Dealing With Grief

Dealing with grief.At some point we all lose someone or even a pet close to us so learning about grief is important. I often talk about the Buddha’s 2 arrows, the suffering that is inevitable in life that you have to accept is the first arrow and when you suffer about your suffering is the second arrow that you can avoid. Grief is natural and you have to let that out because to repress it is to make it worse. That’s the first arrow. Accept it and let it out. Every time you think it’s lessened it will be triggered … Continue reading Dealing With Grief

Float Is A Concept

‘Float’ is an important part of ‘sink, swallow float and spit’ in the martial arts. The concept goes far deeper than most people realise. Sink and swallow to create ‘float’ is a pump. The 4 pumps of chi (ki) in the body are the arches of the feet, the lower back, in between the shoulder blades and the occipital point. The chest is sunk to open the lower back, then the hips, knees and ankles press down into the arches of the feet and release to create float. This is in the qigong exercises in Tai Chi and Sanchin kata … Continue reading Float Is A Concept

Unfolding

Unfolding. Our true destiny is programmed into us. It is our instincts. In the same way that we have to re-learn the language of our body and energy, we have to learn that of our instincts. Our societal programming and thinking block our ability to listen to them, this is why stillness and silence help us to develop the necessary sensitivity to feel rather than think. When we can do this we get to know who and what we truly are and what we should be doing, developing our own internal locus of power, discovering our true destiny and allowing … Continue reading Unfolding

Belief and Faith

This is an important difference that I think a lot of people miss. If you ‘believe’ something, it means that you don’t know, are going to guess if it’s true and cling to it. You can’t get past the first limited stage of learning. I try to avoid that. If you have ‘faith’ in something it means that you yield to it and let it do its work unhindered. Blind faith is not good, but faith in a tried and tested idea or system means that you won’t get in the way of learning. Faith in a good teacher, a … Continue reading Belief and Faith

Overthinking in Meditation

Overthinking in Meditation There’s a lot of advice on how to meditate, the problem can be that if it’s making you think or try too hard it might be getting in the way. It shouldn’t be a burden. Try the opposite and instead of trying to do something – don’t do it. Let go of all the advice and instructions and watch everything pass by without interference or attachment. Treat it like the relief you feel when you had a lot to do but now don’t have to do it, you’ve got time off instead. The only thing you have … Continue reading Overthinking in Meditation

Everyday Training

Some days I feel fatigued and unwell so my morning training is slow, small frame and deliberate to recharge my system. Some days my arthritis is bad and I need momentum and small frame to carry me over the pain points, excite my system a little and ease the stiffness. Some days I feel good so I move and stretch my core to the max with large frame letting my enthusiasm enjoy, excite and move my body and energy. Some days I want to carry my deep meditation on into the form so move with great intensity like I’m underwater … Continue reading Everyday Training

I Don’t Want Be Here Anymore

I read this by Abhisake Dutta and it really resonated with me because so few people get this: And if you’ve ever thought, “I don’t want to be here anymore,”please hear this: That thought is not a verdict.It’s a signal. Something in you is asking for care, not erasure. And the fact that you said it out loud? That means a part of you still wants help. And that part matters. “That doesn’t mean you want to disappear,” she said.“It means you’re exhausted from enduring.” And something inside me finally exhaled. She explained that sometimes the body doesn’t want to … Continue reading I Don’t Want Be Here Anymore

A Better Way In 2026

Let me offer a more permanent solution to all the things you’re about to do and fail at. Don’t diet to look good. Eat to care for your body, the animals and the environment. Don’t punish your body at the gym out of vanity or to please others. Train in a method that heals your body and nourishes your emotions, mind and spirit changing you for the better permanently. Don’t see your club or work as a ‘business’ to make money. See it as value and support for your community enriching your local environment and genuinely helping colleagues and students … Continue reading A Better Way In 2026

The Coin Of Desire

Someone said the other day that you have to get off your arse, follow your desires and live – or you’re just existing. The thought struck me that sitting still, not being subject to your desires and just existing is actually better. The Buddha said that suffering is borne from desire. When you get to appreciate that desire is the survival mechanism of the body and actually doesn’t belong to you, you can see it objectively instead of being subject to it. Desire is a thirst that can never be fully quenched, it will always want more or go from … Continue reading The Coin Of Desire