Checking a List

A conversation during lion dance practice yesterday made me think about how one approaches their kung fu. We were talking about not simply going through the motions in the lion, it needs to make logical sense, it must have a purpose and you as a lion dancer must recognize and understand in order to successfully tell your story. Don't just check off what you need to do on a mental list and move on.

There are several requirements that you must complete in a single year in the I Ho Chuan. They seem quite daunting, but once you set yourself a routine and are diligent in keeping that routine even when life around you complicates the process, they will seem easier. The effort becomes effortless. However, we can get caught up in just doing the pushups, the forms, the acts of kindness without actually thinking about WHY we are doing these things. At this you will begin to forget what the requirements represent, what their value is.

The obvious benefit is physical, after doing 50,000 pushups and situps properly in a year, you are going to be in much better shape than you were a year before. The mental benefits are not so obvious at first. They become more so when you realize how your life habits change. You don't have time to sit around and watch T.V. or play video games all night when you are working towards you yearly goal. You are practicing your forms and doing your pushups. Priorities change and you feel that bettering yourself and accomplishing something is more important than catching up on the 5 popular shows you are used to watching.

When you are mindfully documenting when you do an act of kindness, it makes you think about the whole situation. Something as simple as opening a door for example, many of us just hold it open because it is the courteous thing to do, but don't actually think about it. When you hold that door for that person, even give them a smile, making eye contact, you could potentially be making their day. When you open the door, don't do it for your own benefit or even a "thank you" from the person, do it out of compassion for the other person. It might inspire them to do the same for someone else and so on and so on. Kindness spreads fast if you just try.

The requirements of the I Ho Chuan transform you mentally as well as physically, ALL of them. This is only done when they are done mindfully, not as just another item to check off your list.