Systema: A Primer - Part One, Introduction
Introduction I'm a skeptic at heart. Lack of hope is probably my biggest sin on a day to day basis. As a result, I've not really trusted conventional wisdom about spirituality and movement. What the dominant cultural paradigm has said for a long time is that the best way to deal with depression, anxiety, existential angst, and other psychological or emotional maladies is the go to a talk therapist and take medicines. Eventually, one could follow those methods to deeper ways of integrating and building a relationship with a Higher Power, the way yoga and other disciplines that blend breath, attention, and movement emphasize. Ultimately, spirituality is the end point of many paths, and the start is a particular focus on our physical existence, both in what we do and especially in what we think - "I think, therefore I am". At the same time, if one wants to be stronger and more athletic, conventional wisdom dictates going to the gym, lifting heavy things, and focusing on