A Story on Releasing Tension from the Shoulder to Produce Crisp Strikes

I saw first hand this week the potency of releasing the tension in the shoulders for striking.

A Reminder to Myself: Chew, Chew, Chew, . . .

This is a self-reflection and reminder for myself on the value of chewing.

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Ten Habits for Health (健康十訓)

Here’s a set of ten habits (precepts, lessons, guidelines) for health from Japanese literature which also adorn tea mugs and posters [aretan_健康十訓].   The translation is provided first and followed by the

The Alexander Technique – Quotes and Resources

I had no idea of the Alexander Technique until two Alexander Technique teachers (H. and M.) described this to me a few years ago.  Thanks to them and their periodic comments on the Alexander Technique,

The Paradox of Efforting and Non-Efforting

Here’s some stories related to the paradox of efforting (trying) and non-efforting (the absence of trying) in kendo and life.  On how efforting can sometimes lead to so called failure and how non-efforting, to unintended success.  It is also

My Life in Two States and Some Ways to Return Home

I reflect on my experiences on the “way” (道) and summarize in this article:  my life which seems to toggle between two (cognitive) states and some ways that I have found helpful in finding my way home back to the second state.

Quotes on Surrender and Acceptance

Here’s a small collection of quotes on surrender and acceptance in the following sections:

Quotes on Progressive Relaxation

Buds of the “Heart leaf” tree (Cercis canadensis or eastern redbud) in Mar 2021

Here are a set of quotes related to a relaxation technique referred to as Progressive Relaxation (and Progressive Muscle Relaxation) developed by Edmund Jacobson.  I found the technique not only effective for returning to calmness but also for better understanding the correlation of thoughts and tension (and ‘no thoughts’ and ‘no tension’).  The quotes are organized as follows:

The Experience of ‘No Thought’ – Progressive Relaxation and Edmund Jacobson

From time to time, I read and hear about the experience of ‘No Thought’ in the context of meditation, martial arts and kendo [KendoNotes MushinResources] [KendoNotes MushinQuotes] [KendoNotes MushinEiga].  It is