Mindful Flexibility is one of the main keys to avoiding stress in today’s society.

What is Mindful Flexibility?

Good morning, folks! I am Jin with Morning Mindfulness Podcast. Hope life is treating you great! Let’s breathe and smile.

Not long ago I was talking about Zen way of learning. Which basically means you work to perfect a form. It is never perfect and never finished, but you work on it without judgment to shape your body and make it a vessel.

On the other hand, nobody can ever repeat the same move twice. It is expressed through saying “Ichi Go, Ichi E”, means one time – one meeting. Nothing can be ever repeated the same way.

This is somewhat similar to the ancient saying “No man ever steps in the same river twice.”

The approach I learned when I was training with my teacher was opposite to that in Zen. I was not allowed to repeat the same move more than several times. I had to change and even create my own combinations of moves as my homework. And then I’d show it to the teacher.

“Two leaves from the same tree fall differently,” the teacher said. Our school is based on total improvisation. Most of the techniques were designed to develop our brain. Great for Alzheimer’s, btw.

And honestly, I like this approach much more than repetitions. I like flexibility and adaptability. This is what I teach in my classes and workshops.

And not just for martial arts. I like changing my route when I drive. Taking a different path. Moving things around. Or doing something in a different way, of course if it does not jeopardize the outcome. This helps to develop flexible thinking. And I think this is one of the main keys to avoiding stress in life. You may want to try it some time.

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PEACE!
Jin

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