November 24th, 2024

This week’s quote is about intent, but in a roundabout way. In Martial Arts - and not only - the quality of intent informs the quality of our movement and the quality of our interactions and relationships with our sparring and training partners.

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others."

Cicero

One of the amazing aspects of intent is that it positions us emotionally, mentally, and ultimately physically on an advantageous face-off with conflicts. For example, when engaging in training with a partner, if we choose to observe our partner with a playful attitude, then sparring with them will turn into a game which accelerates our learning.

How does intent relate to gratitude?

In a state of gratitude, we cannot be angry. In a state of gratitude, we cannot be scared. In a state of gratitude, we acknowledge rather than reject. In a state of gratitude, we are open, compassionate, and tolerant.

When we are open, we cannot be tense.

The quality of our life depends greatly on the way we perceive the world around us and how we internally experience our lives. When our engagement with life originates from an intent on gratitude, we open ourselves to possibilities, we tap into our deepest resources of emotional and mental power, and we strategically position ourselves to transform conflict into dialogue.

For my entire childhood and youth, I remember listening to the stories of my aunt who lived with us, but one thing I always heard her say was that everyday she gets to live is to be received as almsgiving. This was her way of saying that everyday is a gift. Seeing anything as a gift means to be in a mindset open to receiving it, and also calls for a state of gratitude.

I often remind myself to be grateful because more than a million times I experienced how stress can cloud my sense of gratitude and hijack my intent, throwing me deeper into the conflicts I faced.

Make gratitude a daily practice.

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At KineOasis we are dedicated to the empowerment and creative freedom of our students through the exploration and intelligent study of movement in a relaxed and non-toxic learning environment. We use Movement as a means to naturally empower ourselves and our students, to intervene with development as needed, and to enhance everyone's quality of life. Movement As Sanctuary - A method and teaching philosophy life.