everything in agreement

I ran for 1.2 miles this morning. Maris and Isa were with me, too. Maris took care of Isa. She ran/walked while Isa was on the stroller. It was a short run but I got to hang out with my family, which is more important. So I still have plenty of energy in my reserve. As I am typing this journal right now, I can still feel the tingling sensation in my legs from this morning's run.

The truth is a part of me did not want to run today. I woke up right before 8 am. Isa woke up right after I got out of the main bedroom, which was a little after 8. Then we greeted Maris as she was trying to get in the front door. So how did I end up running? Somehow there was a general election that happened in me, and the winning party was the Run-You-Lazy-Bum Party.

Now, I have a little bit of runny nose. I probably forced myself too much. My Anti-Run body cells are massively protesting in my nasal area. I hope I don't get sick as a result of this. I remember Teacher has this notion of not forcing things. We must always make sure that everything is in agreement before commiting. The same princliple is applied in circlewalking. The left foot needs to be planted first before the right foot can leave the ground, and vice-versa. Otherwise, the whole body becomes unstable.

I still have to learn how to listen to my body. Sometimes my mind forces my body the wrong way that I end up getting sick. Nowadays, I kind of know my limits, but sometimes I'm too stubborn and I stop listening, which is really bad.

jogging

I jogged yesterday 8 am for 30 minutes, and covered 2.4 miles. I walked the last quarter mile. My lungs were okay after the run. My legs got tired first. It was also hot and humid outside. I mostly went under the tree shades whenever I could find one.

I started jogging again last week to prepare for my company's 5K run. JPMorganChase sponsored it, which is located in Morristown, NJ. I finished the race with run time of 43:13 minutes. Not bad for a 34 year old guy who trained 2 days before the race. Nevertheless, I finished without injuries. That's the most important thing.

Jogging seems to help strengthen my legs. Last Saturday, I've noticed that my horse stance was better. So I'll try jogging twice a week, whenever I can. We'll see later what happens in the long run.

So far I have observed that the more time and effort I devote into my practice, the more life's mysteries start to unfold. Rewards then appear, but I try not dwell on them. This reminds me of the book, Tao Te Ching.

-1-
The Tao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.
The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth.
The named is the mother of the ten thousand things.
Send your desires away and you will see the mystery.
Be filled with desire and you will see only the manifestation.
As these two come forth they differ in name.
Yet at their source they are the same.
This source is called a mystery.
Darkness within darkness, the gateway to all mystery.

feel the mud

Yesterday, we made our own circlewalking circle. We've been doing this exercise for a month now. Before that, we used to circlewalk as a group. Two or three groups, at the most. With a group, you have to match your pace with the other people, and vice-versa. With your own circle there's just yourself to deal with.

So we all started our individual circlewalking. Teacher said to do the internal palms. When it came to do the heart palm, I started feeling that tingling sensation on my forearms. Whenever they're raised, the sensation is there. I've felt this for several years now, but I never bothered to ask Teacher about it. I've always thought my arms were loosing blood circulation. Later on, during one of our group get-together sessions I asked him about it. He said not to dwell on it. The hands will feel hot and the tingling sensation will be there, but do not dwell on them. He said to just keep practicing.

After a few minutes of our individual circlewalking, it's inspection time. First, he went to see my brothers on the right. Then, he went to see me. For some time, he looked at what I was doing. He did not say anything. He then demonstrated how to walk his version. He looked like he was marching and sitting at the same time, with knees raised higher than usual. So I tried his way.

After several tries I felt like I'm walking in liquid. It felt like there's something under my feet, and it's there everytime I raise my knees. Initially, I thought of it like walking on a hump. Thinking more about it now, it's like having two fair sized magnets trying to attach their same poles and feel them repel each other. With my newly modified circlewalking, it felt like there was a repelling force under my feet.

When the class was finished, I asked Teacher about my new experience. At first, he thought I was trying to confuse him. Then I did a few more explanation and clarification. He then said I should feel like I'm walking on mud. Walking on mud. He made this comment several times before but it did not register to me. The feeling itself is like walking on mud. You do not have to pretend that there's a mud. It just comes to you. If you do it right, you will feel the mud.

pain and injuries

"Either move correctly, or don't do it at all" - Mr. Tu

My right knee is bothering me today. It's been bothering me since Saturday. Normally, I get this pinching pain once in a while, and then it goes away. Inside my patella, I think that's where the pain is coming from. It's probably the way I place or rotate my knees during practice. Plus, I've been practicing more outside the class. I did some last Sunday and Monday. I also did some this morning. It seems to feel better today, though, compared to last Monday. I'll just take it easy tomorrow. My right knee definitely needs some rest.

Also, last Saturday, my teacher gave me this belt that he's not using anymore. It's soOoOOo much better than the one I have. This new belt is wider, about 4-5 inches in length. And it's thicker, too. It seems to help my back a lot more. My upper back pain, on the immediate left side of my spine, in the thoracic area, seems to have lessen after using the belt.

how to walk the circle

Imagine a growing tree.
Its leaves and branches swaying with the wind.
Trunk, solid and round.
Roots spread throughout the ground.

Imagine a crane walking in the mud.
The steadiness of its body.
The movement of the knees.
The movement of the feet.

Imagine a baby learning how to walk.
Attention and concentration.
Movement from left foot to right foot.
Shifting the weight.

Imagine a person meditating.
Relaxed breathing and fully aware.
Chin in; back stacked and relaxed.
As if a string is pulling the center of the crown.

Imagine a person sitting without a chair.
Butt is smooth and round, but not sticking out.
Feet are in line with the thighs.
Relaxed from waist up.