‘Feet to Core to Four led by the Head travelling on the Breath.’ - Part 11

Following on my from last week’s blog, here’s how Silat Fitrah practitioners bow when

entering and departing the gelanggang:

The bow is made with the feet shoulder-width apart. The body is relaxed, in a neutral state,

without contraction, pelvis ‘flat’, chest, hips and throat ‘open’. The backs of the hands come

together in front of the pelvis/lower stomach. The hands stay together as they are moved up

the centreline. When in front of the face they separate, palms facing upwards (heavenward),

fingers pointing away from the body (into space). The arms extend, although not fully. They

then retract, palms towards the face as if about to wash the face. As the hands near the face, the palms come together, fingers pointing upwards with the left thumb crossing over the right thumb. At this point the fingertips will be in line with the top of the forehead. Holding this prayer-like position the hands then travel down the centreline, veering off slightly to move over the heart and then returning to centreline, until they reach the lower abdomen. Here the hands separate, palms facing down, with the tips of the thumbs and the first 2 fingers of each hand maintaining contact, creating a triangular space between the hands. Then they separate completely, wrists rolling, palms facing away from the body as they come to rest by the hips.

Essentially, the journey of the hands is from the Heavens to the Earth – and from the brain, to the heart, to the lower stomach.

The principle of Feet to Core to Four led by the Head travelling on the Breath is the

foundation for the movement(s) of the bow. In Silat Fitrah every movement we make is based on the same underlying principles; there is no change of process when shifting from bowing to moving combatively, the only change is that of purpose and attitude.

Talking of which, the attitude when entering the gelanggang is one of openness and

readiness; leaving behind whatever is going on in the rest of the world, ready for the

experiences and opportunities the teacher (and maybe fellow students) will create.

The attitude when leaving the gelanggang is one of gratitude and readiness; grateful for the

learning (whilst being aware we probably haven’t uncovered all of the learning yet) and ready to return to the rest of our life taking with us the lessons/changes we have experienced.

So, in conclusion, the bow is the most important movement you can make in Silat Fitrah. And in many respects it can also be the most powerful. How do you make it so?

That’s easy to say, but maybe it’s more challenging to do.

If you want your bow to have the power of truth, make it:

Heartfelt

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