The Odyssey of YogOdysseus

AWAKENING

YogOdysseus woke up on the morning of the day of Labors with a feeling of anxiety brought about by deeply disturbing dreams of car wrecks and social shame. These anxiety attacks are not, per se, part of the Odyssey that soon ensued, but an important fact about our hero. For he wakes up many mornings with these feelings which he buries under the mask of wit and strength.

This day however was unusual for YogOdysseus had decided to embark on an Odyssey to far away yoga studios. The previous day he had celebrated the day of free yoga opening ceremony where he practiced in the shady courtyard of the Whole Foods terrace. Surrounded by the Yogis of his homeland he was astounded at the beauty of forms and the wonder of practicing on the cool stone with the high billowing clouds. Focusing on a far away airplane in tree pose, or the beauty of expression that enfolded.

THE TEMPLE IN THE HILLS

This morning YogOdysseus set out to a place south of Austin near the edge of his homeland. He passed over the Barton Creek basin through mists of the morning rain and into territory where pickups and men with red necks is more common. There in the hill country he was astounded to see a four story spire rising from the base of a Hindu temple. Peaceful people from the area gave him a ride on a golf cart from the temple to a spacious yoga studio nearby. On the golf cart ride over the lady informed me that the temple and the Barsana Dham Ancient Yoga Center had been built in four years, from concept to reality.

YogOdysseus was greeted by two of his classmates, tall amazon warriors who radiated joy from across the room which was filled with strangers with varying levels of expertise. He began his practice and felt his morning anxiety drift away and the mask soon became reality as asana worked it’s magic.

YogOdysseus was particularly impressed with a man who had never done yoga. His postures were all crooked, his leg was unaligned…yet the man had a smile and ease that takes some people a lifetime to acquire.

After practice he met and talked with Chris Dionsi, the teacher. One of the amazons amazed them all by shooting golden light from her chest. Following this beacon they explored the grounds, the pond, the playful Krishna frescos and the open arena which is great for practice of martial arts and yoga.

BLACK SWEATY YOGA

YogOdysseus departed the temple and headed back into town dining on nuts and lembas. Parking at Whole Foods he walked through the HOT Texas sun to Black Swan Yoga. He was greeted by his one time teacher and all time friend who engaged in an intense “sweaty Yoga” class . The sirens of Black Swan yoga practice a fiery form of Asana. The room quickly heated as sun salutations turned to intense thigh burning lunges and balance postures. Heat from the vents buffeted the pair of practitioners moved through each move, dripping sweat, brushing on sun salutations and loving every moment of life.

THE FLOW OF SEVA

After practice YogOdysseus and his companion walked through the REFRESHING Texas weather to have a bittersweet smoothie and bond in Kula Yogic Gossipy Soul Sharing. They then journeyed to Seva Yoga. As he gazed across the parking lot he was already struck by the diversity of studios and styles. From the exotic temple hatha, to the Indie minimilism hot yoga and now a classic Austin strip mall containing a simple giant room with cool tile. The Twila began a restoritive Hatha flow. There could not have been a greater contrast to the Sweaty Hot Black Yoga where the warmup was sun salutations in a hundred degree room. After a few smooth arm rotations from a seated position the teacher announced “OK, the hard part is over”. We layed back on the floor and gently rotated our hips in gentle hip openers and twists.

CASA DE CONFUSION

YogOdysseus then set out to Casa De Luz where there was a Stomp Yoga planned. Upon arrival he discovered there was no stomping, and that the yoga teacher was “running late”. Taking advantage of this interlude he had two bowls of the Casa’s legendary biotic soup which invigorated him greatly.

He joined a group of practitioners who sat bewildered in the kitchen, when a flustered teacher bounced into the room. After a few moments of confusion about rooms, class and other things, she sat down in a state of dishevelment and began to explain how hers was the “traditional” yoga with many benefits to mind and body. She then had the class sign waivers and embarked upon very simple practice suitable for someone undergoing triple bypass surgery. What the waiver was for remains a mystery forYogOdysseus was in more danger from the bittersweet smoothie than this practice. Although it did test his compassion and patience. YogOdysseus put his best face forward, but inside was deeply disappointed at the lack of stomping and yearned to “connect, stretch and laugh” as was advertised.

LOVE CHANTING AT THE COOP

He was soon to be redeemed however as he made his way to the Co Op of Love and Yoga to practice a late night Kirtan class with a group of hippy looking smiling people. Their chants filled the night air with bliss and harmony. This studio, the only one YogOdysseus had been to previously, was cozy and intimate and beamed with the power of love and harmony.

As he stepped out into the moonlight, he gazed through the darkness at the courtyard. A giant tree whose roots run deep give the area a pranic feel that made YogOdysseus long to practice and teach Tai Chi beneath it.

He headed home, gazing occasionally at the starlit clouds that were thickening. Perhaps the next morning he would awaken refreshed, or yet again find the fear of life which we all experience. Yet today had made him stronger, happier and at that moment, he knew….peace.

What is an "Advanced" Practice

The other day I was with some fellow yoga practitioners and one said she didn't want to go to the advanced class because she couldn't do a handstand yet. Coincidentally I had just had a conversation with the advanced class teacher. She had told me quite clearly that I was welcome even though I wasn't "there yet" with handstands (which I can't do). The whole thing got me thinking about what constitutes and advanced practitioner of yoga or martial arts.

Mastery - The first thing I should do is distinguish advanced vs. mastery. There are people who practice mind-body exercises every day for hours. These people, with the right combination of talent, skill and instruction reach a phenomenal stage of achievement. When I use the term advanced, I am not talking about these professors of martial arts and yoga. My use is more akin to someone moving up in elementary school (more on this later.) For the purposes of this article, I am talking about someone who operates in this modern world and practices mind-body exercises on a regular basis.

So in our culture, what constitutes an advanced student?

Not Ability to...- In yoga advanced is not reflected in your ability to achieve a certain posture. If it were, then 16 year old gymnasts would be the best yogis. Similarly, your ability to break boards or beat people does not distinguish you as an advanced martial artists. There are people who can do both that I would characterize as macho men, street thugs or just tough...but not advanced martial artists.

Sure an advanced martial artists are powerful warriors, and an advanced yogi can do things many can not. However, I believe these abilities are a reflection of their advanced state, not the reason they are advanced. The ability to... is the fruit of practice, but not what defines the tree that is the practitioner.

The qualities I believe constitute an advanced student are:

• knowledge of self
• low injury rate
• unstoppable
• self assured
• humble
• open minded

An advanced student may have a rank in a school, or a certificate on the wall, but in the end, each of us must decide, for ourselves and others, what advanced is.

Knowledge of self - an advanced practitioner knows exactly what she can do, and is constantly pushing that ability. They know how to walk right up to the edge. A Yogini will twist her outer leg in Pigeon Pose until her IT band burns. But she will not harm her knee. She knows her edge, and she pushes it. A martial artist will block with the bone 100 times until his forearms are bruised, and little micro-fractures form to toughen the forearm. But if the wrist tendons are in danger he will back off, putting his ego in check so he can advance.

Low Injury Rate - Closely related to knowledge of one's self is a low injury rate. I see new people come into a martial arts or yoga class and "go for it". They push themselves hard, ready to quickly master something. If they feel that tweak in their knee they tough it out. They make no allowance for swollen toes, full stomach, lack of sleep or any other impairment. Consequently they get hurt, sometimes seriously, and never come back. In martial arts these people are especially dangerous because they are reckless and can hurt others. If you see these wreckless practioners in a martial arts class be very careful doing two person exercises.

Unstoppable - One of my teachers told a story of a woman who was in the black belt club. While most black belts, regardless of size were kicking the hell out of targets, her kicks were...moderate. She was slow in form, and a little wobbly in her balance. Not at all what one would see in most black belts. Even her Keeyap was funny. But my teacher learned later that she had been diagnosed with a potentially fatal disease, and that the doctors had said she would be disabled at best. We all agreed she was the best black belt on the floor. I see this all the time. People with cancer, in their 80's, children, and people who decide for the first time in their life to exercise--this unstoppable fire is a thing of beauty.

Self Assured - I am just starting to teach and find that nothing can be more humbling. At first I was flustered when I made a mistake, and terrified of teaching something wrong. What if I made a fool of myself in front of these talented students? But as I watched I saw that even good teachers made mistakes. In fact, they constantly made tiny little errors in their teaching or motions. But they recover and continue. In testing we tell people not to show frustration if you mess up. Either continue or ask to start again, but don't groan, make a face and throw a mini tantrum. In yoga I see those people holding their breath, grunting and groaning and looking around to compare themselves to the rest of class. Advanced students may look, but they are always in a place of calm self assurance.

Humility - when we practice martial arts and yoga we undertake the study of some very complex systems that have been developed over thousands of years. The people I know haven't lived their lives in an Asian temple, practicing morning noon and night since childhood. And even those who do will attest there is still much to learn.

At one point in my practice I realized that I there was so much to know. I had learned the basics of hundreds of techniques, postures, principles, over years of practice. And I yet I still find things to correct in my long stance. As you get more advanced, you are adding to a bigger and bigger list of things you can't do. It is overwhelming, and humbling.

Intermediate students often make the mistake of thinking they know something a teacher is showing them. You will hear them correcting other students, even arguing with the teacher about the "right way" to do something. They have learned enough to know the basic technique, but not enough to see subtle variations.

Beware of overly proud intermediates; they may have certificates, trophies and awards, but if you are not careful they will waste your precious practice time. I advise listening to them, but don't let someone who is "in the teacher training" be the final word in your practice.

Intermediate students are easily recognizable. They are accomplished and able in their practice. Sometimes an advanced student is indistinguishable from a beginner. Think of the classic martial arts movie where the maintenance man is a master of Karate, or Guru who looks like a beggar. An intermediate student will list their accomplishments. They take offense when someone tries to show them something; an advanced student smiles and listens, tries it out and moves forward.

note: I am not pointing fingers...very few people skip this stage of development, and most of us cycle through it repeatedly as we advance. An advanced student will recognize this attitude in themselves and correct it.

The Open Mind - so the open mind is, in my thinking, the most important quality of an advanced student. Despite an advanced students many accomplishments and wealth of knowledge, they realize how little they know, and eagerly approach each new lesson with a beginners mind. This is why an advanced martial artist can adapt to a variety of fighting styles. It is why they are hard to trick, they see things as they are, not as a repetition of something they have seen before. Advanced mind-body students are able to learn under any circumstance. I knew a student who came from a bad teacher. My teacher confided in me his amazement: "When I saw that teacher practicing Tai Chi, I couldn't tell it was Tai Chi, but his student had had taken his instruction and did the moves correctly!"

When a student is advanced they learn from those less skilled, they learn from obnoxious intermediates, they learn from beginners, they learn from nature. Their practice extends beyond the mat, and their practice off the mat comes back to the mat for exploration. When you see this quality in a student, they are probably advanced.

I saw this quality in my friend, who can't do a handstand, but is,

I think,

advanced.

My Teacher and our Martial Arts Lineage.

Courtesy of Janell Vela Smith

HistoryThe ori gin of the Dae Yeon Sa Tem ple can be traced to AD 1200 years. The first original Tem ple was Dae Yeon Am, meaning “Great Achievement Place”. It was located in North Korea, and founded by Master Ji Suk along with two other masters.

Dur ing this time the masters practiced Buddhism without the Martial Arts. It was only after Mas­ter Song Jae and Mas ter Bup Kwang came to the temple that the prac tice of Martial Arts began around AD 1269.

Several hundred years later, the temple moved to South Korea (1692) and the name changed from Dae Yeon Am to Dae Yeon Sa (“Great Achieve ment Temple”).

At that time, three masters from China joined and continued to develop the Martial Arts. That is why the origin of the Tukong Moosul system is both a hard and soft style, a blending of Chinese and Korean techniques.

In 1965, Grand mas ter Wonik Yi went to the tem ple and began train­ing in Buddhism and the Martial Arts. I Korea there are two types of Buddhist temples. One is similar to a church of mission ary work and is open to all people. The other is solely for individuals who wish to seek self-enlightment. These tem ples are ones of sanctu­ary and privacy, and are not open for public visitation. A few of the temples in Korea choose the later type.

The Dae Yeon Sa Temple is a very traditional temple that teaches Buddhism and Martial Arts. This is the tra di tion that is taught to the students of Tukong Moosul today.

Eun Kwang Bup Sa was born in 1895 and passed away in 1996 at the age of 101 years. He was head mas ter of Dae Yeon Sa Temple from 1955 until his passing. Eun Kwang Bup Sa was Master Yi’s Grandmas ter and the greatest mentor influencing, molding, and guiding Master Yi for the rest of his life.

Eun Kwang Bup Sa taught “Jeong Shin Il Do, Ha Sa Bul Sung”. Translated, this means that when one summons one’s mind, heart (body), and spirit in one direction together, nothing is impossible and you can accom plish any­thing that you desire.

Grandmaster Wonik Yi’s goal, in honor of headmas ter Eun Kwang Bup Sa, is to offer and pass forward to his students all of the knowledge, wisdom and philosophy that he has acquired through his years of training. The students that are willing to listen and work hard will find direction in their life; they will become humble beings, with a great understand ing of self-accomplishment, self-esteem, and an under stand ing of the impor tance of life.

Grandmaster Wonik Yi entered Dae-Yeon tem ple at the age of five in 1964. He lived at the temple until the age of nineteen and trained in traditional Moosul (Mar tial Arts) until he joined the South Korean Special Forces to do his duty for his country.

While he was in the special forces, his commander, General Chang, and the Korean Government noticed his prominence in Martial Arts and asked him to devise a more modern, powerful, and effective fighting martial arts for the South Korea Special Forces and the military version of Tukong Mar tial Arts was born in February of 1978.

In the beginning, Tukong Moosul was called Tukjun Moosul. In 1980, Korean Military 26th division became Tukong Division and most other divisions started creating the Tukong Battalion.

There are now over a few hundred thousand South Korean military and reserve soldiers training each year in the military version of Tukong Martial Arts.

Grandmaster Wonik Yi came to America in 1982 and has been teach ing Tukong Moosul ever since. The Tukong Moosul taught by Grand­mas ter Yi in the USA is very traditional and taught in the same way he learned from his Master, Eun Kwang Bupsa, at the temple. His Tukong Moosul is the combination of this traditional ancient temple style which was developed through many gen er a tions from 1200 AD and the inno v a tive mod ern style based on sci en tific research and theories.

Tukong Moosul taught by Grand mas ter Yi consists of the following:

• Basic physical conditioning to optimize the human body’s condition
• Advanced physical conditioning utiliz ing acupres sure and acupuncture
• Basic and advanced body movements in forms and steps
• Tra di tional and modern weaponry
• Basic and advanced Ip-sun (Tai Chi)
• Ulti mate Ki Kong (Ki Energy) Training

Grand mas ter Wonik Yi was granted the 9th degree designation, which is the ultimate degree in martial arts, by his master, Eun Kwang Bupsa, before he passed away in 1996. Grand mas ter Yi also holds a doctorate degree in education.

Grandmaster Wonik Yi’s Tukong Moosul is evolving into a total philosophy of the human being. What he teaches is not just physical or mental martial arts. He teaches the students how to live their lives. That is because he strongly believes that the best way to pre dict the future of a human being is to create one.

No Can Do!

"Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right."



This week I had a revelation about how often I tell myself I can't do something. It started in Martial Arts. Master Ali took us through a set of exercises ranging from practicing forms to dragging your training partner accross the room (very tiring). I did these as I ussually do with confidence that I could do things. In fact, I was already observing a certain level of judgement. For instance, I wa staking pride in remembering certain things, and getting rattled when I forgot.



Master Ali did an exercise where we held two sticks and banged them togeteher while the class practiced agility by stepping between the sticks. From the moment I saw the drill I was starting to dread it. I realized that before I tried the exercise I had convinced myslef that I couldn't do it. In fact, I couldn't. I jumped in and the sticks hit my foot. Two or thre times I tried to no avail.



But this time I realized why. I was telling myself I couldn't jump rope, that I had poor rythum, that I never did good at these things, and a thousand other things I had learned from failures since childhood.



So, I made a decision to just forget that bullshit and do it.



Now by the end of class I was not doing it as well as others, but I had managed to get seven repetitions out. With a little more practice I am sure I could have done it much better.



I was pretty sore after the workout so I decided to go for a nice easy Yoga workout. Mandy was teaching. I was pretty sore from the Tukong training so I decided to go and just kind of take it easy. A little Hatha would work the kinks out.





Mandy focused on backbends that day, and then went to full wheel. She heard my little snide snort when she said "







I was essentially doing it again. Telling myself I can't do it. I was sore, tired, and have never ever ever come even close to raisning my head in wheel.


This time was particularly bad because Mandy decided to work with me in front of the whole class. So imagine the forces at work in my mind:

• I can't do this
• my chest is tight
• back bends just aren't my thing
• I am already tired and don't want to do this
• a classroom full of beautiful women is watching me try this, oh god I look ridiculous!

Three times I tired.

Three times Mandy pushed coached instructed discussed and told me what to do.

I didn't do it, and in fact, almost cranked my neck a couple of times.

So then we went off to practice with a partner and I was lucky enough to have another yoga teacher as my partner. At that moment I realized I had once again told myself that I couldn't do it.

So I made a point to push into it, and make sure I knew I was able to do it. I was able to push up into wheel and get my head off the ground for about five seconds. It was a breakthrough...first time in my life I could do it.

So today I learned that the secret to success is to catch yourself when you think you can't. Identify that dialogue and tell yourself you can.

It sounds easy, but believe me, it is very hard. Your mind is smart, and it will come up with all kinds of logical reasons why you can't do something. It will provide you with evidence based on past experiences. It will fill you with fear of injury, humiliation and failure.

Another thing. No matter how experienced you are in your practice, this will come back. I had a break through today, but in a week, or a day, or an hour later, the mind will once again place limits on what I can do. It demands constant attention.

10 Principles for Any technique

This is from one of Master Jay Davis' "nuggets" that he gives in classes at the Tukong Moosul Academy.



There are Ten Principles in any Martial Arts Technique

1. Breath


2. Keyap


3. Self Control


4. Space Control


5. Inner Control


6. Leverage


7. Anticipation


8. Timing


9. Balance


10. Speed

Nunchaku Law

We were in class on Saturday practicing nunchaku and began to wonder how the weapon was treated in the eyes of the law.
1. Texas Law - Does someone know the specifics of Texas law? I would think that nunchaku falls under Title 10 Chapter 46 of the Texas Penal Code. Nunchaku's seem to meet the definition of a club: http://tlo2.tlc.state.tx.us/statutes/pe.toc.htm But that is just my best guess...I would consult a lawyer if a policeman tried to confiscate my nuncaku's. I know there was a great article on the laws of knives in one of our newsletters.
2. National Law - According to the Wikipedia:"Legality in the United States varies at state level, e.g., personal possession of nunchaku is illegal in New York, Arizona, California and Massachusetts, but in other states possession has not been criminalized. In New York, attorney Jim Maloney has brought a federal constitutional challenge to the statutes that criminalize simple in-home possession of nunchaku for peaceful use in martial-arts practice or legal home defense.[13] As of March 2009, the case was awaiting the filing of a petition for certiorari for review by the U.S. Supreme Court." [They are illegal in many parts of Europe.]
3. The Supreme Court Case (pending) - Jim Maloney's website is VERY good. He discusses the current case at:
http://homepages.nyu.edu/~jmm257/mvc.html
He also has a Blog called "Forbiden Sticks, a Four Century Blog Tour" - http://nunchakulaw.blogspot.com/
NPR had a great story on him as well. "Come on, they are just a couple of sticks with a string" was one of his defenses.
4. My experience - I was pulled over in Dallas and the officer saw my nunchaku's that I have had since my 12th birthday in the back of my hatchback. He tried to confiscate them, and I told him that I used them in martial arts practice and was on my way to class. He shrugged his shoulders, put them back in the trunk and proceedded to write me a ticket for expired tags. The point is that it is probably worth it to stand up for your rights if someone questions your martial arts weapon.
5. My Opinion - Using any weapon, including your pinkie finger, or even your words to threaten another is and should be illegal. However, laws specifically banning nunchaku's in a society where mass murderers go to gun shows and get weapons for their killing sprees is absurd. Our consititution specificallly protects us "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." I think our founding fathers would not pass a law banning nunchaku's and we should carry our nunchaku's with a peaceful mind and a strong heart.

Recovery from Mistakes

Living in the Moment

When you make a mistake don't hold on to it. Once I was practicing moving hard blocking, which is a series of seven sets of moves designed to move your body in unconventional ways. They are also sometimes refered to as "confusion forms". Even after practicing these forms for many years I still have days where I miss a move. I take an extra step, or miss a punch. It is like my mind plays tricks.

So on this day I tried to do moving hard blocking 1-7 and on the 3 series I made a mistake. Then the 4th, then the 5th, then the 6th. By the 7th series I was totally befuddled. One of the black belts said "don't let the mistake carry forward."

Master Ali has emphasized this before several promotion tests. He says, "If you make a mistake while testing either reset and say 'permission to do again', or carry on through."
"Don't stop and go ugh!" he usually mimics someone in a front stance shaking their head in frustration "no one wants to see that."

When you make a mistake, go to the next moment fresh and with an open mind. Live in that moment, don't waste a micro second on regret. This is particularly important if there are high stakes. In a combat situation regret and self examination will get you killed.

Learn from Mistakes

Even though you live in the moment, don't be accepting.

Grandmaster Yi saw the whole class was having a hard time with a sequence he was teaching. At the end of class he emphasized the need to learn from your mistakes. So while you shouldn't dwell on your mistakes, you should learn from them.

One thing he said that stuck in my mind was "don't smile when you make a mistake" . Smiling says it is ok, or that you are making the mistake, but don't care. Don't be accepting of mistakes.

Don't Understand, Do It

A few days ago we were working on an intense set of sparring moves, and I just wasn't doing it right.

Master Ali told me how to do it,
I missed the move.
He told me again
and I said,"Understood"
"Don't understand it" he replied,
"Do it"

Nothing could have summed it up better. It is not about dealing with mistakes, or fixing something wrong. It is about doing it right!

Don't understand....DO IT!