At the end of his last Ki Seminar here in London, Master Chang said with a wry smile… “Don’t be weird”.

He says they try to meditate at home when the children are playing. “Be quiet, stop playing, can’t you see I’m trying to meditate!” This response is silly, he claims. He says that now is the time to play with children…

Ki meditation and Hapkido then, is not about escaping the world, but becoming more ourselves within this world.

When we are anxious, or fearful, or angry, our minds often get stuck. We might start to obsess over small details or become attached to a way of doing something or to a particular doctrine.

A state of mind that is rigid and fixed in any situation is a disease. Someone who has mastered himself, is someone who’s mind is not stuck. Through ki meditation and Hapkido practice then, we are creating a mind that resembles water, not one made of ice. Both water and ice have the same composition, but one is rigid and stuck, and the other flows freely.

A mind like water is adaptable, persistent and confident; it is soft, powerful and constantly moving. So as we practice, we are working on melting the ice. When we melt the ice, our whole body becomes free and relaxed. This means we must abandon anxiety, fear, and prejudice.

As far as Hapkido goes – to perform at an optimum level your body must be relaxed. How do you relax the body? By relaxing the mind. Melt the ice.

Don’t be weird.
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