Modern Chiishi?
I found this today, thought it was pretty funny:
Wannabe chiishi
It’s basically a modern chiishi! Just had to share, hope you find it entertaining as I did. The training videos actually imitate some of the basic motions with the chiishi during hojo undo training.
Balance
Balance is something I’ve always had trouble with. It’s been a problem since the very beginning. I have an “all or nothing” type of personality, which I found to be very dangerous. I believe achieving balance in life is crucial to happiness. Up until this point, I was out of balance, and never did anything about it. I always felt like something was missing in my life, but never felt I was able to get it back.
To further illustrate my point, now that I am training again (and following the path to what I believe is my destiny), the little things that bothered me on a daily basis seem insignificant. What used to bother me everyday for the past few months just seemed to disappear. Is this just a coincidence? I say no. I can’t say that I’ve achieved the balance that I seek, but working towards it most definitely does affect my mood and overall outlook on life.
I almost feel like I can’t put into words what balance means to me and my ultimate goal. To be completely honest, I truly believe it will make me or break me. When I was younger, Karate was my highest priority. This allowed me to reach high levels in my training, but at a cost. I never had much of a social life. I never really hung out with my friends. My friends were all in the dojo. By no means do I regret this; after all, the training and my friends helped to shape who I am and where my life is today. But I did sacrifice some things as a result of being out of balance.
I found a great article which inspired me to write about balance tonight:
Response to a question: Shinsokai Blog
In that article the author talks about something Miyazato Sensei talked about with him:
I think this is great advice. I was out of balance when I was younger. I had it backwards. Karate was my main priority. I know that my wife would not want to feel second to Karate, nor would I want her to feel that way. If I give too much to my relationship with Karate, my relationships in other areas of my life will suffer. This is not how things were intended to be I’m sure. Imagine if I told my boss I can’t work one day because I have to train…I’d be out of a job!
In closing this is probably the most important thing I need to keep in mind: always seek balance in my life.
My first day back
So I started my training last night. I trained in my house. No gi, just shorts and a tshirt. I spent about 20 minutes warming up and stretching. I didn’t do my normal junbi undo routine, because I lost so much of my wind from not training (and sitting at a desk 5 days a week) and I want to take it slow so I don’t hurt myself. I don’t want to ruin my motivation I have now with an injury. That would be really bad.
A quote is coming to mind that I feel fits the situation. I can’t recall if it was a quote from Gichin Funakoshi, or if Miyazato Sensei (of the Jundokan) told me this during one of my visits to Okinawa. Something along the lines of:
I feel great today. My legs are sore from sitting in shikodachi (horse stance) until my legs started to tremble. My chest is sore from the small amount of push ups I did. The soreness feels great however. It serves as a reminder of the training, and helps to keep me in check. I even started a bit of a diet as well, since my eating habits are not the best.
I slept really well as well last night. I don’t know if it’s because I was just tired from the training, or if my mind was at ease after my workout. I think it was the latter. I did feel great during and after training, I had a great sense of fulfillment and accomplishment. Training today will be light, and probably at home as well.