Dancing in the Kara of Te

DANCING IN THE EMPTY / OPEN OF HAND Inside kara-te is a dance, an endlessly flowing place of harmony, joy, and easy smiles. It is in every joint and fibre of the body, whether moving or still, in the unified body-mind-spirit, and it extends to everything one does. It is the kara-te way, which is also the Okinawan way. My kara-te studies have focused on understanding this dance: what it is, how it developed, what makes it unique in the world, how to pull it together, how to teach it, and how to live it. While kara-te students must master the dance if they are to to master the art, little is written about it. This offering -- from 17 years of study, four+ years of writing through seven drafts -- is a thank you for the gifts of the inner kara-te dance and the dedication of my teacher to it. To see my karate artwork --abstractions, including the cover of this book-- click here.
The book has 3 sections: "The Kara-te Way Comes to Light", including the first written account, in 1816, by a British explorer who recorded the dance of a remarkable Okinawan man, describing key elements that make Okinawan dance and kara-te unique in the world. "The Inner Kara-Te Dance" gives step-by-step instructions for learning inner kara-te dance basics, then adding the application elements of kara-te stepping, opposing forces, and impact pulses. "Learning the Kara-Te Way" covers some personal thoughts about the kara-te journey, from practice and persistence through performance and precision to power and polishing up personality. preview sample pages (pdf - 6.4M) Dancing in the Kara of Te is OUT OF PRINT. A new edition is planned, as an Amazon print-on-demand book. To e-mail or message Brenda, please use the contact buttons below.
	The cover is one of my karate-abstractions mono-prints. Click here to see more.
		Kimae Books soft cover, perfect-bound 138 pages, 32 colour references, index, glossary
*Instructional Videos: Inner Kara-Te Dance* 1 - Breath, Posture, Meditation 2 - Hip Movements 3 - Shoulder Movements 4 - Hip-Shoulder Movements 5 - Kachashi Dance 6 - Adding Steps 7 - Adding Opposing Forces 8 - Adding Kimae Click here for a post about body-mind-spirit harmony and joy.