Month: June 2024

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Knowing Yourself

Steve Rowe

I’ve never been comfortable with titles, grades, certificates and awards. Nothing against them, they’re just not for me. I haven’t turned grades down from people I respect but have upset and subsequently fallen out with people that run awards ceremonies because I wouldn’t associate with them or accept their awards. I know who and what I am so don’t need recognition from others, I know what I’m both good and bad at and that sometimes I’m a twat with an awful sense of humour. I don’t like to put anything between myself and those I teach so I’m not a … Continue reading Knowing Yourself

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What Happened?

Steve Rowe

What Happened?When I was a child and teenager in the 50’s and 60’s,The public owned it’s own services,Trains, buses, electric, gas, water and mail,And the profit helped pay for community services. Prescriptions and university education were free,Legal and union representation gave job security,Council housing and rent control meant everyone was housed,Equality was becoming a reality. With free education, social mobility truly happened,We had 2 Prime ministers from grammar school education,Anyone from anywhere could become anything,At last society was moving forwards and there was hope. Computers and machinery were designed to ease the burden,We were told soon we would be working … Continue reading What Happened?

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A Good Teacher

Steve Rowe

Find a good teacher that has the knowledge you need.Then yield to that teacher so there are no barriers.Don’t challenge the teachings until you understand them properly.That understanding needs to be internalised with sufficient practice .Then challenge everything in a polite, intelligent way until it’s proven.Keep challenging it as there will undoubtably be hidden depths each time you return to it.Ask questions as a good teacher will be happy that you’re interested.Questions help a teacher to improve the way they teach.Challenge, question, but don’t argue as that will immediately break the teacher/student connection.If you feel the need to argue with … Continue reading A Good Teacher

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‘Behind The Door’ Teaching

Steve Rowe

When we begin martial arts study we have to spend time learning the structured basic layers and developing a relationship with our teacher. We are taught using key words and phrases to learn the basic ideas and principles behind our posture, breathing, strategies, techniques, mind, emotions and behaviour. As we develop, the relationship with our teacher deepens to the point where our energy and understanding is in harmony and the methods can go deeper. It’s at this point that what is often described as ‘secret’, ‘behind the door’ or ‘discipleship’ can be offered. Every system has its method of recognising … Continue reading ‘Behind The Door’ Teaching

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Qi – Our Life Force

Steve Rowe

The air we breathe and the food we eat gives us the energy to think, feel, move, and function. Our ability to harmonise the different manifestations of this energy, to use them intelligently and alchemise their harmony is the base of all martial arts study. We call the energy qi, the ability to look inwards and study it neigong (inner work), we exercise it by stimulating, storing and releasing it with qigong (energy work) we diversify that with solitary technical self defence of our health, skill and body with forms (kata) and apply it toward others with partner work. If … Continue reading Qi – Our Life Force

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The Quanyin In All Of Us

Steve Rowe

Quanyin while standing before the gates of paradise heard a cry of anguish from the earth below. Turning back to earth, she renounced her reward of bliss eternal but in its place found immortality in the hearts of the suffering. Immortality is actually the ability to open and enter the door of infinity and communion within all of us that meditation and stillness brings, and by sharing, serving and being a part of our community instead of hoarding and isolating ourselves from it. The moment you let fear into your heart, you demonise others and society takes a turn toward … Continue reading The Quanyin In All Of Us

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Train Your Energy!

Steve Rowe

You could just replace the word ‘chi’ or ‘ki’ with ‘energy’. Our ability to stimulate it with emotion, store, release and discharge it is our skill in martial arts. Awareness brightens it, sensitivity connects our mind to it, we need to focus to harmonise the different ways it manifests in our body, bring it together and be able to move it. Intelligent emotional intensity empowers and guards it. We do all these things anyway as it’s a part of being alive. We do it badly unless we train it and become skilful. This is why we need to meditate, exercise … Continue reading Train Your Energy!