Operation 8 - notes from The Way and The Power
I've increased my training both mentally and physically of late - here is some notes which I have taken from a book by Fredrick J. Lovret to improve my technique.
STRETCHING EXERCISE TO TEST IF YOUR TENSE
First, Stretch out on the floor.Lie on your right side with your right arm extended at a comfortable angle in front of you. Straighten your right leg and bend your left knee, placing your left foot against your right kneecap. Press your left knee firmly to the floor. Now, straighten your left arm and extend it, with the palm upward, behind you at a right angle towards the torso. Relax completely. You will probably find your left hand suspended a foot or more above the floor. This is caused by the tension in your left shoulder. To correct the situation, take a deep breath and then slowly exhale. Continuing exhaling for as long as possible, concentrate on relaxing your left shoulder. Focus all of your attention to your left shoulder, and, as you breathe slowly, will it to relax. Take care that you don't allow your left knee to lift off the floor. As you repeat this, you will find your hand is slowly sagging downwards to the floor. Do not force it or help it by changing your position. Just continue the long, slow exhalation and concentration on relaxing your shoulder muscles, letting the hand gradually sink of its own weight. For many people it will take ten to fifteen minutes for the hand to reach the floor. In extreme cases, several sessions over a number of days may be required. Once you've achieved the required state of relaxation and the back of your left hand is resting firmly on the floor, quitely stand up and look in the mirror. You will probably find that your left shoulder is three inches lower than your right shoulder. (Here you see visibly that your tense - continue then with the same exercise on the right shoulder to get them in synch.)
The Way and The Power - Ki: The Life Force by Fredrick J. Lovret
ZAZEN
You should think of zazen as push-ups for the brain. It is rather a simple exercise, but one that will require years to perfect. To practice zazen you merely sit, doing nothing. Because this is impossible for most people, beginners are usually given some small task to occupy their minds. They are told, for example, to count their breaths or focus their gaze on some object. By doing this, they develop the ability to sit in one place, motionless, for long periods of time. When practicing zazen, what you concentrate on is immaterial. So, too, is your method of sitting - as long as your posture is good, any position will work. In a dojo you will usually sit in a position called seiza, with both legs folded beneath you in a kneeling position. Because this position is used for many other activities in a dojo, the sensei is killing two birds with one stone by making it the standard position for zazen. The position of seiza allows for meditation and the initial pain is good for discipline. (Beginners find the position agonizing, but after a few years, comfortable.) The reason for using seiza is that proper seated posture requires your hips to be slighty higher than your knees. This allows your back to have a slightly concave position. The common practice, in many schools, of allowing students to sit tailor fashion, with their legs crossed in front of them, should be avoided. In such a position it is almost impossible to relax completely. (While it is true that in Zen monastery monks sit in a variation of this «tailor» posture, known as the lotus position, they sit on special pillows to raise their hips to the proper height.) As soon as you have developed the ability to sit in one position and remain motionless, even if it is just for a few minutes, you should drop your mental crutches. Do not try to concentrate on anything in particular. Just sit. After a while, and this time will vary widely from student to student, you will find that the flow of your random thoughts is gradually slowing to a trickle. Finally, you will just sit there in a timeless state, empty of all thought. Although we call zazen seated meditation, it is really seated nonmeditation...........As the philosopher Lao Tzu once said, «The stillness withing stillness is not the true stillness. The true stillness is stillness within motion.» Your ultimate goal is to be able to engage in violent physical activity while maintaining mushin, no-mind.
The Way and The Power - Ki: The Life Force by Fredrick J. Lovret
MUSHIN
The mental state of mushin is a tool with many applications. It is axiomatic that in order to work at maximum efficiency you must be able to do one thing at a time, devoting 100 percent of your energy to it. What most people never consider, however, is that you will never be able to do one thing until you are able to do no thing. Anyone without this ability will always have some small part of his mind thinking about something else, no matter how hard he tries to concentrate. Mushin is not just an element in combat arts; it can be seen in all Japanese art forms. Practitioners of tea ceremony, flower arranging, and calligraphy will have it. This is one reason why senior Japanese instructors rarely take Westerners very seriously at advanced levels of training. They may well admire a man's physical ability but will sense that something is missing. The thing that is not there is nothingness. If there is any single area in which the difference between the Occidental and the Oriental stands out, mushin is it. When you observe a demonstration by an Oriental student who has practiced zazen for a number of years, you will note a great stillness about him. He will execute a technique and then just stop, timeless and motionless. The Occidental student, on the other hand, will rarely have the patience for prolonged study of zazen. He focuses his attention on external physical aspects of his art and this is very evident in his demonstration. While he may pause after a technique, there will never be a feeling of deathly stillness. He will always have a busy look, even when he is trying to do nothing. (The odds are he is actually counting the seconds until it is time to move again.) This is unfortunate because without mushin he will never develop strong ki. Although it takes considerable time and effort to develop it properly, mushin is actually a natural state. Almost everyone has experienced it at one time or another. The problem is that before training any such occurance is likely purely accidental. To develop strong ki, you must teach yourself how to achieve mushin at will. After many years training you will find it difficult to remember what it was like to be without this ability. You will go through life not thinking but reacting. The standard response to a statement such as this is a cry of, «How can I do anything if I make myself empty? All physical action is directed by the brain and you must think about something before you do it!». This is a typical beginners misconception. Do you think about recoiling when you touch something hot? No. You just do it. This is the purpose of mushin.You do not think, you just react instinctively to a situation. For, in combat, to think is to die. Obviously, while certain reactions are built in, others have to be developed. This is why physical training must always go along with mental exercises.......As you train to achieve this state, take care not to be mislead by those who would make it something mystical. Mushin is just a tool and no more (and no less) important than strong muscles and flexible joints.
The Way and The Power - Ki: The Life Force by Fredrick J. Lovret
HARAGEI
All combat postures are built around an awareness of itten (three inches below the navel; the one point). Start by pulling your shoulders back and downward. Then slightly tense your abdomen, lower your hips a bit, and empty your mind. Close your armpits - pretend you are holding a marble in each of them - and try to point your navel downward. The total posture should be relaxed but firm. This attitude is often called fudotai, the «immovable body». The corresponding mental attitude is fudoshin, the «immovable mind.» This posture must be practiced relentlessly. After decades of standing incorrectly it will take some time for this new position to become automatic. One standard method for maintaining awareness of it is to tie your belt a bit lower on the hips and a little tighter than normal. This will help keep at least part of your mind in the correct area at all times. The initial physical advantages of this position are immediately apparant. Because your concentration is on your center, your motion will become much more fluid and balanced. Instead of moving your body with your feet you will now be moving your feet with your body.
The Way and The Power - Kokoro: Mental Attitude by Fredrick J. Lovret
MOMIJI NO HEIHO
A momiji is a red maple leaf. To cut with a feeling of momiji means that softly, like a falling autumn leaf, you strike down your opponent's sword to clear the center. This sounds simple and it is simple. All you have to remember is not to try too hard. That is not simple. Momiji no heiho is best accomplished by pretending your sword is a large feather - stroke gently with it. A quick exercise will demonstrate how this works. Have your training partner hold his arm paralell to the floor and tense his muscles. Now try to push his arm down. Even if you try to slam it down with a blow of your forearm, it is very hard to move. However, if you touch his arm as ligthly as a feather, it is easy to force it down. Do not look at his arm or think about it. Just very, very soflty stroke downward with your fingertips. Breathe gently and use no more force than you would use with a newborn infant. The essence of this teaching is: if you give your opponent nothing to resist, then he cannot resist you. If you have any difficulty with the exercise, remember this and reduce your effort. When fencing, you will normally use this strategy in response to an attack. Evade your opponent's cut and then, lightly, cut his sword. This will force his blade further aling its trajectory than he intended it to go, clearing the center for your counterattack.
The Way and The Power - Chushin: Centering by Fredrick J. Lovret
«Even Monkeys Fall Out Of Trees»
MISOGI
A classical exercise for developing breath control is misogi. To practice misogi breathing, inhale for a count of five, hold your breath for a count of five, and exhale for a count of ten. As you do this, do not allow your chest to move; inhale by expanding your abdomen and exhale by compressing it. As you inhale, imagine the air is travelling from your nose to the top of your skull. As you hold, imagine the air si slowly settling from your head to your lower abdomen. The exhale slowly through your mouth. When you do misogi breathing, the rate of air flow msut remain constant from beginning to end. Do not gasp at the first part of the inhalation and then allow the air to flow to slow down. The same when you exhale: breathe out steadily and then sharply cut off the flow of air at the end of ten seconds. To help in controlling the flow, concentrate on the sound the air makes as it enters your nose and leaves your mouth. Keep the tone steady. Once you have mastered the misogi with a twenty-second-cycle, gradually increase the time until one breath cycle lasts for at least one minute. Instructors, to maintain their image of heartless beasts, will usually schedule this practice at the worst possible time: the end of a hard training session. Trying to maintain a one minute breath cycle when every cell in your body is screaming for oxygen requires an iron will. The fact that the sensei is doing if effortlessly is a lesson in humility. (Most beginners believe the old man has learned to absorb oxygen through his skin.)
- The Way and The Power - Ojite: Responding by Fredrick J. Lovret
Well, that was a short entry...
Hugs to all the people out there!
Kael
STRETCHING EXERCISE TO TEST IF YOUR TENSE
First, Stretch out on the floor.Lie on your right side with your right arm extended at a comfortable angle in front of you. Straighten your right leg and bend your left knee, placing your left foot against your right kneecap. Press your left knee firmly to the floor. Now, straighten your left arm and extend it, with the palm upward, behind you at a right angle towards the torso. Relax completely. You will probably find your left hand suspended a foot or more above the floor. This is caused by the tension in your left shoulder. To correct the situation, take a deep breath and then slowly exhale. Continuing exhaling for as long as possible, concentrate on relaxing your left shoulder. Focus all of your attention to your left shoulder, and, as you breathe slowly, will it to relax. Take care that you don't allow your left knee to lift off the floor. As you repeat this, you will find your hand is slowly sagging downwards to the floor. Do not force it or help it by changing your position. Just continue the long, slow exhalation and concentration on relaxing your shoulder muscles, letting the hand gradually sink of its own weight. For many people it will take ten to fifteen minutes for the hand to reach the floor. In extreme cases, several sessions over a number of days may be required. Once you've achieved the required state of relaxation and the back of your left hand is resting firmly on the floor, quitely stand up and look in the mirror. You will probably find that your left shoulder is three inches lower than your right shoulder. (Here you see visibly that your tense - continue then with the same exercise on the right shoulder to get them in synch.)
The Way and The Power - Ki: The Life Force by Fredrick J. Lovret
ZAZEN
You should think of zazen as push-ups for the brain. It is rather a simple exercise, but one that will require years to perfect. To practice zazen you merely sit, doing nothing. Because this is impossible for most people, beginners are usually given some small task to occupy their minds. They are told, for example, to count their breaths or focus their gaze on some object. By doing this, they develop the ability to sit in one place, motionless, for long periods of time. When practicing zazen, what you concentrate on is immaterial. So, too, is your method of sitting - as long as your posture is good, any position will work. In a dojo you will usually sit in a position called seiza, with both legs folded beneath you in a kneeling position. Because this position is used for many other activities in a dojo, the sensei is killing two birds with one stone by making it the standard position for zazen. The position of seiza allows for meditation and the initial pain is good for discipline. (Beginners find the position agonizing, but after a few years, comfortable.) The reason for using seiza is that proper seated posture requires your hips to be slighty higher than your knees. This allows your back to have a slightly concave position. The common practice, in many schools, of allowing students to sit tailor fashion, with their legs crossed in front of them, should be avoided. In such a position it is almost impossible to relax completely. (While it is true that in Zen monastery monks sit in a variation of this «tailor» posture, known as the lotus position, they sit on special pillows to raise their hips to the proper height.) As soon as you have developed the ability to sit in one position and remain motionless, even if it is just for a few minutes, you should drop your mental crutches. Do not try to concentrate on anything in particular. Just sit. After a while, and this time will vary widely from student to student, you will find that the flow of your random thoughts is gradually slowing to a trickle. Finally, you will just sit there in a timeless state, empty of all thought. Although we call zazen seated meditation, it is really seated nonmeditation...........As the philosopher Lao Tzu once said, «The stillness withing stillness is not the true stillness. The true stillness is stillness within motion.» Your ultimate goal is to be able to engage in violent physical activity while maintaining mushin, no-mind.
The Way and The Power - Ki: The Life Force by Fredrick J. Lovret
MUSHIN
The mental state of mushin is a tool with many applications. It is axiomatic that in order to work at maximum efficiency you must be able to do one thing at a time, devoting 100 percent of your energy to it. What most people never consider, however, is that you will never be able to do one thing until you are able to do no thing. Anyone without this ability will always have some small part of his mind thinking about something else, no matter how hard he tries to concentrate. Mushin is not just an element in combat arts; it can be seen in all Japanese art forms. Practitioners of tea ceremony, flower arranging, and calligraphy will have it. This is one reason why senior Japanese instructors rarely take Westerners very seriously at advanced levels of training. They may well admire a man's physical ability but will sense that something is missing. The thing that is not there is nothingness. If there is any single area in which the difference between the Occidental and the Oriental stands out, mushin is it. When you observe a demonstration by an Oriental student who has practiced zazen for a number of years, you will note a great stillness about him. He will execute a technique and then just stop, timeless and motionless. The Occidental student, on the other hand, will rarely have the patience for prolonged study of zazen. He focuses his attention on external physical aspects of his art and this is very evident in his demonstration. While he may pause after a technique, there will never be a feeling of deathly stillness. He will always have a busy look, even when he is trying to do nothing. (The odds are he is actually counting the seconds until it is time to move again.) This is unfortunate because without mushin he will never develop strong ki. Although it takes considerable time and effort to develop it properly, mushin is actually a natural state. Almost everyone has experienced it at one time or another. The problem is that before training any such occurance is likely purely accidental. To develop strong ki, you must teach yourself how to achieve mushin at will. After many years training you will find it difficult to remember what it was like to be without this ability. You will go through life not thinking but reacting. The standard response to a statement such as this is a cry of, «How can I do anything if I make myself empty? All physical action is directed by the brain and you must think about something before you do it!». This is a typical beginners misconception. Do you think about recoiling when you touch something hot? No. You just do it. This is the purpose of mushin.You do not think, you just react instinctively to a situation. For, in combat, to think is to die. Obviously, while certain reactions are built in, others have to be developed. This is why physical training must always go along with mental exercises.......As you train to achieve this state, take care not to be mislead by those who would make it something mystical. Mushin is just a tool and no more (and no less) important than strong muscles and flexible joints.
The Way and The Power - Ki: The Life Force by Fredrick J. Lovret
HARAGEI
All combat postures are built around an awareness of itten (three inches below the navel; the one point). Start by pulling your shoulders back and downward. Then slightly tense your abdomen, lower your hips a bit, and empty your mind. Close your armpits - pretend you are holding a marble in each of them - and try to point your navel downward. The total posture should be relaxed but firm. This attitude is often called fudotai, the «immovable body». The corresponding mental attitude is fudoshin, the «immovable mind.» This posture must be practiced relentlessly. After decades of standing incorrectly it will take some time for this new position to become automatic. One standard method for maintaining awareness of it is to tie your belt a bit lower on the hips and a little tighter than normal. This will help keep at least part of your mind in the correct area at all times. The initial physical advantages of this position are immediately apparant. Because your concentration is on your center, your motion will become much more fluid and balanced. Instead of moving your body with your feet you will now be moving your feet with your body.
The Way and The Power - Kokoro: Mental Attitude by Fredrick J. Lovret
MOMIJI NO HEIHO
A momiji is a red maple leaf. To cut with a feeling of momiji means that softly, like a falling autumn leaf, you strike down your opponent's sword to clear the center. This sounds simple and it is simple. All you have to remember is not to try too hard. That is not simple. Momiji no heiho is best accomplished by pretending your sword is a large feather - stroke gently with it. A quick exercise will demonstrate how this works. Have your training partner hold his arm paralell to the floor and tense his muscles. Now try to push his arm down. Even if you try to slam it down with a blow of your forearm, it is very hard to move. However, if you touch his arm as ligthly as a feather, it is easy to force it down. Do not look at his arm or think about it. Just very, very soflty stroke downward with your fingertips. Breathe gently and use no more force than you would use with a newborn infant. The essence of this teaching is: if you give your opponent nothing to resist, then he cannot resist you. If you have any difficulty with the exercise, remember this and reduce your effort. When fencing, you will normally use this strategy in response to an attack. Evade your opponent's cut and then, lightly, cut his sword. This will force his blade further aling its trajectory than he intended it to go, clearing the center for your counterattack.
The Way and The Power - Chushin: Centering by Fredrick J. Lovret
«Even Monkeys Fall Out Of Trees»
MISOGI
A classical exercise for developing breath control is misogi. To practice misogi breathing, inhale for a count of five, hold your breath for a count of five, and exhale for a count of ten. As you do this, do not allow your chest to move; inhale by expanding your abdomen and exhale by compressing it. As you inhale, imagine the air is travelling from your nose to the top of your skull. As you hold, imagine the air si slowly settling from your head to your lower abdomen. The exhale slowly through your mouth. When you do misogi breathing, the rate of air flow msut remain constant from beginning to end. Do not gasp at the first part of the inhalation and then allow the air to flow to slow down. The same when you exhale: breathe out steadily and then sharply cut off the flow of air at the end of ten seconds. To help in controlling the flow, concentrate on the sound the air makes as it enters your nose and leaves your mouth. Keep the tone steady. Once you have mastered the misogi with a twenty-second-cycle, gradually increase the time until one breath cycle lasts for at least one minute. Instructors, to maintain their image of heartless beasts, will usually schedule this practice at the worst possible time: the end of a hard training session. Trying to maintain a one minute breath cycle when every cell in your body is screaming for oxygen requires an iron will. The fact that the sensei is doing if effortlessly is a lesson in humility. (Most beginners believe the old man has learned to absorb oxygen through his skin.)
- The Way and The Power - Ojite: Responding by Fredrick J. Lovret
Well, that was a short entry...
Hugs to all the people out there!
Kael