So our performance on Monday went alright. I thought there would be a big live audience but it was mostly just filmed for TV. It was funny because as we were doing our tai chi form I could hear the announcer talking about all the foreigners and which countries we were all from in Chinese. My mandarin is getting a lot better. I still have a ton of room for improvement but I'm starting to understand more and more. The pronunciation is the hardest part. Well after that we did get our western lunch, I had french fries and a chocolate sundae, no big deal in Canada but here it was the most exciting part of the day. I was really happy to get back to Wudangshan though after spending time in a big city again.
I notice more and more construction here. Some things are a lot different from when we came here last year and there are new buildings with massive cranes and such. There was a TV crew here at the school for a few days 2 weeks or so ago too. It seems this little town and Wudang kung fu are becoming more and more popular. I have a feeling that it's headed in the same direction as Shaolin kung fu. Soon enough it'll be really difficult to learn traditional kung fu here, it'll all be performance stuff and modern wushu. I'm really grateful to be here right now because another 5 or 10 years could really change the way kung fu is taught here, I know our Sifu sees what's coming. That is a big reason why he decided to have this 3 or 5 year traditional program, he knows that if our style is to continue it's tradition it will have to leave China. It seems if there's any money to be made from anything in this world, it will be changed, streamlined, and commercialized. It's pretty sad but at least I'm playing a part in preserving this tradition. Hopefully someday I'll be able to pass it on to others too.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
It's been a while since I blogged, I couldn't get onto blogger this week until today. The chinese firewall grows stronger ..dum dum dum....
We are doing a public performance of our tai chi 28 form in Shiyan (the nearest big city) tomorrow so we've been practicing that a lot. It's pretty tricky because we all have to go exactly the same speed and stay in perfect lines. So we've been doing it over and over and over in preparation for that. Some of the more advanced chinese students will be performing too. I'm excited mostly because I hope we get to go out for lunch afterwards and eat some western food! Yeah.
We also have a performance on wednesday up on the mountain. Still not sure what we're supposed to be performing because these things are generally really disorganized but we'll see how it goes. I will post at the end of our week to let everyone know how it goes.
Wish me luck!
We are doing a public performance of our tai chi 28 form in Shiyan (the nearest big city) tomorrow so we've been practicing that a lot. It's pretty tricky because we all have to go exactly the same speed and stay in perfect lines. So we've been doing it over and over and over in preparation for that. Some of the more advanced chinese students will be performing too. I'm excited mostly because I hope we get to go out for lunch afterwards and eat some western food! Yeah.
We also have a performance on wednesday up on the mountain. Still not sure what we're supposed to be performing because these things are generally really disorganized but we'll see how it goes. I will post at the end of our week to let everyone know how it goes.
Wish me luck!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
It's getting to be harder and harder to blog. I've been using proxy sites to get through the chinese firewall to sites like blogger and facebook but now even those don't always work. Today I had to try 3 times just to get on this site. The UBBT website is completely inaccessable at this point. There's so many little things like this about living in China that can be really frustrating at times. Luckily this time we have internet in our room so I can keep trying. Last time we were here we had to use the internet cafe and if we wouldn't get on to our site, it was just too bad. We'd have to try again another day. On the plus side we found some hot chocolate mix here! It's not gourmet or anything but Mel and I both love hot chocolate so much that going without is a horrifying thought.
Training this week was pretty challenging. My body is going through a lot of changes and with the change, comes pain. I feel like my muscles are getting softer and more relaxed so I notice more the places where I am stuck. Like my tendons and joints. Tuesday I was really tired and I had shooting pains in my legs and a really sore right knee. It was a struggle to get through the last day of the week. Yesterday after class Mel and I went to get massages and though it was painful (and still is for that matter) I think it was a good idea. There is a group of blind men here that give really awesome acupressure massages. I'm pretty sure that because they're blind they have greater tactile sensation which is probably why they give such great massages. I'm really glad I went. I've wanted to try it for a while and I definitely needed some help with my body this week. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be back in top form.
Training this week was pretty challenging. My body is going through a lot of changes and with the change, comes pain. I feel like my muscles are getting softer and more relaxed so I notice more the places where I am stuck. Like my tendons and joints. Tuesday I was really tired and I had shooting pains in my legs and a really sore right knee. It was a struggle to get through the last day of the week. Yesterday after class Mel and I went to get massages and though it was painful (and still is for that matter) I think it was a good idea. There is a group of blind men here that give really awesome acupressure massages. I'm pretty sure that because they're blind they have greater tactile sensation which is probably why they give such great massages. I'm really glad I went. I've wanted to try it for a while and I definitely needed some help with my body this week. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be back in top form.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Warning: If menstruation freaks you out, don't read this
I thought I'd write a post about something that's been on my mind a lot lately, menses.
Being a menstruating woman here is really different. Sifu told me that we need to take care not to overtrain during the first few days of our menses but it's kind of awkward because people notice that you're not doing as much as you normally do. Naturally they ask you if something is wrong, if you're sick, if everything is ok. I don't really want to discuss my cycle with the entire school but then you have to make up some other excuse "oh I'm just really tired today" and I prefer to tell the truth. I usually train as normally as I feel is appropriate and end up saying something vague, trying to change the subject. I think I'll eventually just have to get over it and the guys here will just know all about my periods. Awesome.
There are no tampons here either. We brought about $100 worth with us and when they are gone, we will have to go to the nearest big city to buy more. It's pretty annoying to have to make a big trip just for that but I can't imagine trying to do the training that we do while wearing a pad. I did bring a diva cup with me (www.divacup.com)but I haven't been able to figure out how to use it properly so until then, it's tampons for me.
Sifu told us that we're not supposed to drink cold drinks during our menses because it cools our blood too much and causes more cramps and can also make it last longer. I decided to give it a try and have only been drinking warm or hot beverages. It's really made a difference! I only had cramps the first day and they were quite mild. When I think back to all the times I pigged out on ice cream when I had my period it's kind of funny. Why are we sometimes so drawn to the worst thing for us? I wonder how many menstruating women are eating ice cream right now.
The book I'm reading right now is called Sex, Time, and Power and it discusses a lot about evolution and women's sexuality. The author claims that the reason homo sapiens were able to tell the passage of time so very long ago is due to women's menstrual cycles and they way they coincide with the cycles of the moon. The combination of an internal and external event of 29.5 days in length eventually got through our thick skulls and we were able to see the past and the future as well as the present. Humans are the only species with such a capacity for forsight and the only one with females possesing such a dramatic menses (a few other animals menstruate but none with the severity and timing of a human female). Well if you find the topic interesting, I recommend reading the book. It's very informative.
At home it's a lot easier to ignore my periods but while I'm in Wudang and training hard, it's a lot more in my face. I have to admit that in a way I'm enjoying being more in touch with my cycle. My sister and I are sharing a room and after less than 2 months our cycles are already synchronizing. I think another 2 months should do the trick. Then for a few days every month all the guys here will have to watch out! haha. I also read that the cause of PMS is a drop in estrogen and progesterone right before menses. This means that for a short while, women have more testosterone circulating than any other sex hormones. Basically we become more aggressive and difficult, the way men are all the time. ha! Of course I'm speaking in generalizations here, not everyone fits these kind of stereotypes. I just like learning about the physiology of peoples behaviors.
That's all for now. Hopefully people were able to set aside any squeamishness about this topic. I also hope that I've inspired some to learn more about thier bodies and how they work. Pretty cool stuff.
Being a menstruating woman here is really different. Sifu told me that we need to take care not to overtrain during the first few days of our menses but it's kind of awkward because people notice that you're not doing as much as you normally do. Naturally they ask you if something is wrong, if you're sick, if everything is ok. I don't really want to discuss my cycle with the entire school but then you have to make up some other excuse "oh I'm just really tired today" and I prefer to tell the truth. I usually train as normally as I feel is appropriate and end up saying something vague, trying to change the subject. I think I'll eventually just have to get over it and the guys here will just know all about my periods. Awesome.
There are no tampons here either. We brought about $100 worth with us and when they are gone, we will have to go to the nearest big city to buy more. It's pretty annoying to have to make a big trip just for that but I can't imagine trying to do the training that we do while wearing a pad. I did bring a diva cup with me (www.divacup.com)but I haven't been able to figure out how to use it properly so until then, it's tampons for me.
Sifu told us that we're not supposed to drink cold drinks during our menses because it cools our blood too much and causes more cramps and can also make it last longer. I decided to give it a try and have only been drinking warm or hot beverages. It's really made a difference! I only had cramps the first day and they were quite mild. When I think back to all the times I pigged out on ice cream when I had my period it's kind of funny. Why are we sometimes so drawn to the worst thing for us? I wonder how many menstruating women are eating ice cream right now.
The book I'm reading right now is called Sex, Time, and Power and it discusses a lot about evolution and women's sexuality. The author claims that the reason homo sapiens were able to tell the passage of time so very long ago is due to women's menstrual cycles and they way they coincide with the cycles of the moon. The combination of an internal and external event of 29.5 days in length eventually got through our thick skulls and we were able to see the past and the future as well as the present. Humans are the only species with such a capacity for forsight and the only one with females possesing such a dramatic menses (a few other animals menstruate but none with the severity and timing of a human female). Well if you find the topic interesting, I recommend reading the book. It's very informative.
At home it's a lot easier to ignore my periods but while I'm in Wudang and training hard, it's a lot more in my face. I have to admit that in a way I'm enjoying being more in touch with my cycle. My sister and I are sharing a room and after less than 2 months our cycles are already synchronizing. I think another 2 months should do the trick. Then for a few days every month all the guys here will have to watch out! haha. I also read that the cause of PMS is a drop in estrogen and progesterone right before menses. This means that for a short while, women have more testosterone circulating than any other sex hormones. Basically we become more aggressive and difficult, the way men are all the time. ha! Of course I'm speaking in generalizations here, not everyone fits these kind of stereotypes. I just like learning about the physiology of peoples behaviors.
That's all for now. Hopefully people were able to set aside any squeamishness about this topic. I also hope that I've inspired some to learn more about thier bodies and how they work. Pretty cool stuff.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Tai chi is so awesome.
Last night we practiced our tai chi form together and Sifu told us to focus on our dan tien and try to move very slowly but without stopping. We also did standing meditation afterwards. It was a great practice, I could really feel something. It's hard to desribe accurately but there was a sort of fullness in my dan tien (lower abdomen) and a feeling of tingling and a weird creakyness in my hands and arms. Sifu says not to focus on trying to feel any particular sensations but there are times when they're so strong that you can't not notice. The reason he says not to try to feel anything is that is because many people try so hard to feel what they're 'supposed' to that they create something in thier minds when the feeling actually comes from your body. That's supposedly why we train our bodies so hard, so that they become relaxed and strong, a clear channel for chi to flow through. It's pretty great to see it happening in my own body, I still have a long way to go but the progress is encouraging.
He also corrected me on a part of the form that's been kind of awkward and I couldn't figure out why. It feels a lot better now and even though he made me do it over and over and gave me heck in front of everyone I was able to stay calm and focused instead of feeling angry. I'm not sure why but Sifu can really make me feel embarrassed and angry when he chastises me harshly or gives me a knock on the head in class. I know that he wouldn't do that if he didn't care about helping me and that he does it purposefully but I've had a difficult time not having an emotional response in the moment. I think last night is a sign that I'm making progress in that regard too. It also made it easier to correct my mistake because I could focus on what I was doing instead of having my mind clouded with emotions. Cool.
I actually had a really challenging week of hard training and also frustration with certain people that I have no choice but to spend a LOT of time with. It was really draining and by Tuesday/Wednesday I was pretty exhausted mentally and emotionally. Thursday being the day off helped but last nights' class was what really helped me get over all that and replenish some of the energy I'd lost during the week.
Last night we practiced our tai chi form together and Sifu told us to focus on our dan tien and try to move very slowly but without stopping. We also did standing meditation afterwards. It was a great practice, I could really feel something. It's hard to desribe accurately but there was a sort of fullness in my dan tien (lower abdomen) and a feeling of tingling and a weird creakyness in my hands and arms. Sifu says not to focus on trying to feel any particular sensations but there are times when they're so strong that you can't not notice. The reason he says not to try to feel anything is that is because many people try so hard to feel what they're 'supposed' to that they create something in thier minds when the feeling actually comes from your body. That's supposedly why we train our bodies so hard, so that they become relaxed and strong, a clear channel for chi to flow through. It's pretty great to see it happening in my own body, I still have a long way to go but the progress is encouraging.
He also corrected me on a part of the form that's been kind of awkward and I couldn't figure out why. It feels a lot better now and even though he made me do it over and over and gave me heck in front of everyone I was able to stay calm and focused instead of feeling angry. I'm not sure why but Sifu can really make me feel embarrassed and angry when he chastises me harshly or gives me a knock on the head in class. I know that he wouldn't do that if he didn't care about helping me and that he does it purposefully but I've had a difficult time not having an emotional response in the moment. I think last night is a sign that I'm making progress in that regard too. It also made it easier to correct my mistake because I could focus on what I was doing instead of having my mind clouded with emotions. Cool.
I actually had a really challenging week of hard training and also frustration with certain people that I have no choice but to spend a LOT of time with. It was really draining and by Tuesday/Wednesday I was pretty exhausted mentally and emotionally. Thursday being the day off helped but last nights' class was what really helped me get over all that and replenish some of the energy I'd lost during the week.
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