First Class With My Escrima Sticks

So my first class with my escrima sticks has come and gone.  I have not yet found the secret to loving these things.  I have hit myself in the forehead a couple of times, the elbows more than once and have been building the bone density in my shins on a regular basis.  These babies are proving to be a little unlovable at the moment.  As I mutter under my breath and rub my injured body parts, I am constantly reminding myself that 4 years ago I found myself in this same position.  My weapon of choice that year was the nun chucks.  That first class was not pretty.  I was hitting myself repeatedly and was out of control (thank goodness for foam chucks and hockey helmets) .I found myself almost immediately thinking I can’t do this, these things hate me, I need to change this up.  Probably more out of stubbornness than anything, I stuck with them.  After practice, practice and more practice I started to see progress and growth and with that a change in my attitude.  Now I really enjoy them.

Unlike 4 years ago, I feel a kind of discouragement and frustration to a certain point, but have no thought of this as impossible or too hard.  I have experienced that just because something is difficult does not make it impossible or not worthy.  Don’t we tend to appreciate and respect things we have had to work the hardest for?  Don’t we feel just a little more elated when we accomplish something that challenges us rather than those things that come easy?  I am learning that if I want to change the outcome, I need to change the investment. I need to have patience with myself and continue to work past the stumbling blocks and continue in a forward motion.  Practice, practice, practice! I’ m going to love these sticks yet!

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca

Congratulations!

One of my favorite parts of our Chinese New Year celebration is hearing candidates’ tell what Kung Fu has done for them.  I always find it interesting to hear just a small portion of the journey that led these people to this point in their life.  Each of us has come with different life experiences, circumstances and perspectives and this chance to speak can be eye opening and inspiring to those who hear it. 

The common thread in every speech, every year, by every candidate is the list of people to thank.  I believe by this time everyone realizes that the accomplishment of earning a black belt is never done completely on one’s own; there is usually a list of people who have each played an integral part of why we are where we are.   Those we surround ourselves with help determine our success.  As I listened to this year’s candidates, I was deeply moved by the heart felt appreciation given to their parents.  These notes of thanks were the perfect example of the effect dedicated, supportive and loving parents can have on the success of their children.  We cannot underestimate the power we have to influence those around us, especially our children.  

I got a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes when listening to the two young people standing up, as I have watched these two grow from their first days in kung fu.  I feel very privileged to have witnessed their progress and success.  Congratulations Sifu Vanderham and Sifu Csillag.  And to the two not so young people, Sifu Krebs and Sifu Fuhr, a huge congratulations to you guys!  And for their promotions to next degree, congrats to Sifu Vantuil and Sifu Regier!

I stumbled on this picture last week that I haven’t seen for a while.  From the look on Sifu Krebs’ face he has enjoyed putting people in headlocks for quite some time, especially family members!

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca

 

Motivation for a Year

As the year of the Monkey kicks off and banquet preparations are being made, there is excitement in the air.  People are enthusiastic about getting numbers started, new challenges underway and are fascinated with new shiny weapons.  If only this excitement was so easy to maintain throughout an entire year.  For some it will be an incredible year full of mountain tops.  For others it may be an incredible year of a different makeup, one that will frustrate, discourage and challenge them further than they had originally written down or anticipated.  A year is 365 days that is guaranteed to see change for everyone in one way or another.  Circumstances can change in a heartbeat for any one of us whether that is in our health, finances or motivation.  It is how we choose to react to this change that is going to determine how successful our year will be. 

Personally this year is turning out to be a bit different than I expected already.  For starters, my decision to join the rest of you monkeys is a little later than most.  And now as of Wednesday last week, our youngest son not only restarted kung fu after two years dedicated to soccer, but has now also made the decision to become a monkey as well (maybe it was seeing me throwing my escrima sticks around that dazzled himJ) .  I now have a motivation and unexpected training partner that makes me smile and is already pushing me.  I only hope he remembers that I am over three times his age!  I'm excited to be doing this with you Kayden!

Alana Regier

http:/alanaregier.blogspot.ca

The Samurai

This past week I have spent time studying with our youngest son on the history of Japan.  What I believe was extremely cool was that the study sheets sent home went beyond facts like the country  being made up of over 3000 islands and 73% of the country being mountainous,  and  required the students to dig a little deeper.  They had to first understand the history and tradition but had to think beyond general info and put themselves in the position of a Japanese citizen of a particular class and explain how they would feel and how they would view the changes that were happening in their country in the 1500’s – 1867.  Then on the flip side, they had to try to understand how someone from the western world viewed this unknown country whose society seemed so dedicated in protecting their people and traditions.

 Part of this unit of study included the watching of the movie ‘The Last Samurai.’  I have watched this movie more than once but found myself watching it again this week with a completely different perspective and appreciation for this culture and the Samurai class.  This movie portrays a side of this ‘Warriors’ life that is tranquil and peaceful, one that is intriguing and attractive.  It is a life with known purpose and complete dedication to that purpose. I found myself going a little further than the text book and did a little more research.  Many people would guess the translation of Samurai to be ‘Warrior’, associating them with war and violence.  In actuality the translation is “Those who serve” or “To serve and attend.”  The Samurai did follow an unwritten code known as Bushido meaning “Way of the Warrior”, however, this code held a list of values/virtues that one would not necessarily relate to a warrior.

The values of a Samurai include:

-          Integrity

-          Courage

-          Benevolence

-          Politeness

-          Sincerity

-          Honor

-          Loyalty

-          Self-Control

Although their role was to protect their leaders and the people of their domain, and their status in society was very high, they lived a rather simplistic life.  A life of dedication and loyalty while striving for inner peace and that in the world around them.  Living by this ‘code’ and upholding these values was their way of life.  They truly believed in and committed themselves to their role.

I believe in our world of entitlement and privilege we fail to understand the same depth of commitment and dedication as these Samurai of old.  However, we are fighting battles of a different makeup, those of intolerance, lack of compassion, selfishness, weakness, dishonestly, unaccountability and the list goes on.  It is definitely a world that could use more of each of these virtues.  I think as martial artists, and more specifically Silent River students, we need to consistently and deliberately uphold this list in our day to day lives. We need to understand that our training involves much more than the physical aspects and that we need to give the required attention and focus to those qualities that are more related to the building of strong and positive character. Can you imagine what this world would be like if everyone dedicated themselves to constantly strive for and uphold this list of the Samurai?

Alana Regier

http:/alanaregier.blogspot.ca

 “The Way of a Warrior is based on humanity, love and sincerity; the heart of martial valor is true bravery, wisdom, love and friendship.  Emphasis on the physical aspects of warriorship is futile, for the power of the body is always limited.”

Ueshiba Morihei, The Art of Peace