Imbolc the celebration marking the mid-point between winter and the arrival of spring. Here in NYC we’re still in for a few more official months of winter but the days are slowly getting longer and we await that slim window of beautiful weather known as “Spring”.
Holidays such as Imbolc are reminders of the importance of milestones and checkpoints. Without them, everyday would simply blur together. This goes for training too! Without identifying markers (big and small) we risk losing perspective and mindless practice.
Mindless practice is when you’re just going through the motions: sure, you show up, do the warm ups, do the drills, but you’re not really present. You’re not thinking about what you’re doing or why you’re doing it. This is both a waste of time and could lead to potentially dangerous situations.
A helpful tool for accomplishing proper mindfulness is to define an active purpose for your training and start making a roadmap on how you can go about achieving your goals. Giving yourself large goals to work towards as well as smaller moments to celebrate along that path is key to keeping you alert and determined.
Today, don’t forget to take a moment to celebrate this milestone towards better weather and we’ll see you in the Fechtschule!
