My teacher has had spring camp in Sicily since 2009. Usually that has been in their farm, but this time we had a new place, Femminamorta in Carruba. The place was really nice and cosy, and the food was very good and healthy. Practice hall was just perfect in size for our group and the glass walls made the space open and bright. It was actually nice to have some rain on few first days, but in the end we also had a chance to enjoy Sicilian sun.
Before the camp we first flew to Palermo and had couple extra days in my teacher’s farm. There we had a chance to practice some lance, that we first thought to even take with us to the camp, but after all we didn’t have enough space in a car.
We had a peculiarly international camp this time with Finnish, Swedish, Danish, French and Italian participants. On weekend we also had couple of local people from Catania as a reinforcements. We had three people from the very first Sicily camp, and it was a nice surprise to share the same room with this crew. Also we demoed first knife together.
On practice we focused on concentrating, and there were a lot to concentrate on, watching, turning waist, rotating arms, shifting weight, balancing upper and lower body, counting, big movements, like mountain big, etc. By concentrating you are more aware of what’s going on. You are more like an observer than the doer. You are there, present.
I’ve thought it would be helping and informational to verbalize precisily all practicing methods, but now I’ve realised that too much thinking can actually prevent learning. You should take things as they are, not how you’d like to receive them. Practice, practice, practice. That’s the way to the truth. True concentration in my opinion is not to intensively focusing on one thing, but to see through it. To widen your perspective and see the whole context.
Like before the camp we also had extra days after in the farm. This time we also practiced both duilien forms in solo and a little with partner. And also we went to practice with local group on beach on sunset. In home I practice mainly indoors, but feeling the nature around makes a big difference. Welcome summer.
On the last day I had an unexpected moment during the slow set. My buttock still sometimes reminds it’s damage especially after sitting for long times, like in travelling, but that actually made me to focus more on my sacrum. I’ve known that movement begins from the center, dantian, and this time I had a very clear awareness of how my lower back was moving the whole body. It was almost like a moment of enlightenment to realise how less effort you need to keep all parts connected. Balance is kind of a sensor of gravity.