365 Days of One Finger Zen

[Antonius]

Hi everyone,

About a year ago, while Sifu was here in Florida, I decided to focus on One Finger Zen with my practice. I actually took a vow to practice it every day. I'm happy to say that, since taking my vow, I've practiced One Finger Zen for 365 days in a row.

Some of you may remember that I've made good use of vows before. Back in 2000, I took a vow to practice Lifting The Sky every day -- no matter what. I kept that vow for 7 years without missing a single day. Actually, I still haven't missed a day of practice, but some days, I do patterns other than Lifting The Sky.

Vows don't work for everyone, but they work well for me. As the new year approaches, I encourage you to take on some sort of a project, with or without a vow. Here are some ideas:

• 100 days of Lifting The Sky
• 100 Days of Golden Bridge
• 100 Kicks for 100 Days
• 100 Days of One Finger Zen

Although I've done plenty of One Finger Zen in the past, I've never done 365 days in a row before. There is something powerful about momentum. Without question, the last year has been one of the most productive for me in terms of my training. I am happier, healthier, and more powerful than I've ever been. I owe a lot of that to 365 days of One Finger Zen.

Happy practicing,

[parrapiti]

Dear Brother!

Thank you for the inspiring invitation!

Your brother,

Piti

[barrys]

Anthony,

Very inspiring.

Vows work for me too. I first discovered strange movements and feelings in my body accompanied by laughter after simply standing and relaxing at the edge of the desert in Tuscon. I was so happy, and slightly disturbed by it , that I mentioned it to friends when I got back to the UK. One of them said it sounded like something they had heard about called Chi Kung and gave me a book by a Master. I tried it out and got good results initially but then it started to go wrong. I got tense at times and sometimes felt very dizzy and disoriented.

So, I took it back to what seemed like basics. I "vowed" to stand relaxed in Wuji for ten minutes every morning for a year and see what happened. It really worked for me in terms of happiness and relaxation. And, 10 months into the year, I came across a page on the web announcing a course by Sifu in London. I went and have been enjoying and benefiting from my practice since then.

Best,

Barry

[Hellsviking]

Hi all

Vows are great. I call it, respecting your own decision.

Every morning, since about April I've been doing golden bridge for 5 minutes. In the last two months I've added the plank (holding the press up position) for 5 minutes.

Most of the guys at my club (MMA) do weights, kettle bell, creatine, tabata, etc, which makes them crazy strong. I don't do any of that stuff. Some have commented about my strength. One time as we started rolling, I grabbed a guy by his lapel with one hand and shoved him down to the mat, and it took him a moment to get free. Twice recently, I got two guys to tap out just from a knee ride and got quite a few guys squealing before they managed to escape. I only weigh around 70kgs. Most these guys are over 85kgs. I attribute that strength and dropping of weight to the chi kung. (knee ride is; opponent on his back, your one knee on his stomach, your other leg out to the side, to base out)

I prefer chi kung strength training, feels healthier. The trick is, you got to keep it up.

Erik

[Josh]

Dear Anthony Sihing,

Thanks for sharing! I've also found making vows very beneficial in my practice. The first one I ever made was after my very first course with Sifu. Since I felt so weak and wobbly compared to most everyone there and came away with some mighty forearm bruises (and because I had slightly different stances deeply ingrained), I vowed to train all my stances every day for at least a year. And it paid off. Less than a year later when I returned to Malaysia my stances were much improved (though still a bit lacking), and I didn't feel like I was getting so overwhelmed by everyone's force.

I actually took a vow to practice it every day. I'm happy to say that, since taking my vow, I've practiced One Finger Zen for 365 days in a row......
Although I've done plenty of One Finger Zen in the past, I've never done 365 days in a row before.

It's interesting that you posted this at this time. Just 2 weeks ago I started out on the same plan, with the same vow...1 year of 1 Finger Zen! So, thank you for the inspiration!

All my best,
Josh

[Chiahua]

I came across this article in Lifehacker, and it made me think of this thread:

http://lifehacker.com/software/motivation/jerry-seinfelds-productivity-secret-281626.php

[shaolin_mike]

Hey Chiahua thanks for that link, i¨m gonna get me a calendar first chance I get

[Feynman]

...

[yasminejade]

Dear Anthony Siheng,

Thanks for sharing this topic.

I am also thinking of practicing OFSZ everyday for 100 days.

May I know during our 100-days-in-a-row OFSZ, do we need to practice also Golden Bridge everyday? Or is it OK to practice Golden Bridge once a week during this 100 days?

[Mikey Smith]

100 Days!!!

Hello,

My 100 days of One Finger Shooting Zen started yesterday.

My minimum routine will be:

Entering Zen
Lift Sun and Moon
Golden Bridge
One Finger Shooting Zen
Chi Flow
Standing Meditation

I am currently at work and can't wait to get home to do day 2!!

Respect to Sifu and Si Tai Gung

Regards

Mikey

[neilg]

Greetings,

I started my 100 days of One Finger Shooting Zen last week. I have done it and Golden Bridge with Chi Flow and Standing Meditation 8 days in a row already.

As already mentioned these are exercises I have practised for over 2 years now but never with this level of intent and devotion. I have already felt the quality of my sessions increase a little, I am looking forward to the benefits and experiences this journey is going to bring.

I will be posting my results and experiences as the months pass and hope that 100 days slip into 200 and so on!!

Regards,

Neil

[Jeffrey Segal]

Nice thread, Siheng

[Antonius]

http://lifehacker.com/software/motivation/jerry-seinfelds-productivity-secret-281626.php

[Molly]

Well siheng it would appear that you are a trend setter, and thusly I tip my cap to you. Josh and I came up with a few secret handshakes for the One Finger Zen club, so if y'all want in...well, you know what to do .

As for myself, I believe I'm on day 26 of the first hundred days in office. I guess we'll see what happens following that.

I really liked the article you and Chiahua posted. I've found it's very true that I like having that chain. It doesn't take too much time before it's so long that you just want to carry on. Not out of a sense of obligation but a sense of pride for making a vow and sticking to it. I'd say this in turn leads to an easier, more joyful practice.

So I thank you for being a bellwether to us!

Molly

[Chiahua]

To me, the take home was using tools to help our practice. I saw the Seinfeld article after seeing this: http://lifehacker.com/5443908/dont-b...tyle-in-chrome
Seinfeld uses a basic calendar while I prefer iCal, but the premise is the same: having a bunch of red X's on your calendar are a nice visual reminder of your commitment. In the past I'd tried tracking my progress using a spreadsheet, but having the calendar makes the passage of time much more clear, and also motivating (also Excel took to long to start up).