What is motion? "The action or process of moving or being moved" It is something that we do as soon as we are born but takes a lifetime to master. Watch a toddler and you are amazed at how they can climb on couches that are at their shoulders. They are flexible and strong but they lack the stability and the experience. A teenage is flexible, agile, and fearless but they lack the wisdom. As you grow older, you lose the flexibility, the fearlessness, and bad habits have set in but you have wisdom and persistence to keep moving.
So how does Kung Fu help with motion? It teaches you proper techniques but it does so much more. It does not matter how young or old you are, Kung Fu gets you to start "feeling" your movements. It makes you realize bad habits and helps you work on breaking them.
Since the first day I walked onto the mats, I have been working on my stances, my transitions, my movements. It seems just when you fix one thing, there is something else to work on. Through the years, the process for me has changed from being told when something is wrong, then to "feeling" something is wrong but needing to ask someone to tell me why, to now where I am "feeling" and then trusting myself to make the change required until it is right.
This was very evident during my last ski trip. I have always been able to turn left easier than right but when I started to "feel" the motion, I noticed I did not bend my knees as much and my center was higher and more forward than it should be. I did not think of why this was occurring, I just made the modifications needed and focused on that. Within a few turns, I had improved those right turns drastically and had a great day skiing. Another example was during one of my recent jogging days. I noticed I was feeling jarring on my shins so I modified how my foot was hitting the treadmill, what leg and glut muscles I was engaging, and how much shock I was absorbing in my knees. That was the first time that I actually ran for 5K without walking breaks! Even at work, when standing, I will do a mental check to make sure my knees are not locked. This is my current bad habit that I am working on fixing. How are locking my knees considered motion? Motion does not need to be drastic, it can be very obvious as when you change your stances, but it also can be very minute like when you tighten your muscles before impact during a punch or not locking your joints.
Our motion in Kung Fu is also linked with six harmonies. In the above skiing example, the first three physical harmonies are easily identified: Hips and shoulders, Elbows and Knees, and Hands and Feet. The three spiritual harmonies of Spirit with Intent, Intent with Chi, Chi with Power are harder to identify but they are still there. Spirit with Intent is in my willingness to always improve and then making the change, Intent with Chi is being found in the "feeling" when I am doing the motion, and Chi with Power is feeling the earth when I am executing that turn with no hesitation and with confidence.
So do not think that your movements or six harmonies are things you only work on in the Kwoon. By taking them out of the Kwoon, you will start to see huge benefits. I know that it has improved my posture, I walk more confidently on ice, I have started running, I climb stairs easier, and it has improved my skiing just to name a few. So always keep moving and take the time to "feel" that movement!
See you on the mats!
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