the rum soaked fist: internal martial arts forum

So one of Bruce Lee's friends took a bunch of his workout notes and compiled a book called "The Art of Expressing the Human Body".

If nothing else it's an interesting look into his systematic approach to his physical development.

One thing that stood out to me was that he started working out literally as soon as he woke up. Laying in bed he began stretching and isometric exercises before his feet even hit the floor.

Which has me wondering, how do you start your day? Do you begin your practice before your feet hit the floor? Bathroom trip first? A glass of water? Cup of coffee? Light reading? Straight into jibengong, meditation, forms? Or do you wait till some other time to start training and conditioning?

usually start with light stretches before my feet hit the floor. but depends on how badly i need to pee. if i need to pee first, forget the stretches. pee. possibly try to sleep another hour. then the light stretches before the feet hit the floor again, lol.

for a little while, i was also doing ankle prehab (with a band) as the next thing on the list. might do a few joint rotations, but usually not. might use the theragun if i detect any DOMS or just for the heck of it. after a couple of hours i'll usually pick up a super light kettlebell and do some "halos". so, nothing serious, but just trying to get the body "woken up". not a morning person!

When I'm 'doing well' and being disciplined, I try to get up at 5 and do an hour or so PT - go for a jog immediately, then do some strength training, or cycle to the gym and do an hour of strength training.

I'm looking to resume that routine soon.

This is definitely not me...




Not me neither...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ReWF9wViE0

my is different, then presented on vid.
`cause I usually don`t slep allone

- something similar to Master Wang Ji Wu recomendations in bed
- bathroom, however I don`t sit always very lo, when toothbrushing (+ nose rinsing)
- some yoga/qigong/, my own cross set

redy to go

Been trying to do more in the morning. I’m just not a morning person.

My energy is low, both in a conventional sense and in a neigong sense. The “feeling” isn’t strong.

The Taoist books say to practice right before dawn. Sounds implausible for me at the moment.

However I guess like with everything, it can improve with consistent practice.

You have to raise the shen! Stimulate the energy and get going!

Mood is for lovemaking and cattle and playing the baliset!

Get up, loosen up, stretch, do a little standing post, do a little form, drink some water and take a vitamin. Put on your human suit and go pretend you're one of the drones so they give you money.

Lol I can do that, but with low vigor and enthusiasm, ha.

A little stretching and loosening is mostly it.

Part of it may be switching coffee lately from daily habit to a treat.

But not really as I’ve been a night owl for life. My energy feels great from 11pm-midnight.

Still, if it’s better to practice early and before bed, I’ll try.

It seems the Taoist timing ideas and circadian rhythms match up. And modern lighting and screen time must play a part.

Thé stretching in bed is a Do In thing
There a couple of good books on it put out by Michio Kushi
A lot of my Shiatsu taught it
Even when I started work at 6 in the morning I always did a full workout before work
I don’t how anyone can start the day without training
That’s what it is for to adjust your chi to the day

To be a little ridiculous, I can’t align with the energy frequencies and vibrations of the Universe at early morning. I can do some stretches sure. Will just have to work on it…

I do a bit of stretch 'n' rub every working morning before hitting the deck and find it sets the day up very well.

4.30 AM: Awaken stretch in and out imagining to find my wuji center and get the 'song' feeling, flex and rub the extremities (I've read that if the extremities are relaxed then all else follows suite), moisten the mouth and eyes (I've read that these particular fluids are related to the parasympathetic nervous system activating) and then hit the deck and stretch up 'n' sidewise etc.

It doesn't take long and it seems to help 'humanise' the day.

Then take a bit of a stroll outside for 5 minutes (I read of an old daoyin translation that this was beneficial and I find it so).

Then get everything ready for the day, the food, the household neccessities and rescue my disabled aged parent from whatever they got themselves into over night and give a cup of tea and bicuit and then:

5 AM: Back to bed, alarm set for 6 and do stretches, rubs and breathings again but more leisurely and particular and maybe have another sleep, there's no hurry and 5 45 - 6 30 a bit of a flow of Zhan Zhong, qigong, Surya Namaskar/Sun Salutations and taichichuan in order and finish with a bit of Bhangra and then to work.

Hmmm, writing it down, it seems a lot but it doesn't feel like a lot. It actually feels relaxing and energising and if I don't do it I suffer throughout the day.

Its just part of the daily method (I read that method is better than desire since its harder to 'want to do' something than it is to just do it).

I like it.

that sounds like a LOT and quite great. 4:30 a.m. sounds way too early for me. are you just a morning person? what is your advice for waking up so early? go to sleep when sun sets?

I can do those things at night relatively well, but horribly in the morning. trying to avoid coffee or wait quite a while before having a cup so my body can just kind of "be aware"/adjust to the morning cycles more naturally. seems to be helping. energy is still not as good in the morning.

Morning training adjust you to the Tao of the day

everything wrote:that sounds like a LOT and quite great. 4:30 a.m. sounds way too early for me. are you just a morning person? what is your advice for waking up so early? go to sleep when sun sets?

I can do those things at night relatively well, but horribly in the morning. trying to avoid coffee or wait quite a while before having a cup so my body can just kind of "be aware"/adjust to the morning cycles more naturally. seems to be helping. energy is still not as good in the morning.

Hi, it sounds like a lot but it really isn't, its no more than an hour at most but the studying, effort and practise for along time (ongoing, learning and polishing) behind that hour is a lot in retrospect, an awful lot but worth it (it didn't need to be a lot but the concepts of ZZ, TJQ, IMA and associated biology, psychology etc are still quite new to The West and often shrouded in 'Chinese Whispers' in my humble and bumbling experience).

Its only 4:30 AM for me because it needs to be, there's no special esoteric reason, I have to go to work for 7:AM, there's stuff to do to set the day (and me) straight beforehand. I have to hit the deck and get going. I have to wake up.

My work is very tiring so there's no problem with being asleep for 10PM.

Maybe people have to go with their biorhythms and lifestyles which are as diverse as dietry needs so maybe 4:30 Am is useless to most folks?

I don't know, I'm a learner. I only know the bits that worked so far for my experience.

I'd actually prefer my 4:AM to be about 9:AM and for work to be a distant memory having won the lottery.

Wow, I don't know. 10 p.m. - 4:30 a.m. is only 5.5 hours of sleep. Doesn't matter what the start/end points are. My body doesn't like getting 5.5 hours. Lately, with more consistent neigong at night, it seems I do wake up earlier "naturally".

Interesting about the introversion theories. By "norms", I'm talking more about Taoist "energy" cycles, not societal work hours.

If I can have "good quality" neigong upon waking and right before sleep, I think it would be good.