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The world has changed. The most vile, perverse, and inconceivable
attack of terrorism on America has taken place, and it's effects at
this
moment are still not known. The true ramifications of this action
could be considered as inconceivable as the action itself, yet
hopefully
they remain just, and honorable on the side of our country. Now
is
the time however, when capitalization upon this event have taken their
course. Nevertheless, the editorials within this website will not
fall under the heading of capitalization, for they will take a
different
path. That of respect, and honor for those that have passed from
this world, and aid those who are still with us. Some people
paint,
some people sing, I write. I also train in the art of
Self-Preservation
and Self-Defense, and now, more then ever, both of these "hobbies" can
be put to good use for the good of our nation. I encourage all of
you reading this and the other editorials to do what you can in this
new
environment to help those around you. Not only is it the right
thing
to do, but it may save lives.
Now
let's get
to work.
The subject I want to cover on this issue of the Kenpo Chi section has
very little to do with physically defending yourself. Well, sort
of anyway. I want to discuss relaxation for a moment, or more to
the point we are going to discuss a popular method of relaxation.
The reason for this can be best described by one of our favorite
quotes.
We as Kenpo students should have the ability to remain calm in a
burning
building. No matter your self-defense opportunity (I'm working on
being more politically correct in my editorials) or your capacity for
defense,
if you are tense or anxious, you are going to hinder those
capabilities.
The ability to remain calm in an unfortunate situation is often key to
surviving the situation in tact (ya I know, my "pc" level just ran
out).
Your mind and body will work to more heightened state then otherwise,
and
a more feasible outcome should be attained instead of clouded judgment
with a tense mind. As far as Kenpo operation, well, as we all
should
know relaxation is KEY to good Kenpo practices. The problem is in
certain situations, relaxation is extremely difficult to attain.
Thus the reason why we wrote this little editorial. We wanted to
impart a rather popular method of relaxation with a discussion on a
meditation
exercise we use frequently, and why it is important to internalize this
ability.
The exercise is rather simple to do, thus the reason we chose it.
You can do the exercise anywhere, such as sitting, lying down, even
standing
with great care as to not falling down. The example we are going
to use is from a sitting position, due to you are probably sitting down
while reading this online.
Place
both of your feet flat on the floor comfortably, possibly shoulder
width
apart depending on how comfortable you will be. You will want to
regulate your breathing in 4's: four counts breathing in, four
counts
breathing out. Try to put this paragraph in the middle of your
screen
so you can read it hands free. Place your arms comfortably on the
top of your thighs or your legs, and make sure that you are sitting up
straight in your chair. Now start by relaxing your feet first,
and
slowly move this feeling of relaxation up the front of your shin.
Imagine every muscle as you move up the front of your legs is melting
and
falling to the floor. Follow this feeling of relaxation up the
top
of your thighs and as you reach your hands, move this feeling to your
hands
as well. Slowly move this feeling of relaxation up your arms and
the top of your legs, through your stomach and to your biceps, to your
chest and shoulders (making sure they remain straight and not slumping
them over). Now combine these relaxation paths as you connect to
the front of your neck, move up to relax your face and up to the top of
your head. Once you have reached the top of your head, move this
melting relaxation feeling down the back of your head and neck.
When
you reach your shoulders, split the feeling again down the back of your
arms or your triceps, and down your back. Continue this feeling
down
through the palms of your hands and the back of your legs, through your
heels and to the floor. To
release
this state or relaxation you have put yourself in, use the same path
you
started with, and slowly tighten and release your muscles along those
paths.
While you are in this relaxed state, there is a meditative activity you
can use to help to calm your mind as well as your body. In fact,
since you are at a computer, if you a the night skyscape screen saver,
then this will work easier then the explanation. As you may have
guessed this exercise is the reason we use the night background on
several
of our websites. When you have brought your entire person to a
relaxed
state, allow your mind's eye to see yourself, wherever you are.
Then
allow your mind to travel from your current position and "float"
through
the sky into the atmosphere. Continue from your relaxed state to
envision yourself floating through space, with stars and planets
traveling
past you as you move forward. Try to image these things in
detail,
leaving little to chance. When you feel you should stop, imagine
yourself traveling back to the Earth's atmosphere, and return to where
you are in your mind's eye. Once you have returned mentally,
release
yourself from your relaxed state with the release exercise mentioned
above.
There are many exercises you can try to achieve the subject we are
talking
about today, and the examples in this editorial are just some things to
try. The idea we are trying to get across with this discussion on
relaxation is this: to really make your Kenpo go, you've gotta
get
into a state of "flow." Sorry, thought we be a real dork for a
moment.
However, the general idea remains the same, relaxation will aid you not
only in Kenpo, but in life itself.
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