Page 149 - The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin_Neat plip book

I now handle the unpredictability of martial arts tour nam ents with ease. In
fact, the more adverse the environment, the bet ter off I feel, becau se I kno w my

opponents will not deal with the chaos as well as I will. When I arrive in the
tournament hall I get a rough sens e for when thi ngs will beg in. The n I do the
Tai Chi form a couple of times, so my bo dy is loose and fl wing. I relax, eat a
little at a time so I am ready on a moment’s notice. If they call my na me and

say I must report immediately, I go thr ough as much or as little of a rout ine as
I have time for, and I’m good to go. No pr obl em. The ideal for any pe rformer is
flexibility. If you have optimal condi tions , then it is always gr eat to take your
time and go through an extended rout ine. If thi ngs are less organ ized, the n be

prepared with a exible state of mind an d a co nden sed rout ine.
Of course the advantages to such conden sing practice extend far beyond the
professional or competitive arenas. If you are driving your car, crossing the
street, or doing any other mundane activity, and are sudden ly conf ront ed by a

potentially dangerous situation, if you are trained to perform optimally on a
moment’s notice, then you may emerge uns cathed from some ha ir-raising
situations. But far more critical than thes e rare climactic expl osions , I be lieve
that this type of condensing practice can do wonder s to raise our qua lity of life.

Once a simple inhalation can trigger a state of tremendo us alertne ss, our
moment-to-moment awareness becomes bl issful , like that of someone ha lf-
blind who puts on glasses for the first time. We see more as we walk do wn the
street. The everyday becomes exqui sitely beaut iful . The notion of bo redo m

becomes alien and absurd as we natur ally soak in the lovely subt leties of the
“banal.” All experiences become richly int ertwined by our new vision, and the n
new connections begin to emerge. Rainwater streaming on a city pa vement
will teach a pianist how to flow. A leaf gl idi ng easily with the wind will teach a

controller how to let go. A housecat will teach me how to move. All moment s
become each moment. This book is about learni ng and per formance, but it is
also about my life. P resence has taught me how to live.