Similarities

         Up until this past weekend, I was definitely putting a wall between my Kung Fu training and my Yoga training.  As much as I have been enjoying my Yoga training, I've definitely felt like it has been interfering with my Kung Fu training.  Having something else to learn and practice felt like time and practice being taken away from Kung Fu.  In reality, my Yoga training has just been another facet of my Kung Fu training.

        Meditation has been a big part of my Yoga training, learning to focus in on the breath and quiet the mind.  This helps my Kung Fu by better focusing my mind when doing my forms, staying more calm and present when practicing forms and techniques, and helps eliminate the mental chatter, especially the negative chatter.

        Yoga is a strong practice that not only is building mobility/flexibility, but also strengthening the body in different ranges of motions.  This serves my Kung Fu by having a more malleable and yet strong body to perform kicks and punches with, and helps solidify my stances.

        This past weekend my fellow Yogis and I took part in a Karma project, which is meant to give back to our community.  For our project we ran a Karma class (Power Flow), and raised money and accepted donations for Greater Edmonton Animal Rescue Society (GEARS).  The following day we held an adoption event, filled with lots of dogs (and cats), raising awareness and also showing which animals were up for adoption.  I was living my best life and playing and snuggling with all the dogs.  The Karma project is very much like the work we do through the Kwoon, raising funds and awareness of our charities.

        There have been many lessons learned these past four months, and lots of self work had.  It's been difficult.  It has been physically, mentally, and emotionally draining.  It has been time consuming, and yet it has been a wonderful journey that has taken my personal development further than I thought; and when I thought about it, it all still relates to my Kung Fu and has really been just a different form of training.