Let me count the ways
I’ve learned a choreographed sequence of
108 movements and I know I need to repeat the sequence frequently so I do not forget them. But what more is there? And, I know there will come a time, as with everything, when
I have repeated the motions so often and so regularly that I do not need to concentrate or even to think about the sequence
in order to perform it. But what more
is there? How do I practice?
How do I practice? Let me count the
ways…..
I practice in the morning, I practice in
the evening, I practice when the moment suits me; I practice for 40 minutes,
an hour, ten minutes here, and sometimes only for the span of a thought.
I practice head suspended, spine
long with torso upright, easy and agile through each and every move, even in downward punch.
I practice going slowly enough that I can
feel each breath reach to the bottom of my lungs, deeper still
to tan tien and onward to the feet which are my root.
I practice letting go of tension that I
do not need, replacing it with an inner smile so soft that my own face smiles and sometimes even, I swear, my belly-button smiles.
How do I practice? I practice noticing
what I feel inside, whatever that is; wherever it hurts I soften, I change; where
it feels good, I nourish and encourage.
I practice with the sound of my teacher’s
voice in my head, coaching, leading, directing, suggesting. I take some feedback
I have received on one movement and ask my form if it applies here and here and here.
And then I trust myself and my form.
I practice with joy
and sadness, loss and exultation. And
though I practice persistently, consistently and I make a little progress every day, somehow I know I must also practice accepting
that it is enough. And, - if Life so chooses – and I am blessed
I shall but practice all these things even
as I die.
.
Enjoy your practice
Dorian
