Family

 This weekend was my parents 50th anniversary.  All the kids got together to host it and my parents siblings, friends and family joined us at the hall.  It was such a good time! Seth and Eagle came out to join us, that was also special.

It was not tons of work as all the girls did a section so the work was split up and it all came together.  How is this related to Kung fu? 

Small consistent work by each person was able to bring together a successful event, just like our demos.  Also family is the most important thing about in my life.  This also includes my Kung Fu family.

On a side note, I have been working on contraction and expansion during my circular motions in Da Mu Hsing.  Sifu Brinker explained that I should also be feeling that in my linear moves and presto…another aha moment!  I  didn’t think it would come so fast after the last one.

NUMBERS

Situps (modified):  4039

Pushups (modified): 4850

KMs: 493.37 

AOKs: 375

Da Mu Hsing: 108

Weapon Form: 65

Sparring: 57

Germain: 2664

Meditation: 455

Tai Chi: 623

Decluttering: 380

Yoga, Stretching, Exercise: 600

Days of Zen: a few days behind 😳

A little goes a long way!

Finally after being on a steroid inhaler and steroid nasal spray, I am starting to feel better.  Things that have been piling up around me during the illness are not only bugging me, but I am doing something about them.  Checking items off my list. 

I am looking forward to my exercise class tomorrow even though I will be doing the chair version of the exercises and really pacing myself because I do not want to have any setbacks.  I am hoping this is the last of the illnesses and I am looking forward to a summer of doing more.  

Mike and I bought electric bikes and we plan on biking to our classes but this just hasn't been in the cards yet.  I am also worried about Canada Day coming up and doing our demos as I have not been doing my reps.  I am frustrated because my pushups and setups were progressing nicely and now I am back to square one but as I stated above, I just need to pace myself and start again because a little goes a long way.  A few minutes every day will have tremendous impacts.  My German has come a long way when I look at where I started although I am terrified to even try a sentence out loud as my pronunciation is a bit to be desired. 

Sick AGAIN!

 My body has decided to get all immunity that it has missed over these last three years.  I now have a deep cough and combined with the vertigo (I had to have two treatments last week) I am wiped and the work week is just starting😡.  I have to keep reminding myself “this too shall pass”.  So pacing myself and hoping this will finally clear up soon .

Our Amazing Bodies

Have you ever wondered how amazing the human body is? Injury makes you acutely aware of how your body compensates in remarkable ways. The last 10 days I’ve been struggling with bad vertigo and yesterday at Physio I was told to close my eyes and stand on one leg. I could not lift that foot off the ground without almost falling over. Balance relies on three key components:  Vision, Vestibular Function, Proprioception. 

Last year I was struggling with neuropathy, and I had to work very hard on my proprioception. I still feel that in my feet when I am transferring weight in my forms, it is especially evident in Tai Chi. Now, the vertigo that I’m experiencing is affecting the nerve to the inner ear (Vestibular Function). By removing my sight, my physiotherapist could quickly determine that vision was the major compensation that I was doing for balance. The physiotherapist is not sure if I will regain my previous balance, but it is getting better, and next week we start retraining my body again. 

It’s amazing how many ways your body can compensate without you being aware of it.  Be mindful and use those clues that we are given!

NUMBERS

Situps (modified):  3930

Pushups (modified): 4530

KMs: 493.37

AOKs: 271

Da Mu Hsing: 91

Weapon Form: 53

Sparring: 56

Germain: 1803

Meditation: 335

Tai Chi: 513

Decluttering: 320

Yoga, Stretching, Exercise: 540

Days of Zen: every day done

Tired of being sick and tired

 The last six weeks I have been off and on with being sick.  I seem to get better for the weekend and then off again.  Last Friday I got hit with the worse dizziness I have felt and it hasn’t gone away.  My balance is affected and my head is filled with cotton.  Staring at a computer screen is exhausting and I am having lots of naps.  Doctor thinks it’s just an inner ear issue and I have meds to try to help but they aren’t working yet.  I also have a physio appointment next Tuesday for vestibular therapy.  Fingers crossed!

So I continue to be away from class but I am sure this will pass and things will pick up again.  

Back!

Just about to head into my first class in a month. I’ve been struggling with recovery of a cold.  I would get better and then after Sil Lum it would hit me again until the end of the week and then it would start again. 

That being said I have been unable to do much physical activity so my numbers are not good but now I’m feeling better and even did most of my exercise class yesterday.  Hopefully today will go well but I know I will have to be very mindful of my actions.  Still I’m excited to be back!

Numbers next blog!

Contraction/Expansion

I’ve been having difficulties in Da Mu Hsing when I do spins and this causes the following moves to lack connection.  I found I would throw off my centre and then I was falling into the next moves.

Is my foot position wrong? Am I spinning too fast? Am I raising my centre? Are my harmonies working together? When I focused on one, others would fall apart.

As I talked with Sifu Brinker, he emphasized that I need to contract and then expand at the end.  This is changing my whole intent.  As I focus on the contraction/expansion, I no longer worry about my feet, speed of spinning, or my centre yet these are all fixed by changing my focus.  

This is my first big “aha” moment where one action groups in a whole bunch of others. Can’t wait till that next one comes.