Back to basics

For a while I stopped making my kids to Kung Fu because we were doing so many Lion Dances. This sounds backward. Like shouldn't we have to practice more if we are performing so much? But the body and mind has a limit and needs rest. They have also been sledding outside quite often. But they also have been behaving sort of badly before the performances. Like they can't follow directions and stand still. Perhaps I should have made them do some drills but I had to gather the rest of the team together that is actually less experienced than my kids. 

So part of the reason why I have started making my kids practice again everyday is for the practice of focus. But I pick and choose what we do since there is a limited time and attention span.  I don't take away from their outside play time, and the reward for the class is screen time. 

With Noah I have been doing 10-20 minutes of sitting meditation followed by 100 standing basics each (though yesterday I took out a couple that are time consuming) and then we run through the sword form three times as if it were Tai Chi (though it is performed fast) I have noticed that I am getting more in shape from this. 

With Jonah we do some meditation that is standing with the balancing of the stick. It is actually the first move in Leen Gung Gwun. Then we slowly ran through part of the form. Not the whole thing. Today we will run through that same part three times. And then later I will add the rest of the form, which he has already learned and performed. But he doesn't have the focus to do the whole thing everyday and for it to be useful.