Ebb and Flow

        Last week has been a bit rough, been feeling tired, sore, and a little unmotivated.  My hope was to continue the momentum of last year and ride it through, but my wave is starting to ebb.  Makes sense, I've been going pretty hard for a while now, and my body is telling me to take a break.  Best to take it easy now, because I know if I ignore this feeling, it will most likely force me to stop another way.  Between my training for Kung Fu and the gym, my body is in need of some rest and recovery.  I've made some really good progress the last year, so I don't feel guilty about slowing things down for a week.  Doesn't mean that I'm stopping my training either, just altering the intensity of the usual rigor.  Focusing more on the trouble areas that are at the forefront of my training and working on that, instead of trying to encompass everything.

        This in of itself is a big accomplishment for me, because past me would be feeling incredibly guilty about slowing down.  Rest is an important part of progress, otherwise we just burn out and risk losing the progress we made, and lose out on time to potentially make more progress.  Slowing down is also how I've been addressing my forms lately.  Gives me a chance to really feel my body and my centre throughout the movement.  I tend to raise my centre in between transitions, even though my intent is to release the tension before tensing up again.  No more hiding behind speed.  Still also playing around with my karambits to find a good flow.  All I've got for this week, see you on the mats.