#21 Occupy the present

The world around me has become a whole lot smaller. The ceiling hangs low.

So I practice close to the floor. I adapt to the conditions, find my freedom of movement, and stay focused. Finding balance where I would have not suspected it. Calm, but ready.

“the art of peace begins with you” - Morihei Ueshiba.

I like the word melt-resistance as a metaphor for this practice: the quality of yielding. In martial arts to yield is not to give up, but accepting the force and momentum of the circumstances, not meeting it head on. You give "way" for it, you cease to oppose it. By doing this, you can redirect that energy, using it for your own strength and advantage.

„Depending on the circumstance, you should be: hard as a diamond, flexible as a willow, smooth-flowing like water, or as empty as space.“- Morihei Ueshiba.