Thoughts on Falling

One of the interesting observations that I've had about getting on and off the floor is that there is a state of panic, often chaos, often lack of grace associated with the moment of getting up and down from the ground. Suzuki asks us to hide that challenge and the difficulty of this with the appearance of non challenge. One thing to practice is just in a slow count, Taking the ass to the floor, in as many ways as you can in a specific count, without a hiccup and without the use of hands. Another thought is that the body folds and unfolds, so when you go to the ground, fold, find it and then yield to it. Begin to think of the floor as a soft receiver and not a hard surface. The body can be angular or in can be curved, the body can be stiff or it can be supple. Find ways to melt to the ground.