Bear in mind I'm not criticizing or disrespecting anyone's practice. As I've said before, The Walk is largely auto-didactic - it has different lessons for each person, and what works for one person may not work for another. What works for you will even change throughout your lifetime of practice.
.
But, watching these two videos of similar versions of The Walk reminded me of a great quote that Sensei Jack Bieler told me a while back. Apparently one of his Japanese Jodo sensei liked to say something to the effect of, "If you practice kihon small you will have small spirit, but if you practice kihon large, you can have large spirit."
.
I've noticed this in my own practice - sometimes I get preoccupied with not making mistakes and not making any extraneous motion, and pretty soon my practice has a cramped feel to it. At other times I do my practice with great, sweeping motions (big ice-cream scoops we call them) and my practice ends up feeling expansive and inclusive. It's probably a good thing to practice exercising your spirit in small spaces as well as in large spaces.
Want to discuss this blog post?
Come find me on Facebook at my Mokuren Dojo FB group
____________________
Patrick Parker
www.mokurendojo.com
