Annika Kahn 
To put things in perspective for our remarkable neuroplastic brains, Black Belt Magazine was birthed in 1961. The first female action hero, Ms.Cheng Pei Pei,1966. The first laptop came out in 1989. The first iPhone was in 2007. All of these are still within the 20th and 21st Centuries AD. So there are 40 centuries before the common era. The first modern human appeared approximately 100,000-200,000 years ago BC, or between the 10th and 20th century BC, the same approximate timeline when we have records of the first martial arts.
Sometimes putting things in perspective can be so overwhelming to the forward-thinking human characteristics that we have to rely upon the language of the Universe, mathematics, structure, and numbers to get a grip.
But why is this “getting perspective” thing so vital to our survival as a human race? Because, in my experience, it slows us down. And why is slowing down crucial to our survival? Because we are not computers yet, and our organs cannot keep up with our extreme push to get things done sustainably, and we live longer, yay, so we have to figure this out.
This “getting a perspective” allows for that much-needed pause, the inhale and exhale between sentences, a daily practice of meditation on #beinghuman that can be done 22,000 times a day; we are taking this many breaths anyway, so we may as well do it mindfully.
This article provides a daily easy-to-follow tool kit for the modern-day human: the busy, over-exerted, under-slept, multi-tasking, spine-flexed, chin-dipped us. .
The Being Human Tool-Kit-part 1, a 30-day path to modern-day health:
Body: each morning, take a moment to ask your body how it feels and what it needs from you today. I prefer to do this with my eyes closed. Then, write down what your body said to you. Sometimes it’s just one word like ‘rest,’ ‘massage,’ or ‘water.’ But, whatever comes, write it down.
Intellect: do the same for your intellect. The mind is the part of you that plans, goes to meetings, and is brain-oriented. How is your intellect feeling? What does it need from you? It might be as simple as ‘I feel stressed’ or ‘I need help with this project.’ Or, maybe your intellect has a lot to say to you. Write what comes. Closing the eyes helps the ego not take over.
Emotional Self: same process, what is your emotional self-feeling, what do she/he, they/them need from you today? The emotional Self is usually the younger part of us, the one that gets or gets neglected because our intellect, if not taken care of, will drive our body and younger parts into the ground. The word ‘neoteny’ describes the plight of our human psychology. Unlike other animals, we are the only animal that stays psychologically immature or juvenile throughout the aging process so that the young part of us stays with us forever, until our body goes.
Spiritual Self: this is the higher Self of you, the peaceful, kind, ever-watching Self. It is good friends with the body, intellect, and emotional Self and has a daily message for you. Write it down.
These are the four parts of our modern-day being taught by my teacher in the Hoffman Process. It takes about 5 -7 minutes daily and is best done in the morning.
Many other styles and examples exist, but I like to keep things grounded and simple as a martial artist. I also prefer to start with the body as this is the vessel I move in my practice regularly. If I push the body when tired, all the other parts (intellect, emotional Self) fall apart.
As you read this, think of a time when a part of your body did not feel right. Maybe your knee or back hurt, your joints ache, or something is up with your digestion. Found it? Now how do you move through your day with your body aching? Can you be your best Self in what you encounter during your day? If you take medication to numb or ease the pain, which is sometimes very necessary, how then does your extraordinary body, still hurting but now you can’t feel it, move through the day?
Maybe during the morning meditation, your body says, ‘rest,’ and you have a packed 15-hour day full of meetings, family, and life. Acknowledging that your body needs rest, even if you cannot give it the rest it needs, allows for a nervous system reset as it feels heard. What does that mean? My body feels heard? Our bodies are alive. We need to remember this. Our heart moves about 2 gallons of blood daily, enough to fill a 10-foot swimming pool! It beats approximately 100,000 times a day. Our heart has its very own nervous system. It’s like having another brain in our chest. In fact, advanced humans can operate from the heart’s brain, using the heart’s electricity to manage all of life. Our adrenals work hard all day to keep us alive. Our digestion, another brain (yep, we are a 3-brained being), works for you every second while you text and plan this all day. So, to say, ‘the body hears you’ is much like Dr. Masar Emoto’s studies on consciousness and water.
The morning meditation, a vital toolkit to being a thriving, healthy human, gives us the pause to remember that we are living organisms.
What would it be like to move through your day aware of your body, intellect, and emotional Self? Try it for 30 days, and please let me know what you find!
I’d love to hear about your experience: annika@jungshinfitness.com
If you would like to begin now, @jungshinfitness offers a meditation at the end of every sword workout that takes care of the organs of our bodies that keep us alive. There is a FREE workout on the website, www.jungshinfitness.com
You can also join here, https://jungshinfitness.com/join-now/, or here, https://jungshinfitness.com/jungshin-events/,
PS If the earth were flat, we would undoubtedly fall off her. But, thank God, literally, it’s round.
Traditional arts, Philosophy, Traditional martial arts, Martial arts philosophy
Black Belt Magazine
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