I revisit the question “Why do swordplay?” on a regular basis. Many people ask me what my reason is for practising something that is arguably esoteric and a few centuries past its true usefulness. The answer may not be what people are expecting. At the end of the day, I feel that hundreds of years past its applied art of Read More …
I don’t usually share other links on my blog as the purpose for me has been to express my own thoughts, ideas, and feelings; To challenge myself to present myself in the world in a bold and vulnerable way and not perhaps hide behind the easy sharing of others’ ideas. Yet tonight when I sat down to write I followed Read More …
It’s easy to put expectation on a moment as it happens. To be in a connection and start asking questions “What does this mean?”, “How should I act here?”, “What’s expected of me?”. To retreat into our minds. Into the ticker tape behind our eyes. It’s perhaps a necessary part of our path of growth to develop systems of protection Read More …
Fools learn a lot more than the rest of us. They are liberated from the restrictions of right and wrong. They’re free from should’s and the judgments of others. Fools get to laugh uproariously in the theatre and don’t mind what anyone beside them thinks. Fools shed fountains of tears without embarrassment. You can stand next to a fool and Read More …
Compassion does not mean being less of yourself. Compassion does not mean not expressing yourself. Compassion does not mean making room for others at expense of the self. Compassion is not self-sacrifice. Compassion is not inherently soft, or gentle, or yielding. Compassion can be blunt It can be bold Compassion can be fractious as much as it can be bonding. Read More …
I haven’t written about dancing in a while yet I’ve been quite inspired by it lately. A lot of my personal practice of late has been focused on following in partner dance. I find the act of following in dance to be quite beautiful from both a participatory and metaphorical sense. It is interesting to explore life concepts within the Read More …
If you don’t want haters, don’t do anything. The more you seek to do and the more powerfully you succeed in doing it, the more you will challenge others and not everyone likes a challenge. If you want everyone to like you, make sure not to express your views too loudly. Don’t rock the boat. Speak when spoken to. Go Read More …
In my quest to act with truly deep integrity one of the challenges and realizations I struggle with is the recognition that integrity does not always feel good. It’s downright uncomfortable and even terrifying to reveal myself, even to those I trust. What’s easier and more comfortable is to armour up. Building armour feels strong in a certain way. I Read More …
Today while teaching a class on falling (an important martial arts skill) I had a funny exchange with one of my students; we talked about how much toddlers fall down in the process of learning to walk and be stable. Each time they fall, they get right back up again. Generally there’s no crying or interruption, except if they’re tired Read More …
Ideas you have had for a long time live inside you. On a physical or spiritual level. You feel them; you don’t think them. They govern your reactions to the world on an impulsive level. When you decide you want to change a way you have operated for a long time, that change has to touch you at a fundamental Read More …