Tag: steve rowe

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Direct Knowledge Is Different

Steve Rowe

  I used to get my knowledge and wisdom from others at lectures, in books and lecture tapes.  I would meditate for ages on the wisdom of the Buddha, Lao Tsu, Ajhan’s Chah and Sumedho, Alan Watts, Kahil Gibran and many others, I studied Buddhism, Zen, Chan, Taoism, Wicca, Paganism, Ritual Magik, Spiritualism and all their associated arts, but when the breakthrough occurred, I stopped. No longer did I need to refer to others, because I was able to look inside and find my own ‘wisdom mind’. When I sat or stood still, I could access the part of me … Continue reading Direct Knowledge Is Different

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Principled Training And Existence

Steve Rowe

My Shi Kon training system is ‘principle based’. Principles are what makes everything work and we have 8 of them. If all 8 are in place, whatever you do will work. I only think and train in principles and strategies, techniques will be the result of them and can vary from situation to situation. This means that there is a area that techniques will appear different and still be ‘right’, many people find this confusing, “is it like this, or is it like this?” can sometimes be answered with “yes” because both are correct as they employ all 8 principles. … Continue reading Principled Training And Existence

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If I die tonight

Steve Rowe

Dedicated to my good friend the late Graham Wednes. If I die tonight will the universe stop? If I return to the Tao it will be like a wave returning to the sea; No more ‘being human’ and only ‘sensing’ the infinite; From whence I came, I will return and be it once more. My ‘place of refuge’ becomes my home again. In the infinite, all time exists all of the time, the theatre of life exists because the pot is stirred; When stirred, one plays off against the other in a binary fashion, simple appears complicated as the picture … Continue reading If I die tonight

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Teaching Older People

Steve Rowe

  Many of us these days teach people in their 70’s and above and it’s important for us to understand that even if their memory and body is breaking down, they are still a senior citizen and should command respect. Don’t talk to them like they are a child, don’t get frustrated with them, be courteous, polite and break technique down until you find that which they are comfortable with. They deserve dignity, they have often served their country, bought up families and paid their dues. Don’t put your ambitions and expectations on them, often they only want to stay … Continue reading Teaching Older People

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Rules Of Self Defence and Bullying

Steve Rowe

Rules Of Self Defence And Bullying YOUR BODY BELONGS TO YOU! No-one can touch it unless you give consent. YOUR PERSONAL SPACE BELONGS TO YOU! No-one can enter it without your consent. The perimeter of your personal space is the point that you must react, reactions can range from “get out my face” with a polite hand to their chest to raising your hand to meet theirs with a redirection and maybe joint lock as it crosses that line to a pre-emptive strike in a dangerous situation. BEYOND PERSONAL SPACE IS YOUR SPHERE OF INFLUENCE! Stand tall, breathe deep and … Continue reading Rules Of Self Defence and Bullying

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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

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Giri

Steve Rowe

  Steve Rowe talks with Doorman and Martial Artist Dennis Jones…   Giri:  a debt of gratitude, duty, justice, obligation, a sense of honour   SR  Dennis, we were discussing the concept of “Giri”  within the book  “Hagakure” by Yanamoto Tsunetomo and the following story…..   “Among Takeda Shingen’s retainers there were men of matchless courage, but when Katsuyori was killed in the fight at Tenmokuzan, they all fled.  Tsuchiya Sozo, a warrior who had been in disfavour for many years , came out alone, however, and said, “I wonder where all the men are who spoke so bravely every … Continue reading Giri

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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

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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

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Back To Front Martial Arts

Steve Rowe

  I think I live in an alternate universe. Or everyone else in the Martial Arts does. I see Instructors putting together their training/grading syllabus… “Erm, for red belt we’ll do this… for yellow this…. for orange this….” They do one set of techniques for basics, different moves in a form that don’t relate to the basics and then different pairs work that doesn’t relate to either basics or form. And I’m like…..”That’s not only back to front – it doesn’t make sense!” I ask, “what’s the end result you’re looking for at black belt and above?” And guess what…. … Continue reading Back To Front Martial Arts