New Classes
/I'm in the thick of it again.
Tai Chi and Qigong starts up again this Wednesday Jan 5th, 2011, at 5841 Geary Street, 6 to 8 PM.
Bagua Zhang and Qigong start up Thursday morning Jan 6th, 2011, Douglass Playground 6 to 8:30 AM.
All in San Francisco of course. But I'm available for private lessons in Marin too since I live near the bridge. I take phone calls if you have questions...415-752-1984.
This week I'm beginning 10 new children's classes in Northern Shaolin as a Performing Art in schools, that's in addition to the 2 I'm already teaching.
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I had a great vaccation, did a ton of reading and practice, I didn't check my email or phone for 14 days. Yeah me.
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I have a new theory I'm excited about. I'll just share it with y'all briefly because I'm headed to bed early these days.
Here are some interconnected notions.
1.) The frontal cortex of the brain is the part we usually associate with "thinking." The frontal cortex counter-intuitively has a largely inhibitory function. We don't usually think of "thought" as a form of inhibition but it turns out that if I think about jumping out the window my brain does most of the things it would do if I actually did get up and jump out the window. But in addition to all those things my frontal cortex inhibits my movement. That's why you can improve a skill just by thinking about doing it.
2.) The various nerves which send messages from the body to the brain operate at different speeds. Some of them are lighting fast, like the nerves sending information from the eyes, the ears, and those involved with spacial awareness. But the nerves which send messages from inside the body to the brain are much slower. Naturally, as martial artists we should instantly recognize that any information received from the slow nerves inside the body would be useless in a self-defense situation. As Rory Miller puts it, "Time is damage."
Thus; the reason we practice internal martial arts slowly is to first make sure that we are not inhibiting any movement on the inside. Inhibitory movement includes many things like stabilizing or rotating individual joints or holding strength in the abdomen. Once all that inhibitory tension is gone then we can move (spread?) our mind to the outside of the body, to the fast nerves, to the instantaneous awareness of plastic and dynamic space.
As I have been saying now for about a year now-- body inside the mind, not mind inside the body.
_________________
Also check out Rory Millers new workshop in SoCal, he is hinting at another one in San Francisco soon too.
____________
Happy New Year!
Tai Chi and Qigong starts up again this Wednesday Jan 5th, 2011, at 5841 Geary Street, 6 to 8 PM.
Bagua Zhang and Qigong start up Thursday morning Jan 6th, 2011, Douglass Playground 6 to 8:30 AM.
All in San Francisco of course. But I'm available for private lessons in Marin too since I live near the bridge. I take phone calls if you have questions...415-752-1984.
This week I'm beginning 10 new children's classes in Northern Shaolin as a Performing Art in schools, that's in addition to the 2 I'm already teaching.
_________________
I had a great vaccation, did a ton of reading and practice, I didn't check my email or phone for 14 days. Yeah me.
_________________
I have a new theory I'm excited about. I'll just share it with y'all briefly because I'm headed to bed early these days.
Here are some interconnected notions.
1.) The frontal cortex of the brain is the part we usually associate with "thinking." The frontal cortex counter-intuitively has a largely inhibitory function. We don't usually think of "thought" as a form of inhibition but it turns out that if I think about jumping out the window my brain does most of the things it would do if I actually did get up and jump out the window. But in addition to all those things my frontal cortex inhibits my movement. That's why you can improve a skill just by thinking about doing it.
2.) The various nerves which send messages from the body to the brain operate at different speeds. Some of them are lighting fast, like the nerves sending information from the eyes, the ears, and those involved with spacial awareness. But the nerves which send messages from inside the body to the brain are much slower. Naturally, as martial artists we should instantly recognize that any information received from the slow nerves inside the body would be useless in a self-defense situation. As Rory Miller puts it, "Time is damage."
Thus; the reason we practice internal martial arts slowly is to first make sure that we are not inhibiting any movement on the inside. Inhibitory movement includes many things like stabilizing or rotating individual joints or holding strength in the abdomen. Once all that inhibitory tension is gone then we can move (spread?) our mind to the outside of the body, to the fast nerves, to the instantaneous awareness of plastic and dynamic space.
As I have been saying now for about a year now-- body inside the mind, not mind inside the body.
_________________
Also check out Rory Millers new workshop in SoCal, he is hinting at another one in San Francisco soon too.
____________
Happy New Year!
