July 6, 2024 - What did I notice while I was practicing today?

Blog that was supposed to be published July 6, 2024

Things I’ve been noticing lately with my Kung Fu training include:

Stances

I’ve been trying to pay particular attention to my stances, especially keeping them low (where appropriate) and not bobbing my head up and down. I think it’s getting there but it’s always a work in process. Sifu Rybak noticed one spot in Da Mu Hsing where I completely missed noticing that I wasn’t quite doing that. Thank you!

Low back stance

Keeps getting lower. When I started Kung Fu I noticed that a lot of people do their low back stance with their heel lifted off the ground. I found that really unstable and noticed that it was a trend in Western culture more than Asian. So I decided early on to do mine with my whole foot on the ground and hopefully the muscles and flexibility would get better. I believe it has been, since my low back stance has gotten lower even though I keep that foot fully planted on the ground. The muscles seem to be getting stronger too since I can go in and out of those stances a little more easily and smoothly. I wonder how much it will improve in the next few years.

Energy recovery

Since I’ve been doing more breath work and meditation my energy levels appear to be getting better. Still not back up to the levels of Kung Fu training and Dog training (surprisingly tiring to do when you use play as a reward) as I was doing before but getting there. Maybe it’s just coincidence but I’m still glad it’s improving . Hopefully it continues to do so.