Listen for the whispers!

As the world rushes around us, we have forgotten to take the time to sit back and listen.  We don't take the time to listen to the sounds around us, listen to what the earth is saying, listen to our bodies. 


If you saw me in class at the end of the week, it looked like I was on the receiving end of a good punch but it was not that cool.  I have a cold sore.  I don't get them very often and it usually is a result of high stress.  I couldn't think of any unusual stress level that would cause it this time.  My friend told me that she gets them from the sun.  Bingo, Canada Day was lots of sun so that must be the reason.  My body was telling me something and I was still not listening because another one came last night, there was no sun exposure for this one so I had to look back on my week.  There were three nights of disrupted sleep, early mornings and late days at work.  My body was trying to tell me things but I could not hear until it until too late.


When I started KungFu, my body spoke to me right away.  There were sore muscles, lots of sweat, aching shoulders and knees, but now I realize that was my body screaming at me so it was easy to hear it.  As my journey continues, I am trying to hear the quieter noises like when a move feels right or when it doesn't.  


This week I have felt a coolness at my fingertips while doing Awakening The Dragon.  It has happened a few times now, is it chi? Maybe, but similar to a whisper in the breeze, I am only catching fragments.  I haven't been able to feel flow yet so tonight I walked barefoot on my grass and tried to focus on feeling the earth.  Just absorbing the sounds around me and feeling the strength of the earth in my feet.  It was truly amazing. 


I will continue to stand in the breeze and listen for the whispers, absorbing what is given to me.  I realize that I am starting a phase of my training where if I focus on one thing too much, the rest will just slip away.  I need to let myself be open to absorbing that which is around me, even if its tiny fragments for one day it will all come together.


See you on the mats!