Physical Injury during Practice periods

How Discipline makes us truly Free

Sometimes you know that you have to practice but you don't want to. It seems there is a second self somewhere inside that is stronger, more powerful than our will, that dictates what is going to happen. No matter what your plans are, you-won't-do-it. Period.

Whenever I think about this, I have an image about that other self: it is as powerful as a lion, stubborn like an ox, ferocious like a shark. And you my friend, are not going to practice no matter what!

Discipline is a liquid. It runs in all of our Life's aspects. You can't be disciplined in one thing and
chaotic in another.

It is part of character and character is built up. By applying it in everything.
Discipline in how you eat. How you sleep. How you do your homework, take the bus, work.

It is from these aspects that you may take any amount of "discipline" to apply it where and when is needed. Yourway of life will support you. You will practice by counting on your own daily routined discipline. You will find the power to tame the lion, the ox, the shark!

I am not suggesting a life full of militarian discipline. Even if you wanted, society (this applies for all countries on planet Earth except for Japan!) is not helping you. There is no black and white, only shades of gray. The chaos that rules other peoples' lifes affects us: the garbage truck that 
picks up the trash at noon(!), the guy who double-parked for 5 mins (actually it's 40 mins by now), another strike that causes downtown nuclear meltdown, your friend that came 
30 mins late...

All I am saying is that You must decide about your Life. You should choose when to have coffee, when to practice, when to go to the movies. It must be your choice, your decision. Thus you are free. Free to do as you decide.


Injury. Pain as means to an end-another kind of aikido.

All these are meaningless the moment you get hurt. Pain knocks the door of your brain saying: "I am shuting systems down!"...

It gets even trickier... You think it is for the best to rest. To lie on the sofa and watch TV... You are hurt, aren't you? You deserve this...

No. As long as you can walk, you must go to Practice. And do as much as pain allows you to do. Is it only one simple exercise? You do it.

Pain is our friend. Pain is a signal telling us that something is wrong. We must learn to embrace it. Not demonize it! Pain is the best thing our body can do to tell us in order to protect ourselves.

Absorb it and exhale it.