The Defining Characteristic of Being Relaxed
To be relaxed is to move simply; to move simply is to be relaxed. By relaxed, I don't mean the absence of tension. Similarly, by simple, I don't mean the absence of complexity. In both instances, the "quality" that's absent is superfluous, extraneous movement.
The purpose of movement drilling is to become more relaxed and simple in such movement. If no part of your anatomy or psyche is getting in the way of what you're doing, you are, in that moment, truly relaxed and truly simple in your movement. With each practice repetition (and they should all be practice, even if they're for real), invite those parts of you that are fighting against you (or getting in the way what you're "willing" to happen) to cease operating at all. After a while, those very same parts can be invited back into your movement pattern, only now they'll have an opportunity to not just not fight against what you're doing, but help bolster and refine it. There's nothing like having your whole body and mind working together synergistically to create a symphony of perfectly coordinated, whole-body movements (what I like to call "movement integrity" or "movement integratedness"). Such movement becomes the uncontrived expression of your total personhood.
Strive for this—or, rather, invite it to occur. It's the foundation, basis, and end game of all movement mastery.
Peace...
My new book, Experiments in Prayer: Monastic Practice in Ordinary Life, is now available on Amazon in Paperback and Kindle/eBook formats.
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100% of all author royalties are, most gratefully, donated in equal parts to Christ the King Church and Zoweh Ministries.
A Note to All My Blog and Social Media Friends and Followers:
I've made it a point, over the last decade, to accept friend and follower requests from any who ask. I think I've "defriended" only three or four people in the last ten years and did so only because they posted inappropriate material to one of my walls or timelines. Thankfully, it's been several years since anyone committed such a breech of etiquette.
I write all this to indicate I have many "friends" and "followers," whom I do not know personally (yet!). Lately, I've been getting countless (sometimes more than 200 a day) messages from people I don't know. Please know this: I speak a brief word of blessing over each person who sends me a message, but I can respond directly to only a few each day. If I did not discipline my activities in this way, I could, conceivably, spend my entire day every day responding to such messages.
By disciplining myself to the above social media activity-limitation plan, I in no way want to belittle or disrespect anyone or hurt anyone's feelings. My hope and prayer is that, even if I don’t respond to your message directly, you will know I cherish you and pray you'll experience God's love and grace personally and deeply. Experiencing God is the highest Good anyone could ever experience. May each of you experience such Good through your pursuits of Divine Union with Jesus Christ, the Eternal Living God.
As always, may the Lord bless you and keep you…
IKIGAI Weekly Blog Schedule (per The Training Trinity):
Mondays: Meditative Prayer
Wednesdays: Holistic Discipline
Fridays: Martial Arts Practice
www.TempleMartialArtsTraining.com
