your sublime martial experience?

[Live True]

This morning I got up at o-dark thirty and had a chance to do my practice outside as the sun rose. The dew showed on the spiderwebs in the grass. The birds were waking up, and dogs were barking in the distance. The air had a crisp sharp tang to it. By the time I finished a slight steam was rising off my arms. It was a moment of sublime beauty and being "in the moment". It made the chill and the early hour meaningless.

I seem to remember a friend mentioning a similar experience involving a light rain and a New Orleans courtyard...it's simply one of those (wow...life is SO COOL!) moments.

How many of you have had that fleeting sublime moment in practice or otherwise? Would you care to share that with us?

If so, thanking you in advance.

 

[Jenna]

This morning I got up at o-dark thirty and had a chance to do my practice outside as the sun rose. The dew showed on the spiderwebs in the grass. The birds were waking up, and dogs were barking in the distance. The air had a crisp sharp tang to it. By the time I finished a slight steam was rising off my arms. It was a moment of sublime beauty and being "in the moment". It made the chill and the early hour meaningless.

I seem to remember a friend mentioning a similar experience involving a light rain and a New Orleans courtyard...it's simply one of those (wow...life is SO COOL!) moments.

How many of you have had that fleeting sublime moment in practice or otherwise? Would you care to share that with us?

If so, thanking you in advance.

I think that is wonderful that you have had that moment. I hope it spurs you to repeat it!

I believe there is a way to beget sublime from the mundane and that is through efficiency of movement [the same technique with less movement]. I think we sometimes get caught in a technical groove with our practices. When we actively try to gain efficiencies in our techniques we can hit sublime levels in our art. Working through our martial mechanics with that endlessly refining mindset in training, I think that is when we make our art an art and move it away from mere science. Or maybe that is nonsense haha..

Me I think to engender sublimity from the mundane is a clever idea. Somewhat different from your tranquil experiences maybe Shana I have found that I would encounter that transcendent state at or near the points of physical exhaustion. Though oddly for me maybe sometimes I would find the sublime moment would not apply to the correct discipline oops. I might hit a bag not until I am awakened to a striking effiency, no I would hit a bag until I figure out the bridge chords for a song. Likewise, I would envision how two disparate techniques could connect in the one flow when I am maxed out riding my bike.. A little dumb I guess, well it suits me so..

Anyways all I mean is that achieving that almost ethereal state can be achieved through applications that are firmly in the realm of the mundane..

Sublime martial art is beautiful to watch irrespective of the discipline: competition, defence, katas or forms. Without the striving to achieve that sublime state of movement, everything we do could be done by a machine and that is not how it should be I think..

I do like your early rising idea though! Dawn is a very potent time you know.
Jenna xoxo

 

[Live True]

Early rising is one of the few times I can fit in my workouts without extra help from my hubby. I get Karen up and to daycare and then come home and train until time to shower and go to work. It's a good test and work on my willpower, to be sure!

I actually like your idea of the sublime through the mundane. I know I was going through the reptitive part of my training where I repeat certain sequences of my fundamental kata and simply let my mind ride along on the journey and let my body take over. It was at that moment, and followed by doing Sanchin (the fundamental kata of my style) in a couple of different speeds, focuses, that I suddenly simply fell into that total 'now" experience. I think that was the best form of that kata I have ever done, and it all simply felt wonderful...my body moved more smoothly than I knew I was capable of doing. It felt GOOD! I was simply doing, not thinking about it...which is good and also frustrating!

i know..hard to please.

I've had this same moment of NOW when weaving, because you fall into a pattern and rhythm and suddenly you realize you've woven several inches and the pattern is perfectly taught and smooth....and you don't remember doing as much as being. And during these moments, yes, your mind can run free and resolve other issues. But in those truly NOW moments..your mind is simply there.

I didn't repeat the experience today, as different schedule, but will be repeating it several more times this week and in the future....it will be interesting to see how weather will affect my reactions and workout...as I like working outside as much as I can.....hmmmmmm

 

[Jenna]

Well you know I admire you so much for having such persistence in rising early if that is not the norm for you. And yes you are exactly right 100% because when we act through the mundane and repetitive then that endlessly calculating, computing, chattering, taut part of our minds is occupied and soothed and then we are liberated from those shackles to move ourselves to our rightful place in our martial practice wherever that is for each of us. And I am sorry if that sounds too new-agey and but it is true..

And you know I think too many martial artists that inveigh against the futility of kata / forms / sets and what have you, it has passed them by that there are other reasons for these apparently stylised, somewhat ritualistic movements other than benefitting mere bread-and-butter defence see? When we apprehend their greater meanings, those forms can be methods of unlocking us you know. And yes this can divert us into absent-mindedness [if we do this for long enough we are lulled to sleep] no instead, we remain present and focussed always with just that overactive part of our conscious being occupied. "We" are still present, that is important!!

And you know the exact same mindset applies when dealing with stresses and illnesses as it does to martial movements. See because when we feed that demanding part of our conscious with kata and simple repetitive and mundane tasks then we are giving it a dummy or pacifier as I think you call them in the US? Then the body is freer to heal itself; to destress itself; to move itself with greatest efficiency and but you know I will stop in case I am veering from the subject. And I am sorry to have my face all over your nice thread and but you have my wishes for every success oh and I would give you this too.. yes trite maybes though underneath the commercial hood of this music there is a very evolved and intuitive set of melodic counterpoints that would help in achieving a sublime mind I think..

Yr most obdt hmble srvt, Jenna xo

 

[xJOHNx]

Coming home at 6 am after a night of work (which was great fun), decided to sit on a bench and watch the sun rise.
Got a text from my girlfriend saying how much she loves me. That was definitly great.

Seeing my grandmother again after 2 months of examinations, the way she looked so happy was swell aswell.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

I can remember our first Tea and Taijutsu seminar. We went to the Japanese Tea House and had a tea ceremony performed and then we had tea. Afterwards we went over to a local park/training area where we were practicing with a good group of guy's. As we moved from tactical knife techniques to movement and retaining a firearm the clouds became heavy and dark. After a couple of seconds of rain it literally open up and poured. During this time I can remember being taken down and the rain was coming down so hard that you could not open your eyes. Then the clouds disappeared the sun returned and we continued to train of course.

 

[Zero]

Live True, this is a nice post and reminds me how awesome MA, or any training, can be at times.

I used to live in an area surrounded by forest and hills and in the weekends I would get up early and go for a run on the tracks for about 45 minutes until I got to a secluded glade-like area close to a stream. I would do some stretches and then work my combinations, shadow box and practice kicks on the mature trees. I was also doing wing chun alongside karate at that stage so would balance on a large fallen tree/log and do my forms. I know that bit could sound kind of "karate kid" corny but they were great times for training and self reflection, surrounded by a very natural and peaceful environment.

Training outdoors rocks, particularly with something like the rising sun adding to the moment.