| Feature Article
Fight, Flight, Flow
–
Chief Instructor Brett Wagland
Fear is a natural response to threat. In today’s world, the media
skilfully manipulates and plays on our fears. The daily newspapers and
nightly news report stories in a manner that will cause us to become
emotionally involved. Unfortunately, this constant barrage of
disturbing messages begins to make fear our constant companion. Many
fears come from a lack of understanding and arriving at negative
conclusions quickly. The example of a piece of rope being mistaken for
a snake is used in many wisdom teachings to highlight the fact that many
of our fears are the result of poor perception.
Fear causes both physical and mental problems. When we are in a fearful
state, the adrenaline pumps, muscles tense and digestion slows down.
The body is stressed. We become irrational and anxious. Can you
imagine performing a difficult task or making an important decision when
you are under the influence of fear?!
If you are an IT expert, a mechanic or a builder, you know that when
there is a problem, you have to find a solution. Worry and panic don’t
help. Most professionals find these situations challenging and quite
enjoy the opportunity to overcome them.
In Tai Chi and all other forms of martial arts, training in dealing with
physical confrontation has different stages. The first stage is
becoming familiar with the basics of the system. In Tai Chi, it is
relaxation and moving in a slow flowing manner. This process works on
the conscious mind. It allows you to observe your movements while you
practise. This awareness helps you to analyse and correct your
practice, according to the basic rules and requirements of the Tai Chi
form.
The second stage in Tai Chi is partner work. Push Hands begins with
practising slowly and gently with a partner, learning to adapt and
neutralise a partner’s attacking force. Gradually, step and step,
strength and speed are introduced. As your ability increases, so does
your confidence. A skilful practitioner can deal with a violent
attacker calmly yet skilfully, rendering the attack useless.
When you reach the third stage, the principles and practices have become
part of your being. The way you walk, talk and think all express your
understanding of these skills. In the initial stages of learning, your
fear, which arose out of a lack of understanding and skills, dictated
how you responded to a situation. Now that you see situations more
clearly, you are aware that a relaxed confident attitude is a more
powerful tool than aggression and fear. Your approach has changed from
fight and flight to flow. You have learnt to deal with fear and
aggression in a more positive and transformative way. The confrontation
is no longer a threat. You see the angry hurt ego, that is your
opponent, as a victim of fear. Your calm, confident demeanour will
elicit a different response from him. He may laugh or feel there is
nothing to prove here. Now, when a negative situation comes along, you
grow from it. A beautiful lotus has grown out of the mud.
When you first learn, every movement has to be performed in a certain
way with conscious effort. It is not yet a part of you. It is in your
conscious mind. Only when it is part of your subconscious mind, can we
say that you own it. The fourth stage is self mastery. The principles
and practices have completely merged into your being and you embody
them. You no longer follow the rules. You make them. You have no
preconceived idea as to how you would handle an attack. You act
spontaneously and appropriately. This stage is illustrated by stories
such as the following. After not having seen his student for many
years, the master asked, “How much of what I taught you do you
remember?” At first, the student answered, “Oh, may be 30%.” Then, he
thought some more and said, “Nothing.” The teacher replied, “Good! The
art has become part of you. It is no longer just forms and techniques.”
Often our self image has become rigid. We do not realise that our self
image is constructed mainly from beliefs. We accept our conditioning
and believe what others have told us to be truths. This self image is
not all that we are. According to Taoist and Buddhist teachings, this
conditioned self becomes a burden and is illusory. The more we look for
the self, the more elusive it is. In reality, we are a flowing stream
of thoughts, feelings and memories. However, for the sake of security,
we hold firm to an image that seems solid and permanent. We have taken
a picture of this river and now we believe that this frozen snapshot is
the living, breathing river. Clinging to an image of who we think we
are is bound to limit us and create more fear and less flow in our
lives. Rediscover what it is like to flow like a river and be still as
a mountain.
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