Another excellent women's-only karate class today! I always have such a good time teaching that class with my co-instructor, Sensei Linda! One of the really cool things we do is that one of us instructors in teaching the reasons for having a strong core and being able to kiai (or yell) is that we will punch each other in the stomach. It was my turn today and, let me tell you, I'm really glad that I tensed my core and gave a nice solid kiai, because my friend, Linda, can hit! Anyway, it's always really neat to see the wide eyes of the students after witnessing that demonstration!

So, what the heck am I talking about? Well, I am a true neophyte at this concept, but I can explain a little tiny bit about what the kiai is and what that has to do with me! At the root of the kiai is the Japanese term, ki, which can be thought of as the life force or energy. Without getting too metaphysical, it's really the energy that can be used to put essence into effort. We all use it without being too aware of what we are doing. You know one of those days when everything you do seems golden? The presentation you have to do at work comes out flawlessly, or suddenly when running a mile becomes easier? Not that practice and hard work aren't a part of the equation, but the bits of yourself that are invested impact the whole process. Just because Luke Skywalker had "the Force," he still had to practice with the little helmet thingie over his head with his lightsabre. Granted, even with all my ki, I will likely never be able to use the whole "these-aren't-the-droids-you-are-looking-for" Jedi mind trick, but I believe that physical pursuits still have connection to the mind and the will. Besides, who wants to try to hit a little ball of light blindfolded?....

So, that is pretty much the sum total of my knowledge! This is a truly fascinating concept and one I intend to learn more about. For me, at this point, there is nothing mystical about it. It's just simply a mindset that I try to have when I engage in physical pursuits. My advice: research it and go out and find it!