King of Breath Control

Friday Knight News 

"It is the greatest good for an individual to discuss virtue every day; for the un-examined life is not worth living." Socrates

Bruce Lee was often called the King of Kung Fu back in the 1970's. We all have the desire to fulfill our potential to be the best that we can be. To be able to do this we must understand ourselves as we attempt to emulate the excellence in others while remaining true to our own nature. The virtue that Socrates refers to can be considered more than good deeds, the word that he actually used was "arete" which also implied truth, knowledge and the highest human potential.  To have the physical body, thoughts of our mind, and the intent of our heart or spirit unified is the goal of the martial arts. This is how we as martial artist strive to attain the highest human potential, we seek to understand ourselves through understanding truth in combat. It has been shown that we can better regulate ourselves when we are calm, relaxed and in control of our breathing. Throughout the Bible the word breath and the word spirit seem to be interchangeable.  This is also true in the study of yoga, and martial arts in general.

So by knowing ourselves and proper breathing it implies that we can better achieve this type of virtue or excellence.  Warriors and knights are terms that are often used interchangeably over the ages but the highest of the virtuous knights were appointed and anointed to be kings. The Chinese word for King is Wang, and it is made by drawing three horizontal lines that are centrally joined by a singular vertical line. These three horizontal lines can be seen to represent the level or states of awareness in a human being; spirit, mind, and body. The word for King, then can be used to describes a person who is unified in spirit, mind, and body, a person who is in control of his or her life. 

People in general tend to measure the worth or value of an individual from a reverse view point.  This starting from body, soul and spirit; of course this is only natural because our physical appearance is so much easier to see.  To be able to measure a person's emotional content I have often found that this is easier to observe when an individual is under duress.  This generally takes time to catch them in a trying moment or at least being around them when they are play a game or take part in some sport.  It works better if they have some emotional investment in the outcome of the game or sporting event. 

The Bible often refers to spirit, soul and body; which I believe is the ideal method for observing the state of refinement of an individual.  This better revivals the content of their heart, by reading the emotional responses of the person we gain a better understanding of their true nature.  The physical representation of the body is nothing more than a book cover.  It is true that sometimes the cover can help reveal the contents of the volume; but often times a good book is overlooked in the used bookstore of life because of the harsh treatment the cover is taken.

There is an old adage that states, "It doesn't matter if you win or lose but how you play the game." The act of playing helps reveal your character. Likewise the old adage of taking three deep breaths, comes in handy when we are trying to maintain control of any adverse emotion. It has helped me and others control pain, anger, fright, and frustration. Martial arts is often a emotionally guarded practice where people act tougher than they are to hide their fear, and incorporating play helps helps get past this barrier.  I also often used to go golfing with students before my back injury prevented me from pursuing this pastime.  By the way, it doesn't have to be golf (I also used miniature golf), but it can be anything including board games or adventure role-playing games to gain insight into a person's character.  I have found this method to be an excellent litmus test to confirm what I have observed in the dojo. It is good to see how breathing helps ourselves, and others live up to our warrior, knight and kingly goals.  

There is on going scientific research that may one day establish a unified theory between the human bio electrical field generated by the body, and what martial artist referred to as chi or ki. Until then we martial artist can continue working on regulating the mind-body connection via our breathing exercises to anoint ourselves with the breath of life, and hopefully living up to our royal potential.

My stories are about martial arts adventures that are intertwined with paranormal or supernatural events. The following links are to the Kindle version books from the "Dream Walker” series. Our adventurers find themselves on a quest where they are confronted with both conspiracy and mystery. Their challenge is to unite their mind and body skills together utilizing what they have learned in the martial arts with the transcendental power of dream mediation. They attempt to do this while they are trying to make a life for themselves and elude those that seek to use and control them.

Conversations with a Sage (Book 1 of the Dream-Walker)

Conversations with a Sage: This explores Xander Davidson's early encounters with the mysterious fog like Dream Walking martial art sages. He ponders if they are real or if they are only remnants of his dreams. He mainly keeps this secret world to himself as he tries to copes with abuse, growing up without support or guidance and the mystery of his family's past. 

Xander and the Assassins Gift (Book 2 of the Dream-Walker)

The Assassins Gift: Xander Davidson struggles with the conspiracy of his family and the group that is actively trying to manipulate him to join them or die. The young Dream Walkers learns an early lesson to be careful about whom they let into their circle.


Warriors of Perception (Book 3 of the Dream-Walker)

Warriors of Perception: Xander Davidson and his band of friends embark on a mission to free themselves from their oppressors. They bravely face the challenge all the while vying for the right moment to turn the tables.

Jace Lee The Shift (Book 4 of the Dream-Walker)

Jace Lee The Shift: We find a new apprentice, Adam, that is fighting for his life. He is struggling to understand the amazing skills of his mentor, Jace Lee; a younger man that has trained under Xander Davidson. All the while his mentor attempts to reconcile the fact that his skills do not match up with the other Dream Walkers.


Jace Lee No Agenda (Dream Walker Book 5)

Jace Lee No Agenda: Jace Lee attempts to find himself on a self-imposed vision quest of sorts. Instead he finds himself being stalked by the same group that had previously sought after his teacher, (Xander Davidson). Instead of mastering his odd Dream Walking skills he finds love and the potential loss of his powers.

Jace Lee and the Tutelage of Ming Wu: Dream Walker 6 

Jace Lee The Tutelage of Ming Wu: Jace Lee rejoins his teacher Xander Davidson as they cope with a possible combined threat (the mysterious), Ming Wu and the Council that has continuously monitored the Dream Walkers.