Presentness Through Life and Kung Fu

When it comes to training the body for the long term, for the dedication to a prolonged life and for real longevity we are, in the end, talking about Kung Fu proper.

As a term that is thrown around in Western culture, often mentioned only in passing and almost never actually discussed or explored in any real depth, as if a joke or a farce, "Kung Fu" is very much a part of every day life and is an important practice for those living in those areas where Kung Fu was birthed and developed.  As life continues so too Kung Fu continues to develop along with it, independent of geographical location.  Do note, however, that the expression of Kung Fu in different geographical locations differs vastly from one place to the next and does not necessarily involve the complicated forms or movement sequences often brought to mind upon the utterance of the words "Kung Fu" (note: the existence and practice of said forms classically denotes a highly developed but still changing expression of Kung Fu).  For example, eating is Kung Fu, training is Kung Fu, sleeping is Kung Fu.  If you are breathing, if you are living you are in fact doing Kung Fu.

So, if we can agree that Kung Fu is synonymous with life it is also understood that any action taken which delays the Reaper's inevitable scythe is good Kung Fu, and any action which quickens the dark and final blow is directly at odds with the natural inertia of existence.  The good practitioner has a harmonious aptitude and a complete understanding, even without the understanding of every particular.  The good practitioner visualizes his life's path knowing that his present action affects his course directly.  It is difficult to consistently keep this vision front and center in sight and in mind, especially with the ever multiplying measure of external stimuli in today's world.

The good practitioner can develop and hone his ability to keep this vision at the forefront through meditation and more specifically control of the breath.  It's amazing that even the most minuscule lapse of judgment; the most concise, fleeting moment can cause a resounding deviation from the envisioned path.  Situations where this is the case might be called "accidents".  A mental consistency of awareness and a grounded recognition of reality must be maintained to a certain degree at all times to curb the likelihood of "accidents"actualizing themselves.  Reducing their possibility is best done by avoidance of the prerequisite conditions necessary for the accident to occur and using foresight to recognize those conditions.

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As we live there is a perpetual culmination of circumstances occurring at every moment in a constant fleeting genesis and it is here, within the moment, where lies the potential for all that is present to affect (for better or worse) the immediate circumstances towards a future reality.  Again, the potential there lies, in the moment, for us to bend our reality to a new extreme, or more likely to a new moderate circumstance as time passes.  Whether an extreme will actualize itself or not is uncertain, and the likelihood of a situation's development into an extreme reality a priori (meaning before the entrance of any empirical information) can properly be modeled by the mathematicians bell curve.  As we are great effectors of our own circumstance we must remain focused and resolute to ensure that as long as we are in control we do not breach over into an extreme displacement unless absolutely necessary.  But, if a breach of extreme does occur either by "accident" or through willful, deliberate action we must do our best to maintain control using our wisdom and intuition to characteristically proceed with magnanimity and honest virtue to reestablish equilibrium.

So we bring it back now to the topic at hand which is longevity.  Physical development is something that is also perpetual throughout a lifetime until death, so it is important that one understands how to develop safely and without injury as injury is properly a physical regression, which is the opposite of the desired outcome of development, progression.  So please!  Don't get hurt!  Our Physical Arts Exercises with the anatomical logicality of its holistic movements all centered on the core are the most simple and most effective exercises to promote longevity and real, internal power.  These exercises, when performed correctly and safely (meaning not with excessive weight) promote coordination, dexterity, power, proficiency and skill simply through their execution.  With this system the physical realm can be mastered in record time leaving the mental and spiritual realms ready to be conquered.

A Master of Kung Fu lives longer through dedicated physical training, spiritual serenity, and mental patience all contributing to a stressless life and ever-present mind.

Live Longer, Live Better, Kung Fu

Inspired by Calasanz
Written by Alan Wedell