Dojo Tao

Cotton and steel

I have been trying to incorporate some of my zazen into coaching/teaching the rowing stroke.to my students, and there have been some odd looks as I try to encourage non-doing into something that is very doing.

As with zazen, which is meditation practice to clear the mind and concentrate on the momentary passages, the opening of the mind to the sounds, the tactile and resonant impulses of sitting and pulling the oars lead to improvement.  The other day, while leading a practice through the Holgate channel, I listened - not watched - to a sculler make their way upriver.  It was the sound of the oars turning over together, the splash of the oars as they dipped, and the "haaah" of the slide.  Could I tell that the slide was too fast? That one oar was in before the other?

Later, one student complained to me that their forearms were sore after rowing a practice race.  "You are holding on too tightly- loosen your grip"

"But how can I do that? Won't I lose the oar?"

Grip the oar with your fingers, relax your wrists and elbows- energy cannot flow thru your constricted muscles; you can't row a boat with your wrists, so why try?

More later.