As we begin to fall in love with martial arts or any practice of mindfulness, I believe we begin to notice our patterns and how they affect self and other. This acceptance entails some vulnerability and paves the way towards self awareness. As long as you are in a supportive community of like minded people, this can lead to exponential growth and personal development.
As your love affair with the art deepens, you deepen your love for yourself and find training in every moment. This morning was no different. I woke up early to a cold morning enveloped by a blanket of soft snow. This triggers exciting memories of waking up early as an Uchideshi (traditional apprenticeship program of arts) to shovel. There is a calm when shoveling pure white snow that allows you to find stillness in movement. It is this stillness that allows you to see your opponent’s center of balance as they throw an attack. Much like how a door hinge doesn’t move relative to the door; and it is this hinge that signifies a door to a piece of wood. From stillness you are allowed access this same essence, a reflection of your inner being. As summer entices us to outwardly express our love and joy, winter embraces us to become more introspective. As we penetrate the cold depths of pure snow, we come into contact with the ebb and flow of our thoughts and emotions.
In the human condition, we are subject to the limitations of density in matter. This crude physical condition however reflects the patterns of harmony when we find that internally. From the very microcosm of superstring theory and dna to the macrocosm of galaxies, the universe favors spirals. Spirals allow energy to have no start or stop; which in martial arts, allows the practitioner to enter a nonlinear state of mind which is free of limitations. As our love deepens for martial arts, we begin to witness the beauty of martial arts found in nature; the cosmic dance of push and pull and the patterns that arise. The divine code is something deeply embedded in nature and even our own physiology. The appreciation of Fibonacci sequence and sacred geometry is what makes high level martial arts beautiful to watch.
As I reflect on my work and ultimately my path, I have no regrets. I’ve “messed up” a lot in my life but fortunately have been supported by a community that reminds me to fall down 7 times get up 8. The aberrant patterns in my shoveling reflect the rising and falling of information. It is essential to not beat ourself up over our imperfections but remind ourself and others to keep moving on the path.
As long as we are in the human condition, we are subject to imperfection externally. The challenge I believe is to embrace this imperfection and find meaning into how it serves our purpose. This holds true for any relationship be it with a loved one, job or leisure pursuit. It is not the search for perfection outwardly but your ability to realize every moment is perfect. As the legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi put it, “there is nothing outside of yourself that can ever enable you to get better, stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter. Everything is within. Everything exists. Seek nothing outside of yourself.”
Stay tuned: In the second installment, I will cover the body mechanics of snow shoveling from my experience that offer the most efficient use of energy sustainability and allow one to enter a calm mental state. In the third installment, I will show technical applications of the snow shoveling mechanics in martial arts.