| Focus | | | | Patience |
| Many students ask - what do I do with my eyes? | | | | Recently I have been translating for Liu Sifu - he |
| Where do I look? Regardless what the practice is | | | | has new students who do not speak much of |
| - standing, walking, moving - eyes are looking | | | | Chinese and I am amazed (again and again) how |
| straight but your mind does not register | | | | much patience he has. Each student is treated in a |
| information taken by your eyesight. The gaze is | | | | new way, with new perspective, so much |
| turned internally, observing your muscles, your | | | | appropriate for their personality. I stopped asking |
| legs, your hands, scanning every single part of | | | | how he does it, each time it is just as if he |
| your body with your mind. I used to go to | | | | knows how nature works. Of course, practicing |
| crowded places to train for competitions - the | | | | ba gua was helpful for increasing this insight |
| more distraction the better it was. Well, no doubt, | | | | (amongst other things). As I translate I keep |
| I learned how to focus and keep final destination | | | | rushing ahead, giving my perspective on what is |
| constantly in my mind - perfection of the body | | | | being said, talking about my experience while he |
| posture, allowing the energy to flow freely like | | | | sits calmly and waits for me to finish. Never a |
| cleaning blocked pipes or dirty chimneys. Meridians | | | | single comment, never a single request. I look at |
| are fresh, blood circulates to all parts of the body, | | | | new students practicing zhang zhuan (standing |
| there are no blockages and as qi starts in your | | | | stance) and keep thinking: they must be bored, |
| dan tian it swirls through the whole body and is | | | | there is so much more to it! And yet, I realize - |
| being released into the ground. To reach | | | | their mind and body are so occupied maintaining |
| perfection you first hear about what it is that you | | | | the proper standing stance as it looks simple to |
| are looking for and then step by step focus on | | | | an observer while the person practicing has busy |
| each requirement until you get it and lift yourself | | | | time thinking of all things that need to be done - |
| up to new horizons. I take focus as another | | | | usual case with internal martial arts. I learned |
| insight for daily living. | | | | patience by living in China and I know that |
| Flexibility (applies to practicing 1:1 with Sifu) | | | | patience is part of every journey - accept the |
| A lot of people are put off by the idea of martial | | | | fact that beginning is slow and that some things |
| arts for a simple reason that you need to wake | | | | you will do well, some will be hard. |
| up early and practice outside during winter. In my | | | | Determination and Discipline |
| opinion these are such minor components of the | | | | Over the course of 7 years of practice I have |
| whole practice and if you do get into practicing at | | | | learned one thing about internal martial arts - |
| dawn and during the winter than you are already | | | | there are times when I enjoy it, when the flow |
| into it that much that it does not matter. Your | | | | of it is so natural and free, by body wakens and |
| teacher may be flexible enough to assist you in | | | | mind empties itself accepting nature as the only |
| learning whenever it is convenient for you, some | | | | guide. As everything else in life, there are also |
| teachers take it easy during winter and if you | | | | times when I am lazy, I dread waking up in the |
| have a spacious apartment you can practice at | | | | morning, my body rebels, practice seems boring |
| home. So, first of all martial arts teaches about | | | | and I question if there is anything coming out of it. |
| flexibility. By being flexible I mean physically and | | | | Liu calls these times "guan" ("pass"). Each guan is |
| mentally because it is all connected and one | | | | blocking the way towards new learning, realization |
| directs the other. | | | | and expansion. So there is physical guan, lazy |
| Calm | | | | guan, guan of doubt etc. It is our choice to stop |
| Another simple implementation of martial arts in | | | | and retreat from practice or to continue and see |
| daily living is that you learn how to keep being | | | | what awaits us behind the obstacle. Usually it is |
| focused and relaxed while doing strenuous | | | | expansion of physical and mental experience: body |
| exercise. The practice gets your body to twist in | | | | becomes stronger, mind reaches new horizons. |
| new directions, to use muscles you haven't used | | | | However, it does not mean that if you pass one |
| before, to learn what 'natural posture' means in | | | | guan you have finished with that lesson. For me, |
| terms of martial arts. After a while your body | | | | lazy guan keeps coming back but the time |
| becomes soft outside (for the observer) and hard | | | | needed to pass it is getting shorter and shorter. |
| inside (you experience the flow of qi in your | | | | Lessons are fulfilling enough for me to realize that |
| body). Simply, if you manage to keep your body | | | | determination and discipline is what takes me |
| relaxed during strenuous exercise then in daily | | | | further towards abundant and balanced living. |
| living you can maintain being relaxed in stressful | | | | With flexibility, calm, focus, patience, determination |
| situations. Needless to mention, daily practice | | | | and discipline I look forward to every new |
| enables you to remain calm and focused despite | | | | challenge. |
| the circumstances and the environment. | | | | |