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Oct. 29th, 2003
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Oct. 29th, 2003 11:06 pmYesterday I didn't make it to wushu. No, it wasn't because I felt lousy, I felt just fine. In fact, I spent two hours in traffic, failing to get to wushu... Traffic really sucked yesterday.
Today was double taiji, sword and chen. Sword went well, but I was feeling a little off -- my form was good, my focus was okay, but... OTOH, I did all of the forms (she alternates between the sword forms, and encourages people to sit out and rest. But I wasn't even breathing hard. She said "good stamina". But heck, after wushu...) Chen on the other hand was great. Which was really nice, because Chen is my favorite style, but all too often I'm a little wilted for that class. Not badly for a while, but it hasn't been coming together as strongly as sword.
I'm thinking about competing again. I think it might give me a good goal for taiji.
But what was really neat about today was that I noticed that my breathing has come together. I suspect it's been doing this for some time, but I really noticed it today. She always has said to pay attention to our breathing, but when we've asked her exactly what we're supposed to do, she says just to breathe naturally, it will come. Which isn't that helpful, but I haven't worried about it. Of course, over time you pick up a lot -- certainly, most fa jing moves work best on the exhale, things like that. Actually, I think wushu has helped a lot, because there how you breathe is everything in the world about endurance, though how I breathe in wushu isn't how I breathe in taiji at all. But today I noticed that what I was doing was everything about breathing. These sustained, focused exhalations. I'm not saying I just figured them out, it's more like I just noticed that that is what I'm doing. And it works -- if "works" is the right measure. I was pushing things in terms of stances, but the breathing supported me, and let me go farther.
Probably not describing it well at all, but I'm very pleased.
Hmm. There might be something having to do with how I breathe and how likely I am to get asthma. (I'm much likelier to have troubles with asthma when I'm running, say, than when I'm doing full speed forms work, even though that latter is if anything more demanding. But then I usually run at the beginning of class, and it might just be that initial exertion thing I've noticed before.)
Of course, the big news in class today was Shifu's extremely impressive engagement ring...
Today was double taiji, sword and chen. Sword went well, but I was feeling a little off -- my form was good, my focus was okay, but... OTOH, I did all of the forms (she alternates between the sword forms, and encourages people to sit out and rest. But I wasn't even breathing hard. She said "good stamina". But heck, after wushu...) Chen on the other hand was great. Which was really nice, because Chen is my favorite style, but all too often I'm a little wilted for that class. Not badly for a while, but it hasn't been coming together as strongly as sword.
I'm thinking about competing again. I think it might give me a good goal for taiji.
But what was really neat about today was that I noticed that my breathing has come together. I suspect it's been doing this for some time, but I really noticed it today. She always has said to pay attention to our breathing, but when we've asked her exactly what we're supposed to do, she says just to breathe naturally, it will come. Which isn't that helpful, but I haven't worried about it. Of course, over time you pick up a lot -- certainly, most fa jing moves work best on the exhale, things like that. Actually, I think wushu has helped a lot, because there how you breathe is everything in the world about endurance, though how I breathe in wushu isn't how I breathe in taiji at all. But today I noticed that what I was doing was everything about breathing. These sustained, focused exhalations. I'm not saying I just figured them out, it's more like I just noticed that that is what I'm doing. And it works -- if "works" is the right measure. I was pushing things in terms of stances, but the breathing supported me, and let me go farther.
Probably not describing it well at all, but I'm very pleased.
Hmm. There might be something having to do with how I breathe and how likely I am to get asthma. (I'm much likelier to have troubles with asthma when I'm running, say, than when I'm doing full speed forms work, even though that latter is if anything more demanding. But then I usually run at the beginning of class, and it might just be that initial exertion thing I've noticed before.)
Of course, the big news in class today was Shifu's extremely impressive engagement ring...