Our understanding of the word "balance" extends beyond, what we sometimes call the purely physical. Someone, who has gone mad, It may be called "unstable". Politicians call for "balanced approach". When we were taken by surprise, and - usually - win, we say, "I lost my balance".
the strange thing, that no one ever taught us, that the physical and emotional and spiritual balance are inextricably linked. We went down to the tops of Philosophy, piously believing, that matter and consciousness, body and spirit are separate entities. We perceive themselves divided into two independent parts, each blames the other for all the failures. "I was not focused, my mind somewhere soared, and I tripped ". "I tried to find the answer, but I have since had a headache, I could not think of ".
Why?
Why do we have to get together and find the center again, again become balanced? Very simple: yes because, that the balance - is the key to using any of the features, discussed in this book. provide Otpor, Leave, enter into negotiations, Do nothing or deceive, It is in an unbalanced state, and disastrous, how to speak out against the Assyrian hordes, armed only with a toothpick. And more importantly,: how we can take a decision regarding the nature of the particular conflict and its corresponding response, when we are unbalanced? Over the previous chapter, we kept telling you, that your choice should be as objective and rational. To do this, you have to be balanced.
nice thing, we noticed about the equilibrium, It is, what, when you engage in physical balanced position, your mind and your spirit and come into balance. In like manner, if your body is not balanced, you can restore your balance is almost as easy to, reaching steady-state within his consciousness.
It works. The only problem is, how to maintain this balance in the midst of violent clashes over whether, who last took the car keys, who have lost a check for payment of rent, kto prolyl sup, who burned oatmeal or anyone who insulted the first. This will require practice, a sufficiently large amount of practice, to balance, and inner and outer, It acts independently of your desire.
Centering - is an act of equilibration. We'll show you, how it's done. And then your case, be centered or not.
Why do we use the term "centering" to describe the balance? Imagine a potter at his Circle. He has a lump of clay and a rotating disk, where he hopes to create an elegant vessel. If he put the piece of clay in any other place, except for the center, his vessel will fly across the room and finish, like an ashtray kindergarten teacher… if he is lucky. Beginner potter passes through hundreds of failures, before you learn how to use your material and your machine and will be able to get to that stage, where he will begin to display the finest form - in short, where he can begin to create.
Martial arts, martial arts have spent at least a thousand years to the study of the art of balance. They did it not only to improve their skills handling the sword, bow and arrow, and so on, but also for, that it gave them the opportunity to meet life and its conflicts and relaxed at the same time to be constantly on alert. They could not meet the attack of the sword master, It is unbalanced and hysterical, as we can not and we will come face to face with an angry friend, if the center of gravity we have somewhere over the left eyebrow.
In this style of martial arts, how Aiki tactics, as well as in Aikido, Point your balance, or the center of gravity, It located two inches below the navel. He called the tribute-tien or "single point", is the center, in which you constantly have to stay, regardless of, attack you or you simply contemplate, as the flowers bloom. It is a place of intersection of time and space, this is our reservoir of calm, This "body", feeling an attack earlier intelligence, - It `s that, what we sometimes call (again because, that no one ever taught us that) «Podlozhechnoy yamkoy». If we listen to him, we will be better protected, than if we hire a part-time bodyguard.
This center is not listed on normal anatomical tables in American medical reference books. If you're from it will be easier, You can think of it as an imaginary point. This center will work regardless of your thoughts. nothing mystical. It just works.
To gain and keep your center, to feel the, What are we talking about, First lie down comfortably back on the floor and relax all your muscles. Do not try to hold myself in any position. Allow your body to find its most relaxed position. Pay attention to your breath. Do not push it, just slow it down and let it will be adjusted by itself.
Now put your hand on your center, at their point of union, located approximately two inches below the navel. Relax and let your concentration gradually move to a point, where your hand rests. Imagine, that all your focus, all your energy, down from the forehead (where most of us stays), of breast (where we keep in confinement most of our energy) Down to this point. Yet again, Pay attention to your breath, to be sure, that your effort to lower its concentration does not become too tight.
Once you feel, you succeed, that your focus has shifted in your center, focus on its holding in this place. If it will help you, visualize and imagine this place, your eyes, too, were transferred to. You should start to feel, when you are centered, - so it's even more relaxing all your muscles, particularly the shoulders and chest muscles. You may notice a feeling of warmth, spreading down your thighs and legs and relaxing their muscles. If you do not react to relax too seriously and do not slumber, you will also notice a gain awareness of themselves in time and space. In fact,, you just returned to themselves and are now united with time.
Practice in locating his tribute-cha-nya for ten or fifteen minutes each day. Even if your employment Aiki-tactics will not bring any results, the, anyway, Your cardiologist will evaluate, how much more relaxed your heart was. Having got used to the idea and started to feel comfortable in this part of the body, Start practicing the same thing without the aid of hands. Just concentrate on this point, feel, how it turns up the heat, and hold. If your mind slips into any fears and anxiety, do not push it; let your center itself gradually manifest. Try not to strain at the slightest loss of concentration. She will return to you, and soon those breaks will be less and less place.
impossible to tell, how much time it should take the whole process. Those of you, who have some experience in yoga, martial arts: Qigong or Tai Chi, can achieve this faster. the rest is, perhaps, It needs more time. But one can not tolerate this failure, if, of course, he did not throw it all. Your tribute-tien - this is your center, and he has every.
The next step in the process of alignment is, to get you started experimenting with finding and holding down its center, when you sit or stand. Action is exactly the same - except that distract you a little bit more, than when you are lying on the floor. If you sit, imagine, This point has real weight; When you bring your concentration, Feel heavier, leaving at the same time deeper and deeper into his chair, or chair.
Then try to centered standing. Become, putting one foot slightly forward, - if you are right handed, then you will be more convenient to put your left foot forward; if you are left handed, then set the right foot forward. Experiment until, until you find a comfortable position; weight should be evenly distributed on both feet, and your knees should be slightly bent at the same time, to withstand the weight of your body and allow you to move quickly. Exposed front leg deploy your body from the very center; in the martial arts is a body bias reduces hitter goal, but it is not so bad, especially if you are involved in any kind of face-to-face, where the conflict is possible. Do not put your entire front of angry enemies.
When you feel comfortable in this rack, - and it is at first difficult (We are too used to block the knees and stand, resting flat on the whole foot and put your feet close together), - You can repeat the alignment process, lowering a concentration down, moving it to the floor or even lower. Remind your other muscles, so that they are not strained; Stay relaxed and comfortable, keeping your center.
There is an excellent way to check the results of their alignment. Ask your friend to help you. first, imagine, that your center is located in the top of your head. Put all your concentration to mentally go up. Then, when you stand, let your friend tear you away from the earth and rise into the air. It can take you back and raise, intercepting back or pushing up the arm.
Next step: , ground, concentrate and mentally move down. You can go even further: imagine, that your feet have taken root in the floor. Now ask your friend to take you. If you concentrate and keep your center during that, how you raise, your friend should notice an impressive difference in your weight. People, quite a long time to learn martial arts, arts, can reach the highest limit, when one can not even move them; we saw, as a heavyweight sililis lift man weighing eighty-five pounds!
No one fully knows, why this phenomenon works. But, actually, it does not matter. grounding, centered person can not be moved from place, although he is able to move very quickly and can sense danger better, than ungrounded and centerless man. And another important thing: centered people look quite different from other people; hitters feel as if their stability, and most will choose another person, than to meet in the open so, who is always in its single point.
When you type a bit of experience in centering, you can begin to keep it in motion, when you go, play tennis, dancing or driving a car on the highway. Depending on the nature of the movement, Imagine, forward through the space you have is thin thread, attached to your center. At first it is difficult to, but try to do it first, when you just go on the sidewalk, feel, how you dragged from your center. Very quickly you will, now a lot more contact with the pavement, your feet are not so high off the ground, you feel better balance. As we have noticed before, You should also find out, your attitude to something else became much calmer, that you feel less scattered and more competent in matters of, how to deal with the, what is happening on the road. It is this feeling, we are working out t.
In any conflict, regardless of, go you, sit, standing or running, it is well-centered position maximizes your chances of making the right choice, successfully respond, survive well, the most harmonious way. If you act from your own center, people will not consider you and wonder, what kind of weirdo. This is a normal gait, and it should not be exaggerating for effect, unless you exercise. Remind yourself of the need to keep your center. you will find, sometimes he starts to wander, but you should be able to restore it with a minimum of effort.
The real test of your newly acquired skills come, when you're tired, irritation or, the most curious, You find yourself in a conflict. Fear can often send your concentration and energy straight up, across the chest, then in the throat and outward through the top. Your breath freezes instantly, and all those wonderfully relaxed muscle spasm reduces stress. When the chief yells at you or someone else offends you, you should first pay attention to the recovery of your center, rather than retaliate or attempt to escape at a rate of dervish. Of course, you lose. But your survival will depend on, how fast can you restore it.
By contrast,, let's get a look, what usually happens with centerless man. Energy and concentration rapidly shoots up, sometimes stuck in the muscles in the neck and shoulder compound. This upwardly directed blow physically knocks out the balance of the human, and, simultaneously, his spirit and intelligence desert him. He stumbles or trips, trying to escape, and it has every chance of being caught not one way, so others. He stumbles physically or create any reasons, which will make it impossible to care, or will drive themselves into an intellectual dead end. All we ever come across and were forced to invent all sorts of excuses, but only very few of them make sense: "I would have immediately made it, sir, but my, a-a, my, er, my mother was, er, sick and she was taken to the hospital and I had to be next to her bed…"Five minutes later your mother enters the room, and your lies crumble, Watch as the dollar. Television sitcoms built around characters, not owning its center! Your ability to achieve harmony and survival depends on the exact opposite.
Let's assume, that you are a seller at the counter. you move, holding your center, and you feel good. appears client, and your center gives you a signal, something is wrong. but before, what your mind has time to assess the situation, the client has already pounced on you and shouts about one or require another. Your focus is lost, and your mind, Now off-balance, It begins madly going over in my head all the rebuke, which you have heard from Don Riklesa or from his high school teacher: "Look, Mister, If brains were dynamite, you could not blow your nose!" Luckily, you leave your plate with them, though your eyes are burning and, and do you feel that, what you think is a legitimate need to Kill. Instead, you move the center of gravity and returns to equilibrium, lightly turn the body, relax your knees and find your center. You check your breath, slow down its hysterical chug, whom, looks like, It requires adrenaline. Now you can deal with it. You listen, what is happening, assess the situation on the basis of all, that you have studied so far, and you make your choice or choices. You find a way to help irate customers restore its own balance, calm down and re-join with you to the human race. You present him the gift of harmony.
So lose your balance is not terrible - temporarily. All displacement and restoring the balance in the previous scene takes place in less than a second, if you own it well. And when you become this really skilled, you will remain centered at all times, whatever happens.
All the matter in equilibrium, With regard to this diet, soul and body. Anyway, it's all the same.
