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Comments
Received 18th
July 2008, 02:26
Hmmm interesting question... I
personally believe (if I may share this) that most of us, if we look back, take
up karate for a completely different reason to the one that motivates us to
train now. In my own experience part of the magic or the allure of our art was
when I starting to develop a deeper understanding of how the body works through
simple stretches and basic movement (although I must confess I couldn't explain
it at the time). Karate naturally raises awareness of our own bodies at an
unconscious level as a beginner, it was only after much training that I grew to
realise and appreciate just how cleverly the stances and foundations are
introduced and fortified through the early Kata's and the order in which they
are introduced. Like changing gears on a car I feel that a Gedan Barai for
example becomes a reaction rather than a conscious effort. I have heard some
refer to this as muscle memory but I believe it programs the sub-conscious part
of the brain to react whilst engraining all the basics that we need to develop
our own individual karate.
I believe and would even suggest that this growing awareness of our body
deepens as we realise how important breathing is, the basics and the kata's
teach us (if studied diligently) the need for correct breathing. In my case a
good indicator was when my head stopped resembling a huge strawberry where I was
holding my breath!
I suspect a very small minority of people breath properly in our normal lives,
whether watching TV, reading a book, sitting at a desk etc. Ironically
breathing is the first thing we learn to do naturally without lesson or
conscious effort the very second we are born.
If we think about it, our body talks to us in many ways... for example we all
know the body's natural way of ensuring we get more oxygen is the involuntary
yawn. I have just made myself sit up as I was slouching over the keyboard
typing this and you may have done the same as you read it... but we are all
human so we evolve by learning and I believe we have a natural drive to try to
improve not just the things around us, but ourselves too.
I have been taught and have learnt that by breathing correctly we awaken the
internal organs and stimulate the brain, this combined with the ever growing
awareness of our own body and the way in which it moves, leads us to a deeper
understanding of how one body part supports another in its function, this in
turn leads to a form of internal harmony, this harmony continues to grow and
grow as we learn how to tune in and actually listen to our bodies. This is a
theory which I certainly cannot claim to be my own, but I do believe that by
learning to understand our body we effectively create a calmer mind, this is
possibly due to an increased level of awareness and understanding of our natural
and immediate environment.
By understanding ourselves first, I personally feel we are better able to
understand others, this is demonstrated by tolerance, humility, compassion,
patience, respect for others and much more. So the first line of the Dojo Kun
is possibly there as a GUIDE until we develop this deeper understanding, and as
a REMINDER as this understanding grows, I personally believe a true Karate Ka
would learn this naturally in time, through training, but as we are individuals
we all learn at our own pace and a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing,
especially if we don't have a guide to remind us of this responsibility!
I have read somewhere that our Karate is our legacy and that we have a
responsibility to pass it on with care. Each and every individual has the power
to make the world a better place.
These are merely my own thoughts on the subject and are largely influenced by
studying others and adopting certain aspects of this into my own training. Oss
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