brokenpurplecrayon

one of my tai chi classmates gave me a copy of 8 Pieces of Brocade recently. in the book, both the terms ch’i (qi) and kung fu (gongfu) are defined. both of these terms have become very important in my life recently.

kung fu is not what you think it is. yes, it is a term that is usually meant to refer to some sort of chinese martial arts or wushu. and yes, i am a student of the fu style of tai ch’i at one of the few schools that teach the style here in florida (yes, i can do the sword form too – i love it!). but the true definition of kung fu extends into all realms of skill, mastery, and passion. to ‘have good kung fu’ means you have shown mastery and dedication to developing a skill or art or technique. a person can have academic kung fu, cooking kung fu, artistic kung fu, etc.

interestingly enough, shortly after reading this definition of kung fu, The Forbidden Kingdom came from Netflix.  i’d read lots of bad reviews of the movie, people saying it was trite and predictable, etc … but really, Jet Li AND Jackie Chan – together – in the same movie??  i couldn’t resist.  sweetie watched out of the corner of her eye and ignored my ongoing running commentary (look – that’s crane form!  oohhh drunken form!  look, he just switched to praying mantis!).  i felt terribly vindicated every time the movie validated my recognition of the different forms.  then, lo & behold, as the protagonist is learning, Jackie Chan breaks down the true meaning of kung fu!  not an hour before the movie, i had been explaining the exact same thing to sweetie.

i don’t do coincidences.  they simply are not a reality.  there is, however, interconnectedness and serendipity.  when something in my life makes a lot of repeat appearances, i do my best to pay attention.  so, on the table right now – kung fu.  i have been getting a lot of reminders lately to sink deeply into the activities i attempt and find my level of mastery of them.  don’t settle and gloss over something to be efficient or faster or to move on to something else.  if it is worth doing, it is worth exploring and mastering – otherwise, i should choose a different activity.

moving on to ch’i or qi (depending on how you choose to type/spell it) … well, things get a lot more complicated. ch’i is breath. ch’i is energy. ch’i is life force. ch’i flows through the channels of your body, the earth, heaven; is influenced by the elements of fire, air, water, metal, and wood; is replenished by food, directed by acupuncture, and an imbalance can shut you down in a heart beat.

with the recent change of weather, albeit mild, i have felt a shift in my body, my ch’i, in something. it hasn’t been just recently that i’ve felt an imbalance building but lately, it has become noticeable. i went to my primary physician for a 6 month appointment. they renewed my asthma medication, sleeping meds, and assured me that everyone else was feeling the ‘weather change’. yes, yes, i’m sure they are – we all are. go figure, your ch’i actually *changes* with the seasons! apparently, in autumn, the main weakness and imbalance centers around the lungs. this imbalance leaves the immune system open to compromise. another area of change during autumn is in digestion and appetite. yep. check on both.

so i read. i educated myself. and then i started to do what i could to get my ch’i rebalanced and back in harmony. the results aren’t instantaneous – it comes in cumulative steps, building up over time and interconnecting. but slowly, surely, and positively – i am getting back where i need to be physically and emotionally.  trying to develop my kung fu with my chi…. so to speak.

.:{brokenpurplecrayon}:.