TAKING A WALK OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE!!!

There was a homework exercise issued on Brutal Training's main site. It was to take yourself out of your comfort zone, to find unique ways to train and to find that ' beginners mind' again.
As i delve deeper into the world of Capoeira i have come to realise one of the most important aspects of it, and life, is rhythm. I began thinking diverse ways to train my rhythm outside of Capoeira practice itself, the answer was obvious- Dance. Now don't get me wrong i love to dance, i dance all the time, well i don't know if you can consider bouncing around screaming at the top of your lungs to Rage Against The Machine and Pearl Jam all night long dancing, but its fun and moshing has its benefit's lol. I still love dancing like this, whenever i hear i song i like, wherever it may be, in a shop, who cares? But i f i go out now i throw myself at the dance floor instead of the bar, Ive always liked to dance and it adds to my rhythm training.
Outside the comfort zone-
As well as my usual moshing Ive been immersing myself in all manner of dance, samba, salsa, anything and everything. I even found myself dancing in a Jazz club in Edinburgh the other week, now not that i have anything against Jazz music, but i can vividly recall many conversations with my best friend ending in hilarity because neither of us ' understood Jazz music'
As a result of visiting the said Jazz club and dancing the night away, i still don't understand Jazz music, however i did have to improvise my moshing.
All this is putting me in a beginners frame of mind when looking at rhythm and movement, and placing me i the perfect learning environment for Capoeira.
Samurai wrote poems and done flower arranging, Spartans sang, all warriors have diverse training, don't limit your body ,mind or spirit, challenge yourself, throw yourself into action, and herein true growth lies

Personal note- Last night i was given my Capoeira name- GIBI- which translates as 'comic' or 'comic book'. Marcelo my instructor said it was because i was colourful, vibrant, like a character from the pages of a comic book, both in spirit and body. I like it, we were talking too and agreed it also fits really well because off the Parkour, Spider man and Daredevil are the greatest Traceurs ever! Also personally to me, i have always drawn, a passion i was always drawn to and natural at, my main style being comic book art and Tattoo art, this is another passion i have recently rekindled. And on a spiritual note, as strange as it may sound, alot of my inspirations have came from the pages of comic books, to me they always reflected the highest aspects and attributes of man- courage, honor, selflessness, daring, humility, strength, heart.
So i like GIBI, It has stuck lol.

The adventure awaits........

live it

David 'GIBI' Kelso

PASSION, PARKOUR, CAPOIERA, AND THE SURF!!!

WHATEVER IT IS YOU CHOOSE TO DO, DO IT WITH PASSION!

Immerse yourself in whatever it is you choose to do, follow you bliss
Immersion in that which you love is an extremely powerful uplifting experience, Here in this place, you find your own spirit and the spirit of the thing itself will be revealed to you, but only by dedication to that which you do, and then , become.
Your life situation could be feeling bad or pressured around you, but by immersion in what you love, spirit is brought forward, everything feels alive, you find your peace and centre once again.
I am eternally grateful to the activities i love, to Parkour, no matter whats going on around me, the city is always there, the urban jungle, and nature. Here i climb, i run, i swing, free flowing self expression, unlimited movement, the city is my playground, a simple wall becomes my best friend, it tests me, how graceful can i pass, how artistic can i move, the city looks different to me, than to others, others see boundaries, i only see movement, expression, freedom. I climb to the highest points, beauty, peace, stillness. I am never alone for the city is always there for me, the urban jungle calls me into her lap. If find myself now more than ever as my life evolves, dedicating my every moment to Parkour, early in the morning as the sun rises, long before most have risen, my friend greets my for another adventure. Late at night, most are asleep, the moon and stars watch over me, i move through city playground, silent, still, free.
Why? because i choose to.
I am also eternally grateful to the Martial arts- All my life i have immersed myself in the fires of the arts, only through thousands of repetitions have i come to know myself, and the spirit of the thing itself. Capoiera is a fairly new art i have thrown myself headfirst with reckless abandon into. So steeped in history.In the Roda David Kelso ceases to exist, i am the Jaguar, i am the ghost, beauty, rhythm, movement, the music takes you, the energy of it, the beat, the dance, the fight, the expression. Only the moment is left here, no past no future, just the moment, just the kick that's coming, just you evasion and your own leg shooting out all on its own, the music takes you!
The surf- For this force of nature i am so grateful, for so long i have wanted to do this, and now i have begun. To the element of water itself i have always felt a drawing to, i see it in the ones i love most, the calm, the peace and power. Here riding the waves, i feel connected in some deep way, unspeakable by words, pure bliss. My journey here is just beginning, but i know it will also be a great one.

My point? Whatever is happening around about you, in your life situation, your passions are always there to cradle you, they are you best friends and teachers, they will teach you everything you ever need to know, immersion, dedication, live them!


The adventure awaits.......

live it

David Kelso

GRATITUDE

I have written alot on here recently about life being a great gift, a great adventure, that we hold the pen and we write our own book of life, that destiny is a not a matter of chance, but a matter of choice. To embrace every moment as if it is your last.

These are empowering statements to read, but do you merely understand them intellectually or do you embody these teachings?, do you realise them on a profound level with every ounce of your being? Maybe not, and i don't claim to either, but we are all heading up the mountain path, the more we embrace this gift of life the more we come to understand our own true natures, the higher we climb, but really there is no mountain to climb, no path to be walked, you already ARE.

One of the greatest practices I've found in my own evolution to let you embrace the adventure of life, to raise your positive vibration, is the practice of gratitude. I believe that when we are feeling grateful, we are in turn feeling the energy and vibration of our true nature.

It doesn't matter what you are feeling grateful about, it could be past- a beautiful moment shared with someone you love, or the beast of a training session you just did that kicked your ass. It could be present- the smile of a passing stranger, the energy and vitality coursing through your body. It could be future- feeling grateful and excited about that which has not yet come to pass ( Here's a tip- if you are feeling grateful about something you wish to manifest, as if you already have it, then you are in the creative process and are working with the law of attraction)

The fact is you don't need anything external to feel grateful for, you can feel grateful for every single breath, every moment. You can feel grateful for the warmth of the rising sun, the glow of the full moon, the feeling of the wind, the refreshing shower of the rain.

As an exercise, when you rise in the morning list all the things you are grateful for in your life, feel them, feel the gratitude, and watch pleasantly as your moment, your days, your life begins to feel more magical- remember the magic and wonder you felt in childhood?- its yours for the the taking! What we focus on grows.

One of my favourite quotes about being grateful for the gift of life is the inscription on Brandon Lee's Grave-

"Because we don't know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. Yet everything happens a certain number of times, and a very small number, really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, some afternoon that's so deeply a part of your being that you can't even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four or five times more. Perhaps not even that. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless."

For Brandon and Eliza Ever Joined in True Love's

The Adventure awaits......

Live it

David Kelso

IN THIS MOMENT

The universe is speaking to us in every moment, in every experience, there is a message guiding you toward your own destiny in every moment, but since your own true nature is the universe, is the infinite, this is you speaking to yourself, you are guiding yourself, creating opportunities and events to help you along your way to your own chosen destiny.

'I am your own voice echoing off of the walls of god'- Rumi

Most people are too asleep to see, hear or notice these guides, and signs,they can come to you in the form of some inspired action to take, some intuitive hunch, it could come from inside of you you or from something that is seemingly external, but unless you are fully present IN THIS MOMENT you will be blind to it, you will see coincidence, you will see external circumstance, if you are living in the past or future you will fail to embrace the opportunities the infinite has created for you IN THIS MOMENT. If you are bound by limited beliefs, you will see negative circumstances created by some outside force that is greater than the force within you, IN THIS MOMENT you are the creative force. Everything happens for a reason, and you have created it, either consciously or unconsciously. You must find in EVERY MOMENT the best in every situation, treat it as if you created it, because in a way , you have.
Realise that -

'Everything that happens in your life is moving you in the direction of your goals'-Bob Proctor

We may be led in seemingly circuitous routes at times toward our goals, but we have to let go and trust the process of our lives, trust the universe, trust ourselves.
That opportunity that presents oneself, that intuitive feeling to take inspired action, that corner to turn, that letter to write ,the phone call to make, do it, relinquish fear and move forward with courage and faith. Do it now, IN THIS MOMENT, this moment will never present itself again!
The best way I've found to throw us fully into the moment is to face your own death every moment, realise the reaper can take you at anytime, YOU do not have a say, all that exists is this moment.
If you knew you were going to die in the next 30 minutes, what would you do? what action would you take you've been putting off? who would you spend it with? who would you call? How would you embrace your last moments of this life?
It is facing this that brings our full attention into THIS MOMENT, face your own death and be liberated from it. Do not be ignorant to the fact that this maybe your time, this is not a sad thought, but rather one that once faced and embraced in every moment lets us see this life for the gift it is, look for the signs, they will guide you, what will you do IN THIS MOMENT?

What drove me to write this article?
Inspired action of course! Live it


David Kelso

The adventure awaits....

Live it