What’s with all the pretence?

I returned from to the UK from the US on Friday. I had spent 10 days competing and training in Judo at the Olympic Training Centre, in Colorado Springs. It was lovely, hard work in a training specific environment with everything from food, equipment and physio support dedicated to helping Olympic and Paralympic athletes from mixed sporting backgrounds achieve their goals. The athletes were obviously motivated and dedicated but most of all they were friendly and supportive.

On Saturday afternoon I headed to a local castle with my wife to give the kids a chance to fly their new lightening McQueen kites. Altitude in Colorado made walking up the stairs hard work, Jet lag made walking up the hill just as hard but I was reliably informed by my daughter that was the best place to fly the kite.

On reaching the top I saw what looked like a Yoga practitioner striking some very impressive posses whilst their partner took photos. Impressed at their obvious strength and flexibility and ensuring the kids did not get in the way of the shots I smiled and said hello. Their reaction was dismissive, cold and arguably ignorant. It’s a kind of arrogance or superiority you unfortunately see all too often in the health arts.

I could not help but think I how I had spent the last week with people from all over the world kicking the stuffing out of each other and they were all friendly and nice. There seems to be an inherent flaw in the many of the health arts. Such arrogance may be a result of insecurity, but whatever the reason the balance people love to talk about is all too often lacking.

When all is said and done we practice breathing and movement for health, nothing special or mysterious. The health benefits should positively affect the body and mind and if successful should be reflected in our day to day behaviour. At the bottom of the hill we met some extremely friendly dog walkers, likely no extreme flexibility or breathing techniques at their disposal but plenty of good, healthy, strong energy. There are lessons to be learnt in all walks of life and from all people. Pretence is a disguise like any other and there is no place for it in honest, healthy practice.

The Movement of Meditation, Seminar in Dent

Finding your optimum state for rejuvenation.

Held in the beautiful, tranquil setting of Dent Meditation centre this seminar introduces the ideals and principles that underpin Qigong and Taoist Internal Meditation Exercises. Using relaxation, breathing, visualisation and gentle movement to harness, direct and connect with your inner energy.

The day will enable you to feel the benefits of Qigong allowing your body to find it’s optimal sate for rest and rejuvenation whilst helping you understand how Qigong and meditation can be relevant to your every day life as well as any other practise you do.

Special Moving Meditation Day with Tai Chi instructor Gavin Towers coming up on Saturday, May 25.  See course programme for details.

Be still.  Be inspired.  Be Free.

For information visit http://www.meditationcentre.co.uk

The Essence Lies in Rei

Rei   – Japanese – literal meaning salute, bow.

I am regularly involved in conversations relating to health and martial arts. I enjoy such discussions and hearing different peoples outlook on what is a diverse practical and academic subject.

One such conversation, with a practitioner of many years, left me a little saddened. They reflected on their practice in relation to one of their peers concluding they had been left well behind. Their words made me reflect on the essence of what I practice and why I practice.

The following day I was reading The 20 Guiding Principles of Karate, The Spiritual Legacy of the Master Gichin Funakoshi. The first principle underpinned my feelings.

“Do not forget that Karate Do begins and ends with Rei”.

In all martial and health arts as in life, without Rei and all it entails the fabric of society and human beings is eroded.

For those who believe their outlook lies purely in a Japanese or Chinese lineage it is worth remembering, as highlighted in this book, that before the name Karate Do (the way of the empty hand) was adopted it was referred to as Karate Jutsu (Chinese hand technique).  What’s more once you begin to read the principles their interpretation is clearly open to your understanding, context and art.

It is not always easy to recognise practitioners who have studied for many years and yet failed to grasp the concept of Rei, affording it little other than body and lip service. Humbly they move and speak as though they are all knowing, convinced by their own hype sure of their practical expertise, experienced based or otherwise they are, in their own opinions, experts. They can be so convincing that those around them believe them without assessing or questioning their behaviour.

“A persons deportment may be correct, without a sincere and reverent heart they do not possess true Rei” (P20)

The basic academic/linguistic assessment of the word Rei enables such individuals to tick a box. Believing that knowledge of techniques, forms or meridians somehow elevates them to a place where they can bypass the foundations to revel in what they consider to be the essence. Put more philosophically their lack of root and grounding feeds their belief that their expertise allows them to reside in amongst the blossom while their students and anyone else languish down below. The roots, trunk and branches analogy is relevant in all areas of practice.

If Rei does not relate to life and all that you do then you have not progressed in your art and your art will not progress. Amassing greater academic or physical knowledge does not reflect on an individuals ability to grasp, absorb and proliferate the real essence of an art, it is merely a reflection on their academic or physical ability.

There is no progress without Rei, no substance to practice, no nourishment of the art. Arts began with and evolve through Rei. Rei is the constant in all things and a true reflection of our nature and essence.

In our essence lies our Rei, in this we see a reflection of our progress in life.