Rodney J Owen
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Adjustments

7/28/2020

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I have had more time available for training during the COVID crisis and I have actually used it well.  In general, my physical training modulates between strength training, Taiji-Qigong, and yoga.  However, during the last 4-5 weeks I have focused more on strength training than I have in the past.  So, obviously if I increase one thing something else will suffer.  In this recent case that something has been my Taijiquan.  I have stayed constant with my meditation and Qigong, but I have not put as much effort into Taiji form as I increased time spent on strength training--and it's starting to show.  My Taiji feels clunky and double-weighted.

​I'm not really worried per se.  This is more observation than concern.  I don't feel like I've lost something I may never retrieve.  It's flow, and I'm basically not flowing as well as I can right now.  But it's with good reason.  This is in a way a confirmation of the importance of consistent focused training.  And I can consider myself at a crossroads of sorts.  If I continue my current trajectory I will gain more physical strength but compromise on agility and flow.  Or, I can pickup my Taiji training and reduce my strength training back to a level consistent with where it has been for several years now.  If I do that I will get back into the Taiji groove and continue my progress there, but won't likely see the gains in strength and muscle growth that I would get otherwise.  I have to say in terms of overall fitness (fitness only), I'm not sure it matters much.  However, I value my Taiji training and I know there is more to the practice than meets the eye.

I feel certain I will adjust my training schedule to allow for a balance that is more in keeping with my temperament and overall goals.  Strength training is important for everyone.  I just turned sixty this year, so it is especially important for me now.  And I'm not going to scrap it.  I'm just going to rearrange so that the balance is more like it has been for some time now.  To that end, the benefits of Taiji are far more than strength, flow, and/or flexibility.  Taijiquan, at least the way I have been trained and now practice is a holistic art that basically captures and nurtures what it means to live a full life.  In short, if my Taiji is off, everything is off.  And we just can't have that.

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Rockin' in the Free World

7/11/2020

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Here in the US, in early July, we are nowhere near getting the Coronavirus epidemic under control.  As I have noted before, I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't get a vaccine, or if we do if that vaccine will work and/or if many of us will even take it.  I, myself am not in favor of vaccinations.  I haven't had a vaccination since I was in the Army 30 years ago.  I may be wrong, but at this point I'm not counting on ever getting another one.  You may not agree with that stance, but I'm not alone.

​There is a good chance that all of us will eventually be exposed to this.  I just don't know how we can avoid it forever.  Even with the rate of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths skyrocketing again, I don't think we will or even can go into a full shutdown.  Somewhere along the line we have to start living with COVID.  That may be restrictive and limited, but we just can't hibernate forever.

So, given the risks we face, our best chance at survival is engaged living.  In this environment engaged living already includes all the hygienic steps we have been taking: hand washing, face masks, social distancing, avoiding large groups, etc...  Further, we need to shore up our physical bodies, our mental health, and our immune systems.  For those of us who have been following a traditional system for some time, this isn't a problem.  In fact, the specifics of a complete Kriya Yoga practice will address all our needs:
*Rational constructive thinking
*Mastery of emotions, desires, and sensory impulses
*Compliant observance of moral and ethical guidelines
*Adherence to lifestyle routines that nurture and support healthy and overall well-being
*Purposeful, effective living
*Study, analysis, and comprehension of metaphysical realities
*Mental and spiritual attunement with knowledgeable teachers 
*Skillful meditation practice that clarifies awareness and elicits refined superconscious states
*Surrender of the false, illusional sense of selfhood

Perhaps this is our way forward.  Like it or not, we should consider that.  Granted, living an engaged life may not protect us from all the dangers we encounter.  But it will boost our standard of living, our immune systems, our daily existence, and our spiritual growth.  In the end it's all about quality of life and giving ourselves every advantage possible.


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