Tag: meditation

Articles1 Comment

I Should Be Dead

Steve Rowe

I know it, the reaper came, hovered and left. I stood between the worlds for months after a collapse with a second serious infection, 5 life saving and crippling surgeries on top of the 9 I’d already had and a second round of months of a cocktail of life saving, gut wrenching, antibiotics and hallucinogenic pain killers left me in serious doubt as to whether I was still meant to be here. But here I am… still feeling ‘out of place’ and on borrowed time. Pain is a constant reminder and fatigue is always pulling at the back of my … Continue reading I Should Be Dead

Articles1 Comment

Standing Neigong

Steve Rowe

Standing Neigong Several people have today messaged me asking questions about neigong and to explain the benefits and basics of how we do it in our training system. The benefits of Standing neigong are as follows: Good posture Good balance Good rooting An understanding of left/right and upper/lower body harmony Good breathing An aware, focused sensitive and intense mind Emotional intelligence An intuitive understanding of yin and yang The 5 basic postures are: Neutral Upper Yin Upper Yang Lower Yin Lower Yang There is an excellent set of videos called ‘stand still – be fit’ that can be seen here: … Continue reading Standing Neigong

ArticlesLeave a comment

Mindfulness

Steve Rowe

  MINDFULNESS Our use of the word ‘mind’ in English can be quite versatile.  As a noun it describes our awareness, consciousness and thought, as a verb it can mean ‘to take care of’ like in ‘mind the child’ or when getting on a train ‘mind the gap’, so to be ‘mindful’ is to increase our awareness and consciousness and to take care of our thinking and feelings. So we ‘mind the mind’, we take care of it.  All the time we remain mindful, we are watching our thoughts, emotions and actions and this act in itself is life changing. … Continue reading Mindfulness

ArticlesLeave a comment

Winner Or Loser?

Steve Rowe

Winner Or Loser? So many people just don’t get it. If you want to be a winner, you have to learn to win more than you lose. Firstly you have to decide who and what you want to be. If you want to be a good traditional martial artist then you have to do more work in that direction than in any other. It’s your choice. Draw a line in your life and call it ‘Zero’. Every moment you are mindful, in good posture, breathing properly, caring, polite, courteous, determined, resolute, courageous and working with emotional intelligence  you are in … Continue reading Winner Or Loser?

PoemsLeave a comment

Mass Slaughter

Steve Rowe

I have been kept in prison; Forced to take drugs, Forced to have sex; And my children were slaughtered. When I become useless to my captors; I too will be killed. The terrorists have no compassion, They say everything is for the ‘greater good’. Their leaders manipulate them, They are constantly taught to have no compassion for me; If they want to be fed, They must torture and kill me and my babies. The mass slaughter should end; One day compassion and kindness should rule, Respect and equality for all should be normal; But I fear that day is a … Continue reading Mass Slaughter

Poems2 Comments

Inside Out

Steve Rowe

How do you want people to treat you? Then treat them the same way. You want respect? Then give it and earn it. You want people to see you as a good martial artist? Then work hard and become one. You want respect as a martial arts coach? Then act like one. You want to be treated as an adult? Then behave like one. You want the coach to teach you well? Then be a good student. I study people and most can’t see the obvious. They complain about their treatment, That they’re not treated with respect, That they’re not … Continue reading Inside Out

PoemsLeave a comment

I See You

Steve Rowe

I see you…. Because I meditate and practice neigong, I see you, I see the savage beast when the mask slips, Maybe only for a second, But I see you. I also see the angel, When you have pure altruistic compassion, When you really care; When your caring is free from fear or pity, When there is no desire for an end result, That’s when your angel is looking through your eyes. My unfettered mind see’s how you wear your body; The tension borne from fear, The bowed head, the lazy slouch, The jutting chin and darting eyes; The deepest … Continue reading I See You

PoemsLeave a comment

A Walk In The Woods

Steve Rowe

Today I went for a walk, Well, actually a shuffle; The ground was uneven, With 14 surgeries on my legs, I can barely move. Everyone passed me by, But I had the advantage; I could see everything they missed, I could hear what they didn’t, I could smell and taste what they couldn’t. I felt sorry for them; I had constant pain to let me know, That I was alive; I was grateful to walk, Grateful to be alive. I hadn’t smelled the earth for years, The moisture from the rain and river on my skin and tongue; The woody … Continue reading A Walk In The Woods

ArticlesLeave a comment

Guns, Violent Crime & The Elephant In The Room

Steve Rowe

Every time I look at or read something about guns and violent crime I can’t help thinking about how blind we all are to the ‘elephant in the room’ – let me explain…. My first conscious presents as a child were a toy gun and toy soldiers, the games I used to play with other children revolved around fighting and ‘pretend’ killing, ‘you’re dead’ was the most common phrase. All the entertainment media I’ve ever watched has been around guns, shooting, explosions, fighting, and death. It was an integral part of my culture, I worked in security, I started martial … Continue reading Guns, Violent Crime & The Elephant In The Room

Poems2 Comments

The Eyes Of The Dead

Steve Rowe

The first shovel full of earth hit the lid of my coffin; My dead eyes stared at the other side; So that was it, another vehicle worn out: And what had I done? We all know we’re going to die; But we push it to the back of our mind; And behave like we’re going to live forever; But each day leads us onwards; To that one inevitable end. Another sod hits the coffin lid; My body has expired; Because I’m not ‘me’ anymore; I see everything in a different light; My perspective has already grown. In the back of … Continue reading The Eyes Of The Dead