So I’m working on creating new habits, and as I was working today, I considered the possiblity of developing some of these habits into my religious path. I was watching The Human Weapon and thinking about all my friends who have the opportunity to train or teach all day, every day. That’s their job, to be and create warriors. Now, while my calling in life is not just to defend life in the martial sense (even though I have opted to not pursue a military path), it’s also to defend life in the realm of healing. So I’m going to have to figure a means to merge these two, seemingly conflicting paths. Which is another thing that confounds me. I find nothing conflicting about them, and those who are on similar paths understand what I’m talking about.

In order to heal, you have to learn how to harm, and vice versa. In learning massage, you learn the triangles you have to stay away from, as too much time spent on them or too much pressure will cause serious damage due to artery/vein/nerve trunks that you will hit. When it comes to aggression, or even defensive aggression, these are points you want to hit, in order to subdue your opponent. While the ancient warrior societies may not have been aware of the actuality of these centers, they knew they existed (through observance) and sought to use them to their advantage. The objective being, a quick and decisive end to the battle, whether hand-to-hand individual combat, or group strategic warfare.

In order to facilitate the objectives, the individuals must maintain their state of readiness, through both mental and physical exercises. Both being made readily apparent to me during my extended vacation, as I had no real means of physical training for the bulk of my visits. However, I did have the opportunity to rest my mind and clear it, as well as focus on training it for calm and clear thought. While I have, in the past, prided myself on my ability to be the calm mind in the storm, I know that having to do that takes much out of me. Mainly, in the fact that I get so focused that the slightest detraction from that focus knocks me completely out of balance. I’ve found going in with a clear mind allows me to avoid focusing on the detractions and more at the task at hand.

As a result, I’m slowly putting together my daily regimen that will hopefully blossom into a functional spiritual path within the religious direction I have chosen. At this point, I’ve modified my diet back to my training diet, with a few modifications to take my hypoglycemia into account. I’ve started using the time in the morning, when I’m normally watching the news to do basic agility and conditioning/strength exercises. I’m also going back to yoga again. One of the things I found after my meltdown at NAGA, was that my kundalini work not only calmed me down and helped me maintain my focus, but it created a new awareness for what my opponent was doing and allowed me to better predict their movement and create a strategy to counter it during a match. In speaking with my Yogini about it, even she smiled and said that I was getting the idea and my ability to tap into a greater consciousness, even if it was to use it to my own advantage in this situation.

Which brings me to another point, Yoga is often seen as an exercise for the passive, non-violent among us. There have been a couple of times, where I wanted to write in to Yoga Journal and knock them for posting a picture of military personnel in pose, preparing for a mission (one picture being Navy pilots holding warrior pose 1 next to their birds) with the commentary, “I don’t like the idea of war, or what we’re doing, but I take solace in the pilots taking a moment to be at peace with their decision to not act with ahimsa.” I’m sorry, but ahimsa does not mean let your body be a welcome mat for those who wish to walk all over you. There are points when you need to stand your ground, even as an individual, and that is referenced several times in the Bagavadgita. Not to mention, a pose translated into “Warrior pose” tends to imply that which the words connotate. It’s a pose of strength, used by swordsmen (particular in rapier parlay), riflemen, ground fighters (you’ll see it during the shoot for a takedown). It’s a pose of aggression, not defense.

It’s about balance, and that is one thing that my martial art has taught me, however much my Danish Professor pointed out my need for patience when attacking. There is a strategic point what will end a match quickly, but sometimes it happens later in the match and it’s my job to use my opponent to realize that point. It’s a dance, each move has a counter and a defense, at somepoint my opponent will give me the open door and it’s my job to walk through it.