxXj9QX4TF_3jvG202mnJrlOJl894a2IhIqYAd5MyHvrb-QakM/s1600/Christmas+Chick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV5JOmWw7ZRfGVea2eorPQ6JkVgTTO7Fb5KiwnjY47f4gW2DYajEzD2_ES1jO29W9y77l6fYx8K40EtewiSVwsUxfdwUxXj9QX4TF_3jvG202mnJrlOJl894a2IhIqYAd5MyHvrb-QakM/s1600/Christmas+Chick.jpg" height="200" width="159" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Responding like a scientist is an extension of the childlike approach to problem solving through observation and experimentation. A scientist starts with an observation, and then becomes curious about what they’ve noticed, coming up with a question. Then, they formulate a hypothesis, which is just a best idea of something they think might work. This best idea is often built off of a combination of things they’ve seen directly, ideas that have been passed down from other scientists, and their own reasoning and intuition. To get more information about their hypothesis, a scientist formulates an experiment to test out their idea. The influence of other variables will be controlled for so that whatever effect they see can be assumed to be the result of the thing they’re testing. This experiment will be repeated many times to make sure the result is not just a random chance occurrence, but that it is truly because of the thing they’re specifically testing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">So what does all this mean to the Wujifa practitioner? The first is to be open to possibilities, not to be too certain about something, but to develop the kind of focus that lets you notice the specificity of what’s going on in your practice. Everything changes and grows, one insight leading to another insight, and then all of the sudden you may see everything in a completely new way! The best way to do this is like seeing the world through a child’s eyes, observing and asking questions. What we mean by this is not to be certain, which is like coming to a tea party with a full cup, but as it is said in many kungfu movies “empty your cup so you’re open to the possibilities that can be gained”. Play with your practice like a child, and experiment and as you get more sophisticated, those child’s eyes can start to follow a more scientific process where one experiment builds upon another, repeatedly testing and refining and furthering your personal knowledge, just like the scientist or the child is moved by their curiosity . This is the way to make progress in the Wujifa system. </span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-686deff9-0184-01c0-23aa-66a4706a154e"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"> The child within us all is still there. You may believe that you’re an adult and you have to be in the world a certain way, but the eyes of a child are still able to shine through if you let them. Mr. Rogers once quoted Kenneth Koch in saying, “You’re not just the age you are, you’re all the ages you’ve ever been”. The world of a child is a world of possibilities. It’s just a matter of allowing ourselves to go back and see the world as we once saw it before.</span></span></span>
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<dd style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.3em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent !important; border: 0px !important; display: inline !important; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; outline: 0px; padding: 0px !important; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: nowrap !important; width: auto !important;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="http://wujifa.livejournal.com/profile" style="border: 0px !important; color: #750b0b; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; outline: 0px; padding: 0px !important; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; width: auto !important;" target="_blank"><img height="16" src="http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=104" style="border: 0px !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; min-height: 16px !important; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 1px 0px 0px !important; vertical-align: bottom !important; width: 16px !important;" width="16" /></a><a href="http://wujifa.livejournal.com/" style="border: 0px !important; color: #750b0b; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; outline: 0px; padding: 0px !important; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; width: auto !important;" target="_blank"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">wujifa</b></a></span></span></dd><dd style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.3em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><abbr style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="2006-01-12T22:38:00+03:00"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">January 12th, 2006</span></abbr></dd></div>
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In class we ask questions, and sometimes it can be hard to think of good questions. So what is a good question? Well, that right there is a good question. When we ask "what" we are looking for something to be described, explained, and defined. I will list some other questions I might think are good ones.<br />
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1. Questions about purpose<br />
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Questions about purpose many times are "why" or "what" questions like; Why do we do this exercise? We can ask this same question as; What is the purpose of this exercise? Another good question about purpose is; Why should we do this or that practice?<br />
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2. Questions that give some background<br />
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Questions about background can come from a number of different angle with different approaches. If we have some background many times it can give us some insight to the practice we are asking about. Personally I am amazed that more people don't ask me about what I do or don't do... practice or what I have done or what I may have discovered about a certain practice when I did them. Then a great follow up question would be why I do or don't do certain things. Also a basic history about a practice or where they where developed or how they were developed can sometimes give insights to a practice too.<br />
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3. Questions about stages and results<br />
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Questions about what we might expect when we practice. These are always good questions to ask about. If we can gain some insight about what results we should look for or what stages or levels there are to a practice this can give us some idea of what to look for... Actually even asking that question is a good one; What am I looking for when I practice this? What are the things I can expect from practicing this? Are there different stages of practicing this?<br />
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The one word of caution I would give is to try to understand where you are at when you practice. So, if you ask about stages or levels of practice you may want to also ask; What level should I practice at? The reason I say this is because so many people want to practice at stages beyond their skill and the end up not getting very much from the practice. It is always good to work at basic levels and get a good full understanding before moving on to more advance levels. Even when you get to more advanced levels it still good to go back to basics often. I will also say sometime certain people can be afraid to take the next step or practice at the next level. This can also be a good topic to ask about.<br />
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4. Questions of how to do something<br />
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Questions of "how" are questions of instruction as in the question; How is it done? How do I get this part to do that? When I do this how do I do that? These questions are questions looking for advice on the practical workings most of the time and are good questions to ask. But, if you don't ask some of the questions above you might not have the depth you could have when practicing and really be limiting yourself.<br />
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Note: One more thing about questions<br />
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It is good to ask yourself these kind of questions too. It is good to ask yourself these kinds of questions often. By asking yourself questions you open a door in your mind that starts to seek for more, a deeper knowledge and understanding, with this knowledge and understanding you can start to get a greater awareness of what you are practicing. Once you gain these understandings and an awareness to some degree you can start to develop a better "feel" for what you are practicing and doing... which will lead to new and deeper questions to be explored and asked.Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03435911314664052046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837528477962488372.post-23000308840585926702012-08-17T14:29:00.000-04:002012-08-17T14:29:16.689-04:00Emotions and the somatic practice of Wujifa<b id="internal-source-marker_0.6367328795604408" style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.6367328795604408" style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s not unusual that at some point different emotions may arise while practicing Wujifa. This is not generally the case, and for most people the day to day practice will be an attentive meditation that helps build body awareness and fascial connection. Understanding that, our emotions and attitudes are also connected with our bodies and are reflected in how we carry ourselves. As we work on adopting a functional support structure and posture, old patterns of holding can be encountered which may at times bring up various emotions which are tied into these patterns of holding. Normally, people do not notice these emotional patterns in daily life and they are often simply hidden from our basic awareness. As we expand our awareness and connections within ourselves, this heightened state of awareness can sometimes lead us to notice these obscured emotional patterns. </span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwxNCIkyv8dHV7x5dZhfu_IHD_yRgbqndA-2ExxrGmnNP4uP_ZMvm8awEDXm197zAh2Uztpo8edEetUtK7SNUoAPULdh3lL3s9Zc7qLJveq3tyTIF2ORwSi66XrncUdqWf40gvAetZyQ/s1600/Crop+Vesalius_Fabrica_p184.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwxNCIkyv8dHV7x5dZhfu_IHD_yRgbqndA-2ExxrGmnNP4uP_ZMvm8awEDXm197zAh2Uztpo8edEetUtK7SNUoAPULdh3lL3s9Zc7qLJveq3tyTIF2ORwSi66XrncUdqWf40gvAetZyQ/s320/Crop+Vesalius_Fabrica_p184.jpg" width="180" /></a><b id="internal-source-marker_0.6367328795604408" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Encountering emotional issues is fairly common in many practices including martial arts, although it is not often spoken of directly. This seems to be most commonly illustrated, for example, in many martial arts stories when the person who has practiced all of the sudden comes face to face with their frustrations, fears, or believed limitations and faces a long, dark night of the soul, to emerge on the other side a better practitioner for exploring these complexities.</span></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.6367328795604408" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As a simple example, when people first start practicing Wujifa standing meditation sometimes they want to jump out of their skin when just standing for a few minutes. What we’re suggesting here is that these kind of emotions would be worth noticing and exploring. Also, there may be times when a seemingly seasoned martial artist may start to experience deeper emotions while practicing stance. For example, they may start to feel sadness and then when asked later the reason for the tears will say, “I don’t know... I just felt sad and allowed myself to cry while continuing to practice, and I feel so much more connected now.”</span></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.6367328795604408" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The point is, If these things show up occasionally it’s okay to go with them. By “going with it” we mean continuing to stand or practice and allowing the emotional expression to simply flow through. The practice of Wujifa is learning to connect with our intention, our purpose and our body. In the beginning, this starts with developing body awareness and then developing fascial connection. The emotional aspect, as we mentioned here, is just something that can occur. It should not be thought as strange if it should show up occasionally in one’s practice.</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7lX8pzXMJ_fDlm3-QL31Nqb65q7e5AhiYRlVAT8LkvlGRbSFDktP4ihyv8M-QbGbbl9c2xGdjHPYshSaDYL9XGjpdy5ymVakun0elbpy-Vs9zkmegRXs7wBQUUwyLkJcahNzoXxgHP4/s1600/Pink+Chinese+heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7lX8pzXMJ_fDlm3-QL31Nqb65q7e5AhiYRlVAT8LkvlGRbSFDktP4ihyv8M-QbGbbl9c2xGdjHPYshSaDYL9XGjpdy5ymVakun0elbpy-Vs9zkmegRXs7wBQUUwyLkJcahNzoXxgHP4/s1600/Pink+Chinese+heart.jpg" /></a><span style="font-weight: normal;">Connections to our heart?</span></h3>
<br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The parts of our heart that are hidden away tug on the body in ways that are beyond full comprehension. Joy, anger, sadness and fear: these emotions simply serve as a natural way to respond to different situations like a bird singing in the woods. They sing one way when a fox is nearby, or another way when looking for a mate. Why does the bird sing? Maya Angelou said that “A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.” So many people want to pretend that they are above these kind of feelings, when they are simply a natural part of who we are. Even the Buddha and other highly evolved spiritual leaders have all expressed emotion. The key is a functional expression in accordance with the situation that aims at simply expressing one’s heartfelt reaction, which can often be very helpful in connecting with yourself and with others. </span><br /><div dir="ltr" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the same time, during practice the emotions that come up may not be in line with the situation, but may be part of other contributing factors hidden for so long that they may be beyond our normal understanding.</span><span style="color: yellow; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> In this case, the functional response is to allow them to flow within the structure of the practice so that in later real life situations their influence will not contribute to dysfunction. Better to understand that allowing these emotions to flow when they arise within the practice is creating space for the process of your heart opening and unfolding and of becoming a more functional and connected human being. Creating space is like emptying your cup.</span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;">Making progress or steering us away?</b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another emotional aspect that could be addressed, as long as we’re on the topic, is how emotions can work against making progress. The reason I’m saying that is that it’s not the emotions directly in themselves, but rather the blocking of emotions, or the subconscious control exerted by those emotions that can influence people and their actions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is a fairly common occurrence, and why we are addressing it, is that as one practices Wujifa that one’s emotional baggage will aim to steer one away from one’s intention. What we mean by that is that not wanting to address, feel, explore or face their emotional feelings when, for example, feeling frustrated in how their practice is going and looking for opportunities to make improvement. In trying to protect themselves from feeling the frustration, they may just find themselves forgetting to practice. This is an example that is often seen with Wujifa practitioners just before they are about to make a step up or progress in their training. They feel the frustration and choose to stop training or just “conveniently” forget to train some aspect. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is also possible that as one begins to change one’s posture that the new position and way of supporting oneself will feel different, and this difference may be uncomfortable. It is possible that this discomfort may be experienced as a desire (subconscious or conscious) to return to old ways of being, and may even be accompanied by any number of feelings. This is how emotions can steer one away from one’s intention and can work against making progress. At these times, it is important to just allow these feelings to exist and pass without focusing on them too specifically or trying to hide away from them as you adjust to the experience of the new ways of being supported.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also, sometimes people use too much emotion to distract themselves from the actual process of training. When we talk about emotions flowing, there’s also a level of noticing that should be developed. At times, people will have a pattern of emotion which will distract them from noticing, which truly can happen to all of us. When it happens continuously, without maintaining or learning to develop the capacity to notice, sometimes the emotions serve to distract the practitioner from actually making progressive gains. At this particular place, sometimes it’s better to step back, and focus more on the function of training, relaxing, or even some of the technical aspects of 1234, 1234 and Wujifa principles. If, for some reason, people run into problems beyond the normal emotional expression of life that takes place in human beings when they are functional, expressive, and alive, it may be useful for them to consult with a therapist adept at dealing issues of somatic psychology.</span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;">The deeper unfolding is all about connecting</b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The key to understanding our character and the role emotions play in our practice comes back to one word, which is “heart”. Cultivating heart or the spirit of one’s practice is learning to keep an eye towards your heart as it unfolds. Learning to open to the possibilities that a Wujifa practice can bring is about heart: about opening, and about discovery. Connecting to one’s heart and soul is a very deep and powerful practice, and it can take many years to understand deeply what it means.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the most amazing things is as people train together, whether they do manual labor, are doctors or lawyers, or regardless of their walks of life, they discover the connections of their school brothers and sisters that they may have never noticed out in their external world. As they start to discover more about what “heart” means, through their individual practice and from working and training with their school brothers and sisters, this opening of heart, this understanding, passion and compassion and these friendships and bonds also start to connect and carry forth into all their lives.</span></span>
Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03435911314664052046noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837528477962488372.post-45034209993334333062012-08-11T00:00:00.000-04:002012-08-11T00:03:58.519-04:00Somatic aspects to the second set of the Wujifa Zhan Zhuang structural alignment method<b id="internal-source-marker_0.7474260269664228" style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.7474260269664228" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Somatic aspects to the second set of the Wujifa Zhan Zhuang structural alignment method 1234, 1234. </span></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.7474260269664228" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.7474260269664228" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The First 1234, of course, is feet parallel and about shoulder-width apart (approx. 10 inches), knees over the feet , hips over the feet, shoulders over the hips.</span></b></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.7474260269664228" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.7474260269664228" style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;"></b></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.7474260269664228" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.7474260269664228" style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Second 1234 is inguinal crease (kua) in, lower back (Sacrum) down, chest (Sternum) down, and head up/back.</span></b></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.7474260269664228" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.7474260269664228" style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are Somatic aspects to all of Wujifa, and here we will address the somatic aspect to the second set of the Wujifa Zhan Zhuang structural alignment method 1234, 1234, as it is related to the process of learning. Somatic simply means dealing with the mind, body, and emotions as a unified system, and there are whole fields of study dedicated to this subject.</span></b></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.7474260269664228" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.7474260269664228" style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When learning anything, one must first be nonresistant, amenable, and receptive. In other words, surrender to the information and corrections coming in. As one learns, one needs to develop confidence, courage, and strength to stand up to challenges as they begin to process and investigate and understand the lessons and information received. </span></b></b></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><b style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As we perceive the lessons and develop the courage and confidence, there’s a spirit, whole-heartedness and authenticity that inspires the progression and development of the practice. </span></b></b></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><b style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally, the level-headedness to think for oneself, to see the outcome and trust one’s intuition. These skills are fundamental to learning as well as in sparring or push hands: being able to receive the threat or attack, and having the courage to respond with authenticity that is both intuitive and level-headed.</span></b></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.7474260269664228" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.7474260269664228" style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.7474260269664228" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.7474260269664228" style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now we’ll break it down in the steps of the second set of 1234, 1234. Again, the second 1234 is inguinal crease (kua) in, lower back (Sacrum) down, chest (Sternum) down, and head up/back.</span></b></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.7474260269664228" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.7474260269664228" style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></b></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf5BG7WBbzzOWftME_gnbXldWHvnv8KuvpEXmootX-iAA4CYYbEDCS7QEwGIwxg7FCwZ9GNZ8uXHDBeHb5wMa0wqU6BniT6WXSu2HEFNn4Ks2N06lqu5eG2wZNSiLeEm6lPAB9W_Kxpcg/s1600/Wujifa+hip+kua.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf5BG7WBbzzOWftME_gnbXldWHvnv8KuvpEXmootX-iAA4CYYbEDCS7QEwGIwxg7FCwZ9GNZ8uXHDBeHb5wMa0wqU6BniT6WXSu2HEFNn4Ks2N06lqu5eG2wZNSiLeEm6lPAB9W_Kxpcg/s200/Wujifa+hip+kua.gif" width="175" /></a><b id="internal-source-marker_0.7474260269664228" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.7474260269664228" style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1. Inguinal crease (kua) in. A method for beginners to start to get the feeling of the inguinal crease folding in is by arching the lower back and sticking the butt out. This method creates a kinesthetic for what the inguinal crease in means, although one would not stand or practice in what can be seen as a submissive posture. When the pelvis is relaxed and the kua is in, this allows the body to respond to outward forces and allowing freedom of movement. Another way of describing this is being nonresistant, amenable and receptive. The Kua is all about surrendering to the information coming in so that the corrections can be made accordingly. Surrendering means to be receptive, and not rigid or stiff: to be able to have space to receive the possibilities that will allow more freedom of movement and discovery.</span></b></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFExY2TAxG7FwrK79p67ogh8Z9VKOXuqvBvwKsfWjelVGuHvwj9Xbk9awHV7QGMGt3G8vpjsLcUglAWXU2k4Vg-4QIXQd5L7kDc3SDyuXRaUHybX-jL-W80DQkhV74A5VUXArFsf7VDc/s1600/300px-Gray409%255B7%255D" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFExY2TAxG7FwrK79p67ogh8Z9VKOXuqvBvwKsfWjelVGuHvwj9Xbk9awHV7QGMGt3G8vpjsLcUglAWXU2k4Vg-4QIXQd5L7kDc3SDyuXRaUHybX-jL-W80DQkhV74A5VUXArFsf7VDc/s200/300px-Gray409%255B7%255D" width="127" /></a><b id="internal-source-marker_0.7474260269664228" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.7474260269664228" style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2. Lower Back (Sacrum) Down. The next step after inguinal crease (kua) in is to relax and allow the lower back to drop. Notice how the first step and allowing shows up in the second step, for letting the lower back to relax and drop. When the lower back is in a relaxed and dropped position, this helps build our foundation and development of what some people call “having a backbone”. The experience of having a backbone is a level of confidence, courage, and having the strength to stand up, as we said, to the challenges that we are investigating. Having a backbone also gives us strength to hold true to tough decisions.</span></b></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3lSAIbhETFmR2OaAIQ_h2bMws2dmFI9Kc1HOC4R1ueiPs1hpvKTc8C1htpPBgvJpfy6nHcO_OWqL4xHy5hvpxYhHDMV538wwxqIPUj8FOVgXxHKVUtgaxNZfzXiWtzLLDWIQfYmxYsp0/s1600/Shoulder+Gray%2527s.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3lSAIbhETFmR2OaAIQ_h2bMws2dmFI9Kc1HOC4R1ueiPs1hpvKTc8C1htpPBgvJpfy6nHcO_OWqL4xHy5hvpxYhHDMV538wwxqIPUj8FOVgXxHKVUtgaxNZfzXiWtzLLDWIQfYmxYsp0/s200/Shoulder+Gray%2527s.gif" width="200" /></a><b id="internal-source-marker_0.7474260269664228" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.7474260269664228" style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3. Chest (sternum) down. While keeping the sacrum in a relaxed, dropped position and the spine in a straight, relaxed posture, the next step is to drop the chest without dropping or hunching from the lower back. As we've talked in other postings, this comes from "allowing" the rib heads to loosen, that gives space for the sternum to sink as the rib heads rotate. These areas on both sides of the chest are sometimes called the front and back door of the heart. Having an open heart continues through the exploration of courage and confidence to creating a spirit of whole-heartedness and authenticity that inspires responsiveness that only can come from this deeper place.</span></b></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.7474260269664228" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.7474260269664228" style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4. Head up/back. This is the next stage of this set of 1234 that builds upon the spirit and authenticity bringing a level head and a clear mind into play. With this one can follow one’s intention, and see clearly and intuitively in understanding the possible outcomes and their realization. This is where the art of Wujifa practice truly comes to full expression. </span></b></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.7474260269664228" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.7474260269664228" style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When all four processes are built upon each other, it creates the opportunity for individual expression. To get the set of 1234 in alignment takes time. There is the rare occasion that somebody just understands and opens up, both physically and mentally. The truth is, for most people, opening the body will take some time, and the psychological habits will taken even more time and work. The reason it will take time for mental changes is that old habits die hard, and fight to exist. It takes due diligence, keen awareness and conscious attention to discover this growth unfolding. </span></b></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.7474260269664228" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.7474260269664228" style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The wonderful thing is neuroplasticity allows for us to grow and change and develop new patterns. When one begins to discover the receptiveness, courage, authenticity, and intuitive awareness that develop alongside the physical practices of Wujifa as the body opens and connects, this mental synergy builds among these foundational skills, creating great opportunities in one’s expression and abilities.</span></b></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;">Also check out: <a href="http://wujifaliangong.blogspot.com/2009/10/zhan-zhuang-alignment.html" target="_blank">Zhan Zhuang Alignment</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;">Also check out: <a href="http://wujifaliangong.blogspot.com/2009/06/basic-tips-for-zhan-zhang-and-pelvis.html" target="_blank">Basic Tips for Zhan Zhuang and the pelvis</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;">Also check out: <a href="http://wujifaliangong.blogspot.com/2009/06/keys-for-developing-inguinal-crease-aka.html" target="_blank">Keys for Developing the Inguinal Crease, aka Kua, with Wujifa Side to Side Practice</a></span></div>
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<br />Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03435911314664052046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837528477962488372.post-18690089515598863212011-12-26T20:02:00.000-05:002011-12-31T20:40:13.426-05:00What Is The Kua?<br />
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What is the kua? Words used in martial arts can have their
own meanings, even more so in foreign languages like Chinese, and so is it with
the word kua. Depending on the martial art you’ll hear people talk about
opening the kua or closing the kua. You may hear different arts say things like
hide the kua or wrap the kua as in some Xingyi or Bagua practices. In Wujifa we
also address this area called the kua. In Wujifa we sometimes call this area
the inguinal crease which isn’t exactly correct either but it is a good place
to start for a beginner. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf5BG7WBbzzOWftME_gnbXldWHvnv8KuvpEXmootX-iAA4CYYbEDCS7QEwGIwxg7FCwZ9GNZ8uXHDBeHb5wMa0wqU6BniT6WXSu2HEFNn4Ks2N06lqu5eG2wZNSiLeEm6lPAB9W_Kxpcg/s1600/Wujifa+hip+kua.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf5BG7WBbzzOWftME_gnbXldWHvnv8KuvpEXmootX-iAA4CYYbEDCS7QEwGIwxg7FCwZ9GNZ8uXHDBeHb5wMa0wqU6BniT6WXSu2HEFNn4Ks2N06lqu5eG2wZNSiLeEm6lPAB9W_Kxpcg/s200/Wujifa+hip+kua.gif" width="175" /></a></div>
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In Wujifa I personally think of the kua as the functioning
of the pelvis, leg and hip capsule and the expression is seen through the hip, pelvis and connective tissues. In Wujifa the Kua is defined by the specialized way its used. I always find it interesting seeing how the hip capsule twines together the hip, the pelvis and femur head to form this important joint of the body for function and movement.</div>
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In many arts, the concept of kua is thought of as extending
much further than simply the fold of the inguinal creases where the legs meet
the body, although they may also start beginners with a simple understanding of this folding area between the leg and pelvis. </div>
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Many martial
arts actually think of the kua as extending way past the inguinal crease folds down
to pelvic floor and also all the way around up to the outer areas around the
greater trochanter. The concept of "Kua" and how it is used is a very deep subject and it's use defines the flavor of an art form. </div>
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What is the Kua? As you may have guessed, simply said it is an area
affected by pelvis, hip and leg movements. This area is one of many keys to understanding the flavor of a martial art and
it‘s more than simply how to move our hip or leg. This is also one of the common
areas where people develop certain bad habits of use and it’s not always easy
for people to change their habits. This is why various martial arts address its
importance. Understanding tthis area is so very important to the depth
and breadth of their respective practices.</div>
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If you’re looking for more detailed information on how to
train and practice the we might suggest reading <a href="http://wujifaliangong.blogspot.com/2009/06/keys-for-developing-inguinal-crease-aka.html" target="_blank">“Keys for Developing theInguinal Crease, aka Kua, with Wujifa Side to Side Practice”</a> and <a href="http://wujifaliangong.blogspot.com/2009/06/basic-tips-for-zhan-zhang-and-pelvis.html" target="_blank">"Basic Tips for Zhan Zhuang and the Pelvis"</a>. These
articles have a lot of helpful information for ways to understand, train and
practice. Remember understanding is not the information you know… Understanding
is only as deep as your practice has become.</div>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03435911314664052046noreply@blogger.com1601-799 Penniman Ave, Plymouth Charter Township, MI 48170, USA42.370169251987171 -83.468635976314545-3.29394624801283 -164.32801097631454 88.034284751987173 -2.6092609763145447tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837528477962488372.post-63342360127481868132011-11-24T16:30:00.000-05:002011-11-25T00:45:31.101-05:00Zhan Zhuang and Sex in Wujifa<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From time to time the subject of sex, Zhan Zhuang, and Wujifa is a topic that shows up and to be honest there is no one answer to this question. The real question is one that you must ask yourself. As you know we have addressed purpose, as in ‘What is your purpose for training?’, a number of times before.<a href="http://wujifaliangong.blogspot.com/2010/06/martial-arts-and-purpose-wujifa-system.html" target="_blank"> Understanding your purpose and the principles of Wujifa</a> should be enough to help guide you to the answers about this topic but we will address it in more detail.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Most Wujifa practitioners practice their Zhan Zhuang training for an hour at a time at least once or twice a day. This does not include other Wujifa practices, only the standing or Zhan Zhuang practice(s). We will use this as a starting point for answering some “basic” questions about sex and Zhan Zhuang.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Becoming aroused while practicing</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When we relax, the parasympathetic nervous system (the following is an oversimplification) we could say it kicks in to play. The parasympathetic nervous system is involved in the functions of salivation, lacrimation (tears), urination, digestion, defecation, and sexual arousal just to name a few of the systems involved. As you can tell many of these are also common so called qigong side effects.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When becoming aroused in your Zhan Zhuang practice the best answer for most people is to just recognize this as a sign of the functioning of the parasympathetic nervous system and a good sign of health. Think to yourself, ‘Nice, a sign post of health’ and don’t get distracted from your purpose and training. Getting sexually stimulated while practicing isn’t abnormal and as we say in Wujifa, it is just one of many sign posts along different paths. If you are driving somewhere and you see a sign on the road saying 100 miles to where you are driving, you don’t stop at the sign, you keep driving. The same is true with signs that show up in practice.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now that we have talked about sexual arousal the next question is often about how often can one have sex. This is a very good question and one we should take a look at.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Is having sex a good or bad thing when training?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">First lets start by asking the question of purpose. If you understand your purpose and the principles then these kinds of questions become much clearer to the practitioner. If they are unclear to you from the level of basic common sense then you might want to simplify your purpose and goals or understand why you are making something so complicated.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many qigong Masters and teachers suggest waiting a moon cycle (28 days) or at least two weeks (14 days) before engaging in sexual activity. Many of these schools of thought lean toward the right and see celibacy as a key to training. I’ve heard other teachers which suggest you wait 24 hours before engaging in sexual activity after Zhan Zhuang practices. Now if you practice every day or twice a day you are basically again choosing the path of the monk. Again if you choose to follow this kind of advise, simply understand how it aligns with your purpose and the principles of your training.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve heard it said that girlfriends can be the biggest problem for those learning Gongfu. That a person will spend many years training and then meet a girl and forget about their practice. I believe some of the reasons behind limiting sexual activity given to students without functional explanations is aimed at solving this problem of losing students to relationships. It may be true that rules like this can help cage a student, then again if a person gets so easily distracted then they most likely will get distracted by other things over time and they may not really be cutout for deeper practices.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Personally I have found a good loving and supportive relationship can make your Gongfu training easier and better. Although finding a good woman is the key. If you take the time, <a href="http://wujifaliangong.blogspot.com/2011/02/real-gongfu-training-partners.html" target="_blank">allowing good people into your life and you will find them supportive and helpful to your Gongfu goals</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So when can I engage in sexual activity?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You understand your purpose and the principles of your personal practice. You have found a good girl and want to engage in sexual activity. Leaving all the cultural and morality issues aside for a moment as these could also be addressed under purpose and principles. When can you engage in sexual activity after practicing Zhan Zhuang. There are other high level practitioners that have expressed the fact that they are not monks and enjoy sex with their wife and they have shared a couple different opinions. One is to wait 4 or so hours before or after training, eat and relax and go about a normal day and then sex is fine. They explain that this is enough time for your body to rebalance. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Other advanced Wujifa practitioners have simply said it’s a good idea to wait an hour after or before engaging in sexual activity. They explain an hour is enough time to return to normal status, and that they would wait an hour or so after eating a big meal or after work as it just gives some space. I also know of some practitioners who practice and have sex when they feel like it after training. They have some martial skill and they say they don’t have sex every time after practicing Zhan Zhuang but if their girl is ready and the time feels right they haven’t had any problems.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So you can see there are many different answers to these questions. Are you engaged in Zuo Dao or tantric practices and the practice of Zhan Zhuang? Are you like some boxers and refraining from sexual activity until after the big fight? Are you doing a special qigong practice like Yijin Jing (Muscle/tendon Changing) and also practicing Wujifa Zhan Zhuang? If you understand your practice and you know the principles of your practice then you already know the answer. If you don’t know you are most likely playing with an advanced practice and you should seek some personal guidance and ask your senior school brothers or teacher. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you just are beginning a Wujifa Zhan Zhuang practice and you simply like doing the Zhan Zhuang practice, maybe just give yourself an hour before spilling your qi as they say. New lovers tend not to take much real advice anyway, they’re hopelessly in love don‘t you know. So some of this advice may be a mute subject, just use your common sense that's always best.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, I hope this sheds a little light on the question of sexual engagement and Wujifa Zhan Zhuang practices. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Remember in Wujifa the simple and deep practices are the real key to success. Don’t complicate your practice. You are where you are and that’s where you start. It may take work but it should also make sense. If it doesn’t your doing something wrong or you need to ask more questions before training mindlessly and losing your way.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03435911314664052046noreply@blogger.com3601-799 Penniman Ave, Plymouth Charter Township, MI 48170, USA42.37007809680523 -83.468649387359619-31.805434903194765 114.81260061264038 90 78.250100612640381tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837528477962488372.post-3347431175807808722011-11-11T11:11:00.000-05:002011-11-11T23:19:09.669-05:00Filial Piety In Our Gongfu<br />
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<span id="internal-source-marker_0.09522803081199527" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Filial Piety</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> In Our Gongfu </span><span id="internal-source-marker_0.09522803081199527" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Xiào 孝)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Confucian classic Xiào 孝 Jing (Filial Piety) aims at building the foundations stones of how one should set up an honorable and functional society. In Wujifa we believe we should always take a closer look at the principles and so let’s take a look at this concept here. Filial piety means to honor and be good to your parents, to take care of your parents, to conduct yourself both publicly and privately in respect to the good name of one’s parent’s, ancestors, those who came before you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiao_Jing" target="_blank">"Now xiao is the principle of Heaven, the righteousness of Earth, and the (proper) conduct of people. The principle of Heaven and Earth - people's affairs should follow that principle. We should study Heaven's brilliance and take advantage of Earth's bounties in order to bring harmony to the world; that way the teaching is not stern and yet it is successful, the governing is not severe and yet good order reigns."</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiao_Jing" target="_blank"><br /></a></span></span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3VgF6ODJ_oUCubhZeRZCxAQzC07fnMqInM4tJckieDmeBId9IQYCt2VKvSJHSOsBO7SUTLTqErCN7DRjQBdyZzizI5ZmPhkalR2W0-wsAFcPrxRNgQ57cbXF_D4C48jX96tHsUos4gO4/s1600/Xiao+In+Our+Wujifa.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3VgF6ODJ_oUCubhZeRZCxAQzC07fnMqInM4tJckieDmeBId9IQYCt2VKvSJHSOsBO7SUTLTqErCN7DRjQBdyZzizI5ZmPhkalR2W0-wsAFcPrxRNgQ57cbXF_D4C48jX96tHsUos4gO4/s200/Xiao+In+Our+Wujifa.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do you practice filial piety in your gongfu practice?</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Chinese culture Filial Piety or Xiào 孝 is considered to be the first virtue and a primary virtue. In our Wujifa Gongfu practice we say “The method is not the truth, once you get the feeling get rid of the methods.” Wujifa is a principle based practice so simply to follow the methods of honoring your parents, or your University, or your Gongfu Master when the principles are not expressed in your heart and your practices is then simply just a form of make believe.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Wujifa our ancestors, our parents, are our foundational “principles” of practice. In Wujifa we say “you are where you are and that’s where you start” and so we start with our body, our mind, and our spirit in how we practice and train. The first and basic foundational principle in Wujifa is that of developing connection(s). We develop this in our basic practices Zhan Zhuang and side to side for an example. We pay close attention to our alignment and structure which is the first of the three points in the Wujifa triangle of Balance, Structure and Relax.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The way you engage in your Gongfu practice is though Xiào 孝 or Filial Piety to the principles. In Wujifa we seek that of the principle of connection(s). Every great Gongfu practitioner has had filial piety for his training in his heart. If he can not train his Gongfu with Xiào 孝 or Filial Piety then what does it matter the name of his style of practice? If one does not train with passion in his heart to adhere and refine the principles of his practice what does it matter who his master’s name is?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Respect for the principles of our Gongfu are fundamental and starts within ones heart. Each person must truly look deeply into his heart first and examine him or herself and then take responsibility for bringing the principles of their training into reality through their practice.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is only “Make Believe” to say you honor your style, or your teacher, or you school of practice and not put in the time it takes to eat the bitter of personal examination and bring about real transformation of yourself though your training. This is real honor, this is real filial piety, this is the real meaning of Xiào 孝. In our Wujifa practice this is what we mean by Xiào 孝 or filial piety.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Personally I have made mistakes and have fallen short in my training many times over the years. I have overlook principles and cut short my training when I knew I should have. I have fallen asleep by simply following the Wujifa methods without holding dear our principles of our practice in my heart and within my mind. I share these things here as my hope is each of you may also look deeply into your actions and see where you may have fallen short and where you can make real improvements in your practice. Please take the time to make your practices functional and real.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Willingness to admit and even more important make the corrections to one's mind and heart to truly keep to the principles and filial piety in respect to these principles in all of our gongfu practices.</span><br />
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</div>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03435911314664052046noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837528477962488372.post-1538255809100812462011-10-16T19:02:00.000-04:002011-10-16T19:19:31.785-04:00Be Like Water?<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Be
like water? </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">I’m
sure many of you have heard the saying “Be like water” made famous by Bruce Lee.
I’m here to tell you that using ambiguous statements such as “Be like water”
can be very misleading and maybe not even be all that helpful.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Kp43x3dcaRXjNaojQbnDJG14EOsoN9S6ZEYxtOE8iTiV3IO-Z1HfEoBj_jjVuRJmo3tZcAHC6IMYvVOhzfpFFcrTdL_fIah1xMtdFOv5e-P2AVS_zvrD4oIS_CQRZ4q_hxTMp9TiNug/s1600/Li+Bing+Statue+Be+Like+Water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Kp43x3dcaRXjNaojQbnDJG14EOsoN9S6ZEYxtOE8iTiV3IO-Z1HfEoBj_jjVuRJmo3tZcAHC6IMYvVOhzfpFFcrTdL_fIah1xMtdFOv5e-P2AVS_zvrD4oIS_CQRZ4q_hxTMp9TiNug/s320/Li+Bing+Statue+Be+Like+Water.jpg" width="170" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wujifa we say <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Bing_(administrator)">"Be like Li Bing"</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Think
about it for a moment… what does “Be like water” really mean? It’s like someone
talking about achieving enlightenment, “Be like water,” most people
misunderstand “Being” twisting the meaning ambiguously into something very
different… fitting what they want into it’s meaning or bottling it up and
selling their bottled flavored waters as some kind of method of special skill. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">When
I think of special skills I think of people like Li Bing</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">. Be like water… this
is why I say “Be like Li Bing!” If you have a few moments take the time to understand
the practical application of Li Bing’s Dujiang Weir. Go ahead and google Li
Bing and his Dujiang Weir if you will, you’ll find it interesting to say the
least. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><b><i>"Dredge the riverbed when the water is deep and build low dykes when the water is low." - Li Bing</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">You
see Li Bing constructed the Dujiang Weir to help the villagers and farmers
living in Shu, Sichuan Province, China and shared his principles for the
guidance of water “for the good of the people.” I recently watched a
documentary about Li Bing and his weir and it dawned on me… “Be like water” or “Be
like Li Bing” who applied his principles and used the water to both irrigate
the fields and distracting the flood waters, protecting the people from
disasters these waters can bring.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><b><i>When the river flows in zigzags, cut a straight channel: when the riverbed is wide and shallow, dig it deeper." - Li Bing<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">We
need to recognize as human beings we have something very powerful that water
doesn’t have and this power is in us, within our mind, our understanding, and
our ability to apply function and principles to the real world. You see, the human mind can be far more powerful than water. The human mind can also exist in a realm of possibilities and potentials, and as such it is not constrained in the way water is by habit and strict tendencies. It is this capability that can enable us, like Li Bing, to functionally harness the forces of nature... to create something new that has never been seen before and to apply it for the benefit of mankind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Water
may be able to wash over the mighty rocks with such power too wash them away.
Li Bing was smart enough to understand how to apply this for the good of the
people. Water may wear down even the hardest of rocks and Li Bing taught the
people how they could maintain the Dujiang Weir for so many many years and making
that area a cornucopia of food production.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">“Be
like water” Li Bing applied his principles to both allow and guide water flow.
This is why I say “Be like Li Bing” and understand the concepts of principle
and function, then apply your principles yourself to discovering how something
can be influenced and used for the benefit of the people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">In
Wujifa we aim to understand the “principle and function” of our art and then in
applying ourselves to bring forth the expression of our understanding much like
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Bing_(administrator)">Li Bing</a> shows us with his Dujiang Weir. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03435911314664052046noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837528477962488372.post-85121122857578427382011-10-11T21:34:00.001-04:002011-10-11T21:42:15.936-04:00Wujifa Zhan Zhuang: Relaxing the Belly<br />
The area of the belly we are talking about is much lower and more specific than the bigger area many people think of as being the belly. Yes, you should relax your belly as a whole when standing and when practicing Wujifa Zhan Zhuang. Today the area I am talking about is located at and just above the pubic bone.
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A straightforward and functional tip for improving your Wujifa zhan zhuang practice can be as simple as noticing and relaxing the belly. This article will address the opportunities that can be discovered in your zhan zhuang practice when you start to understand how much tension people carry in the lower abdominal or belly area. You see today’s blog posting all started the other day when working with some Wujifa beginners. These new practitioners started to notice how common it was and it is for many beginners to hold tension in the lower belly when practicing zhan zhuang.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZx5ttn9jvp3J6RFeGp-4pFQ9Ow38z4hZ1dYaRsxwvTByFBwQq_QMuUcYSVzjY318Rp3siXSWqTOCrBY2YABylC3GGbZCWvsW4U-bpmJmiRYX5BKZZjLaGlu80DC50cr9btz_kgJG1QRY/s1600/Abdomen-Grays-Anatomy.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662411301027682498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZx5ttn9jvp3J6RFeGp-4pFQ9Ow38z4hZ1dYaRsxwvTByFBwQq_QMuUcYSVzjY318Rp3siXSWqTOCrBY2YABylC3GGbZCWvsW4U-bpmJmiRYX5BKZZjLaGlu80DC50cr9btz_kgJG1QRY/s320/Abdomen-Grays-Anatomy.png" style="color: #0000ee; height: 200px; margin-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline; width: 160px;" width="256" /></a>You see the lower belly really is a very common area where people hold tension when practicing zhan zhuang and even in daily life. When people are able to relax this area, they discover that they can improve their practice by sinking more weight into their legs (which beginners sometimes experience as a burning sensation in the quads).<br />
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Stand up for a moment with your feet parallel, lined up under your hips and shoulders (More information on this see: <a href="http://wujifaliangong.blogspot.com/2009/10/zhan-zhuang-alignment.html">Wujifa Zhan Zhuang Alignment</a>). Now place your hand on your lower belly at the level of your pubic bone. Now, play with tightening the area of your lower belly underneath your hand. <br />
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Notice, how many different areas of the body are affected by this kind of tension. Now quickly relax this area as best you can and notice how much more space this creates and how this changes the feeling of the pelvic floor, hips, and thighs. Go ahead and try playing with this a few times. Also remember, relax is not limp, so try maintaining a good Wujifa structured stance.<br />
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If you took the time just now you might have notice how many other areas can be affected with tension and relaxation. The reason is there are so many different fascial interconnections that take place in the lower area of the pelvis / belly. If you want to read more about the fascial systems of the lower belly you can go to “<a href="http://education.yahoo.com/reference/gray/subjects/subject/118">The Muscles and Fasciae of the Abdomen - Gray’s Anatomy of the Human Body - Yahoo Education</a>”. Reading that might be fun for some people, but you really don’t need all that data to make some real progress in your zhan zhuang practice. For most people, simply playing with tightening and relaxing of the lower belly with the hand you placed over this area will give you some pretty good insights that you can apply to your Wujifa Zhan Zhuang practices.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpCsEDpbUax9HYus2rj62KXg8V8VLG8gNIHIcT80ojNZWZ9nmHp4pk8cR6SufrkYNwZEdVFLB0jB3FUv1oeBW1Cfl2ucvqkkadet6-noW1j-XUXgqmX0HnRyqFTtq8JrK_4FX4ij1BDNc/s1600/Correct+Wujifa+Vectors.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpCsEDpbUax9HYus2rj62KXg8V8VLG8gNIHIcT80ojNZWZ9nmHp4pk8cR6SufrkYNwZEdVFLB0jB3FUv1oeBW1Cfl2ucvqkkadet6-noW1j-XUXgqmX0HnRyqFTtq8JrK_4FX4ij1BDNc/s200/Correct+Wujifa+Vectors.JPG" width="152" /></a></div>
Re-educating your body awareness takes due diligence. In the Wujifa Zhan Zhuang basic practices, relaxing the lower belly area is very important and is something many people can tend to overlook. Getting more weight to sink down into your legs is key. Troubleshooting and discovering this overlooked area of the lower belly will make all the difference in the world.<br />
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Again, the point we are making here is to remember in your standing practice is to relax the lower belly just above the pubic bone. As you do this, also remember that relaxed is not limp and strength is not tense. You can play with tightening and letting go as another “method” to give you insights on how to relax this area. After playing with this for a while, you may begin to notice how other areas of your body connect and move with this change. I want to repeat myself again and say, relax is not limp. Remember to be mindful of the Wujifa structural “methods” and to have fun.<br />
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Remember, if you’re liking what we’re sharing here, then please “+1” Wujifa in Google, re-tweet, and share our articles on FaceBook or whatever social media you belong too. Our goal is to give people real helpful information and when you share this, you are helping everyone. You can also follow us on the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Wujifa">Wujifa Facebook page</a>. We here at the Wujifa liangong really enjoy sharing useful information, so feel free to let your friends know about this blog and the Wujifa practices. </div>
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Also, if you have any questions or comments or insights, please feel free to share those here as well. Most of all have a wonderful day! </div>
Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03435911314664052046noreply@blogger.com3601-799 Penniman Ave, Plymouth Charter Township, MI 48170, USA42.370109802970475 -83.46875131130218518.532826302970474 -123.89843881130219 66.207393302970473 -43.039063811302185tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837528477962488372.post-60591725090266344142011-09-10T01:03:00.000-04:002011-09-10T01:13:00.788-04:00Wujifa Martial Arts Practice and New Friends<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOi2dBxvb6M5CAf0oWYAp37Bzn3txix3OdP48ILMkoiovXwYSAz5GNFtPmAIwDDeBvjchSc4VzsVLDXFhBckjGnlkyo9HvTsUSHeeWXB4_wP0x2pCPCmt3OVRl8f51ahrLyrfymXeyMug/s1600/triangle1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOi2dBxvb6M5CAf0oWYAp37Bzn3txix3OdP48ILMkoiovXwYSAz5GNFtPmAIwDDeBvjchSc4VzsVLDXFhBckjGnlkyo9HvTsUSHeeWXB4_wP0x2pCPCmt3OVRl8f51ahrLyrfymXeyMug/s200/triangle1.jpg" width="200" /></a>It was a warm Sunday afternoon in early August, 2011. Let me back up here a bit. Forty-Three hours earlier I received a phone call from Mike at the <a href="http://internalgongfu.blogspot.com/">Internal Martial Arts Blogspot blog</a> who asked if it was ok to bring a guest to a Sunday Wujifa class.<br />
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A couple days later on that Sunday our guests show up after hearing about our Wujifa practice they had lots of questions. A great exchange about martial arts principles and practice took place. Later we went out to dinner and continued the exchange of thoughts and we had an all around good time, of course. ;^)<br />
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The following is written by a Ph.D. student majoring in Chinese Traditional Martial Arts who was visiting the U.S. to do research for his
dissertation from a well known sports university in China. Shared this with us after his recent visit to <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=wujifa&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=22.848409,70.488281&ie=UTF8&hq=wujifa&hnear=&ll=42.417881,-83.468628&spn=0.08288,0.275345&z=12&iwloc=A">The School of Cultivation and Practice</a> where Wujifa is trained and practiced.<br />
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This following article is shared as received. Thank goodness for Google translator, enjoy.<br />
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun;">看似一次平常的访谈,却留下一段难忘的记忆,让我重新审视自己的观点的同时,也在思考武学的真谛。作为一名武术研究方向的博士研究生,正需要某种精神,去探索发掘武术的深层价值。</span></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun;">一位美国的热心朋友帮我设计调查问卷,而且,帮我介绍了一些太极拳传播者,他本人也是一位太极拳爱好者,练习太极拳已经有二十年之久,并建议我拜访一下他的师父,由于研究需要,希望更多地访谈一些美国师父,于是欣然答应。约了一个具体的时间,我们开车来到师父家里,见到一位身材健壮白人师父,就是</span>Rick<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun;">。</span>Rick<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun;">很健谈,很热心地回答了我的问题,当我问及他以后的打算时,他向我介绍了一项耳目一新的技术:“无极法”(</span>Wujifa<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun;">),立刻勾起了我的兴趣。</span></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun;">据</span>Rick<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun;">大师介绍“无极法”是个人(或人与之间)对微妙链接关系理解的深度实践,“无极法”的修炼和气功、站桩、武艺、瑜伽等一样,是种“健身”锻炼的独特形式,它的目标是达到人体意、气、形的统一,达到较高的个人修为。成功的无极法练习者所具有的共性:通过无极法、内功的练习,可以发现,那些获得较高技能的练习者通常会表现出来一些共同的特征,那就是能够体会到所练之术和人的实际生活存在着惊人的相似性。在长期的训练和实践中,相同的招数,可能会使出不同的效果。有很多人工作很顺利,因为他们可以有条不紊地跟踪排除生活和工作中出现的各种问题,因此,人们应该花时间找到个人进步的最佳途径。通过练习无极法在获得技术的同时,更能将其原理运用到实际生活中的方方面面,人们可以向他们的理想和目标不断迈进。</span></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun;">本人练习武术套路已有二十余年,对于武术哲学理论也是烂熟于心,却从没有在身上体验过,诸如在太极拳的习练中,何为无极、何为太极、何为阴阳之类,怎么做</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun;">才</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun;">可以体会到这一点却不得而知。经</span>Rick <span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun;">大师指点,我明白,所谓的哲理内涵,是体现在身体上的一种链接关系,人体不同结构将会影响其功能作用,我在练习过程中只是注重外形的优美与否,是否实用,却没有注意到如何将身体的内外以及身体本身的链接关系做好。回想起来,以前练习的各种套路,都是这种问题,总结起来,是因为没有找到正确的练习方式,更没有将身体与技能之间建立某种联系。</span></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun;">我相信,无极法是各项武术技能的基础,斯旁门甚多,其技无外乎一理而,它可以帮助我们更好地学习各种技能,能够让功夫上身,达到健身与技击的目的。但是,无极法的原理目前仅有少数人理解,习练的人甚少,发扬此项技术任重而道远,</span>Rick<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun;">大师像一个孤独的守望者,凝视远方,希望可以通过无极法帮助更多人达到人生目标。</span></div>
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Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03435911314664052046noreply@blogger.com1601-799 Penniman Ave, Plymouth Charter Township, MI 48170, USA42.370200958106388 -83.468821048736572-31.805312041893607 114.81242895126343 90 78.249928951263428tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837528477962488372.post-83927830244425563682011-08-22T20:37:00.000-04:002011-08-23T18:13:35.560-04:00Common Success Traits for Wujifa Practitioners<br />
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There are a few common traits found in people who successfully make gains in the practices of Wujifa, internal martial arts and life in general. I remember I was once on a construction project team that met weekly and someone said these meetings are boring and are not needed. Quickly the project manager smiled and said, “If these meetings are boring that’s a good sign. We are doing something right.” I personally find project management and process an interesting subject although I can understand why some would find it a bit dull. The same tricks can really make the difference in your training and practice.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo20jYNmBBvEHqXb6LL03wh_Q5mKbXvKPPotS9bcZlrt-yieGB54t6Mjz2yo7Zk_ckTvl-QRJFXXPXsb0NMSIVPzXv9FmIwan0rF4CD181jQWgrLzG-222UhThlTafUzeWvIBvKX_VQz4/s1600/Notebook+1999.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643835266310517010" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo20jYNmBBvEHqXb6LL03wh_Q5mKbXvKPPotS9bcZlrt-yieGB54t6Mjz2yo7Zk_ckTvl-QRJFXXPXsb0NMSIVPzXv9FmIwan0rF4CD181jQWgrLzG-222UhThlTafUzeWvIBvKX_VQz4/s200/Notebook+1999.JPG" style="float: right; height: 200px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 162px;" /></a>I hope some of you will find it interesting and employ in your practices some of these common traits of people who are continually making successful gains with their skill sets. It’s funny the similarities in the project management field and the ways people work toward their goals. There are people whose jobs run fairly smooth because they methodically track and troubleshoot (which costs more in investment of time) and those who never seem to have their projects under control and are racing around at the last minute to put out yet another fire. Hopefully you will you take the time to find what works best for your personal progress.</div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Education - Educate Yourself</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtb4EOSf3XMwZ2xs3rSOaFe7_g45vQVmNns9W_1G_Ba71jQwLYin3k9o6s_HGKtu0NM_Tlvwx9j-ho_ZAgvrspRaHmfTXs9IRV4aUdw8hF_1UdVOsc9uB8xB9MddTmBE8z8CihWqyDO_Y/s1600/Wujifa+Study+Practice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtb4EOSf3XMwZ2xs3rSOaFe7_g45vQVmNns9W_1G_Ba71jQwLYin3k9o6s_HGKtu0NM_Tlvwx9j-ho_ZAgvrspRaHmfTXs9IRV4aUdw8hF_1UdVOsc9uB8xB9MddTmBE8z8CihWqyDO_Y/s320/Wujifa+Study+Practice.jpg" width="136" /></a>What does it mean to have gotten a real education? Taking action and seeing for yourself this is what getting a real education is all about. You must do something, noticing what the results are, and compare this to what results you had as your goal. As you can see a real education is very different than information. </div>
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Many people collect data and can tell you a lot about something that they have never personally done. Knowing means “what you can actually do” not the data you can spew forth. Being able to do something is call educating yourself. Make sure to check your results against your personal goals. I have seen many a person get sidetracked into an education that they really didn’t want to learn about. </div>
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The example of the person knowing the movements to yet another Taiji sword form is nothing but a lot of data if what you wanted to learn is how to develop internal strength. A sword form may help and then again it may not depending on the results you are seeking. Then again, the question becomes, “Why you are learning yet another movement or form?” </div>
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Being clear on what you’re doing and why is one of the best ways of educating yourself and getting everything an education can offer. </div>
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Another good point I’d like to share about education is to really aim at getting the “more” correct feeling of what you are doing. Getting the feeling of what you’re doing is a better type of education and will help guide your practice and actions much more clearly. </div>
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As an example, I remember asking questions to various masters and teachers I have worked with over the years like, “What is peng?“ or “What is wuji?“ and “What is sinking the qi?“ and when the teacher started talking about it I would politely stop and ask, “Can you show me how to get it in my body?” </div>
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As you can see I wasn’t that interested in the words and actually, their words were often very different from how I might explain it so getting the feeling is a more direct education and helped me to be able to do it better myself afterwards. </div>
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Ask them to show you how it’s done in your body. Keep questions simple and direct, action and kinesthetically oriented. This will really help you make progress. Sometimes a teacher’s linage is such that they share stories and data. If that is the case, then take responsibility to bring that back to practical and functional practices to help you get to your goal and a real education.</div>
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Most every high level master or practitioner I have met all have one thing in common and that is, practicing the basics. The basics are seemingly simple fundamental skill sets that carryover to everything else they do. </div>
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In internal martial arts, some call the basic skill set internal strength or internal movement. How do they develop these in different arts? An example of basics in Chen Style Taiji practice might be silk reeling. Bagua’s “Tain Gan” could be another example of primary drills. Xingyi and Santi is another basic you’ll see high level practitioners engaging in their whole life. </div>
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Why do highly skilled practitioners practice fundamental exercises? You get the biggest bang for your buck there. So many people can’t wait to learn something new when they haven’t taken the time to really understand the basics of their art. It’s also sad to say that many teachers may have caved in to that or may have forgotten the importance of the basics because selling forms makes them more money. Be responsible and return to the basics and focus on the fundamentals.</div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Community </span></b></div>
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Finding a good training partner or partners can be even harder than finding a good wife as<a href="http://wujifaliangong.blogspot.com/2011/02/real-gongfu-training-partners.html"> I have written about before</a>. Finding people who are testing and educating themselves in what they are doing is a priceless part of really making progress. Having senior school brothers and sisters and access to high level practitioners who can help you notice what you may not notice is also huge. Being in a supportive environment that encourages and fosters real growth with those who take the time to help is important. Even if those who are helping are clumsy and just starting, their honest insights are what we’re looking for. If you don’t have a good community, then build one. It really helps to have at least a small support group of one or two people who can keep you honest and kick you in the butt when needed.</div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Do It Correctly - Don’t Just Do It (Even If You’re Doing It Wrong)</span></b></div>
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This is a big one, “Doing it correctly.” So many people seem to zone out after awhile and they just go through the motions of training. They have a routine down and then they shut their mind off. This is a big mistake. Stay awake and aim at doing it correctly. You may never do it perfectly but your focus is to do it correctly. Don’t over think it and don’t zone out. The point is to just stay focused. So even if you are doing something incorrectly, if you are learning, then you are doing it correctly. And that’s the key.</div>
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Remember as you repeatedly do something, in the process you develop neuro-pathways in the brain. Having a sharp mind is so very important. Really paying attention and staying focused and awake can help you develop those neuro-pathways. </div>
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Over time this keen focus will become second nature and this is one of the common practices you’ll find in many high level practitioners. Aiming at doing it correctly keeps you open to the many opportunities for improvement. Yes you can over focus so that isn’t doing it correctly either. Simply aim to do it correctly. When you choose to practice it’s pretty simple. Doing it correctly is about paying attention without over-thinking. Remember the saying, “Analysis paralysis”. But if you zone-out, you are not exercising your mind either.</div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Track and Journal</span></b></div>
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When you become aware of something, it’s easier to adjust, manage and gain insights about it. This is the secret to journaling. Many people say, “I don’t need to do that. I can keep it in my head.” The truth is that it’s not that easy when you are trying to learn something new. There are many nuances and details that get forgotten over time. </div>
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When I think about people who become highly successful or highly skilled, I think of people that kept notebooks of their thoughts and ideas and progress in learning. Many people don’t want to take the time to really journal and track what they do because it’s easier to live in the illusion of training rather than training to make real progress. But if you’re really honest about becoming successful, keep a notebook. Log and track. </div>
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There’s a saying, “What is measured, gets managed.” I have found this to be true. Simply notice. In Wujifa we say that noticing changes everything. You start to adjust and change. Anything that helps you notice and change will bring you more on your path.</div>
Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03435911314664052046noreply@blogger.com1601-799 Penniman Ave, Plymouth, MI 48170, USA42.370068188625311 -83.46860647201538118.532784688625309 -123.89829397201538 66.207351688625309 -43.038918972015381tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837528477962488372.post-77717600484933405282011-07-21T21:02:00.006-04:002011-07-21T21:18:00.469-04:00How To Develop Repeatable Wujifa Strategies<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">One of the fundamental means for developing a real and successful practice in the art of Wujifa is to develop the ability to evolve different strategies that are reproducible and repeatable as well as training methods that are functional across many different skill-sets or platforms.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Now the questions the Wujifa practitioner, or any martial artist, needs to ask is; </span><span class="Apple-style-span">what are these different strategies which are most functional at ones’ current level and how can they be developed and/or improved over time?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh81XTWWHGnzIbRLUinZCQtL8jH6iDzeqA3DjN5Z-K3CGTXc3X9hKVb8076FtV4N5O0iGtHfI9R_qGiZnHCB7BIiufZc0hRD1Xa2LxLV57_aU1z1BA410IY0g9kZyya3OV2mt7Q3N1D0RY/s1600/15390098160_bQnPr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="188" id=":current_picnik_image" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh81XTWWHGnzIbRLUinZCQtL8jH6iDzeqA3DjN5Z-K3CGTXc3X9hKVb8076FtV4N5O0iGtHfI9R_qGiZnHCB7BIiufZc0hRD1Xa2LxLV57_aU1z1BA410IY0g9kZyya3OV2mt7Q3N1D0RY/s1600/15390098160_bQnPr.jpg" style="height: 188px; margin-top: 0px; width: 200px;" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjYQHN01p4V20DDV9T1BBLsTt9I2QJmNhP46aPkm91Ajo_n9eXtLH-__MO-T-hNK_JeQKKHiGWcUpTaViTxYVem89f0u5Wk_ack4Ki8PPGBVuU0YHodgMywBqHoNc__qiqsZmTOS238IU/s1600/What+is+your+purpose.dib" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">After answering that, you may be asking </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span">yourself ‘What are </span><span class="Apple-style-span">the first steps the Wujifa practitioner should take on their </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span">path?’ The very first step is to define, define, define. Understanding “what” it is you are doing and “why” you are doing it. </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>Understanding the “what” and “why” are really helpful in getting clear on what you need to do and why you are doing a practice</i>.</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Next you will want to identify and manage the <i>capabilities</i> you will need to execute and develop in working toward your goals in your practice. Investing in a training journal, setting up times and places you will train, as well as the training methods you will start with are good examples of some of these goals.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. C.S. Lewis</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Make sure you test and evaluate your strategies, development process, and execution, as these steps create possibilities for tweaks that can often create insights for establishing improvements that are essential for real success.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Be organized. Have some simple organizational structures in place. Having a sense of how to organize your practice can be key. If you take the time to understand the processes involved, the clearer the bigger picture and processes can be defined now and in the future. Take some time to develop your map for improvement. Include the processes and procedures that will ensure the implementation of these become a way of life. Don’t bite off more than you can chew, at the same time you’ll need enough to nourish your progress toward your ultimate goal.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>There's
a world of difference between truth and facts. Facts can obscure the truth.
Maya Angelou</b><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">How do you know? Information, data, and metrics are useful in providing general estimates to guide strategic decision-making and performance measurements. So another important point is the establishment of goals and milestones. It grounds future assessments of the effectiveness of methods and strategies established and where you may be missing something important in the process you have set up for yourself. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Remember your rules are simply methods. Review them and see if your practice has matured enough, or that you have the ability to know when to change the rules to maintain strategic advantages in your Wujifa training practices.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>Peter Drucker said, “Success always makes obsolete the very behavior that achieved it. It always creates new realities.”</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">A big key to progress is the understanding of the process. In the beginning, processes may not be comprehensively defined or understood which is fine. As one matures in their practices then strategies can further be developed, defined, and refined. Remember asking questions are a great way to do this. Make sure you <i>write down questions in your journal</i> and review them. Visiting past questions can reveal patterns and opportunities as much as your current question(s) may.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>Peter Drucker also said, “There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Take responsibility for your progress and learn to navigate change so you can be successful on your developmental journey. Knowing where you want to go is important. Even more important is the understanding of where you are, even more so when setting out on your journey.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">As we say in Wujifa “You are where you are and that’s where you start.” Be practical and take the time to assess where you are and what your current goals are. Common sense isn’t always common practice. Taking a little time can make all the difference between failure and being on the path to success, even before the planned changes have begun to take hold</span>.</span></span></div>
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Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03435911314664052046noreply@blogger.com0601-799 Penniman Ave, Plymouth, MI 48170, USA42.37022671931647 -83.46870571374893230.39587771931647 -103.68354971374893 54.344575719316467 -63.253861713748933tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837528477962488372.post-48314327841193841142011-07-19T22:58:00.007-04:002011-07-20T23:10:26.224-04:00Curiosity and the ordinary<p class="MsoNormal">The question came up about <i>how</i> one stays curious while they study the ordinary in Wujifa. As we have said before there are many different keys one can use that can help them understand the practice of Wujifa.<span> </span>Curiosity and the ordinary are two of the keys we can use to explore the practices and to aid one in making progress within the Wujifa practices.<span> </span>First of all, thank you Dan for asking this question in the comments to the post ‘<a href="http://wujifaliangong.blogspot.com/2011/06/ordinary-and-extra-ordinary-secret-of.html">Ordinary and Extra-ordinary</a>’. Second, are you curious about what the answer might be to this question? Good, let’s see what we can find here.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Heraclitus the Greek philosopher said, “From out of all the many particulars comes oneness, out of oneness come all the many particulars.” In Wujifa we seek to understand the connections that lead to oneness and the more connected we become the more ability we have to engage with many different situations.<span> </span>You could say the singularity is what everything has in common. Then again, this whole concept could be just a little too much on the ‘woo-woo’ side of the fence.</p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2V4om3qqmfhKuEEOYQTWMpQkyQoPAy3QhghlkmwisEoSYZR34i5Wvv63JVXxDMy3U9w9Wz3Oh6TMu-pOBHhcpqgMJ4KvQkw8arO6W6eYr46DH4Hk_aMTQnbOBbsK6HBDIEAjHtl6x-_Q/s200/wujifalogo.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631264871954749586" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px; " /></span></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Let’s clarify a few things first. The first is the question of what is one willing to do to create change? How much faith and will power does one have? Many people who talk about wanting change, if they are really honest with themselves, may only <i>wish</i> for change and aren’t willing to do the work that is involved to engage change. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Another common problem that many people have is they believe they can’t do it, so their truth is they don’t do it or only half heartedly try.<span> </span>They believe in their limitations. There is another set of people who believe it <i>may</i> be possible, and then it seems they find every way possible to distract themselves from doing the real work. They believe "it’s not their fault". Another type of person simply makes up stories about how they just need to put the time in. They believe simply practicing a specific type of Zhan Zhuang or practicing some special secret tai chi form or qigong for 10 or more years they will automatically get it only to be disappointed. These people overlooked critical benchmarks, tests, or verified results and applied analytical thinking to their theories. Many may have even worked very hard toward achieving their goals. Missing the opportunities to adjust and correct themselves by simply missing practical and verifiable benchmarks they could have applied along the way.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Questioning, testing, being open to the possibilities yet remaining grounded in where they are in the moment; this we could call being functionally curious. The functionally curious are testing and verifying and exploring the possibilities. This is the real key. Most people are curious for a moment and then close their eyes and fall asleep following without thinking. Remember the kind of curious I’m talking about is more like an explorer or a scientist. The kind of explorers who have “passion” and the kind of scientists who are willing to “test”<span> </span>it out and look for the facts and not simply believing in fairy tales and stories told by others. The kind of curiosity that drives people forward to do the “work” with the satisfaction of finding out for themselves</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Aristotle said “Bring your desires down to your present means. Increase them only when your means permit.” In Wujifa we say “You are where you are and that’s where you start.”<span> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Maybe I side-tracked a bit from Dan’s question; although hopefully there are some insights above that may be helpful. Here is the bottom line; people become “bored” when they aren’t being congruent. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">People give up, quit, make up stories, become distracted when they are afraid to look, really look, at where the incongruence lies. They hide in their stories, emotions, their understandings and beliefs. The ordinary isn’t really all that ordinary when you stay open and awake, testing and exploring. The ordinary is something that only seems common when one falls into a trance. While practicing the basic and the ordinary there are many thing to be noticed along the way. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’ll end here with a quote from <a href="http://wikiquote.org/wiki/heraclitus">Heraclitus the Greek philosopher</a> also said something like “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” Notice the river and the man for what they are these are the secrets to the common and ordinary.</p>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03435911314664052046noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837528477962488372.post-88186528656916068712011-06-27T19:40:00.002-04:002011-06-27T19:48:35.506-04:00Ordinary and Extra Ordinary: A Secret of Wujifa Training<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">One of the biggest secrets to successful Wujifa training is this concept of ordinary and extra ordinary. To really understand what’s meant by this, one needs to look deeper into the meaning and spirit behind these concepts. There is more to this than simply getting back to the basics, although that is the bottom line.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtb4EOSf3XMwZ2xs3rSOaFe7_g45vQVmNns9W_1G_Ba71jQwLYin3k9o6s_HGKtu0NM_Tlvwx9j-ho_ZAgvrspRaHmfTXs9IRV4aUdw8hF_1UdVOsc9uB8xB9MddTmBE8z8CihWqyDO_Y/s1600/Wujifa+Study+Practice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtb4EOSf3XMwZ2xs3rSOaFe7_g45vQVmNns9W_1G_Ba71jQwLYin3k9o6s_HGKtu0NM_Tlvwx9j-ho_ZAgvrspRaHmfTXs9IRV4aUdw8hF_1UdVOsc9uB8xB9MddTmBE8z8CihWqyDO_Y/s200/Wujifa+Study+Practice.jpg" width="85" /></a><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Let’s consider for a second the magic of it all. Often you will find people amazed by someone performing an extraordinary feat, hypnotized in a way by the skill or to see the real magic taking place right in front of their very eyes. Yet, knowing the “real” trick to the magic "trick" can change the way you start to view the whole show. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Magic is often just a set of simple procedures, evolved from a state of clumsiness and overlooked details to a state of refinement where the finer details are easily unnoticed by most viewers. Slight of hand, for example, may require hours of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>simply flipping a coin from finger to finger and back, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to gain basic dexterity skills. The second step is to plan what you are going to do with the skills (intention) once you start developing them. The same idea is true in gongfu and qigong practices.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">What are some of these basic skills found in a Wujifa practice you ask? One of the most fundamental is the concept of “connection” and at a basic level this means working with the body and connective tissues.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> In Wujifa we believe concepts like "connections" are best explored in the most basic ways over time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">There are many sayings in the practice of Wujifa to help guide us. One of my favorite Wujifa sayings is “Practice the ordinary until it becomes extra ordinary.” This, in reality, is one of the biggest secrets for successful practice of Wujifa or any art, martial or otherwise.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Let’s take a closer look at a “Seemingly” simple practice like Zhan Zhuang for example. The most basic learning in our Zhan Zhuang practice(s) is to simply stand and relax (AKA <a href="http://wujifaliangong.blogspot.com/2009/10/zhan-zhuang-alignment.html">functional alignment</a>) and discovering what that really means at the deepest possible level. Another example is the “Side to Side” practices or skill sets. In the most basic <a href="http://youtu.be/dg0rr9Q5Juo">“Side to Side”</a> exercises, the key is to discover how the hip joints or Kua can move in concert with those connections. A simple intention of shifting to the right and left “Side to Side” while maintaining good structure and connections is all that’s needed to “start” building new neuro-pathways in the body and the mind. Adhere to basic guidelines found in the Wujifa triangle; Structure, Balance, Relax and you're well on your way. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOi2dBxvb6M5CAf0oWYAp37Bzn3txix3OdP48ILMkoiovXwYSAz5GNFtPmAIwDDeBvjchSc4VzsVLDXFhBckjGnlkyo9HvTsUSHeeWXB4_wP0x2pCPCmt3OVRl8f51ahrLyrfymXeyMug/s1600/triangle1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOi2dBxvb6M5CAf0oWYAp37Bzn3txix3OdP48ILMkoiovXwYSAz5GNFtPmAIwDDeBvjchSc4VzsVLDXFhBckjGnlkyo9HvTsUSHeeWXB4_wP0x2pCPCmt3OVRl8f51ahrLyrfymXeyMug/s200/triangle1.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The fact of the matter is that way to many people end up skipping or glossing over their personal art’s fundamental practices. All to often you find people spending way too many hours learning some complicated and fancy stylistic form(s) or some other seemingly-high-level “Tom Foolery,” when the reality is, the footing or foundation of their home (structure) is built on sand. One will never get to a very high level if you’re foundational skills are weak.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Practice the ordinary and develop the extra-ordinary as a result. Practice the simple things and master those first. Develop fundamental skills before rushing off to learn some seemingly fancy new skill sets. Return to the most basic aspects of your art and spent time there. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">As I write this, I notice the once-white wax wood poles I use while practicing one of the Wujifa skill sets, they are dirty from use and the oils from my hands that have stained them. Seemingly ordinary poles stained and dirty, yet they are a sign of the magic that only repeated practice can impart.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The seemingly ordinary tasks are where the extraordinary skills blossom. Remember the Daoist saying, “Hide universe in universe.” In my experience much of the magic and many of the secrets are placed where they remain un-noticed and are often overlooked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Practice your gongfu and qigong(s) by putting the time into the most fundamental aspects of your practice, you’ll be glad you did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03435911314664052046noreply@blogger.com2United States42.370133764976174 -83.468842881408715.988883764976173 -144.72845538140871 68.751383764976168 -22.2092303814087tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837528477962488372.post-26027061905739730792011-06-19T14:32:00.000-04:002011-06-19T14:32:04.659-04:00Five Common Bad Zhan Zhuang Structural Habits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5FgN2ZilZDr0UXuIloRsaHlQUJ1Wej2RPEvDlOJDHfIJh9C68jHIh2MtH63ZBxqtPSaIYVEE2DU2kOHR2eSjoLBEXhdhT1y_OMznnahm8FERwVBd1au5-jfP8lc36t65G1rcl3zauBa8/s1600/Wujifa+Zhan+Zhuang+Standing+Practices.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5FgN2ZilZDr0UXuIloRsaHlQUJ1Wej2RPEvDlOJDHfIJh9C68jHIh2MtH63ZBxqtPSaIYVEE2DU2kOHR2eSjoLBEXhdhT1y_OMznnahm8FERwVBd1au5-jfP8lc36t65G1rcl3zauBa8/s1600/Wujifa+Zhan+Zhuang+Standing+Practices.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5FgN2ZilZDr0UXuIloRsaHlQUJ1Wej2RPEvDlOJDHfIJh9C68jHIh2MtH63ZBxqtPSaIYVEE2DU2kOHR2eSjoLBEXhdhT1y_OMznnahm8FERwVBd1au5-jfP8lc36t65G1rcl3zauBa8/s1600/Wujifa+Zhan+Zhuang+Standing+Practices.bmp" /></a>There are many different structural habits a practitioner can build into their Zhan Zhuang practice. A practitioner can often practice alone for years without noticing or worse yet never take the time to validate that they are practicing Zhan Zhuang skill sets correctly. Here are five common bad habits often overlooked by practitioners in their Zhan Zhuang training.<br />
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1. Collapsing / Hunching over - The structural problem of hunching is so very common and this habit can take a long time to correct so it’s at the top of the list. I have seen people really make amazing changes in their body over time to the point that they don’t even look like the same person. I’ve heard people say they can breathe better when they lose their hunch. I will say they look much younger and alive after they spent the time to correct this. So, what causes this problem? This problem is often caused by a daily life of working over a keyboard, planting rice, or by keeping your eyes down and not looking into the eyes of the king depending where you live and life style. Being aware and adjusting your posture really helps with bringing about long term change. Like any habit that took years to develop, it may also take a long time to change. Make it one of the things you check often.<br />
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2. Ankle alignment - Ankle alignment is so overlooked and is a root cause to many other problems. When people overlook ankle alignment in Zhan Zhuang and Wujifa practices, they end up making a number of other structural adjustments to their posture and that‘s why it’s second on the list of bad habits. There are many causes of poor ankle alignment such as wearing poor fitting shoes over many years to inactivity so that the resulting connective tissues in the foot and ankle become more and more distorted. Many times knee pain is caused by poor ankle alignment and trying to correct it with the hip creates a torque in the knee area as people try to re-align themselves. The best practice is to start with the feet and align them as best as possible (which again can take years, again, if ever). There are some tricks that some people have used. See <a href="http://wujifaliangong.blogspot.com/2011/03/wujifa-zhan-zhuang-practice-tight.html">Wujifa Zhan Zhuang Practice: Tight Calves and Ankles</a>. Also seeing a qualified teacher who understands these things can really help as well.<br />
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3. Holding in the lower back and pelvis - Both the lower back and pelvis are included together here as they are rarely seen alone. When holding is found in only one of these two areas, a common response for example to relaxing the pelvis will be to tighten the lower back or vice versa, relaxing the lower back and tightening the pelvic area. Relaxing both are key for better Wujifa Zhan Zhuang practice. One of the big problems is people often store a lot of tension in the lower back and pelvis when they push themselves to hard. Simply taking a break and noticing and stretching throughout the day helps. Over at Internal Gong Fu Blogspot there is a long post about relaxing different areas of the pelvis (See: <a href="http://internalgongfu.blogspot.com/2011/02/relaxing-pelvic-floor-for-tai-chi-and.html">Relaxing the Pelvic Floor for Tai Chi and Zhan Zhuang</a>). Taking a deep breath and exhale while relaxing those areas while practicing your Zhan Zhuang can help too. I’ll repeat, a simple stretch can aid in making progress and there are a lot of good YouTube videos you can look up (see comment area for suggestions). When practicing Zhan Zhuang, notice the habits of "tightening" and let yourself relax. It will take time to change a habit but it can be achieved pretty quickly (weeks or months) if you take the time and stay with it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimqm0VN5PxXLqB3TTZtBN5RDsdpVSb2gq-HSK-rEhN-jmijweO0HVLHyUrXPoH-FNqMgUjj9agMO0vIa8hx_sY479r2R2pVOy1EgomtWmfZNmEEhRCxBEXSjvfHRXnnbkic6WqkkP02xI/s1600/Incorrect+Wujifa+Alignment.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimqm0VN5PxXLqB3TTZtBN5RDsdpVSb2gq-HSK-rEhN-jmijweO0HVLHyUrXPoH-FNqMgUjj9agMO0vIa8hx_sY479r2R2pVOy1EgomtWmfZNmEEhRCxBEXSjvfHRXnnbkic6WqkkP02xI/s200/Incorrect+Wujifa+Alignment.JPG" width="149" /></a></div>4. Knee Torque - Knee torque was talked about with the ankle alignment above, but there are more causes and knee torque deserves to be number four on this list because it is so common. While practicing Zhan Zhuang people often "lock" themselves into place (See: <a href="http://wujifaliangong.blogspot.com/2010/01/is-your-stance-practice-like-dead-post.html">Is Your Stance Like a Dead Post</a>) to take the weight out of their legs or to make it more tolerable by slightly torque-ing the knees in or out. The answer is to "slowly" build up to standing longer periods of time and change this habit of torque-ing the knee. Also over time the I.T. bands can be shortened and this can cause problems with the knees as well. Hip and lower back alignment as well as ankle alignment are common problems that contribute to knee torque in Zhan Zhuang practices. This is another case where a qualified instructor can really help you notice and make the changes you need to make with changing the habit of knee torque. <br />
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5. Chest/upper back and shoulder tension – Chest and shoulder tension are so common that for many it is the number one bad habit of people who practice Zhan Zhuang. You may be asking yourself why chest and shoulder tension/tightness is listed as number five on this list? This issue is listed as number five because many people who train Zhan Zhuang practices know they have this issue. If you visit or train with any high level masters or go to high-quality seminars you will see kind of adjustment being shared over and over again. It is the kind of habit that people change and keep picking back up and so it takes diligent practice to change this habit. If the muscles are chronically tense you may need to stretch often and get some bodywork like Rolfing to help speed you along the way. Most people simply need to pay attention and correct the situation and develop new habits. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3lSAIbhETFmR2OaAIQ_h2bMws2dmFI9Kc1HOC4R1ueiPs1hpvKTc8C1htpPBgvJpfy6nHcO_OWqL4xHy5hvpxYhHDMV538wwxqIPUj8FOVgXxHKVUtgaxNZfzXiWtzLLDWIQfYmxYsp0/s1600/Shoulder+Gray%2527s.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3lSAIbhETFmR2OaAIQ_h2bMws2dmFI9Kc1HOC4R1ueiPs1hpvKTc8C1htpPBgvJpfy6nHcO_OWqL4xHy5hvpxYhHDMV538wwxqIPUj8FOVgXxHKVUtgaxNZfzXiWtzLLDWIQfYmxYsp0/s200/Shoulder+Gray%2527s.gif" width="200" /></a>I know of some instructors that will adjust the arms to a higher level for tense shoulders. This will cause the shoulder muscles to feel like they are on fire. Please don’t do this at home because you want to wait until the shoulder muscles give up, drop and relax and most people will give up way before that and develop more tightening in the shoulder muscles. A better way is to let the arms drop a little lower so the shoulders don’t have to work so hard to try to support the arms until you can understand what connection is, what relaxed is. Remember in Wujifa we say "Relaxed is not limp" and it may take some people awhile to understand what that means.<br />
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Another suggestion for the chest is to breathe deeply and exhale and simply "let the chest fall". Both this and the suggestion above don’t create a long term change directly. Only really paying attention and changing your habits over time will do that. What these two suggestions will do is give you some awareness of what a more relaxed chest and shoulders feel like. <br />
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<strong>Five Common Bad Zhan Zhuang Structural Habits - Conclusions - </strong><br />
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I hope this was helpful and a reminder to pay close attention to correcting any bad Zhan Zhuang habits you may have. One more quick suggestion that people sometimes find helpful, and please don’t make it a habit, is to tighten a tense area and then relax it quickly. This will also bring some awareness to the possibilities of structural change. Also, remember one of the best pieces of advice I can share, that is see a qualified instructor for assistance and verification. Many of these types of corrections can only really be made in person and hands on. <br />
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There are many more bad Zhan Zhuang habits we could add to a list like this such as: zoning out, practicing dead post, letting the mind wander, check the clock every couple minutes, and the worst of the bad habits that didn’t make the Zhan Zhuang bad habits list is not practicing at all! Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions or if I missed any other bad habits you’d like to see included in this or future list. Have a great day!Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03435911314664052046noreply@blogger.com13United States42.370058462836163 -83.46867122003175215.988808462836161 -144.72828372003175 68.751308462836164 -22.209058720031749tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837528477962488372.post-4892017482297701612011-06-12T22:59:00.004-04:002011-06-12T23:07:15.159-04:00Martial Arts Dilemma in solving the Compliance Tensor in Structure and MovementThe idea of solving the compliance tensor equations in connection with mechanical movement, much less solving the expression in real time movements in the internal martial arts, could be very difficult if not almost impossible. Right now you might be asking yourself why would anyone even waste their time trying to explore the complexities of Hooke’s Law of Elasticity with encountering strain and stress (F = -kx) as it relates to Wujifa, Internal Martial Arts, Taiji, or any martial art for that matter? What does this idea of “strain being directly proportional to stress” have to do with getting good at Gongfu? (For a detailed explanation of Hooke’s Law and Compliance Tensor, see the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooke's_law">Wikipedia entry</a>.)<br />
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Personally I believe that every serious practitioner spends much of their time working and training to kinesthetically solve or resolve issues with the answer to this equation as set forth by the tolerances of the principles of their art form to the compliance tensor equation in real time. <br />
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Solving the compliance tensor equations in real time requires you to leave the present moment and this is exactly my point. Yin and Yang, Five Element Theory, so on and so forth are simply gross ambiguities that may only make sense when applied to a very “specific equation” relative to a snap shot in time, I say that because the reality is constantly changing as you move and train. <br />
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Yes we can apply a Qin-na technique to a joint and watch it dislocate that joint in real time and say here is your real time answer to the compliance tensor for that joint of that person with that movement. At the same time as a practitioner, how do you notice, develop, refine, and train to make real and reproducible results at the highest level?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-rs6TQDVH-6DYGWq3LXhYZn3wmLNQhmfmIzgshi3P0k95wXSVJ-3yknjUavRXe31UUlrhdJcD77ZtMfrBLWOptyXFfDL7WZ7LEa-6x9Unw21v4XzJs8Y1o-T2OjJTDzkPc9sc9Pzvns/s1600/elastic+streching+and+extension.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-rs6TQDVH-6DYGWq3LXhYZn3wmLNQhmfmIzgshi3P0k95wXSVJ-3yknjUavRXe31UUlrhdJcD77ZtMfrBLWOptyXFfDL7WZ7LEa-6x9Unw21v4XzJs8Y1o-T2OjJTDzkPc9sc9Pzvns/s1600/elastic+streching+and+extension.jpg" t8="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The method is not the truth once you get the feeling get rid of the method. At the same time I believe the same mindset, the close attention to details “as if” one were methodically solving the compliance tensor equation could be a good model or method. I would say go read about compliance tensor and Hooke’s Law and see if this doesn’t give you some idea of what the ambiguity of Qi flowing might really mean. Look at the vectors of force and how eccentric muscle movement and connective tissues spring to life. Look into the ways stress and strain can be directed and redirected to distort or load a system. Look back to your practice and see if the compliance tensor equation gives you any depth to how and why you train. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03435911314664052046noreply@blogger.com7United States42.370129801707925 -83.4687087709579615.988879801707924 -144.72832127095796 68.751379801707927 -22.209096270957957tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837528477962488372.post-80960083570072932412011-05-10T20:24:00.001-04:002011-05-10T21:28:10.620-04:00Gongfu Practice: Role, Design, and Value<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The value of one’s practice or, importance it seems to merit can vary tremendously. What is important to one person can be vastly different to another. Now here is the catch, often times the value of a practice cannot be fully understood until much later, and only then, when viewed from another space and time in comparison. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The equation of “Benefits - Costs = Value” is such a personally subjective concept, can it even be rationally understood at any given moment? Then imagine trying to understand the viewpoints of the multitude of long and short term moments all coming together as if they were facets of some larger design. Pictures of glimmering gems. Gems that could have been, simply pieces of glass shining in the afternoon sun. So, what does any of that really mean when it comes down to your gongfu practice? <o:p></o:p></span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiymaLRhr3w8LpiXT4iw7ztup8pk27sJfGUhVpst4HTqzzQl0rGw3oIGKoYzhI0x9wK1Qu2n8KHt14dzhzi8O-EbcHziEXdS1WR4GbsJwe0tlW8ksgdgKAw9p9i9oj4NJQLKWBO8Hph1sg/s1600/Role+Design+Value.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiymaLRhr3w8LpiXT4iw7ztup8pk27sJfGUhVpst4HTqzzQl0rGw3oIGKoYzhI0x9wK1Qu2n8KHt14dzhzi8O-EbcHziEXdS1WR4GbsJwe0tlW8ksgdgKAw9p9i9oj4NJQLKWBO8Hph1sg/s200/Role+Design+Value.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In Wujifa the seemingly ordinary is often practiced for long periods of time. “Refining the ordinary until they become extra-ordinary” is a common saying. Depth is discovered both in a moment and over time. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">“One’s heart is like one’s energy, they cannot be measured directly, only viewed through their actions to which they abide.”<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn9QDtToZPJ2zfzA5wt0mtR1em1_Er1663WQuT2RW1YeiWEO1Cs591iwIPgyYHOvzCJoKR0fHABToeVZ5rAl0b8xPRgEcPdIgXVBrQkspE9lRyTWTcFB0aBTgGlY2c-D_NrQkcKhjGFtk/s1600/Trees+and+the+flag+waving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn9QDtToZPJ2zfzA5wt0mtR1em1_Er1663WQuT2RW1YeiWEO1Cs591iwIPgyYHOvzCJoKR0fHABToeVZ5rAl0b8xPRgEcPdIgXVBrQkspE9lRyTWTcFB0aBTgGlY2c-D_NrQkcKhjGFtk/s200/Trees+and+the+flag+waving.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Value is like beauty, and so it is with Wujifa and gongfu. Watching someone practicing Zhan Zhuang can be like watching a concrete pylons in the hot dessert sun in some forgotten parking structure of what pretended to be a life once upon a time. Watching someone first hand experiencing the gongfu of zhan zhuang can also be as if in the presence and majesty of a might redwood connecting, reaching forth, as one discovers it’s place between earth and sky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can it be that both can share such a different experience? How can something as simple as standing around have such different processes? How does one place valve on one process or discard another?<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">“A rut serves its purpose when one finds himself ankle deep in the mud.”<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">A Buddhist friend tells me “leave them alone, its fine as it is…” The meaning being that there is a lesson to be taught in what there is to experience. Take away the experience and the perfect lesson may also be lost. Understand that your quest may take you years to uncover, and the pointlessness only understood once you wash the mud off of your feet.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It seems there may be an unseen role, design, and value in what is happening that may not always be readily understood outside the moment. Understanding is a process of doing, and experiencing. Knowledge is not mere data, or methods gathered. Yes, methods and data can “artfully” point a direction. In direction there are some seemingly meaningful equations, in which the value is often simply a formulation of subjective understandings at that given moment in time. Growth is full of transformations. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>What do you stand for?<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">You may have heard these questions before around these parts “What do you stand for?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The answer may honestly be that you don’t know. As you go through life you get to experience life and how you open and connect with life or, how you disconnect and remove yourself from engaging with it. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The question of “How do you know?” is one worth discovering and exploring. Which leads to the question of, “Where to start?” In Wujifa we say “You are where you are and that’s where you start.” So simply stop for a second, notice and discover where you are standing, "your stance in life" right now. Gongfu is noticing this over time and revealing a simple meaning in the role, design, and value you bring to this exploration.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03435911314664052046noreply@blogger.com1United States42.370165471113204 -83.4687034065399315.988915471113202 -144.72831590653993 68.7514154711132 -22.209090906539927tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837528477962488372.post-78830252893275267102011-05-01T12:12:00.003-04:002011-05-01T12:12:00.136-04:00What do you stand for?<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What do you stand for? This is such a simple question and yet this simple question is one of many that can uncover the principles and beliefs held at ones very core. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When one sincerely explores this question not in word but in action and in the doing then both conscious and unconscious answers can be revealed if you keep an open mind to the question. What do you stand for?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtb4EOSf3XMwZ2xs3rSOaFe7_g45vQVmNns9W_1G_Ba71jQwLYin3k9o6s_HGKtu0NM_Tlvwx9j-ho_ZAgvrspRaHmfTXs9IRV4aUdw8hF_1UdVOsc9uB8xB9MddTmBE8z8CihWqyDO_Y/s1600/Wujifa+Study+Practice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtb4EOSf3XMwZ2xs3rSOaFe7_g45vQVmNns9W_1G_Ba71jQwLYin3k9o6s_HGKtu0NM_Tlvwx9j-ho_ZAgvrspRaHmfTXs9IRV4aUdw8hF_1UdVOsc9uB8xB9MddTmBE8z8CihWqyDO_Y/s400/Wujifa+Study+Practice.jpg" width="170" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What do you stand for? Some may say to develop, explore, and notice mental and physical connection or even to help develop internal strength of some kind. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is the presupposition that these practitioners stand upon? What else do they notice? What else are they putting time and energy into? What happens when people start asking these kind of questions? What do you stand for?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What do you stand for? Some say to simply stand and others say they find it simply enjoyable. There are so many types of drugs in the world. There are many types of medicine and even placebo effects. There are also so many forms of nutrition, nourishment, and sustenance. Without awareness a drug, a medicine, even nourishing foods can lead one to a place where it is insensible. What do you stand for?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What do you stand for? Is it to solve some sort of puzzle or to stand on your principles? Is it to be part of a practice that you believe will make you better in some way? Is it to be part of some group or organization? Is it because you were told too or simply standing alone on faith? Are your reason coming from somewhere deep inside or motivated by some external forces? What do you stand for?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3BStC5W_gTo2Xu5lcBld_Fpq1An4l33Xm7e6Y1tx5polbqRYw5rphOEIW34sXCuY2D6L5rG11sMD8fFIyUbKGAbTpIslAaEwNdLhAwDADmHLnJSqsVh6srUsSRRRVhiX60RY4auH6hwg/s1600/The+Big+Questions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="103" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3BStC5W_gTo2Xu5lcBld_Fpq1An4l33Xm7e6Y1tx5polbqRYw5rphOEIW34sXCuY2D6L5rG11sMD8fFIyUbKGAbTpIslAaEwNdLhAwDADmHLnJSqsVh6srUsSRRRVhiX60RY4auH6hwg/s200/The+Big+Questions.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What do you stand for? Does it change as time passes? Does it grow, develop and evolve over time? Does the answer reveal different faces and answers? Is what your stand for some kind of reflection, a mirror, a manifestation of something more? Do why, what, where, and when, like reason, form, place, and time simply present an opportunity to practice learning how to observe? Are there different chunk sizes that are most useful like bricks are useful in building a wall, or how walls are useful in building a home? Does chunk size have anything to with the Wujifa saying “You are where you are and that’s where you start!”?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What do you stand for can be, fundamentally very personal or even superficial, yet the question can still be asked and explored. Many would say that this one question can be so very helpful to making progress and at another time a waste of valuable time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are where you are and that’s where you start. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As for an answer to this question simply remember if the answer is at hand what is there to worry? If there is no answer, worrying isn’t going to help. The question “What do you stand for?” is simply a question. Ovation or disdain or ignore it all together. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the heavy weight boxer Muhammad Ali said “The man who views the world at fifty the same as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as the erotic writer Anaïs Nin said “Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death.” Just simply remember “You are where you are and that’s where you start.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">No creature is fully itself till it is, like the dandelion, opened in the bloom of pure relationship to the sun, the entire living cosmos. ~D.H. Lawrence<o:p></o:p></span></div>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03435911314664052046noreply@blogger.com3United States42.370169434379235 -83.46879460164643715.988919434379234 -144.72840710164644 68.751419434379244 -22.209182101646434tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837528477962488372.post-2630606043980087572011-04-29T18:53:00.002-04:002011-04-29T19:49:29.876-04:00Basic practices to REAL gongfu improvement<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Understanding the principles and philosophy underlying your practice(s) can be the most impactful and meaningful activity when embodied within your daily life, one’s gongfu, and also with the practices of Wujifa. Having a process for simply noticing real opportunities for improvement that are both congruent with your personal and global goals is key. Then the real question must be “What are some of these opportunities, processes, practices, and principles we can use for improvement?”</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the early 1990’s I met and had a chance to study with <span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">W. Edwards Deming. I had read and studied his books and now I was lucky enough to be able to spend a few days with him at one of his 4 day seminars. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being a student of quality improvement I considered it an honor to have had a chance to study with this “Master.” So, of course I highly recommend anyone studying gongfu of any type and all practitioners of Wujifa to take the time to <a href="http://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&tbo=1&q=%22William+Edwards+Deming%22&btnG=Search+Books" target="_blank">read and study any of W. Edwards Deming’s books</a>. </span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><strong>PDCA cycle</strong></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFjCRLyl3uI1r6YXA1Ir89tqazIIeusQ3-RIu6wZrSStJ7gVZ-O8K69qcsltRVX3RV8dj7-bvsj4QkZqEIzhiWcEkmEjeyDV3qIpQaJ3ahuPoumCoLGrZwi63UY7G_g7GfIeA1PNv8Ns/s1600/Wash+Rinse+Repeat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFjCRLyl3uI1r6YXA1Ir89tqazIIeusQ3-RIu6wZrSStJ7gVZ-O8K69qcsltRVX3RV8dj7-bvsj4QkZqEIzhiWcEkmEjeyDV3qIpQaJ3ahuPoumCoLGrZwi63UY7G_g7GfIeA1PNv8Ns/s200/Wash+Rinse+Repeat.jpg" width="195" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">PDCA cycle of W Edwards Deming seems simple enough. The basic concept is to "PLAN / DO / CHECK / ACT" and then simply repeating this cycle over and over, discovering more opportunities for improvement. In the practice of Wujifa we say “The method is not the truth…” and “You are where you are and that’s where you start.” Practicing blindly (except for some specific training purposes) violates the concept of knowing where you are, that is where you are starting out at. The next step would is to know why you're doing something. Knowing the reason for training or the purpose for training is an example of understanding the basics. These basics are whats needed for making good plans.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><strong>Making a "Plan"</strong></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When making a plan one important step is purpose as we said before. Also, as you learn and grow so will your purpose develop with time and the functional experiences gathered over that time. But the question begs to be asked, what might be a good purpose for developing a plan? In the beginning one very good purpose would be to "discover opportunities for improvement." Another could be defining a set of functional “basic” exercises with a simple targetable result like the <a href="http://youtu.be/dg0rr9Q5Juo" target="_blank">Wujifa practice of “Side to Side”</a> and learning how the kua or inguinal crease area moves. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another purpose might be to "verifying or discovering problem areas or opportunities for correction." </span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One thing for sure “keep it simple.” Over the years I have notice that people will try and tackle a number of issues at once or at the same time which become almost impossible to functionally track and realistically trace your results as you practice. Take the time to understand, ask questions, and analysis what the first basic result or purpose for a practice is before you start. An example might be the Wujifa “Side to side” practice as mentioned before and the goal or purpose being simply to understanding how the kua opens and closes or even more simply said “moves.”</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><strong>What to “DO”?</strong></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So you have your purpose in mind. Now the question of what to “do” arises. The first step maybe getting you in alignment with the basics form and function of "the plan" one has set out on. Knowing and following the parameters of the basic plan and goals. Using the methods set forth in a plan or practice. In the example of Wujifa “Side to side” this could be knowing where the feet should be, how a relaxed lower back, and the femur heads operate together, and personal limitations and functional movements in the process of this or any practice.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><strong>Time to “Check” the results!</strong></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once you have a basic understanding of what you are doing and have done it’s time to check your work. Taking an assessment of what you have done compared to the results you had in mind. This could be another example of what they call learning to eat bitter. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Taking an honest look and compare your results to the results you set out for in your plan. Did you follow the parameters set forth in the plan? If not, did you understand what those parameters are? If you did understand the parameters, did you identify possible trouble areas or areas that fell outside the limitations of the practice? Is there something you may have overlooked and have become aware of now that you “Checked” the results of the plan and what you are doing? This concept of “Checking” has a lot to do with awareness and the development of awareness as one learns to follow the process actively.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><strong>What to “ACT” on?</strong></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now you have checked your results and have gained clearer insights to trouble areas, opportunities of improvement captured and noted, and insights gained, now it’s time to "act" upon them. Based on the insights gained you can use these to insights to set up “Best Practices” or standards to shoot for at the current level of understanding. </span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Take the time and note what these opportunities and best practices are and your insights. In Wujifa I suggest keeping a note book of one’s practice and writing down notes on the opportunities discovered so they can be captured and used for future plans and practice.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><strong>Rinse, Wash, Repeat</strong></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The PDCA cycle of W Edwards Deming is a repeating cycle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The foundation of any REAL gongfu practice is this PDCA cycle. I would suggest reading more at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDCA" target="_blank">Wikipedia on the PDCA cycle</a>. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When you build your practice on solid ground and functional principles and practices you have a much better chance of getting the results you’re looking for.</span></div>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03435911314664052046noreply@blogger.com2Metro Detroit42.370134755793281 -83.46881740042306341.722323255793277 -84.341417400423069 43.017946255793284 -82.596217400423058tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837528477962488372.post-22940388139594994402011-04-15T23:15:00.003-04:002011-04-16T00:25:16.730-04:00How do you know when you’re making progress?<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How do you know when you’re making progress in your martial art or internal practices? This one basic question 'How do you know?' may be the most important question you can ask yourself. This one very question is well worth the time invested for understanding what you are doing and why. Remember the lessons from the story of Alice in wonderland and the rabbit hole when you start off on this adventure.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=CkqeSb7JH0IC&pg=PA57&lpg=PA57&dq=%22Would+you+tell+me,+please,+which+way+I+ought+to+go+from+here?%22+%22That+depends+a+good+deal+on+where+you+want+to+go,%22+said+the+Cat.++%22I+don't+much+care+where--%22+said+Alice.++%22Then+it+doesn't+much+matter+which+way+you+go,%22+said+the+Cat.++%22--so+long+as+I+get+somewhere,%22+Alice+added+as+an+explanation.+%22Oh,+you're+sure+to+do+that,%22+said+the+Cat,+%22if+you+only+walk+long+enough.%22&source=bl&ots=Ja4OSZQhxC&sig=sD1EthPszO42qwEoaTxS_-Cchqo&hl=en&ei=LfaoTbe5LfTXiALx1snvDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=%22Would%20you%20tell%20me%2C%20please%2C%20which%20way%20I%20ought%20to%20go%20from%20here%3F%22%20%22That%20depends%20a%20good%20deal%20on%20where%20you%20want%20to%20go%2C%22%20said%20the%20Cat.%20%20%22I%20don't%20much%20care%20where--%22%20said%20Alice.%20%20%22Then%20it%20doesn't%20much%20matter%20which%20way%20you%20go%2C%22%20said%20the%20Cat.%20%20%22--so%20long%20as%20I%20get%20somewhere%2C%22%20Alice%20added%20as%20an%20explanation.%20%22Oh%2C%20you're%20sure%20to%20do%20that%2C%22%20said%20the%20Cat%2C%20%22if%20you%20only%20walk%20long%20enough.%22&f=false">"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?" asked Alice</a></span></em><i><br />
<a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=CkqeSb7JH0IC&pg=PA57&lpg=PA57&dq=%22Would+you+tell+me,+please,+which+way+I+ought+to+go+from+here?%22+%22That+depends+a+good+deal+on+where+you+want+to+go,%22+said+the+Cat.++%22I+don't+much+care+where--%22+said+Alice.++%22Then+it+doesn't+much+matter+which+way+you+go,%22+said+the+Cat.++%22--so+long+as+I+get+somewhere,%22+Alice+added+as+an+explanation.+%22Oh,+you're+sure+to+do+that,%22+said+the+Cat,+%22if+you+only+walk+long+enough.%22&source=bl&ots=Ja4OSZQhxC&sig=sD1EthPszO42qwEoaTxS_-Cchqo&hl=en&ei=LfaoTbe5LfTXiALx1snvDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=%22Would%20you%20tell%20me%2C%20please%2C%20which%20way%20I%20ought%20to%20go%20from%20here%3F%22%20%22That%20depends%20a%20good%20deal%20on%20where%20you%20want%20to%20go%2C%22%20said%20the%20Cat.%20%20%22I%20don't%20much%20care%20where--%22%20said%20Alice.%20%20%22Then%20it%20doesn't%20much%20matter%20which%20way%20you%20go%2C%22%20said%20the%20Cat.%20%20%22--so%20long%20as%20I%20get%20somewhere%2C%22%20Alice%20added%20as%20an%20explanation.%20%22Oh%2C%20you're%20sure%20to%20do%20that%2C%22%20said%20the%20Cat%2C%20%22if%20you%20only%20walk%20long%20enough.%22&f=false">"That depends a good deal on where you want to go," said the Cat. </a></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=CkqeSb7JH0IC&pg=PA57&lpg=PA57&dq=%22Would+you+tell+me,+please,+which+way+I+ought+to+go+from+here?%22+%22That+depends+a+good+deal+on+where+you+want+to+go,%22+said+the+Cat.++%22I+don't+much+care+where--%22+said+Alice.++%22Then+it+doesn't+much+matter+which+way+you+go,%22+said+the+Cat.++%22--so+long+as+I+get+somewhere,%22+Alice+added+as+an+explanation.+%22Oh,+you're+sure+to+do+that,%22+said+the+Cat,+%22if+you+only+walk+long+enough.%22&source=bl&ots=Ja4OSZQhxC&sig=sD1EthPszO42qwEoaTxS_-Cchqo&hl=en&ei=LfaoTbe5LfTXiALx1snvDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=%22Would%20you%20tell%20me%2C%20please%2C%20which%20way%20I%20ought%20to%20go%20from%20here%3F%22%20%22That%20depends%20a%20good%20deal%20on%20where%20you%20want%20to%20go%2C%22%20said%20the%20Cat.%20%20%22I%20don't%20much%20care%20where--%22%20said%20Alice.%20%20%22Then%20it%20doesn't%20much%20matter%20which%20way%20you%20go%2C%22%20said%20the%20Cat.%20%20%22--so%20long%20as%20I%20get%20somewhere%2C%22%20Alice%20added%20as%20an%20explanation.%20%22Oh%2C%20you're%20sure%20to%20do%20that%2C%22%20said%20the%20Cat%2C%20%22if%20you%20only%20walk%20long%20enough.%22&f=false">"I don't much care where I go" said Alice. </a></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=CkqeSb7JH0IC&pg=PA57&lpg=PA57&dq=%22Would+you+tell+me,+please,+which+way+I+ought+to+go+from+here?%22+%22That+depends+a+good+deal+on+where+you+want+to+go,%22+said+the+Cat.++%22I+don't+much+care+where--%22+said+Alice.++%22Then+it+doesn't+much+matter+which+way+you+go,%22+said+the+Cat.++%22--so+long+as+I+get+somewhere,%22+Alice+added+as+an+explanation.+%22Oh,+you're+sure+to+do+that,%22+said+the+Cat,+%22if+you+only+walk+long+enough.%22&source=bl&ots=Ja4OSZQhxC&sig=sD1EthPszO42qwEoaTxS_-Cchqo&hl=en&ei=LfaoTbe5LfTXiALx1snvDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=%22Would%20you%20tell%20me%2C%20please%2C%20which%20way%20I%20ought%20to%20go%20from%20here%3F%22%20%22That%20depends%20a%20good%20deal%20on%20where%20you%20want%20to%20go%2C%22%20said%20the%20Cat.%20%20%22I%20don't%20much%20care%20where--%22%20said%20Alice.%20%20%22Then%20it%20doesn't%20much%20matter%20which%20way%20you%20go%2C%22%20said%20the%20Cat.%20%20%22--so%20long%20as%20I%20get%20somewhere%2C%22%20Alice%20added%20as%20an%20explanation.%20%22Oh%2C%20you're%20sure%20to%20do%20that%2C%22%20said%20the%20Cat%2C%20%22if%20you%20only%20walk%20long%20enough.%22&f=false">"Then it doesn't much matter which way you go," said the Cat. </a></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=CkqeSb7JH0IC&pg=PA57&lpg=PA57&dq=%22Would+you+tell+me,+please,+which+way+I+ought+to+go+from+here?%22+%22That+depends+a+good+deal+on+where+you+want+to+go,%22+said+the+Cat.++%22I+don't+much+care+where--%22+said+Alice.++%22Then+it+doesn't+much+matter+which+way+you+go,%22+said+the+Cat.++%22--so+long+as+I+get+somewhere,%22+Alice+added+as+an+explanation.+%22Oh,+you're+sure+to+do+that,%22+said+the+Cat,+%22if+you+only+walk+long+enough.%22&source=bl&ots=Ja4OSZQhxC&sig=sD1EthPszO42qwEoaTxS_-Cchqo&hl=en&ei=LfaoTbe5LfTXiALx1snvDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=%22Would%20you%20tell%20me%2C%20please%2C%20which%20way%20I%20ought%20to%20go%20from%20here%3F%22%20%22That%20depends%20a%20good%20deal%20on%20where%20you%20want%20to%20go%2C%22%20said%20the%20Cat.%20%20%22I%20don't%20much%20care%20where--%22%20said%20Alice.%20%20%22Then%20it%20doesn't%20much%20matter%20which%20way%20you%20go%2C%22%20said%20the%20Cat.%20%20%22--so%20long%20as%20I%20get%20somewhere%2C%22%20Alice%20added%20as%20an%20explanation.%20%22Oh%2C%20you're%20sure%20to%20do%20that%2C%22%20said%20the%20Cat%2C%20%22if%20you%20only%20walk%20long%20enough.%22&f=false">"…so long as I get somewhere," Alice explained.</a></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=CkqeSb7JH0IC&pg=PA57&lpg=PA57&dq=%22Would+you+tell+me,+please,+which+way+I+ought+to+go+from+here?%22+%22That+depends+a+good+deal+on+where+you+want+to+go,%22+said+the+Cat.++%22I+don't+much+care+where--%22+said+Alice.++%22Then+it+doesn't+much+matter+which+way+you+go,%22+said+the+Cat.++%22--so+long+as+I+get+somewhere,%22+Alice+added+as+an+explanation.+%22Oh,+you're+sure+to+do+that,%22+said+the+Cat,+%22if+you+only+walk+long+enough.%22&source=bl&ots=Ja4OSZQhxC&sig=sD1EthPszO42qwEoaTxS_-Cchqo&hl=en&ei=LfaoTbe5LfTXiALx1snvDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=%22Would%20you%20tell%20me%2C%20please%2C%20which%20way%20I%20ought%20to%20go%20from%20here%3F%22%20%22That%20depends%20a%20good%20deal%20on%20where%20you%20want%20to%20go%2C%22%20said%20the%20Cat.%20%20%22I%20don't%20much%20care%20where--%22%20said%20Alice.%20%20%22Then%20it%20doesn't%20much%20matter%20which%20way%20you%20go%2C%22%20said%20the%20Cat.%20%20%22--so%20long%20as%20I%20get%20somewhere%2C%22%20Alice%20added%20as%20an%20explanation.%20%22Oh%2C%20you're%20sure%20to%20do%20that%2C%22%20said%20the%20Cat%2C%20%22if%20you%20only%20walk%20long%20enough.%22&f=false">"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."</a></i><span style="font-family: "TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEsrPzM9pGdekoYYHLESZYV_aV2NZc8673E0S7EFWqOcUPM_PWgVM7OZBU36XkuntZrspjHbZBq5PpMZWN7KEluBcutQNPCM865qZ1VKtGtVgXncBDYvbVdBBExyt5BiqYgYIJoZhWpI/s1600/white+rabbit+in+a+hurry.png"><span style="color: blue; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span></a></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So many people, over the years have answered the following question about making progress, how they know if they are making progress, with one simple word, “results.” They seem so confident about that and yet this idea of results can also be so very ambiguous, that is, unless they’ve taken the time to really define what that word “results” means to them. </span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEsrPzM9pGdekoYYHLESZYV_aV2NZc8673E0S7EFWqOcUPM_PWgVM7OZBU36XkuntZrspjHbZBq5PpMZWN7KEluBcutQNPCM865qZ1VKtGtVgXncBDYvbVdBBExyt5BiqYgYIJoZhWpI/s1600/white+rabbit+in+a+hurry.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEsrPzM9pGdekoYYHLESZYV_aV2NZc8673E0S7EFWqOcUPM_PWgVM7OZBU36XkuntZrspjHbZBq5PpMZWN7KEluBcutQNPCM865qZ1VKtGtVgXncBDYvbVdBBExyt5BiqYgYIJoZhWpI/s200/white+rabbit+in+a+hurry.png" width="130" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How long do you practice?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So often people get so tied up in the amount of time they invest in something and the amount of effort that they put into something that they start to distort, generalize, or even block out whole aspects of this principle to the point where they have no real idea of what they are doing and why. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The second thing I’ve noticed is that many times the 'results' people have in mind change. The real question is “What happened to the results they started out looking for?” Many times it’s “as if” new ideas have been “magically” placed there by some external influences which creeps into their heads unknowingly.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’ll bet you have met a sales person or two in your life who you’ve seen doing this kind of thing. The kind of thing I’m talking about, playing off of your emotions of ego, power, guilt, shame, wanting, or neediness that hook you into buying into their paradigm or product. Getting others input can be a good thing. What I’m saying is “Do you know what you want or where you are going?”</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What do you want?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What do you want? There is a good question for you. What is your basic intention? How well have you defined this in terms of what you are really willing to put into getting the results and the bigger question what results do you expect in return for your effort?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In Wujifa we often say “Making tea is the highest form of practice” in the practice of Wujifa. The reason we say this is that knowing how to express yourself, influence others and get your point across in a social situation is key. It’s like a very high level of martial art expression. The simple idea of “influence” while connecting with others while drinking tea explores the many subtle levels of the understandings that take place with others and yourself and the possible intended results that may arise.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You are where you are…</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Another Wujifa saying we often come back to is a guiding compass in understanding that “You are where you are and that’s where you start.” Knowing and gaining a good understanding of where you are is a great starting point. There is another saying I personally enjoy, “If you know where you’re going you know what to wear.” This addresses action steps to take. Knowing where you are and which actions to take are all about the result you have in mind. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How will you know and how do you know if you’re making progress is a very functional and personal process that involves understanding what one’s intentions are. Simply said, getting clear on your intentions takes time. This is why we suggest that people practice following through on their intention and practice. This starts by noticing what lessons show up while progressing towards your goals.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A functional example</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Let’s say a beginner who just starts out practicing our Wujifa Zhan Zhuang practices for example. Let’s say you ask them the following question “How long do you stand?” Their answer is often that they really don’t know. Different times on different days, maybe 5 to 20 minutes they reply. They will tell you it depends and their answers get more and more fuzzy.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Here is a great piece of advice, keep a diary (which I suggest for people starting out) of your stance or daily practice(s). One may reply that they don't really need to keep a diary. Then the real question begs to be asked “How do you know?” </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Here is a really cool trick. When you set up an amount of time to stand for example and a time of day to practice, we can call this an intention. Following though on an intention to completion is a result. When you doing this it will become a habit and even more than a habit it also develops the neurons in the brain. If you don’t follow through, then this also develops neurons and patterns, patterns that I bet also show up in other areas of life. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What do you want?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What do you want? How will you know when you are making progress? Take the time to explore these questions. Try keeping a diary of what you do and what you notice along the way. Write down what you are working on and your goals. Track yourself and see if you are doing what you plan on doing. I’m not suggesting doing this with everything you are doing in life. Just pick something simple like your intention to practice your zhan zhuang. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Simply doing a little noticing with a small chunk of your life will have powerful effects. And remember “you are where you are and that’s where you start.” </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03435911314664052046noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837528477962488372.post-54789062330573127032011-03-31T22:20:00.002-04:002011-03-31T22:28:10.620-04:00Wujifa Zhan Zhuang Practice: Tight Calves and Ankles<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">A fairly common sticky point in people’s Zhan Zhuang practice(s) shows up in the arena of tight calves and ankles. There are a number of reasons for this; from simple tension, misalignments, prior injuries, and poor postures. Many times these problems haven’t happened over night and have been years in the making. The good thing is that we will be taking another look at this today.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfY75Mza3-lemCYHW7d85OpickgNe7yAqPx79hh-syz21jcyrUk6thDf9RTs9prUx0vZIxmNuKh50wqBaAe0bu87Y7wnlJwXWr6xSrBpVU0uAOWXe2AZhtXWcEvmSKuXs9SAWnwUhyyQ0/s1600/soleus.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfY75Mza3-lemCYHW7d85OpickgNe7yAqPx79hh-syz21jcyrUk6thDf9RTs9prUx0vZIxmNuKh50wqBaAe0bu87Y7wnlJwXWr6xSrBpVU0uAOWXe2AZhtXWcEvmSKuXs9SAWnwUhyyQ0/s320/soleus.bmp" style="cursor: move;" unselectable="on" width="99" /></a>First of all there are a number of ways to practice: lying down, sitting in chairs, and a number of different postures. If you’re just starting out be sure to find someone who can help you start out on the right foot as they say. If the standing postures are too difficult ask about seated or laying postures. Also, just because you are seated or laying down doesn’t mean they aren’t difficult. Some postures can be very advanced and other postures more helpful and simplified for those who do not have the ability to practice standing or even certain seated postures. </div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Since there are so many different ways to practice let’s start with a basic Wujifa Zhan Zhuang standing posture. The basic standing post posture, feet parallel about shoulder width apart, lining up the body over the feet, arms at your side and bending your elbows so your forearms are parallel to the ground, palms of hands facing each other. Then bend the knees slightly and the feeling is “as if” you were going to start to sit down.</div><br />
Now, let’s talk about the ankles and lower legs. It is becoming more and more common to find beginners having problem showing up with tight ankles and associated tightness in the tendons and ligaments of the ankle and lower leg. I’ve seen people who try to move slightly deeper into posture and end up shifting their weight into their toes or even start to rise up off their heels or losing their balance because of this problem.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixMo3jNe47G9p088o2ZCxOaILylc7UW_PsRky1LL2QeemTAqoCeArFnWcwljqr0tCvpFqdtkdaZs7n55-a1c_7fw1tPMXq_1utLqACXjW1GJZLqv2_Uwnb9mq-Cgsnn_b51bqCVqdaknU/s1600/foot+grays.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="124" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixMo3jNe47G9p088o2ZCxOaILylc7UW_PsRky1LL2QeemTAqoCeArFnWcwljqr0tCvpFqdtkdaZs7n55-a1c_7fw1tPMXq_1utLqACXjW1GJZLqv2_Uwnb9mq-Cgsnn_b51bqCVqdaknU/s200/foot+grays.bmp" width="200" /></a></div>Of course if tight ankle tendons, ligaments and calves are a problem remember doing basic warm-up like circling of the ankle and simple stretches can help. Still there are a number of people who have deep set patterns in their body that took years to develop and it will take some time to change or re-pattern these. No worries, assuming you are healthy enough to practice standing postures such as a basic Zhan Zhuang posture there is a trick, method, or as we like to say in Wujifa “medicine” that has worked very well for a number of people with this sort of problem. This method uses an artificial aid placed under the heels or heel blocks to compensate for the shortened tendons and calf muscles.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Heel blocks can be as simple as a piece of sturdy wood an inch or so thick placed under the heel to start with. This allows the shortened ligaments of the ankle and calf to relax. This way they are not put under as much stress as with the more aligned basic Zhan Zhuang posture. Then over time the block can be sanded down or thinner blocks used. Some people have even used books and placed them under the heel, removing a page every couple days until the ‘medicine’ isn’t needed any more. Always make sure that whatever “method” you use that it is sturdy enough and won’t slide out from under your heels. As you can see this heel block method aims toward allowing the body to let go and re-pattern slowly and more naturally over time and for many people with this kind of issue this is a much better way to learn and grow. Of course you can always practice in a higher posture and slowly over time allow yourself to sink down. That is a good method too. Having more than one option is always helpful to gaining insight and making progress in your practices.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ZR0zs_JxrA4o9EXlWBWzuAIyZsbKvpV3_xaNEB8Re58t9AY7EfURXpPfJba1XOjfdqWD8TtPhkr6JGIHu5_L5dW7DFVUCkAjFU0Wvelq_tEMvAljCcuy-fgZP8r3P6WOF1Z3SolmZSI/s1600/Wujifa+Mindsets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ZR0zs_JxrA4o9EXlWBWzuAIyZsbKvpV3_xaNEB8Re58t9AY7EfURXpPfJba1XOjfdqWD8TtPhkr6JGIHu5_L5dW7DFVUCkAjFU0Wvelq_tEMvAljCcuy-fgZP8r3P6WOF1Z3SolmZSI/s200/Wujifa+Mindsets.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Remember eating bitter may be a good medicine, as they say. At the same time forcing the body to do something it isn’t ready to do isn’t. Sometimes taking the easier road may be the right medicine or method for your practice. The bottom line is, use common sense, be practical, and like all good gongfu learn and grow over time.</div><img height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfY75Mza3-lemCYHW7d85OpickgNe7yAqPx79hh-syz21jcyrUk6thDf9RTs9prUx0vZIxmNuKh50wqBaAe0bu87Y7wnlJwXWr6xSrBpVU0uAOWXe2AZhtXWcEvmSKuXs9SAWnwUhyyQ0/s320/soleus.bmp" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 633px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 216px; visibility: hidden;" width="29" />Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03435911314664052046noreply@blogger.com2Michigan, USA42.370209067025961 -83.46879460164643739.065236567025963 -87.616377101646435 45.675181567025959 -79.321212101646438tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837528477962488372.post-33715487809775978362011-02-28T23:45:00.002-05:002011-03-01T00:18:56.202-05:00Real Gongfu Training PartnersSimply finding people to practice with maybe one thing and then again, finding a real training partner or partners maybe very much another. What I’m saying is that it might not be as easy as you might think. I remember a very skilled martial artist saying “that finding a good training partner could be harder than finding a good wife.” Now that maybe overstating the point although over the years I have seen the results of two or three people who really take the time to explore and lift one another up toward each other’s collective goals.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKAEB7r_yWOrcVudlfxvQPkjC5U76jJF8sEnIgttlC5M1Kc71_Y4LxQc6eN_yJLsNqFdy4HMyHHFcdH16QFbH0I3qpPysinNG8pwT5Vumvl7S2LQ50kyGCcwpBFQ3wmKoEEXWyxcJzwY/s1600/VinceVic_me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKAEB7r_yWOrcVudlfxvQPkjC5U76jJF8sEnIgttlC5M1Kc71_Y4LxQc6eN_yJLsNqFdy4HMyHHFcdH16QFbH0I3qpPysinNG8pwT5Vumvl7S2LQ50kyGCcwpBFQ3wmKoEEXWyxcJzwY/s200/VinceVic_me.jpg" width="200" /></a>One of the things that often come into play is the level of dedication involved in the types of trainings that are required. I’m not talking about simply practicing your Wujifa Zhan Zhuang or simple moving sets like “side to side” or other practices. What I am talking is when practicing two person skill sets like point and off point (fundamental micro movement two person grounding drills) as just example. <br />
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There is a level of support and cooperation that is needed and, a level of challenge… that drives all partners forward. There needs to be openness and honest to call each other out on their bull crap, to eat bitter as they say and balancing this with an understanding of when backing off for a bit is a good idea. To be honest I watch many married couple having issues with this one. <br />
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Then there is always the issue of timing. “Timing is everything” they say, and finding the time to get together to train can be a whole other issue. The amounts of time required for serious training can be overwhelming when seen from the outside. Many of those outside influences like work and other relationship (wife, children, or girlfriends, etc) seem to require attention as well.<br />
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When you are really serious about making progress think about training partners. Think about what it takes and what you are willing to invest. Personally I have been very lucky and “time and conditions” were such that I could train and lucky enough to have others who were willing to, and were in the right space too. <br />
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Make sure you take the time to notice, mentor, and help others out too. Understand it may take time to find those key people and time when depth of gongfu with others can be explore.Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03435911314664052046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837528477962488372.post-21351398063164963262011-02-01T09:14:00.003-05:002011-02-05T17:17:41.366-05:00Wujifa Two Feet and What Does This Mean?<div class="posterous_autopost"> <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beginning Wujifa Zhan Zhuang practice starts with a basic foot alignment</td></tr>
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In Wujifa our feet are shoulder width apart and parallel. What does this mean in our standing or basic Wujifa Zhan Zhuang practice? They say a picture is worth a thousand words and so I spent some time here drawing a picture for you. I hope this clears up a few questions. Yes in the beginning you might stray as your personal body may not allow this placement, yet you can allow yourself to slow discover how you can adjust toward the intention of this picture. <br />
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A helpful thing to start with when aligning the feet is to imagine a line that travels from the center of your heel to the second or third toe. Due to the types of shoes people grow up wearing there can be some deformity of people’s feet and so there can be some variation to proper foot alignment. It’s a good idea to take a little time and to get to understand your own feet as they are a foundation to you standing practices.<br />
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Shoulder width - Once you have a good idea of the vector that travels from the heel to that second or third toe you want to get both feet in proper alignment with each other as well. Proper alignment in our basic Wujifa Zhan Zhuang standing practice is to have the feet shoulder width apart from each other (see picture above). Many people practicing Zhan Zhuang standing with their feet to far apart. The feet should be under the hips and under the shoulders. That would mean the distance between the second or third toe of each foot would typically be slightly less than foot apart (approximately eleven or so inches) depending on your body type and size.<br />
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Feet parallel – This would mean that the line you imagine being drawn between the center of the heel to that second or third toe of each foot would be parallel with each other. Look at the picture above to get a good idea of what feet parallel means. Remember that many people’s feet are mis-shapen and allowances can vary. Also many people carry a lot of stress in the glutes and lower back. You can read more about this in the blog post here call <a href="http://wujifaliangong.blogspot.com/2009/06/basic-tips-for-zhan-zhang-and-pelvis.html">Basic Tips for Zhan Zhang and Pelvis</a>. <br />
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The feet are the foundation of your Zhan Zhuang and basic Wujifa standing practice. Taking the time to get in touch with this concept of the placement of the feet will change and help you as you explore the wonders of the powerful practice.<br />
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Also see the blog post: <a href="http://wujifaliangong.blogspot.com/2009/10/zhan-zhuang-alignment.html">Zhan Zhaung Alignment</a></div>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03435911314664052046noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837528477962488372.post-2219227787956339672011-01-26T22:59:00.000-05:002011-01-26T22:59:22.966-05:00Like a properly aged wine we can build character with timeIn a well aged wine we can notice how time and character uniquely interact in relationship with each other. This idea or this statement of “time” references activities or the history that has taken place over that time as it evolves. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"There is no end to feeling... understanding... and being... aware"</td></tr>
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Like a “properly” aged wine that builds as they say “character”, so can one’s practice. That is, what one practices, and more importantly the way in which one goes about approaching practice is key. <br />
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If we take the time, this idea of “how we approach” something can actually give us a hint of what this key might be. Also this key may well possibly be the hidden or deeper meaning or qualities of what real gongfu is.<br />
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<blockquote>From Dan’s Wujifa Notes:<br />
<a href="http://wujifa-dan.blogspot.com/2011/01/notes-in-raw-7.html">Feeling is like a wine, as it ages the flavor/ texture gets richer. Richness you get out is related to what you put in.</a></blockquote><br />
How you approach something is more than just the physical action of doing. There is also the mindset we bring with us as we approach and as we do something. <br />
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Now, you might find yourself asking; what is this mindset and, how can we develop this mindset? These are interesting questions and anyone who has practiced Wujifa for any length of time knows these can be the perfect questions and the perfect place to start.<br />
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• What is this mindset? <br />
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• How can we develop this mindset?<br />
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The key to answering these questions of what and how is also the very place we start in developing this mindset. As we say in Wujifa “you are where you are and that’s where you start”. <br />
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It may seem overly simplistic to say the key to opening this door is found in just taking the time to notice. Noticing is the key. When I say this I don’t say this flippantly. I am also suggesting this as being the basis of practice, that is simple noticing. <br />
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When I say “Simple noticing” I mean just that. What we do gets built in. If we put too much importance or better said force into noticing we will build that into our practices as well. In Wujifa we aim to progress towards ease as one of the steps taken towards the development of poise, power, and unity. <br />
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Ease isn’t always easy. This is another saying in Wujifa. The reason we say this is it takes time. Time to adjust and grow and develop this mindset of noticing and ease for many people and that’s ok. The methods may not be the truth. Although, when we take the time, we can simply learn and make the changes in action that will become the character of our practice and an awareness that is gained through simple noticing.Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03435911314664052046noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837528477962488372.post-19016243461026755322010-11-29T23:31:00.003-05:002010-11-29T23:45:53.280-05:00The Kua More Methods For Developing The Inguinal CreaseThe inguinal crease and developing the Kua are fundamental in our practice. Wujifa has a number of methods that are helpful for those just starting out and for those who have practiced different skill-sets for some time. The sitting practice is one of these practices. Different practices like the sitting practice are good for the beginner and actually have even more to offer to those who have practice the Wujifa standing side to side skill-sets. There is a saying about how deep the rabbit hole goes and I will say the depth is discovered by those willing to keep an open mind, explore, and do the work.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The body, more than skin & bones</td></tr>
</tbody></table>In June of 2009 you may remember the Wujifa Standing side to side post and video. I would suggest reading this article first if you missed that one here is the link <a href="http://wujifaliangong.blogspot.com/2009/06/keys-for-developing-inguinal-crease-aka.html">"Keys for Developing the Inguinal Crease aka Kua, with Wujifa Side to Side Practice"</a> as this will be helpful. Those of you who remember that article may still want to go watch the Wujifa “Standing Side to Side” YouTube video again at this link: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg0rr9Q5Juo">Wujifa “Side to Side” Inguinal Crease</a> as the insights from watching that video again will aid in noticing more in the video you'll discover below.<br />
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Let me say up front that the Wujifa “Sitting Side to Side” skill-set isn’t really a beginners practice although I will say it is much easier for many Wujifa beginners to play with this skill-set as many times their legs may not be strong enough to do the standing Side to Side Kua practices. The reason I say that is beginner may find it very difficult to get the correct movement in the Kua while seated. In the video below you will notice that even for people who have practiced these Side to Side Wujifa Kua sill-sets discovering connected movement of the Kua or inguinal crease area while seated can be a bit of a puzzle. This is why I suggest that it is a much deeper practice. Also one shouldn’t avoid the standing practice as the standing practice helps develop the leg in a different and more direct way. The cool thing about this seated practice is the greater understanding one will gain from its practice over time. Both practices offer very different insights to these kinds of connected movement.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="300" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/10222081?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="400"></iframe><br />
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For those of you who watch on YouTube <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tINnQp08yT0">Click Here</a><br />
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I hope you enjoyed this video and have hopefully gained some insights from watching it. As with all forms of exercise one should always check with their doctor first before starting any practice. Those who do practice Wujifa hopeful this video will aid in helping your practice as you engage in the exploration of this skill-set and take the time to notice how deep the rabbit hole goes. What seems simple may actually be much more of a challenge than it might seem on the surface. In sharing this I am really thankful to have a space like this blog to share Wujifa and insights to aid in the discovery about these kinds of connected movement and some of the methods used for their development. Thanks again… and if you enjoyed these videos please feel free to leave comments below and/or at YouTube. Let us know what you think!Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03435911314664052046noreply@blogger.com1Metro Detroit42.370232664209624 -83.46881031990051341.355588664209627 -85.336486319900516 43.384876664209621 -81.60113431990051