Slow is smooth, Smooth is fast...and effective

We live in a fast paced world, that tells us everything needs to be fast, if not instantaneous. 

As humans, we all don’t operate that way. 

The martial arts I study and teach are not skills that can be grasped quickly, it takes patience and perseverance, and those qualities translate very well to the world around us. 

T’ai Chi Chu’an is practiced slowly, with attention to every detail: weight shifts, steps and breath are carefully practiced time and time again.  That slow progress yields insights into ourselves and our bodies.  We find out the difference between what we think is happening and what IS happening.  A great example is shifting of the weight.  Very often, when I ask a new t’ai chi student to put 100% of their weight on one leg, they will shift only partially.  When I ask them to pick up the other leg, they need to adjust radically to do so—clearly not having 100% of their weight shifted initially.  Only the deliberate process of exploration reveals that reality.

Taking our time, slowly learning movements integrates those movements into our body.  Yoshinkan Aikido has 6 basic movements teaching the student how to move the body in forward, weight shifting and pivoting movements.  From the first day in class, these movements are taught, practiced, corrected, and practiced some more.  At first, it’s you can do not to fall down.  Over time, though, they become part of your body, and you don’t need to think, you just feel how you are moving through the practice.  Those basic movements become part of every technique learned, every class attended.  They are not done with an eye to speed, but to precision, and to smooth movement.

Eventually the student’s white belt progress through to brown and black and when the need for speed happens with a multiple attacker jiyuwaza—the learning pays off with smoothness of movement and technique, and the audience watching is treated to a something that looks fast, smooth, and, well, cool.

These two examples are physical manifestations of a timeless practice that doesn’t care about the speed of our lives.  The movements can only be learned slowly and the benefits can be far-reaching. 

Gifts of moving slowly in everyday life

Learning to move slowly creates space for us to listen to our bodies and the world around us.  I’ve learned to appreciate slowness and taking my time. Some practices I’ve incorporated into my life has reduced my stress and increased my effectiveness:

·      I leave myself time in the morning to sit quietly and think about my day, do preparatory reading or writing notes.

·      I pay attention to my body, how I’m feeling and make decisions about it. If I’m tired, I try to rest more, or treat any small injury. 

·      When driving, I don’t compete with other drivers to be first.  I take my time and get there maybe 1 or 2 minutes later and in a much better frame of mind.

Take a moment soon, and deliberately slow down.  You may find your own gifts of less stress, or better concentration, and increased effectiveness.