Zen story

Two monks were once traveling together down a muddy road. A heavy rain was falling. 

Coming around the bend, they met a lovely girl in a silk kimono and sash, unable to cross the intersection. 

"Come on, girl," said the first monk. Lifting her in his arms, he carried her over the mud.

The second monk did not speak again until that night when they reached a lodging temple. 

Then he no longer could restrain himself.

"We monks don't go near females," he said. "It is dangerous. Why did you do that?"

"I left the girl there," the first monk said. "Are you still carrying her?"

(From the book: The Little Zen Companion)

Respect

Sometimes people demand respect from you. Why?

Are they insecure? Do they feel that they are better than you?

True respect will only be given and never asked for.

Quote

Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old;

seek what they sought.

(Basho)

Relaxed body

When you train your body to be relaxed you should be able to move freely
without tension in the joints and ligaments.
Your mind must also be relaxed and calm.

You should feel that you are floating but heavy at the same time;
connected to the ground but agile and flowing.

Your awareness with your surroundings and yourself should heighten
and a sense of being in the here and now.

You cannot force this feeling, you must train body and mind to relax.
The results will follow with continuous training.
Be patient.

Self defence

Being in a self-defence situation is very serious and you cannot rely on others to help you out.  You may find yourself alone and multiple attackers are assaulting you.

Using self-defence is quite different to fighting, as in fighting with someone; you usually match against speed, strength, agility etc. but self-defence should finish your opponent off quickly, immediately and being decisive, using the minimal of effort to accomplish.

Dogs

Eyes closed walking

This drill allows you to feel your own balance and when you really need to step.  You must keep upright and not lean. 

Feel how sinking and routing considerably improves your stability. 

Moving slower than your partner will seriously drain their energy levels and this conserves your own energy by doing very little, only moving when needing to.

You must make sure that you are constantly relaxed and feel heavy.  Any tensing up or struggling with your partner is wrong.