My First Lesson

Michael Coleman, sensei of the Futen Dojo, told this brief story. Apparently he had been talking with one of his ninpo students and mentioned that I would be studying the Chinese martial arts. The response was, "Really? That stuff is even too hard for me!" So with our sights set high, we began our newest foray into recovery as yesterday morning Coleman Sensei gave me my first qigong and baguazhang lesson at the dojo.

The qigong movements were very familiar from my prior experience in taiji classes. I have always had trouble relaxing my shoulders and keeping my head upright, and it is no surprise that these problems persisted. The other biggest issues I faced were opening my right hand and holding postures with bent legs. Sensei helped pry my hand open from time to time, but for the most part, the fingers returned to their closed position. This is one area where I hope to see improvement.

On that front, my friend and fellow student, Joe, talked about building a poor-man's version of the hand brace reputed to dramatically improve just such a condition as mine. I am also going to meet with a dojo student named Heather next week. She is a licensed massage therapist also trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine. From our conversation earlier this week, it sounds like we will start with massage and stretching.

The second difficulty, my lack of leg strength, will just take time to improve. I haven't used my legs much in the last 3 years. It's no wonder they are weak, aside from the atrophy of the muscles that are no longer innervated. Nonetheless, it was a great feeling to be exercising again, and I almost immediately felt the relaxation response kick in as we started the postures and deep breathing.

For bagua, we tested basic circle walking with me using a forearm crutch. We walked in one direction, then turned knock-kneed to turn back. This was possible for me, though the stiffness of my right leg and drop of my right foot were problematic, and my gate is slow. I'm confident this too will improve with time and practice.

Today, I repeated the exercises as best as I remember them. My legs are tired and my left shoulder aches, but I am more optimistic than at any other time in recent memory. Sensei said he was pleasantly surprised with my ability so far. I feel that the lesson was very successful and am really looking forward to next week. I am so thankful to everyone involved for this opportunity.