Tag: meditation

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The Chakras

Steve Rowe

I’m not going to give you collected information on the Chakras, no wiki information from the internet, no aura colours or gemstones – all that ‘academic’ information can be gathered via the internet and in my opinion can be untrustworthy. What I will give you is my direct experience from 50 years of martial arts training and healing in a way that I hope that you can directly relate to and experience for yourselves. I’ll also map out the alchemy and healing of a human being through the practice of the Martial Arts and how it reflects through the Chakras. … Continue reading The Chakras

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Death Is A Warm Blanket…

Steve Rowe

Death Is A Warm Blanket… You don’t even know you’re born, Well actually, that’s true, Because no-one can remember it, We become self conscious at a few years old. So why can’t we remember? Because we are still fully connected, And are pure universal energy, Until someone gives us a name. Drifting into sleep, is our name slipping away, We commune with our unconscious, While our name disappears, And we can regenerate. Meditation brings us back, Back to where we were as a child, The uncarved block, Energy without a name. The illusion of ‘self’, That which is named, Disappears … Continue reading Death Is A Warm Blanket…

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The Simple Guide To Meditation

Steve Rowe

“I can’t make my mind a blank…” Is a common complaint and ‘monkey mind’ (the mischievous wandering mind) seems to be the biggest problem for anyone ‘sitting’ without proper direction. Trying to make your mind ‘blank’ is a thought in itself – and therefore self defeating. The Japanese word ‘Mushin’ or ‘no mind’ means no thinking mind, the only way you can create this spontaneous mental state is to gradually reduce the activity of the thinking mind until it ‘flatlines’ and allows the aware, non thinking, ‘wisdom mind’ to come to the foreground. The best route to achieving this is … Continue reading The Simple Guide To Meditation

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I Have A Dream…

Steve Rowe

That one day Martial Arts will not be thought of as ‘separate’ Martial Arts, that the politics of structures like Karate, Ju Jitsu,  Kung Fu, Taekwondo and Aikido are consigned to history – that Martial Arts will retain it’s diversity without the politics and have just one Governing Body dealing only with club structure, safety and the various types of competition…. That there will be no politics of styles, no Wado, no Shotokan, no Hun Gar, no GKR, no Tomiki, that everyone will be working to be the best they can and eventually transcending the ‘style’ of their teachers with … Continue reading I Have A Dream…

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Eating Bitter..

Steve Rowe

Eating Bitter The Martial Arts are full of certificates and awards, Photographs with Masters, Everyone holding a fist up, What’s it supposed to mean? A certificate is a piece of paper, A belt holds up your trousers, A photo means you met that person, The value is what it means to you. A grade defines the relationship, Between student and the Instructor, It determines what classes are attended, And what the student is taught. It can also define status, The managerial structure, Instead of foreman, manager and director, We have sempei, sensei and renshi. If the instructor puts too much … Continue reading Eating Bitter..

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Direct Transmission…

Steve Rowe

Direct Transmission… Martial arts training teach manners, Manners and courtesy are a given, This enables people to get along, But then respect is earned. Respect is a two way street, It has to be earned both ways, An Instructor earns the student’s respect, And the student earns that of the Instructor. This is deeper than it first appears, There has to be faith both ways, Nothing is understood at first, Until both invest time and effort. When an Instructor gives physical correction, Sometimes the student is too stiff to correct, Sometimes he is too floppy, Often his mind is not … Continue reading Direct Transmission…

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The Deepest Door..

Steve Rowe

The Deepest Door.. Sit straight, Breathe deep, Focus the mind, And wait for it to settle. As moment passes to moment, Increase the intensity, Guard the senses, And think without words. The mind is the hardest muscle to train, Weak people give up easily, Training the body is easy, Training the mind is the real challenge. In stillness find the power, Find the deepest door in your mind, It will be protected by demons, But when opened is the font of wisdom and power. Your demons will always try to distract, Other people will play on your demons, Real power … Continue reading The Deepest Door..

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Putting The Egg In The Eggcup..

Steve Rowe

Putting The Egg In The Eggcup.. Putting the head in the foot, Is like putting an egg in an eggcup. The head is the egg, The arch of the foot, the eggcup. Why is this important? Is it even possible? The combination of head and foot, Is one of the most important in Tai Chi. What makes the ‘substantial’ and ‘insubstantial’? The ‘weighted leg’ or ‘double weighted’? If you can feel the weight of the head in the foot, You have to be connected through the body. Only when the egg is in the eggcup, Is that leg truly weighted, … Continue reading Putting The Egg In The Eggcup..

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Like A Never Ending Circle…

Steve Rowe

Like A Never Ending Circle… The universe is a spiral, It’s what creates time, The energy inside is always changing, Continually creating life. When energy touches the spiral, It creates the opposite force, In movement one creates the other, In a never ending cycle. When you look at the yin yang symbol, The oldest known to man, The symbol itself is spinning, In a three dimensional way. The outside circle is infinite, Because a circle never ends, The centre line is curved, Because of it’s spiraling motion. It is the ‘Way’, Representing the journey of life, From infinity to infinity, … Continue reading Like A Never Ending Circle…

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Is Kata A Waste Of Time?

Steve Rowe

Is Kata A Waste Of Time? Is there a point to doing kata? Or is it just a waste of time? Does it have an application? That is magical and sublime? By the time it came from China, To Okinawa and Japan, It had been changed so many times, In each and every land. The true meaning has been lost, And by the time it came to the West, Nobody could remember, As the value became less than less. Then along came competition, Where it just had to look good, Nice shapes, crisp and focused, But empty, loud and awkward. … Continue reading Is Kata A Waste Of Time?