Neither the spiritual top nor the material bottom can help us but the depths of our body can[closed]

[worm-dancer.livejournal.com]

Move one muscle in your face. Stop. Do it again. Slow your heartrate. Now speed it up. Return to normal. Move each toe independently. Tense and contract tendons. This was Sheeana's 'warmup'. Whereas the archetypal martial arts teacher prepared for practice with a series of exxagerated stretches, touching their toes, kicking above their heads, for Sheeana the first thing was to enter into the total bodily awareness of the Weirding Way, to practice moving all the muscles, even the normally autonomous ones and those that couldn't move except with others. The tiniest fascia was under her control.

From the lotus position, she hopped up, tucking a foot under her, in a deep squat with the other leg pointed out straight, like a Russian dance frozen in place. Slowly she came to her feet, turning on her standing leg and curling her leg in until she was standing.

Then she dropped back into lotus and repeated the procedure on the other side.

Soon enough her two human students would arrive. She looked out across the park, over the purple grass, around diamond trees.

Comments

[antitachyonic.livejournal.com]

Finding the park wasn't that difficult. Though Sheeana, of all people, will probably pick up that John is in a very different headspace than he was in the media library, last they spoke.

A lot of the tension from his conversation with Kyle remains, though in the hours afterward John started partitioning it. Shutting things off and moving them around. He can't afford to be too caught up in his own emotional turmoil; Kyle is Resistance and the Resistance is his responsibility. It doesn't begin there but it does end with that, and right now John needs to focus.

But focusing isn't dealing. Eventually, he needs to learn to deal. Eventually is probably not this morning, unless Sheeana has a lot of time on her hands.

The pose is impressive, but John isn't exactly surprised; Sheeana hints at controlled power, to him, and seeing it in action is no shock. Walking in her direction, Allison nearby, John raises a hand in greeting.

[godelsolution.livejournal.com]

To say that Allison is bothered by how John compartmentalizes these things would be an understatement, to say the least. It really bugs her. A lot. But that's neither here nor there, and certainly not a topic to bring up with him if she can help it.

Ever.

Right now, she will settle for keeping an eye on him and being impressed with what Sheeana is doing. And waving at her as well.

[worm-dancer.livejournal.com]

John seems distracted somehow. He looks different from the other time she saw him. Tension knits his face.

The girl, is perfectly composed though.

She waits for the two of them to approach and sets the crysknife down in the grass nearby where it is safely out of the way. "Welcome. Are both of you ready to begin or do you need time to warm up?" Not that she thinks it matters, but it's a little psychological thing that tends to put people at ease.

[antitachyonic.livejournal.com]

John considers. "I think I'm ready to begin."

He'd be rather disappointed to learn there is tension in his face.

[godelsolution.livejournal.com]

"We're ready." Stubbornly speaking for both of them, apparently.

[worm-dancer.livejournal.com]

"Alright." Her stance did not change in the least. There was no conventional leadup. "One of you come at me. The other, observe where my intention goes."

[antitachyonic.livejournal.com]

John considers for a moment, turning to Allison. "So you mind?" Because he is kind of distracted, and she knows the reasons why.

[godelsolution.livejournal.com]

She shrugs. "No, I don't mind." She does, in fact, know the reasons. She also suspects that this may hurt. Still. She will, indeed, come at Sheeana. Allison is...fair at hand to hand combat, but she's a hell of a lot better with a firearm.

So take from that what you will.

as a martial arts teacher I certify that this is 100% fantasy

[worm-dancer.livejournal.com]

Sheena fades back from each strike, inches behind each. This isn't a showy display but a subtle one. She's watching the originating muscles...In other words, the torso where the joints of arms and legs meet it. It's as if she's just within reach but the distance keeps halving...Zeno's paradox, if you will.

When Allison's done, she'll look at John and ask what he observed.

[antitachyonic.livejournal.com]

"The major joints," is his answer. "Where the extremities meet." He could see it easily enough, he just isn't entirely certain of the overall importance of it.

Not that he doubts there was one.

[godelsolution.livejournal.com]

She thinks that's interesting. Very, very much so. "You can show us how?" She hopes.

[worm-dancer.livejournal.com]

"Yes. But it takes time. Have your partner throw punches at you. Slowly. And watch the major joint, not the hand. Before the strike can reach you, the muscles of the major joint have to activate. They move before the hand moves. When you feel comfortable with that, place your hand on their shoulder and try to sense before they throw a harder blow."

This is an incredibly oversimplified version of a small subset of training that takes a lifetime. But Sheeana doesn't have the time she would if those two were young acolytes, basic Prana-Bindu already mastered.

[antitachyonic.livejournal.com]

John nods. Makes sense, especially from medical and physical point of view. Every movement is really a series of movements, usually from the spine outward. "Do you want us to do that now, with you, or practice it first and return when we feel we've gotten as far as we can with it?"

[godelsolution.livejournal.com]

"I'm okay with either of those things."

[worm-dancer.livejournal.com]

"Work on it for a while. Until you're sick of it. I'll be here." And after she walks you through the process, she'll be zipping around, quite literally, as she goes through a few sequences herself. She's here. Then she's there. And there's only a blur to mark the transition.

[antitachyonic.livejournal.com]

John nods and once Allison is ready, they get started. He's vaguely aware of Sheeana zipping in and out of his peripheral vision but he's very focused on the task at hand.

They're both used to pushing themselves physically, for different yet similar reasons, so there is no telling how long they'll be at it before one of them admits to being sick of it.

[godelsolution.livejournal.com]

At first, just for a little bit, the zipping is a tad distracting. Eventually, it isn't. And she continues on with attempting these things she's been shown. It takes her quite a while to get sick of it.