The Silk Thread of Gorindo - Ottawa - Canada
Issue V
- The Simple Act of Breathing (Part 1)
- Darkness on the Edge of Town
Photo cover Roxanne Standefer sensei, Gorindo School of Martial Art
The Simple Act of Breathing (Part 1)
Each breath we take, from the first to the last, is the very measure of our days. We continuously engage in an exchange with the air around us. Through the process of respiration our organism replenishes its supply of oxygen and rids itself of carbon dioxide.
Breathing is unusual as a bodily function because unlike most other vital processes (the pumping of the heart, the filtering of the kidneys, for example, where the body performs the process unconsciously), we also have a voluntary control over breathing rhythm and volume. We can hold our breath to go underwater, we can exhale to sing a long sustained tone, or inhale a deep lungful of scented air in a pine forest. This is an important area in the distribution of power between the body and the mind; neither is in complete control and the balance is always subject to negotiation.
The Learning Kiai (Part 1)
In martial arts, the beginning white belt wants to move like the expert and the black belt wants to recreate the freshness of the beginner. Most people, young and old, get very excited when they begin studying martial arts. They want to learn everything at once, train every day, and practice at home in front of the mirror. There is a powerful energy associated with learning something new; it makes people feel good about themselves and more open to others. Although there is a lot to learn in the martial arts, and it can seem confusing at first, the white belt is taking the first steps in the Kiai; identifying themselves within their own body and their role in the learning process.
Darkness on the Edge of Town
A martial arts student traveled to a famous Kyudo (Zen archery) dojo in Hawaii. He asked the sensei if he would consider teaching him what he could about making the arrow hit the target. The sensei rose from where he had been kneeling, raised his bow high in front of him, and slowly lowered it while expanding his chest and drawing the string. He let the arrow fly. A moment later, it quivered in the center of the target.
“Awesome!” said the student. “You must be the best archer on the island!”
“I don’t think so,” said the sensei. “My teacher is a fine martial artist and taught me all I know.”
“Perhaps I should visit him!” announced the student.
Gorindo Videos
Kihon (slow) from Gorindo Kata Kiito Shodan for 9th Kyu White Belt, by Claudio Iedwab
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