lobes

Lobes of Steel

By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS

Published: August 19, 2007

Consider this before skipping yet another workout: Exercise can improve your brain, too.

learning

Practicing Ba Gua Quan, like any other art, is like learning a new language.

1. First you have to learn the letters, or characters.
2. Then the words.
3. Then sentence structures.
4. Then paragraphs.
5. Then eventually, poetry.

My goal, even though I think I'll never reach, is poetry.

teacher-student relationship

Here are some interesting articles from Blue Dragon School of Martial Arts:
http://www.bluedragonkungfu.com/Members/Resources/Student%20Resources.htm

This one article, for example, talks about the traditional teacher-student relationship:
http://www.bluedragonkungfu.com/Members/Archives/Traditional_Education.htm

I would think that the articles have mostly been contributed by Mr. Raymond Ahles.

mental and physical aspects

*****

“If you concentrate on the mental aspect it is inevitable that the physical side will follow.”

Herb Elliot, Gold Medalist, 1500m, Rome 1960

*****

I found this quote at an interesting website: www.gymjones.com

believe

If I match proper breathing with proper movement, everything becomes effortless. I feel less tired, and actually feel more energized, after our martial arts training. I've read ideas about "effortless action" only in books, and now, it's semi-real to me. To describe this little experience, it feels like I'm holding something solid, but I cannot see it, and in my socially-acceptable idea of reality, I'm not holding anything, which really does not make sense. This experience was probably just heat escaping out from my palms, or my head, due to lack of breakfast.

But the question is, how do we start believing on something or anything? How do we prove that something is real? Is it something that we see or feel? How about our sense of touch, taste, or smell? What if one of our senses is right, and the other is wrong? Which one do we believe? What if our senses fail to sense? Things like wind, gravity, magnetism, electric current, black holes, etc., have already been scientifically proven to exist. But what about the ones that have not? How do we sense genuine love, or the existense of God? Do we take a leap of faith, and proceed with the assumption that this something which does not make sense really does?

One day, all things unfamiliar will becomes familiar, and everything will start to make sense.

Maybe the first step is to believe, which could be the hardest step of all.

broadsword

We just started learning a bagua broadsword form last Saturday. As usual with a new form, several feelings come into mind, like clumsy, heavy, wierd, awkward & confused. We're using a wooden sword for practice.

And for this year, we're still training outside, in the cold of winter 2007. Actually it's not that bad yet, thanks to global warming. The trick is to bundle up with multiple layers of clothing. Once the body generates enough heat to sustain the cold, then you start unwrapping yourself. If you're not generating heat, then you have to train harder. There are some ice patches on the ground, which makes it slippery, which is also part of the training.

We're still doing the Xing-yi form. We started with this form last year. I still need a lot of improvement. The form comprises of metal, wood, water, fire and earth elements. In general, all martial art forms require improvements through training, and this type of thinking carries over to your daily chores in life. With the Xing-yi form, the focus is unidirectional. Most of the stress I feel is on the right leg when doing the form. My guess is that this form is concentrating more on the right leg for suport. Either that, or I'm not doing the stance correctly. As an experiment. maybe I'll try doing the opposite direction of the form one of these days.

My horse stance has gotten lower. Maybe because of my Ashtang Yog training, which I've started about 3 weeks ago. The Pranayams, which are a variety of breathing exercises done in cross-legged sitting position, complements my practice of Bagua a lot. I think the Pranayam aspect of Yog is worth looking into to improve one's Bagua practice. Breathing is one of the foundations of Bagua. In general, correct breathing means maximum efficiency for the mind, body and spirit.

nature of circles

Outside your circle, everything is spinning and chaotic.
Within your circle, everything is spinning and chaotic.

Within your circle, you learn to be calm and steady.
Mind and body become one.

Body extends to grab something from outside the circle.
Mind and body learns to use things outside the circle.
And masters these things one at a time.
Your circle slowly grows it's boundaries.

Mind and body masters everything outside the circle.
Everything becomes part of the body.
Everything becomes one.
Your circle is boundless.

balance

I just got done taking Computer Science I: Introduction to Java, at Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, NJ.

May 8th was my final exam, and boy, what a relief! I saw my final grade result for the class, and I'm glad that I passed! Actually, I did better than I expected. It's one of those classes that once you're in, you're always on your toes and you just want to get it over with.

So what does this have to do with martial arts? Well, it's the lack of it that I'm feeling the effect. After this winter 2006 semester, my whole body, especially my back, hurt a lot from doing programming homeworks. But hey, I'm going to stop whining now and start training again.

We've just finished one Baji form, but we're still rehashing it. At the same time, we're just started learning a Hsing-Yi form.

Life is worth it if Teacher says something and it sort of makes sense.

What I got from Teacher's lecture last Saturday is that Baji is about balance, like the yin-yang principle. For example, when the left hand moves, the right hand goes the exact opposite, and both stay in a straight line. This principle is present throughout the whole form.

waves

"You can't stop the waves, but you can learn how to surf."


-from a fortune cookie

trapped

Lately, Teacher started mentioning the idea of being trapped by our own physical body. Our mind wants to do something, but we are limited only to what our body can do. The mind says go to the right, but the body goes the opposite way or does not even go at all. What use is it to have a great mind, but with a weak body? Does this kind of situation exist? The mind thinks of ideas and formulates theories, and the body then applies it to a given situation. Then the result gets processed back to the mind. And the cycle goes on again. So if the body is weak, then the mind is only full of untried theories.

Ideas and theories are useless unless they are proven to work in a given situation. If a theory does not work, then try another theory. But what if you don't have the right materials to test your theory? Then you cannot really test your theory the right way. But if you have the right materials, and your theory works, then everything is great!

I can only imagine the frustration Teacher feels when he's teaching us how to move one way, and us moving in some convoluted, distorted version of his way. But it is clear that body and mind are equally important and both need to be trained.

For now, I feel that my body limits my mind. Going to work and sitting hunchedback in front of the monitor makes my situation worse. My mind needs a lot of work, but my body needs more. Maybe through martial arts training, my body can catch up with my mind.

What is "mind", anyway? When I refer to "mind", I mean everyday awareness of my surroundings and how I deal with it. Maybe having "no-mind" is better. Having a clear mind, like a newly installed glass windshield, is the best.

Sometimes, my mind is attached or trapped in my old way of thinking that I resist trying out new things. I know that change is all around me, but the problem is that sometimes I'm not ready for the change. Sometimes, I'm sick of having to change. Why can't things just stay the way they are? Apparently, that's not how the world works. How does the world work? There seems to be a beginning, middle and end to everything. Does it matter, though? Does the whole beginning, middle and end of things matter at all? Once the destination is reached, does that mean it's the end? Or is it another beginning? Or maybe a middle? The world seems to just go on.

So what's the overall benefit of practicing Ba Gua Quan? I can only say from my point of view. So far, my overall body flexibility has improved. My awareness and concentration seems to have improved. My posture seems to have improved. I'm not as hunchback as I was before. Maybe I need to do something else in life other than sit in front of the monitor for hours. But I'm not sure if it's just my nature or practicing the art of Ba Gua Quan that makes me strive for better things. I guess all of us strive for better things, but in different levels. Each one of us seem to have a way, or strives to find a way, for coping with life. For me, Ba Gua Quan is one of the best ways, so far.

move like a ghost

Last Saturday, I missed the bagua class because I have pink eye or conjunctivitis. The doctor said it is contagious. I have Vigamox eyedrops for my eye, and Ketek for my cold. She said this pink eye usually lasts for 5-7 days. Today is the 7th day. Initially, my pink eye was on my left eye. Three days ago, both eyes were clear, so I stopped taking my medecine. Then two days ago it reappeared on my right eye. Now, it is still on my right eye.

In my case, this proves that taking a martial arts class does not make myself immune to sickness. But I have noticed that I get sick less in a year, and when I get sick I get well a little faster. But this nasty pink eye has been with me for its full term.

A couple of Saturdays ago, Teacher commented about circlewalking. Here's what I got from his lecture: When stepping, once the front foot is on the ground and in place, the back foot should rise accordingly, with no dragging action. The whole stepping process should be fast and clean. Also, maintain balance while walking, and try not to go up or down. Also, sink in, which means while walking or standing, the knees should be bent. It's okay to circlewalk without sinking in, but that's like an old man's way, and I don't think anything deep can be gained from practicing like that. Teacher said that when you move like a ghost, then you might have something.

excuses

Last Saturday, it was cold outside. Must have been around 30-40F during class. Part of my tooth broke during our yearly thanksgiving dinner. Must be while I was eating the turkey meat. Everytime I drink now it hurts on the right side of my mouth. And I'm not going to see the dentist until Friday. It was inevitable, the crack was already there months ago, and I kept eating hard food, such as cashew nuts. So I have to blame nobody but myself. Then I had this stiff neck that bothered me almost the whole of last week. It hurt everytime I tried to turn my head on the right.

So the combination of cold weather, broken tooth and stiff neck made me feel like not going to class. But I went anyway. And I'm now glad that I did. After class, I didn't seem to mind the cold weather anymore, I stopped worrying about my tooth, and my stiff neck problem disappeared.

At the end of the class, Teacher was hungry, so we went out to eat for lunch at The Office. And we all ate a lot! Teacher said that if our workout was even better we would have been able to finish two-plateful. What kind of work out is that? I'm not sure I'm ready for that. Or maybe I am.

Going back to all my excuses from practicing. I think everything is all about perspective. It seems that even perspective itself needs to be trained. Bottom line is, it's easy to give up. What's the fun of giving up? Of course, there are times when you really have to give up. You don't want to get sick, of course. If you get sick then that means you have reached your limit. It seems that the saying "What does not kill you makes you stronger" is really true. Of course what my limit is not the same as your limit. So Teacher judges my limit, and when he's not around, I do it myself.

The body it seems is limited, but the mind is not. Skill is limited. Creativity is limitless. The mind leads and the body will follow. But what happens in times when you practice with "no mind"? Does that mean that the body leads, and the mind follows? Does that mean that creativity is "no mind"? The mind still seems to be there, but relaxed.

I found this somewhere online.

A Student's Excuses For Not Practicing

In the Spring it is too nice out.
In the Summer it is too hot.
In the Fall it is too pretty.
In the Winter it is too cold.

Also, here's an excerpt from Chuang-tzu's Preservation of Life:

Prince Huei's cook was cutting up a bullock. Every blow of his hand, every heave of his shoulders, every tread of his foot, every thrust of his knee, every whshh of rent flesh, every chhk of the chopper, was in perfect rhythm, --like the dance of the Mulberry Grove, like the harmonious chords of Ching Shou.

"Well done!" cried the Prince. "Yours is skill indeed!"

"Sire," replied the cook laying down his chopper, "I have always devoted myself to Tao, which is higher than mere skill. When I first began to cut up bullocks, I saw before me whole bullocks. After three years' practice, I saw no more whole animals. And now I work with my mind and not with my eye. My mind works along without the control of the senses. Falling back upon eternal principles, I glide through such great joints or cavities as there may be, according to the natural constitution of the animal. I do not even touch the convolutions of muscle and tendon, still less attempt to cut through large bones.

"A good cook changes his chopper once a year, -- because he cuts. An ordinary cook, one a month, -- because he hacks. But I have had this chopper nineteen years, and although I have cut up many thousand bullocks, its edge is as if fresh from the whetstone. For at the joints there are always interstices, and the edge of a chopper being without thickness, it remains only to insert that which is without thickness into such an interstice. Indeed there is plenty of room for the blade to move about. It is thus that I have kept my chopper for nineteen years as though fresh from the whetstone.

"Nevertheless, when I come upon a knotty part which is difficult to tackle, I am all caution. Fixing my eye on it, I stay my hand, and gently apply my blade, until with a hwah the part yields like earth crumbling to the ground. Then I take out my chopper and stand up, and look around, and pause with an air of triumph. Then wiping my chopper, I put it carefully away."

"Bravo!" cried the Prince. "From the words of this cook I have learned how to take care of my life."

a guide to understanding things

Open, mindful and aware
In rest and in motion
Every action and reaction
In all directions

maintain your center

I haven't been doing much practice lately. Maybe because of the change of weather? Maybe because I've been busy with my daughter? Maybe because of school assignments? Maybe because of work? Or maybe it's the combination of everything? I think I'm just getting lazy. Maybe because I'm getting old?

Teacher said, "Once the structure in place, try to maintain your center when going from point A to point B. In circlewalking, try not to wobble too much."

This seems to apply to life in general.

baji retreat

This past weekend, we had a great retreat at Jenny Jump State Park, in Hope, NJ. We stayed in a shelter for the whole weekend. The shelter was mostly made of wood, with glass windows and a door. It had two double-deck bunk beds, a small stove/furnace, a couple of tables and benches. Public restrooms and showers were available. I was very excited to see a black bear, but my closest encounter with one was that video the kindly office lady showed me.

The form we learned for the weekend retreat was Baji. Actually, this was a refresher and continuation course from our last fall 2004 retreat. Here's my own notes of the form:

1. ready
Standing position. Elbows outward. Fists on dan-tien. Face forward. Shoulders relaxed.

2. pull down & sink
Hands extended grabbing. Feet together. Face forward.

3. kick left
Hands extended grabbing. Left leg up and straight. Toes in. Face forward.

4. kick right
Hands extended grabbing. Right leg up and straight. Toes in. Face forward.

5. rise
Right arm more extended than left arm. Raise right foot. Face forward.

6. sit & elbow
Horse stance. Left fist on dan-tien. Right fist on cheek. Right palm facing up. Face right elbow.

7. chop & punch
Horse stance. Face forward. Chop with right hand. Punch with left hand. Arms bow and arrow. Legs bow and arrow. Face left.

8. rotate
Rotate left 135 degrees. Both feet leave the ground. Left arm extend forward and up. Right arm extend forward and down. Legs on horse stance. Face forward.

9. shift
Rotate right 90 degrees. Right leg empty. Stand on left leg, slightly bent. Right hand next to right waist. Left hand in front of right hand. Palms facing down and open. Face forward.

10. hop
Step with right foot. Slide with both feet. Left hand on right side. Right hand lifting. Palms open. Rotate left 90 degrees. Face right 45 degrees.

11. eagle
Left hand palm grasping. Right hand lifting from step 10. Right palm open. Left foot raised and back of right knee. Face left.

12. pull down
Horse stance. Right hand inside right thigh. Left hand blocking right cheek. Face right.

13. reach
Reach with left arm to right side. Right arm on right side. Face forward.

14. punch
Tip toes. Right arm punch low. Horse stance. Left fist on dan-tien. Face right.

15. block
Rotate right 90 degrees. Right leg empty. Stand on left leg, slightly bent. Right arm blocking. Left arm on right side of stomach. Face forward.

16. sit & elbow
Horse stance. Left fist on dan-tien. Right fist on cheek. Right palm facing up. Face right elbow.

17. wave
Raise both hands up with body. Tip toes. Bring both hands to chest. S-body movement. Both fists punch front and low. Face forward and down.

18. rotate
Left hand holds right wrist. Rotate 225 degrees to the right. Stomp right foot. Slide to left. Left arm goes up. Right arm on dan-tien. Face left.

look into yourself

We started reading about Mencius, an innatist Confucian philosopher. His book seems to be better in explaining things compared to Confucius' Analects book. Here's one of the great passages from the book:

BOOK IV, PART A

4. Mencius said, 'If others do not respond to your love with love, look into your own benevolence; if others fail to respond to your attempts to govern them with order, look into your own wisdom; if others do not return your courtesy, look into your own respect. In other words, look into yourself whenever you fail to achieve your purpose. When you are correct in your person, the Empire will turn to you. The Odes say,

Long may he be worthy of Heaven's Mandate,
And find himself much good fortune.

stomach virus

I missed last Saturday's class due to stomach virus. I just stayed home the whole day. I tried doing warmup exercises in the morning but my whole body was sore and aching. My stomach area was extra sore. I tried to be active the whole day but when I move I feel a lot of pain. It was better not to move at all. I also had no appetite. I felt like vomiting the whole day. It felt like my stomach stopped working. Normally, my stomach would growl once in a while, but Saturday it hardly made a sound, and was slowly ballooning. Drinking hot black tea helped a lot. By night time, I started feeling very chilly, and my fingers and toes were tingly. My whole body just wanted to curl up and sleep. And that's what I exactly did.

Sunday morning, my wife woke me up and asked me if I still wanted to go see the Dalai Lama at Rutgers, New Brunswick. I felt better, but I was not fully recovered, so I declined and stayed in bed. So she went with her friend, instead. But the most amazing thing was that almost all of the symptoms of the stomach virus were gone, like a passing storm. Sleep is a very powerful natural medicine.

good workout

Sometimes, after practice I have this weird feeling that I could do almost anything. As an example, if I saw a heavy object , like a car, I feel like I could pick up and overturn it. Somehow, my perception of a "heavy car" goes away. Also the size of an object, like an SUV, seems to shrink a little when I look at it.

Last Saturday, this feeling of being "strong" happened again after our Pao Chui session. I felt like I could make a hole if I punch this wall near our training area.

So I asked Teacher about this weird feeling. He said it means that I've had a good workout. Then he smiled and went to see another student.

analects

I'm taking this class, Chinese Religion. One of the required books to read is Confucius Analects. Here's one of its many interesting passages:

14.5 Nangong Kuo said to Confucius, “Yi was a skillful archer, and Ao was a powerful naval commander, and yet neither of them met a natural death. Yu and Hou Ji, on the other hand, did nothing but personally tend to the land, and yet they both ended up with possession of the world."

The Master did not answer.

After Nangong Kuo left, the Master sighed, “ What a gentlemanly person that man is! How he reveres Virtue!”

trees and vines

Two Saturdays ago, Teacher assigned individual assignments. The assignment consists of a group of movements taken from the Pao Chui form. More or less, each person has a different assignment.

Last Saturday, I showed Teacher my understanding of my assignment. Teacher then corrected me by showing me with his hands the wringing action applied to an object, like a piece of cloth. He also showed me that its action is one direction, not bent all over. He said to relax the shoulders. He showed me that the whole movement must be synchronized, not broken into pieces. Then off he went to see another student.

So I reflected on what Teacher said. After minutes of working out, I somehow started thinking about vines, and how they spiral during growth. I then started thinking about trees, and how the branches extend from the trunk. Then the life cycle of trees. Then the soft sprouts and the hard bark. The leaves facing the sun. The roots extending deep and across the ground. And so on.

Then I executed the whole Pao Chui form again, with the trees and vines in mind. And I felt a difference.