“The earths atmosphere, which is electromagnetic, would not be possible without the earths core being the way it is. The Earths core is hot and high pressure, like our own physical centre. The surround electromagnetic atmosphere of the Earth can be likened to the nervous system. So the core directly affects the nervous system, and the nervous system is not possible without the core. So you can transform you energy and situation by working with this core in ways that are not possible otherwise. “
When you perform an action from the core, it radiates outwardly to the periphery. This is the case for any martial arts movement. In fact, it takes a lot more competence to do this than to perform the move superficially. So the idea is to move the core, the abdomen, and then extend out from there. It does not happen the other way around, that you start with the limb first, and hope that this creates a whole body motion.
It is like how the Earths rotation begins at the core, and this moves the mantle and the plates. The plates and the surface do not move the core. In the same way, the chemical receptors on a plants do not make its roots grow. If pesticide is used too much, then this just impedes the plants overall development of certain internal processes which produce these things naturally. The same thing goes on in the human body. In terms of movements, the internal signals which are related to the core, function much better if the core is the initiator of the movements. This helps you memorise and imbed certain movements more deeply. Even on a superficial level, it is better to perform core movements because the core leads all basic movements. In this way the only things that changes is the particular limb you are using when driving from the seat of the abdominal core. So your kicking and punching becomes very similar.
Knowing the Unknown
When you do a punch, it is only a punch from the core if it starts at the core. This is why in martial arts they say “Hit from the core”. This core is the abdomen or Hara Centre as it is known. “Ha” means Sun in Chinese. According to the Indian Sutras, “Ha” means the same thing too, and “Ra” refers to a radiant sun, the centre of the Universe. So together, “Ha-ra” can be taken to mean the earths centre, or the universal centre. It is from the centre that the rest of creation happens. You can only illuminate the vastness of the unknown from the high pressure centre which eventually creates light. In the Solar System, energy starts as non visible. This energy only becomes visible light after some time when it extends out from the Sun and certain particles react at a certain distance from the source as the pressure drops. This is the case with Martial Arts.
The Hara Centre, the physical centre of the body, is the only energy centre which can transmit itself anywhere in the body directly. It manifests differently depending on the action. In terms of technique, it can go to the arms, legs, or elsewhere physically. This is why it is universal in nature. In others words, it is not just located in the abdomen, the energy can be transported anywhere. The lower abdomen is the source. For example, if you drive a nail into a block of wood, you do so from the core, just as you do with say, a golf swing. This applies to everything. It starts one place and ends up somewhere else. All these things are driven from the core. It is impossible to start from the end, because this isn’t yet in your experience. This is why in the traditional arts they never rushed learning, nor were they given to over analysis.
It is just because you don’t know how to do a movement before you have learnt it that we say “drive from the core”. You cannot do a complex kick before you have learnt to do this. So you practice something you don’t know by doing something you do already know. This is why I always say “drive from the core” first. Personally I don’t bother with explaining all the details of a particular move because this becomes obvious over time with the right fundamental platform. This platform is a strong core. It is not necessarily an athletic strength, but the right energy and maneuverability.
So develop the Hara Centre first. It is only possible from there to know the unknown. It is only when this unknown comes into your direct experience that you learn the mysteries of martial arts. The core functions much better in children. this is why they learn everything naturally. The adult core usually becomes lazy from excessive sitting and poor lifestyle habits which we develop in society. The point is that we can switch on this source to learn anything like a child does, even as an adult. So this core is like the little white dot in the Dark space of the Yin Yang symbol. This is called mastering technique, so that it manifests properly.
Drugs and Chemicals
The expression Energy takes can vary dramatically depending on a number of factors. But when it originates in the Hara Centre and finds expressions elsewhere, then there is some discretion and volition as to where it ends up. Otherwise, if it starts elsewhere, it is often an unconscious act, or simply accidental. Conscious acts are always intentional and consciousness is always a choice. Let’s say that the energy is taken in from external sources, such as some sort of chemical supplement. Such chemicals tend to inebriate the system so that it acts purely from a chemicals basis, or dampens other energy sources in the body. This is the problem with drugs and chemical supplements1.
So chemical energy is itself a manifestation of pressure and heat. These are naturally occurring when things begin in the gut. For instance, many chemicals can be created internally which people are now ingesting more and more because their system has gone taken a kind of backwards step. This takes a bit more time and particularly a mediative digestion, so that the body can rest and regenerate properly2. But people are “Go, go, go” all the time. It is for this reason that Excessive physical training can happen at the surface level, because the chemicals are just being replaced by supplements. It is like with plants. The soil quality is going down, so fertiliser and chemical sprays are needed just to get some fruit and ward off disease. None of this is necessary until you exceed the natural capabilities of the earth. The Hara Centre is like the Earth.
So chemicals come in, then they will run their course over a certain period of time and then dissipate at some level. Often, these chemicals are being abused, so the natural production goes down and a kind of external dependance happens. Of course, the biggest intoxication from outside occurs when greed and corruption take over in the mind. It is for this reason that in the traditional arts, they urged against competition and prestige. Competition is fine once you have develop the necessary mental fortitude. In my experience, there are so many life lessons which I have absorbed that it almost derailed me completely. So if I didn’t have the necessary inner tools of development, I would have been broken by certain experiences. This is why I stress “Meditation, meditation, meditation”, or some kind of meditative dimension and development of this.
Overcoming Self Deception
The biggest deception if from the intoxication of conquest. The lust for conquest brings about the same disorders as actual chemical abuse in many cases. This is a false high. This is referred to as Maya in the Indian systems, or simply self deception. This is because when you overcome the need for these things, it is as if they never happened and the events become meaningless. This is not so with any reality which is learnt from the core of truth, which is the Hara Centre. There is nothing wrong with chemical supplements, they can be taken if needed. But the very same things can be created internally, setting in process and lasting mechanism. The results are often the same but more sustainable. But what a difference it makes if you can produce these things internally.
Inter Transformation
We have looked at how the Hara Centre can transmit itself anywhere in the body. With the other centres of the body, such as the chest or head, these act as relay points, so the energy takes a more roundabout route. There are exceptions to this, such as Martial Arts masters whose physical body’s have failed them but they have developed the proper energy channels. These are exceptions however. With the Hara Centre, it can reach anywhere. It is like how you can create a heater with the use of electricity, there are transformers involved in that kind of technical process to convert energy. If you want to create heat, movements is needed for example. Movements is a kind of transformer in the human body. There is all sorts of mind work that goes into it, such as knowledge and motivation to move. This is why in many ways, reality begins in the mind. Importantly, the mind is linked to the gut, not just the brain.
The earth itself transforms heat into water, and then water into steam. All of these processes are only possible because of the earths core dynamo, which is molten iron largely. This is like the Hara Centre. The earths atmosphere, which is electromagnetic, would not be possible without the earths core being the way it is. The Earths core is hot and high pressure, like our own physical centre. The surround electromagnetic atmosphere of the Earth can be likened to the nervous system. So the core directly affects the nervous system, and the nervous system is not possible without the core. So you can transform you energy and situation by working with this core in ways that are not possible otherwise.
Let’s look at technique. If the punch begins at the shoulder, then you are not punching from the core. You can still do it, but a lot of additional steps are taken, often unconsciously. So the idea behind “using the core” or the abdomen, comes from this idea that from this centre of mass everything spreads outwardly. There is an inner intelligence that grasps this intuitively. So if you get this, then you are 90% of the way there. Why 90%? because the microorganisms of the body account for 90% of the body’s make up. And these guys are largely in the core and work according to the gut primarily. From the core, the rest radiates outwardly. In terms of cognition and learning, if the brain and nervous system attempt to perform a particular movement without the cores involvement, the results are limited. This can produce many problems, such as over use injury and a whole host of physical ailments, particularly later on in life.
From Gross to subtle
If you point a finger, this can be performed from the core, or you can simply wave the arm out and point the finger. If the action is led from the core, then the finger pointing is just the final expression at the end of the movement. In other words, it is the end phase of a core movement. You might say, that everyone can point a finger, what’s so special about that? However, anyone who doesn’t pay attention and concern towards these things on the path of martial arts is setting themselves up for problems. This is why in the traditional systems, the master would look at how you conducted yourself in every aspect. So to take care of the large, you can pay attention to the small things, which is required if you wish to transform these initial steps into greater possibilities. The idea that you can do something carelessly but repeatedly and yield good results is completely wrong. You go from basic to complex, from gross to subtle expertise.
So one initial movement sets up the possibilities for the next. It is the same with a punch. You rotate the core into the punch and there is a lot more power and transmission of energy as a result. This is because it began from the centre of mass and transformed into a punch as part of a complex process. It’s not like you get each phase technically correct separately and then it works. No, instead you have to transform one phase into another. It is like the pressure of the earth gradually dissipates as you move away from the core. This creates the complex physical reality around us. Due to this pressure release, other forms of energy, such as gravitational energy and electromagnetic energy, gradually express themselves. These act upon the physical word we experience. This is a complex process, but it is an intuitive one. Gravity can then act upon larger masses, whereas it is weaker the closer you get to the centre. This is because other more powerful forces of Chi energy, or radiation in Scientific terms are happening closer to the centre. This is also known as dark matter1.
So in the human being, when you perform a punch, it is only possible because of a release of energy which gradually takes another form. This is how you create something from nothing. This nothing actually contains the whole possibility, it just that this has not been Brough to bare in your experience yet. But it will the more you work with it. This is why there are no set traditions other than oral transmission in most traditional systems. You have to work for it internally.
Self Creation
If you just swing the arm at the opponent, then there is an entirely different effect even if it looks the same as a punch from the core. This is why there is so much emphasis on breathing from the core, digesting properly from the core, and moving from there in the traditional systems of martial arts. The diamonds are produced there. In the Earths core, Molten Iron erupts out of the surface from the core. It is only when the atmosphere changes that we see the diamond formation of this same heat energy, which has now solidified. These diamond are what we create in martial arts, expressions of high pressure which have materialised. The Earth doesn’t think about it, it is an energy intelligence. These diamonds can absorb electromagnetic waves from the earths atmosphere. So the Earth itself generates an electromagnetic fields which sustains the outer surface. The same thing happens in us, and this is entirely intuitive when you develop the right perceptions through practice. When you rely too much on physical strength of the limbs, you can easily forget about using the core properly. This leads to various injuries, which although inevitable sometimes, become chronic and excessive. It is just like if you exploit the nutrients of the earth more quickly than they are created, you will likely have issues.
Let’s take the example of digestion. If you eat whole foods, or healthy foods generally, then these have to be digested in the stomach properly. The thing about sugar is that it goes straight out of the stomach and into the blood stream. It doesn’t go into deep nourishment, such as bone and deep tissue regeneration. This is why it is linked with so many internal problems, even if it gives you a sugar hit. Healthy whole food on the other hand, goes into reproducing the cells and creating an entire person. Over the course of around seven years, Science has show the the entire organisms cells are likely to be replaced. This isn’t so if degeneration is happening too much at the same time as replenishment. So when anything is done at the surface level, whether that is learning or nutrition, there is a certain level of nourishment which gets neglected and undermined..
When blood sugar builds up too much, you can get a range of health complications, such as nerve damage, and inability to produce enough insulin. We have also looked at how osteoporosis may happen too, because the bones need nourishment, not just the muscles and blood. So when a person exists at the surface level, what you end up with is an irritable or excitable mood with a kind of frantic and compulsive disposition. This undermines health obviously. This can in itself lead many of types of mental health conditions, as well as physical ailments. The variety of these are countless, and exploding across the world. From this, we can see that a physiological problem can become a psychological one quite easily, once certain patterns of behaviour become habitual. So certain patterns of behaviour are thought replenish or undermine ones pre birth energy, or chi.
The point is that what appears to be a mental health issue, often has its origins in the physiological or energy realm. So by taking care of the physiology, you end up taking care of the mental side. This is the same with martial arts. It is often the case that people train with all sorts of gels and sugary liquids, just to keep certain chemicals active in the blood stream. From a performance perspective this has some benefits, such as making one more aggressive and reactive. This comes at a heavy price, because it intoxicates your system just like a drug. Drug and chemicals are just a different part of the cycle. You take them in and perform some activity. It is possible to take in various supplements properly, but that is something else. It requires a level of self restraint and awareness to perform certain activities properly. From a health perspective, over supplementation is not only stupid but disastrous. So when the body eventually breaks down with age and wear and tear, the solution for many is to take a cocktail of supplements to keep the game going. But this only hastens decline or fails to get at the source of the problem to change things.
The Yogic culture has a form of practice known as the Yoga of sound, or Nada Yoga. In martial Arts, the sound is used to support the various movements. This involves knowing about proper breathing and how to do it. Just as the painter knows which brush stroke to use on the paper, so too does the martial artists know which sound form to use. Both do it as it needs to happen. The painter strokes up and down in a descending or ascending order. The breathe works the same. So even if you are breathing rapidly in and out, it is even possible to follow a certain ebb and flow, which is actually going on outside of you. So these are universal laws rather than artificial ones. Otherwise you end up cacophonous and out of sync.
In martial arts the sound form can be audible or inaudible, that is, it can be silent or external. When you are meditating, it tends to become silent. You can even get to a point where the breathe becomes still, although there is still an in and out happening. This is because there is a flow which happens externally too, which has to do with the atmosphere and the subtle universal influence. So generally speaking, the slower breathing is less taxing on the body and lowers stress. The more rapid breathing create a certain inner pressure, which also creates lower pressure elsewhere. In this way, the Hara Centre, which is in the abdomen, creates a sustained pressure through martial arts practice. This naturally creates a lower pressure in the upper aspects of the body such as the chest and brain.
So even if you are doing heavy work, you will benefit from a lower base level or an ability to slow down at will during certain periods. These low pressure periods also create the opposite tendency elsewhere, and one who is aware of this can use such changing weather states to their advantage. It is exactly like the changing of the weather, high pressure creates a vacuum somewhere else. This is why warriors of the past spent around half the day meditating and the other half fighting. It was understood that by creating a certain inner pressure, and then moving this upwards, you could create the very basis of growth and power. There are many aspects to this. This is known as separation of charge, which essentially means that you are both high pressure and low pressure, which creates the right kind of atmosphere for development and evolution.
When you are exerting yourself physically, the breathe becomes more externally bound. Even then however, you may want to control the breathe rather than let it all out. For example, if you want to control the breathe so the opponent doesn’t perceive you as scared, this obviously has practical benefits. In the past particularly, warriors would have to hide from deadly animals who could pick up faint breathing sounds, so they disguised their breathing in many ways.
Because of various constraints in the past, such as lack of writing tools, the sound forms were passed on from generation to generation by physical demonstration only. This is known as the oral tradition. The oral tradition was effective for demonstrating the quality of a form, so that that this would be kept. The physical details were not so important as they are today, because everybody has their own different physical expression. This is particularly so with adepts, who look to become something unique rather than what has already been produced.
In martial arts there are particular subtleties which do not lend themselves to the written form. For example, the up and down movements of a block come out and then go back in the reverse of it rapidly. This is similar to how a snake snaps out and then goes back along the same path. So the snake was used to demonstrate this particular sinuous quality, which is considered more like the human being in terms of energy. Obviously another man looks more like a human body, but the energy aspect was what counted here. It is like going up and down an ascending and descending scale, rather than a beginning, middle and end. So in the book it will look like a preparation, execution, and recovery as demonstrated by a person. This is not how it is in reality. Everybody knows what a snake looks like and how it moves, so this picture paints a thousand words.
In the next part we will look at the particular syllables and utterances used in martial arts. We will also look at how the coloured belt systems represent the twelve and seven notes of sound. There are of course also seven or twelve colours depending on the system. This is not arbitrary and played in important role in the formation of traditional martial arts. Each of these sounds and colours represents a particular quality. For example, the “Aa” sound represents the beginning, and is used to relate the breath to the physical centre of the body, the Hara Centre. The breathe is used as a thread, just like a thread holds together beads into a structure. So the “Aa” sound links the sound to the form, ensuring that you have a stable base. This is why in martial arts you shout “Ha!” or some variation of this sound in a forceful exhale.
The instinctive drive to reproduce has undoubtedly played a part in the evolution of Martial Arts. The laws of the jungle say that certain species are here for two reasons, to hunt and to reproduce. There are other functions too, such as being part of the ecosystem, but essentially the basic drives of animals are to reproduce and to eat. The masculine force is driven towards the feminine, just as Yin interacts with Yang. Most species go about this as part of a cycle, according to seasonal conditions for example. These factors have played a significant role in the evolution of humans, which is now increasingly under conscious control, unlike in the rest off the animal kingdom. So, the difference between humans and animals is that we have a conscious awareness and a certain control over the processes of the mind and body. An animal does not, it is simply alive because nature wants it to reproduce and make way for the next generation. It is driven inn a certain way.
How is sexuality related to Martial Arts? It is not actually related in any way. However, the drive to reproduce can cause animals, including humans, to become hostile towards others they see as rivals. This is an example of how conflict can arise. Conflict often creates a hormonally driven exchange of territorial activity between such rivals. Or, it can be the other way round, and hormones drive people towards certain activity. This is often the basis for fighting in the wild, just as it can be in a nightclub for instance. This instinctive exchange over territory is not really what martial arts is about, even if it is what often drives combat. So it is a part of day to day experience more generally, and certain drives function according to different inclinations.
It is not just a case of enhancing your combat capabilities just to fight over a trophy or territory. Above all, martial arts is a process, and a war against the destructive tendencies which often drive a species towards the the grave ultimately. There have been many codes of conduct in martial arts for this reason. So the tendency to engage in such forms of survival are there within the warrior. Codes of conduct and practices put restraint on potentially desk destructive tendencies. The methods for addressing these forces are varied, depending on the individuals inclinations and expectations of life.
Testosterone is one chemical which is associated with both sexuality and combat. Will testosterone drive action? Certainly it will, but the question is, do you want to be driven by chemicals, or drive them consciously as you would a limb? For the man on the street, this may be what drives him towards attacking somebody or trying to impress or attract a partner. another individual may focus more on channeling this in some way to become a different prospect. In fact, if you get into a heated situation with somebody who is trying to appear dominant in front of a potential mate, then this might go very badly no matter which side you are on due to the volatility of such a situation. For someone who is driven hormonally in such a way, unless they beat the opposition and impress a potential mate in the process, they are unlikely to be satisfied. But that is not necessarily a very good state to be in if you want to become successful in the longer term beyond the immediate situation in hand. So martial arts involves activity which will bring the need to engage in volatile activity down drastically if it is done effectively. There are hormones, but it is not hormone driven.
There have been many ideas about sexuality and Martial arts. For instance, some say you cannot have sex before a competition for example. This is a popular notion in boxing circles, because they believe this will make the boxer more competitive. As I said before, this has nothing to do with martial arts. If a certain pressure is to be maintained within the system, it needs to have the necessary flexibility and circulation. If an electric circuit doesn’t have the right transformers, dampeners, insulation, etc., then it becomes a potential problem. So energy is energy, it doesn’t have a goal, the same energy can power a city of create an electric chair. This is why in traditional martial arts there has always been an emphasis on deep breathing and circulation after intensive bouts of activity, to clear the system of blockages and interference. This fullfills the requirements to make clear decisions. Martial Arts ensures that stagnation of energy is minimised and tension is not held in any particular region. So this is a way of developing balance and tempered fire power, so that the drive for intense activity becomes fulfilled.
At the same time, for many people having the right relationship and family situation can provide the necessary social and emotional support to succeed in martial arts and provide meaning in their life. This is another way of fulfilling unfulfilled needs. So Martial Arts involves building a quality within that utilises everything in its proper place, so that the need to take further action is gone. For some, if their family is with them, or their significant other, this can not only become a psychological boost but also a union of souls so that they are not alone in the fight. But the outcome of a war is not decided based on social factors, but they can be tools in the arsenal contributing to the outcome. It is the same as anything else, it is the striving within to evolve and Bette oneself, by whatever means appropriate to the individual.
Martial arts is not an activity, but a process. So to make sweeping statements about “You can’t have sex” or “You must have sex” don’t mean anything at all. Sex itself is based on the Muladhara chakra region, or the Hui Yin region in Chinese Systems. This is known as the most Yin or feminine centre in the body. The reason for base chakras significance in martial arts is because the tail is related to the head. The Sahasrara Chakra, or Bai Hui in Chinese systems, is known as the masculine or Yang centre, at the head level. So, within the individual, there is a longing of the feminine to unite with the masculine, just as their is in many other ways. This is obviously the same idea of physical union of a couple. This is symbolised by Shakti rising to Meet Shiva in Yogic systems. There are any number of references. Essentially, when the tow polar opposite energies converge, they can meet the highest point and unify. Otherwise, one is said to be too yang, or too yin. For example, a street thug who goes around in an agitated way pulverising people would be considered excessively yang. Others might say they are too masculine in a certain way. Here, feminine does not mean a woman, and masculine does not mean a man. It simply means two polarities interacting to create powerful new possibilities.
Because martial arts is rooted in conquest, it will always appear as though this is what its about. But this is not so. At the root level, Muladhara, there is always a striving to rise. If you were to judge a flower by its roots, you would never see it in terms of fragrance and flowering which was achieved by rising above certain conditions. At the same time, the root is to be studied, accepted, and seen in contrast to the flowers. If a plant manages to master and move beyond the root level, it uses such a platform for growth and stability. When life exists at that higher level, there is an increased nourishment from other sources of energy such as sunlight and oxygen, as well as soil. In the same way, when a martial artist moves beyond the periphery of experience with acceptance of it, they develop new dimensions within themselves. So these new dimensions are established from the roots, but are not experienced at the root level exclusively. This is because, experience can take a variety of directions even though all life follows a common direction.
So it is not a question of this much activity or that much activity. This isn’t how the body works. It is up to each individual to decide the amount appropriate to them. Take the example of food. Some people must eat a certain amount to maintain a certain weight. If somebody else tries this it might not be appropriate to them. The same goes with food types. Some people get on well with one type of food, other people get on with another type of food. There is no standardised amount really, other than guidelines. There are guidelines which apply to the average person, but the truth is that this average person does not really exist in reality. Energy is formless, so to look at the physical properties only is limited. So the more you individualise your own potential, the more of an outlier you will become and the less you represent the average. In other words, the more you realise your own individual strengths and unique qualities, the more of an authority you become on yourself. This all depends on how your energies function, rather than your form.
Take one hundred people who are very different and you will get an average which represents nobody in particular. If someone is stressed this may cause them to lose weight even if what they are eating remains constant. This shows how diverse each persons needs and requirements are in reality. Similarly, if someone does intensive meditation this may cause the energies to circulate rather than stagnate creating the appropriate level of metabolism for them, even if there is not much physical action going on. For another person, they may require intense activity in order to reduce the stresses building up within them. So for one person, sitting still is a way to experience a sense of balance and energised alertness. Here, all problems can then be worked out because by imitating stillness and silence, one may realise that they are not defined by activity. Getting themselves lost is good if it is done consciously. For another, the situation may require physical work so that they work out all the pent up energy and stress.
Saying that you must or must not think about something often has to opposite effect to what was intended. So if you tell a martial artist not to think about sex leading up to a competition, then in all likelihood that is what they will think about. This is why general prescriptions are actually harmful. But sexuality is a small part of the individual which is often blown out of proportion. In terms of energy it represents the roots of the organism. But the root also represents the top in many ways. However, if the roots end up imposing definitions on the head, this is like the army leading the general. The nature of the root is to sink into the earth not take the place of the crown. In Yoga for instance, Shiva does not come down to meet Shakti. The nature of any instinctive drive is activity, and to subside once it has been accepted and worked out. Yoga, martial arts, family relations, and other situations have all been employed as effective channelling methods in this way.
If, for example, you feel extremely angry and do some breathing exercises or martial arts activity, you soon feel as though this instinctive drive has been worked out and channelled appropriately. In a way it has subsided, in another it has transformed. In other words, anger was the beginning of action rather than an end in itself. Of course anger can be used in its original form, but it can also be worked out energetically. This is the nature of an intense energy, it requires activity of some kind to transform it. Lots of people do not realise that like any instinct, sexuality has many potential uses. The key is to engage with deep breathing or meditative exercises, such as Yoga and Tai Chi for instance, so that a transitory state can subside and can be easily transformed in a short time into vigorous energy, or what is known as oojas, in Yogic terminology.
The body is not responding to your instincts or drives, it’s just that the energies of the body have a multi dimensional nature depending on the activity. According to function you assign your energies, that’s where they will expand. So depending on the discretion of the mind and the inclinations of the individual, various energy states can be transformed or set in motion off the bat in one way or another. Energy functions according to not only the space you give it, but also the situation it meets within you according to the work you are doing and the direction of your efforts.
It is easy to get lost in the initial stages of activity without a proper road map or full view of the goal to be attained. Actually, a lot of the time people may have a map but they don’t know how to read it. For example, people get into martial arts because they like fighting. They may think this is because they are bad people, but it might be that their energies have come to the surface and they haven’t found effective methods yet. They only realise this later after some work and self understanding. Other people get into martial arts because they want to develop this urge towards self mastery rather than conquest over others. In terms of experience, there is nothing wrong or right about either way. Individuals are in various states of seeking towards fulfilment. Socially and morally there will be various opinions about it. But what’s important is the individual subjective experience and whether their activity is beneficial or not to their own development.
When you sit in meditation, train diligently with full attention, or simply perform an activity with awareness, there is no experience of sexuality, there is just energy functioning according to the situation. In the Garden of Eden, we have all heard of the tree of knowledge and the forbidden fruit. Knowledge divides things up into good and bad, right and wrong. The idea to pursue the tree of knowledge came because the snake fed Eve that information. Because of that, human life was said to be possible. So the Tree of Knowledge represents a certain kind of idea. The energy addresses this idea by cresting a certain form. In Yoga, Shiva is depicted with a snake at his head. Here, symbolically speaking, the snake and energy has risen to a different dimension to create a different form of expression. This energy is known as Kundalini, or cosmic energy rising. This is to indicate that the same energy which is responsible for reproduction of the species is involved in self realisation. So there is one energy, responsible for many forms depending on what your circumstances and situation is.
Aggression is powerful means of exerting your influence over situations in life. People can fight aggressively, sell a product aggressively, and can even meditate aggressively towards a goal. Aggression takes many forms, but it is the same energy. In martial arts, pent up energy, potential stored energy, can be used in order to land a decisive attack on the opponent. This shows how a potentially volatile energy can be channeled and externalised effectively. This is why people with excessive energy are drawn towards and tend to engage in military or martial arts training. Whatever the way of life, there is a need to direct and channel energy appropriately in order to give it a direction, or to simply let off steam. The only main difference between the scholar and the fighter is the direction of energy and the form it develops.
In Martial Arts, we say that one must become like water. Water takes many forms. Water can learn how to evaporate from a high pressure state of heat and aggression towards a low pressure state of steam. This is why the Martial artist must also develop the capability to become like fire. The fire heats the pan, which is represented by the Hara Centre and the Solar plexus, so that steam is created and the fighter becomes like air. The Hara centre and the solar plexus is located around the organs of the trunk, and this region contains systems of high pressure, conduction, and insulation. It’s all there to convert gross energy to more subtle forms.The characteristic of evaporated air is constant movement and rising towards lower pressure systems, which is represented by the mind. From here it drops back down again in an ongoing cycle.
Water drops its heavier elements and rejoins them later when it is time to come back down to earth from up high. It is like when you drop your bag and run somewhere else. You pick it up another time and it weighs you down once more. And yet, even when you drop the bag, it is the same you without the added weight. There is a time for carrying the load and working with it, and a time to drop it off. Symbolically, this represents the process of transformation which occurs when the Martial Artists works on their physical training in the day time, and then meditates in the afternoon and evening.
In the process of evaporation, or transcendence, there is shift from the physical experience to the spiritual, the gross to the subtle. In other words, you begin to see that you and the gross aspect of your being, the body, are separate states of experience. This may not be in your actual experience, but it becomes more and more so the more one works on themselves.
As an individual begins to reach nothingness, or no mind, this itself is the beginning of a new form. Jesus was said to have gone to the mountains after working in society, in order to evaporate all the stress, all the karma he accumulated from others. This is a famous example of how one mans intense activity needed an equal period of meditation and recharging. Not only that, but a person who begins to experience an expansion of consciousness can become disheartened because they are forced to undergo the process again and again. This is another reason why one should not get carried away in the spiritual process, it just demands more and more of us the more we progress. The more someone experiences an expansion of consciousness, a greater awareness of reality, the more their capacity for growth and development increases. This involves them more and more in their particular mission as their scope for action increases.
During the process of becoming free from physical bondage, or karma, the life energies simply cause a new cycle of life to begin all over again once they have reached the highest point. When the energies drop back down successfully, like morning due, they are infused with a certain increased magnetic charge. There is a new and greater capacity for action.That is what Karma is, a cause an effect, which enables someone to continually work with physical and mental energy. The reward for work is more work. The moment a void is created, it is immediately filled by additional energy, this is the nature of the universe, which is expanding all the time. So you don’t need to worry about reaching nothingness, or losing your identity and becoming a vegetable.
The highest point of experience will vary from one individual to another. For some, simply winning a contest or the thought of winning some money will propel them to the heights. For them, supplanting a rival aggressively is enough to get there. For others, they want to draw in a new Karma which is based on fulfilling other kinds of obligations, such as raising a family or reaching states of nirvana for instance. Jesus wanted to take the karma of others and dissolve it. The Buddha wished to enlighten as many people as possible. It all depends on the inclinations of the individual, but in the eyes of the universe it is the same energy, just a different form of expression. So depending on what direction the energies are given, what high ideal you aim towards, you will orientate towards a particular type of activity. This decides the thought processes which leads to accumulation of Karma, which has a cause and effect relationship towards the strived for ideal. The person who obsesses about drugs eventually ends up taking them. It is a question of becoming absorbed in the right though processes.
This cause and effect relationship ensures ceaseless evolution in response to a deep longing towards expansion of experience. In a way, this represents death and rebirth, because you end up becoming an individual with new capabilities as if you were totally different. Just like the drug addict who wonders how he got that way years down the line, it is also possible to make informed conscious decisions about the expression your energies take, rather than giving way to compulsions. It is just as possible to become a warrior, or a saint. Such an expansion of consciousness enabling new possibilities usually happens gradually. Say somebody wants to kill somebody else. Usually, they will experience an aggressive urge in order to carry out this compulsive need to wipe out their enemy. This is a survival instinct which to some degree is necessary.
The energy to kill another person is experienced in response to a need for action, not a need to kill. The same need to kill an opponent can be directed at oneself, so that one feels like committing suicide. If such a person uses their energies to meditate and reflect intelligently, such an urge to kill may evaporate entirely so that the need to fulfil it disappears and their energies take on a new orientation. The urge to kill is often confused with the urge to simply dissolve or evaporate the ego, which is the goal of the spiritual dimension in the martial arts. It is not necessary to kill the aspiration for spiritual growth annihilating someone who dishonours you or any of that nonsense. Perhaps there was a time when war was an everyday reality, but except in particular circumstances this is no longer the case. For the first time in history we can say that the meaning of life for many is now in well being rather than survival.
The instincts never decide the appropriate direction of energy, they just inject you with a certain force. There is no reason to eliminate this force, it is just a question of directing it towards the highest goal possible within you. The instincts are doing their job just fine, you would be dead without them.Now, the highest point within you may not be a conscious reality yet, but you can work towards it by using the imagination to create such an experience. Perhaps you imagine yourself to be a ball of energy radiating outwards. Just aim towards whatever is highest in your experience. In other words, you can imagine a type or ideal reality and this will address the deepest aspects of your core longings, even if you are unconscious of the need to do so. It’s all taken care of if you work in the right direction relentlessly. The key is to meditate and think about expansion of experience and consciousness, which means becoming fully involved and aware of your experiences and reality more broadly.
It doesn’t matter what you imagine, because this isn’t the point to focus on. It’s a way into an invisible doorway. This is how the imagination can work on the energies indirectly, because even if the imagination bares no resemblance to what physically occurs, the thirst is quenched and fulfilment of the need for expansion is granted on an even higher level. This level is known as the energy body, which extends beyond the physical and mental bodies, and is closely related to the aura, which is influenced by the thoughts and feelings.
Many people experience reality simply on the level of memory. Say for example you want to wipe out an enemy. This is in response to the memory of what they have done to you, rather than what the reality is right now. Perhaps they even did you a favour by letting you see them for what they are, but still you are angry at them. You then imagine all sorts of ways to get your own back. And so your energy is spent engaged in exercises of memory and imagination, of past and future prediction, rather than the moment by moment experience of reality as it actually is. In reality, there is only the present moment, which should be given your full attention. We are not yet even aware of what the present moment really means, or how to live in it really.
The memory of the past is something like a saved progress of the software you are running in your mind. It is useful to know where you are in your experience of the world, so a backup copy of reality is created. This is so you can save your progress. From there, the imagination is used to project you towards a reality that closely approximates an ideal, which is the best you can come up with in the mind. But it is still limited. Even so, imagination creates a psychological energy boost even if it isn’t an accurate representation of what eventually happens. The energy that this process of imagination creates is the important factor, rather than the particular form it takes.
In the case of aggression, you must learn to put it to work for you, rather than giving in to the dictates of it. It is a tremendous power in the right hands. In the martial arts, raw energy is built up in the Hara centre, which is located in and around the abdomen, the body’s centre. If the energies stay here and are used only to satisfy the instincts, then they are dissipated here and the energy doesn’t function in another way. This is the lowest level of manifestation, and at the same time expert martial artists have mastered this level of activity. However, the Hara centre is also the body’s maintenance centre, which means that if this is excessively externalised and used up there, rather than evaporated upwards towards the higher centres, then health is eventually undermined. Many martial arts have died fairly early because of this. Just as electricity can be used to power an electric chair, the same energy can be used to light up a village. This is why as ones perceptions evolve and reach new heights, such dissipation of life energy becomes less of a priority and lightening up becomes the goal.
Why not direct aggression towards driving out the negative attitude in others around you? Very often if you go the right way about it, you can gain the respect and even admiration of your antagonists, which is a definite possibility. There is no shortage of the need for such work, so you will never be out of the job. If someone antagonises you, remind yourself how ignorant and helpless that person must be to waste their time and energy on trivial disputes, and that they deserve compassion, rather than passion. In other words, you can learn to consciously direct your energy towards them in a harmonious rather than reactive way, ensuring your own inner balance is maintained. Otherwise you run the risk of creating the same inner disharmony within yourself that your antagonist is experiencing.
Obviously, when someone is insulting you or attempting to drag your name through the dirt, this is no time for idleness. It’s time to show them how strong you are in your whole demeanour and expression, by directing your willpower towards creating the type of persona which is above all this. Usually only desperation, caused by stress, can bring out this possibility. By creating such a personality, an exteriority that others see, you set up the conditions for receiving good karma and future gain. This does not mean you wont experience difficulty, it just means you wont suffer the process of cause and effect so much, or even at all. The key is to suffer moments of stress intelligently so that you do not suffer the process of it, which actually leads to growth.
Karma does not cause the effect of well being, it only responds to the longing, the high ideal of the individual. In other words, the consciousness you have developed determines the energy form you receive. The Karma you experience is related to the inner receivers you have developed, and so what you create within yourself is how the energy will function. The same energy is sent to the maniac and the soldier, because they are both equally charged. But they both work at different levels so their possibilities are different.
Say you work on sending you aggression upwards, towards evaporation and the higher subtle centres, then the form of behaviour you take will be one of compassion rather than anger towards your opponent. It is the same energy converted into a different form, which takes on a particular demeanour and body composition. The nervous system can greatly influence the other bodies. This is why in the spiritual dimension of martial arts, the nervous system is focused on first of all. The martial arts systems aim towards fuelling the energy body, which extends beyond the physical body and crafts it. The energy body seeks a proper relationship to the outside, even using the opponents energy to convert and fuel itself. Otherwise you just waste energy siping out the opposition. Then, you are just fuelling the ego which wishes to destroy an opponent violently rather than make proper use of them as a means of self realisation and transcendence.
Just having the right attitude and determination can make a potential antagonist powerless. Most of the time this is all you need, because your antagonist will sense that you are superior to them they will see how futile it is to resort to pettiness. And also, you make yourself a hard target for opportunists who may otherwise make a move against you. Finally, since you are not threatening anyone else, you don’t rouse in them feelings of resentment, or competition.
The next time someone tries to draw you in to nonsense, ask yourself whether there is anything to gain from getting drawn in. For sure, there is likely to be an experience of heat and anger initially, but perhaps it is better to use these states to put on a powerful display of tolerance where you distance yourself from reactivity. It is important to act, but not to react on the same level as the antagonist.
The aggressor is often trying to make an opponent out of you, a straw man, when really all experience is within. Likewise, your experience is within. For them, a tremendous amount of energy is spent creating this caricature out of you. People get drawn into wasting energy, by playing a game where everybody loses. So one way of dealing with this expression of madness is to cover it up by making others out to be the problem. Another way is to transcend it altogether and evaporate these states, which takes a lot of work too. The only difference is that you end up with a good result the second way. So these are the choices, to battle your own weaknesses or to cover them up and externalise things, depriving yourself of the opportunity of inner transformation and certain powerful states of energy.
All aggressive behaviour aimlessly directed at others is an accumulation gathered over many years, a karma which needs to be worked out one way or another. For many there seems to be no other explanation other than to burst the build up of excessive energy from time to time in counter productive ways. This is limited. aggression shouldn’t be taken personally, because in a way it is natural for people to get riled up and act aggressively. This is mans lower nature, his animalistic side. Animals act this way constantly because they lack higher reasoning or even a possibility of transcendence.
In todays society, largely due to sedentary life styles which lack physical vigour, energy stays largely at the lower level of existence, the low chakras. The only solution for many is to go clubbing all night and drinking all day so that there is an outlet. Instead, if people were to get into the habit of manual work, chopping wood all day for instance, the body and its energies would be utilised more proficiently, and we wouldn’t have such large scale mental health problems.
Once you are aware that aggression is a powerful force, a source of raw energy, you produce something from this potent power, rather than letting it overwhelm you by ignoring its wider implications. It is entirely up to you how you direct the energy provoked by hostility and frustration with life events. And the more highly attuned to life, the more likely you are to pick up the early warning signs and act quickly. In other words the most alert and powerful individuals have the most frequent need of intelligently directing their energies. This is the problem with martial arts, you start off trying to overcome difficulties, and you end up with a thousand more difficulties because your scope for action has increased. This is just the way it is, the more capable you become, the more karma you take on. So eventually, you begin to realise the work and intense energy that goes into such apparent calmness and natural suavity that exudes certain Masters.
So next time you get pent up, you could try going off and using this energy to go for a walk or some other type of exercise. After all, there are many martial arts exercises which are aimed at precisely this need. Of course, many people think such exercises lack practical self defence value, but this is largely because the world is going through a kind of neurotic phase of hyper sensitivity to survival needs. This tendency causes people to stop looking for meaning in life to a large extent. But don’t let the opportunities for growth go to waste. And never let feelings of defeat and weakness linger on without action, because then these will have a chance to eat away at you. Go mad for a moment and shout at the punchbag if you have to, and you might see that there is a kind of potential madness in you that is not put there by someone else. Indeed there is enough in anybody to work with already. Hitting the heavybag has a certain theraputic value to it. There really is enough potential raw energy in yourself to power you for a lifetime without looking to others.
Sometimes you will have to argue your corner to avoid being bullied, or to simply demonstrate that you are not going to be walked over. Some situations are unavoidable. However once you have tried your hardest to sustain an attitude of fairness whilst making the most of the situation, sometimes the antagonist almost needs you to take control. They may even thank you for it afterwards. In the end, it is only the emotional and physical level, which can always change. So if you have to do confront someone I recommended exerting yourself in the following way.
After deciding that you have no choice but to make a stand to put an end to the unfairness of the situation, explain how the behaviour of your antagonist is spoiling things. Then explain what you would like to be done about it and what you are willing to do to support the situation rather than assigning blame. Very often this will be enough to put your antagonist off any future confrontations, since you are behaving reasonably. You have then found a new ally. Many lasting friendships have happened or been repaired this way. In other cases, people simply know no other way than to waste all their energy in pointless battles, so you just leave them to it.
If instead of taking control of the situation, you inspire bitterness in them by carrying on arrogantly and making demands of them, expect never to see the end of it. Make every effort to spare the embaressment of the other person so they don’t come back and bite you at a later date when you least expect it. Because that’s what they feel they will have every right to do if you have inspired such a state within in them.
You must defend yourself but often not by the same primitive means that others tend to use. You can rub your hands together and create heat. This is what two people do when they argue, they heat each other up at a certain level. Instead of reactive force, use intelligence to direct the primitive urge to retaliate immediately towards other regions and dimensions. Most of the time your opponent will be so surprised by their lack of impact and control over you that they will simply have no choice but to move on and find an easier target. In terms of physical self defence, they’ll pick someone weaker and less determined if they even suspect it might be an even fight.
Above all, martial arts practice isn’t just the raw expression of aggression. On some level it is just that, a way of venting emotion and using up energy. But once this phase is over there’s no going back. In fact, many people who start in the first place do so because they simply would go mad otherwise if they didn’t have such an outlet. This often carries on into later life and it becomes a kind of therapy. So whichever way you do it, it ends up good.
On the deep level, energy must be intelligently managed. Any kind of aggressive volatile energy, which is a kind of anger, should be directed as wisely as possible, to avoid it turning against the user. Obviously this doesn’t mean you will be totally devoid of emotion during a heated exchange. This just shows that everybody, including the most composed people, need to work ceaselessly on managing and directing their energies. The thing to do is to put your aggressive drive to work intelligently and to do this often so that you encourage the interaction between energy and intelligence to become one. This reciprocal exchange then becomes second nature. The more you do this in everyday life, the more likely it will work with you when it matters. The most dangerous encounters are usually unexpected, so it is a case of preparing well in advance.
Posted on Last updated on by joeharman8|9 min read|153 views
The ancient teachers and Masters of old used pedagogic methods involving metaphor and symbolic explanations. In Martial arts you have examples such as “Tiger” or “Dragon” style Kung Fu. For example the dragon metaphor is just another way of saying “Remain poised, vigilant, and dart in from all angles, waiting and stalking”. However, there are many interpretations and applications of the universal Snake symbol, which is known to provoke powerful imagery in the mind. Steve Morris suggests viewing the knife in the hand of an attacker as if it were a snake, to provoke the sense of urgency and danger required of a fight. In symbolism, most of the ancient examples are all quite obscure and impossible to understand if taken literally, and why this is so will become apparent in a moment.
Using the example of the dragon, or serpent, the disciple must shed their skin from time to time, that is, their old prejudices and ignorance. This takes time and happens many times for evolution to take place. All those who fail to make this effort remain at a lower level of evolution. Of course it’s tempting not to bother and stay in the same old familiar skin, but you must contemplate the new skin that awaits you in the form of a greater image. It all starts in the mind, and later takes physical form. Throughout history, man has had to make great efforts to do this in one direction or another.
Yet another illustration of the serpent is the Egyptian symbol of the snake eating its own tail. This means that the disciple must eat, symbolically speaking, their base motivations and passions represented by the tail, with the higher region, that is, brain represented by the serpents head. Another illustration of this was the Egyptian staff that showed two serpants wrapped around each other, representing the higher and lower self: that is the instincts and intelligence, married as one. Only then can disciples master themselves and direct their own forces at will, and move beyond good and evil1. Even ordinary marriage of two people is symbolic of something else.
Of course, this universal language of symbolism is necessary. Because then the disciple can carry about with him an internal method of reflection which requires no external teacher. This is the secret of internal teachings. Moves are not explicitly taught because they must emerge from a foundation. This is how children learn to walk, talk, etc., by watching little animals jumping around, animals who symbolise, in exaggerated form, some form of truth. The disciple must become a child once again, this time to their own intelligence, to learn more important truths later in life, often using the very same symbols they were brought up on in childhood.
Of course there have been endless foolish debates about whether mimicking a tiger or a dragon is effective, but this is besides the point. It seems that these images were invoked to make a powerful impression on the mind, and to teach complex movements by first using some familiar concept. This is an interesting point because this shows that the old Masters had knowledge about how the student can understand something abstract, like a mechanical fighting form, by first working through existing knowledge. In other words it’s always more effective to learn using metaphors and building on existing knowledge and experience.
Of course the situation is very different today, instruction is often devoid of meaning and highly unimaginative. Perhaps you are wondering if the advantages of the internal method are really any good. Yes, they are. By focusing on meaningful symbols, this encourages a creative energy that raises your imagination to its heights. Channeling ones energies is the real goal, to live an intense life whatever you are doing. Beating an opponent will never do this, even if you beat everybody. In this way, even the least gifted athlete can benefit and over time become a great martial artist in the wider sense. This is why I recommended mediating on these subjects for at least a few minutes everyday, and if you can do it for hours, then so much the better.
The process of inner focus triggers motivation from within, rather than from some meaningless external source, such as winning a contest or obtaining a certificate. To be fair, these are not meaningless in themselves, but the point is that vast quantities of these possessions and skills they are often obtained at the expense of quality. The problem is that many people are encouraged to switch off from the thought process entirely, with promises of learning some kind of self defence system within days. They will learn these skills, but their consciousness will have had nothing to do with it. Of course, thought take time and effort, but many people are unwilling to bother on the basis that they don’t get immediate results. Why? One reason is the pursuit of tangible or material results.
The old Masters were keen to put forward systems which neither individuals nor styles were able to refute. A higher Method. Because certain technical points differ from one school of thought to the next, you cannot eternalise a style in physical form. For example, one coach might says to punch from distance, and another might says to fight “inside” at close quarters. There is no point in debating which of these is right or wrong because these are just peripheral details which fluctuate with the times and depend on so many different situations. They often come down to matters opinion, as if an individual were able to refute the process by which we learn. However, you can instead use a metaphor which illustrates a universal point. This is why I don’t advocating learning from some organised system, instead you are better off relying on a method without form.
Take the saying “If the General be skillful, the spirit of his troops is as the impetus of a round stone rolled from the top of a high Mountain” from the Art of War2. In the language of symbols a mountain means from up high, which is where you must aim even though you might fall over, or overheat on the way up. Yes, there are many trials awaiting us before we reach the summit. A stone represents something which rotation occurs around an axis. This could be taken to mean “Sharply drop your centre of gravity into a strike” or “view things from the perspective of higher reason, with the use of natural forces”. It could also mean, in management of people “The leader does not gravitate around the troops, he keeps his distance so his followers are drawn to him. He is careful to not to be drawn to their level”. There are many more explanations of this simple sentence: use your imagination, that’s the whole point!
Even without knowing what they mean, you can begin to contemplate symbolic language and metaphors. This ignites the whole process. Because symbols apply to so many fields and on all levels, they must be kept deliberately obscure and simple. And this only increases their meditative value. Meditation begins by choosing a subject and contemplating it. Soon, the meaningful image you have conjured up quite naturally focuses your concentration. Then, eventually, eventually relate to it. Let’s look at some other examples of this phenomenon taken from the art of War, a classic text on Warfare.
Sun Tzu said “When the fire is at its height, attack or not as opportunity may arise”. This can be interpreted to mean “When the enemy has given themselves over to disorder, they will have lost their ambition and drive”. Equally it can be interpreted as “When you have channeled your inner fires, use them, or if they threaten to destroy you because you have been seized by chaos, then don’t”. But once again, it is not necessary to know the moves in martial arts to begin working with these methods. Some sayings and proverbs have such an impression on the mind that they provide enough motivation to run with them and teach yourself. It is not a question of their literal validity. And with enough motivation it is mathematically certain that you will succeed in your goals, using such symbols as an impetus for learning.
“War should not be undertaken because the Lord is in a moment of passion” Said Sun Tzu. Now many people have interpreted this to mean that there should be no passion behind practice, that their should be a void. But in fact, meaningful action is not possible without passion. Instead this statement can be interpreted to mean “If you are overwhelmed by your pure instincts, which have not been channelled by reason into power, then you will burn yourself”. Truth be told, many athletes, fighters, and other people, have never really wanted to channel their energies into something higher because they remain convinced that they would be unhappy. And for this reason it is impossible for many to see any truth in books like the Art of war.
The concept of Maya in Hindu Philosophy teaches us that what is immediately apparent is often and illusion. And that behind strength lies weakness. These deceptions are what the enemy uses to gain power over you. For example, Sun Tzu said “the Causes of defeat come from within. Victory is born in the enemies camp”. From this it is apparent that our own inner forces are liable to deception3. To overcome this, Sun Tzu said “the skillful in attack push to the topmost Heaven”. This is just another way of saying that the skillful fighter relates to a high ideal and channels his instinctual energies towards it. He notices the chaos around him, but like a laser focuses on the good.
Now the Chinese Divided Heaven into 9 levels. Similarly, the Yogis divided the self into 9 regions, or Chakras, the highest being at the top of the head. The highest point represents the high ideal, in other words perfection. Only by devoting all of ones energies to the highest form of motivation, rather than petty considerations such as ease and comfort (represented by the lower planes), can the fighter ensure intense vigilance and focus. Notice how, in the language of symbols, perfection is born from a foundation containing ignorance, or if you like the snake eats its own tail. This is what the fighter must aim towards: Perfection even if he falls very wide of the mark. Perfection is what inspires. The more powerful the symbol the greater impression it makes on the mind. Always use symbols and metaphors.
If you want to remain alert but at the same time slow down your system and its processes, you can try some kind of active relaxation. What do I mean by “active relaxation”? I mean having a serene influence over yourself which is at the same time a form of exercise. In this way you will be able to remain fully engaged in what you are doing at a slower pace.
All too often relaxation is taken to mean “switching off”. As if you have periods of rushing about mindlessly and then a period of lobotomy slumped in front of the T.V. In fact, this kind of thing can leave you “wired and tired” as I’ve heard it been called. This may be alright for some, but all too often this is when we are liable to feel irritated and anxious.
Instead, what I recommend is a form of slow practice which compliment the fast paced demands of life. Exercises which prepare you for living intensely. In this way relaxation becomes preparation for work, and an essential part of it. All too often people don’t enjoy their relaxation because they are too conscious of their need to be ready for the demands life throws at them. And their work becomes a heavy burden which stops them enjoying life. This eventually leads to stagnation rather than improvement. What you have to realise then is that relaxation can be productive, a passive form of work.
When you slow down and concentrate on something, like reading, you get more and more conscious of the skills involved and attain greater insight. In this way you are attuning yourself to a slower pace of life whilst training your faculties to perceive new knowledge. I often find that if I come in from a hard day at work I am too wired to read properly. It takes me some time to slow down enough to be able to concentrate and process the information properly. At first I skip words, and don’t take anything in. But after a while I am able to engage with the text. At first it’s tempting to just throw the book down, but this is all part of the exercise of willpower over myself.
Whilst we are often required to rush around in state of high alert, we quickly realise this is bad for us when we get home and try to unwind. What was good for us an hour earlier suddenly becomes a problem, an irritation. Whilst you need to be alert to react quickly and be on the ball, when you’ve got no goal required of this anymore there’s a sense of frustration after the excitement is all over with. What you’re left with is a battle against yourself which requires a different strategy. But don’t get caught unawares.
What I do is play some music with waterfall sounds, and bird songs, etc.1, and take some time to slow down and synchronize my breathing to a slower tempo. You can even do this to combat some of the ill effects of down time, such as the constant interruptions of social media. Just play some of this music in the background whilst your on there, or go outside. These sounds can have a brilliant effect on our state of mind. Using this exercise, your attention is drawn towards harmonious sounds so you remain alert, and can turn your energies towards something requiring concentration. You will feel relaxed and attentive to the slightest sound, but distracted. This compliments the intensive and often chaotic phase of the day, and it’s something I do often.
The important thing is to maintain your attention on something meaningful. What that is will depend on you. If you play an instrument, try playing the C chord. Place particular emphasis on the C-E-G notes. You will find this has a relaxing and at the same time invigorating effect over you. You feel energized yet relaxed.
Martial arts is known for deception and distraction. For example, an enemy will often appear weak when they are really attempting to manipulate you. This is how the enemy works. In the same way, it is impossible to rid yourself of certain unwanted impulses and states, but you can learn to channel them and manipulate them for the better. The technique of distraction is a method to do this on yourself.
If you are unable to concentrate properly, or are stressed and anxious about something, turn your attention towards something else. In other words, distract yourself with something pleasant. For example, towards listening to relaxing music, sitting outside in the woods, breathing exercises, or a relaxing location in your mind. Of course, all the better if you overlap these methods, and any others you can think of that work on the different senses in the same way. In other words, if your breathing can be synchronised to what you are hearing and seeing, the relaxing effect can be greatly enhanced. Remaining attentive yet relaxed allows you do divert and channel your energies from the slightest sign of their appearance so that you don’t get pent up. This is impossible from a position of being switched off or simply being pacified by drugs.
If you try to overcome states of stress and tension head on, it will usually end in failure. It is impossible to rid yourself of certain impulses and states, but you can learn to channel them and manipulate them for the better. And to turn them to your advantage. The key is to see relaxing phases as an opportunity to enhance your life’s work. What that work is can be your ideal goal to imagine in your mind.
If you are thinking about a problem that happened during the day, often the best thing to do is visualize yourself saying to the person politely “Sorry I haven’t got time at the moment, I’m busy working, I’ll see you tomorrow”. This will often demonstrate to the unconscious side of yourself (which is always active and ready to spring problems on you) that you are engaged with work. This is usually enough to convince it it’s wasting its time. Because it is difficult for it to fit into a space which is already full of positive thoughts. It knows it’s a waste of time. But if instead there’s a void, then it can take the opening. This is one of the true lessons of martial arts.
References
1 A good example of this is Takashi Kokubo, Forest Healing.
