Spirituality and Community

         The theme for me this year has been "Spirituality".  Last year I made strides in my physical training, this year that has been playing second fiddle to the current journey I'm on.  I'm okay with this transition, because this is where my focus needs to be right now.  The physical is such a small part, because I am aging, and one day I won't be capable of the things I am capable of doing today, whereas my mental, emotional, and spiritual health will carry on and become enrichened through life.

        I imagine not many people think about spirituality when thinking about Kung Fu, but to me the two are aligned; although maybe not as deeply as other practices such as Yoga, but that can depend on the practitioner.  At SRKF our instructors stress the importance of creating kinder, more empathetic people through our training, and that is the first gateway many of us pass through into deepening our spirituality.  That Green stripe may be one of the most important in our Kung Fu training.  Our Acts of Kindness, our charity raising events, and how we interact with each other in class (bowing to each other, and in and out of class) are the foundations of our training.  Anyone can learn to kick and punch, but what we are being taught goes far beyond that.  We're always being told we need to have control, but doesn't that start with us?  Doesn't how we conduct ourselves in and out of class provide the first step in control?  To control one's thoughts and emotions is to control one's actions. 

        Of course our physical training comes into play, because through it we develop the discipline to go beyond our normal limits, and hopefully dig a bit deeper into what is driving us.  I think that is paramount to our training, the "why".  Intent is something we talk about often, but that began when we first decided to join kung Fu. It may have changed over the course of our journey, but at one point we all had a why, an intention for wanting to join.  As we develop, we begin to add layer upon layer of learning: external harmonies, internal harmonies, flow, etc..  We also begin to learn about Qi.  Our own Qi and how to manipulate it.  Qi is just energy, an abstract thought without form that we mold into many shapes.  To develop Qi we need a deeper understanding of self.  It is here we need to rely more on feel than on intellect.  In terms of technique, we learn through seeing and doing, but to master we must feel, and then utilize intellect to help shape and guide.  Qi is developed through our breathwork, and through meditation.  This is our second gateway into spirituality in terms of Kung Fu.

        Beyond our personal development and training is the next gateway.  Through training we begin to develop our eye for detail.  The more we develop, the sharper that eye becomes.  At a certain point we start to not only recognize our self, but others as well.  Let me put this another way.  Our first teacher is our instructors, showing us our forms.  We are our second teacher as we begin to develop and progress.  Our fellow classmates are our third teacher, regardless of skill level or rank.  This is also our community, which is integral into our spiritual development.  It is through community that we support and nurture our spirituality, and pass it along to the next generation.  SRKF has become a sort of spiritual community for me, with Kung Fu as the centralized aspect.  We take out of it what we need.  When I first joined, it wasn't for some spiritual endeavor, it matured into one.  Surrounding myself with a community of people who want to better themselves, even if it is just physically, has helped me to progress in my growth in all areas.

        I'm not saying Kung Fu is a religion, then again, religion and spirituality aren't mutually exclusive concepts.  Kung Fu is as much spiritual as Buddhism, if you practice it that way.  So even though my physical training hasn't been the same this year, I'm still very much doing Kung Fu.