Kiss Your Foot!

Last night's class was muy fantastiche! After Sunday's fun class with Zhou, I walked around Monday and Tuesday before class with a sore right butt cheek and inner thigh, presumably unrelated to the Shaolin sword, but more due to the over-pubu-ing I did as a result of learning more erluquan. Yesterday's class managed to loosen that all up, so now I feel great. Also, during basics I decided to test the Shaolin sword that's been living with me for the past month and a half or so and did just about everything, and it felt pretty good. No residual ouchiness. I am pleased that I am recovering and that my being careful was not for naught.

Training lately has been interesting; Shifu has been shaking it up a bit. I mentioned how last week, he spent the end of class while we were lined up dispensing philosophy. Yesterday, after stretching, he made us line up and led us through an extra 20 minutes or so of additional stretch time, working our legs for kicks such as zhengtantui, cetitui. We stretched our hips, our hamstrings...we did straddle, splits...and each time, he wanted us to try going lower and lower each stretch...Grab your leg...Use your elbow...Kiss your foot! Be youthful like children filled with energy. Pain is life and all that. Needless to say, all of our legs were jelly after that extended stretching period.

Then, at the end of class, thankfully we did not do mabu-gongbu when we lined up. He spent a few minutes dispensing more philosopy. Doctor yourself, he said. I am Doctor Handsome Shifu, which led to giggles, but maybe was appropriate given the point of his lecture. Happiness is the best medicine, he advocated, and it's best to brush away stress and not let things bog you down. And if you're happy, you're healthy. If you're happy, all is good.