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 the size of your muscles. More developed mindsets go a step further and develop other elements of movement, and some even go fully against the grain by rejecting "exercise" and highlighting the essential nature of the human being to move, instead of compartmentalizing movement to specific times and places. Then the rest of the time, you're totally fine to sit around and live a fully sedentary life.

I've been on a quest for awhile for what I would call "athletic spirituality"... a way to blend my love of movement with my deep call to an embodied, experiential relationship with Reality (or God). I believe that my search has brought me to Systema, and I am committing to the practice and Way of Systema for the foreseeable future. This series of "blogs" will be my way of unpacking, processing, and refining my understanding of Systema, especially as it relates to the breath and movement, as well as spiritual life. Learn, write, teach, repeat. That's the learning cycle I'm experimenting with here.

What Is Systema?

Systema is a Russian Martial Art that has been passed down for centuries. According to RussianMartialArt.com, it started back in the 10th century by Russian invaders who developed the art in response to the demands of defending the country from invaders who came from all sides. The art is intuitive, instinctive, and individual in order to facilitate fast learning. Furthermore, it is unique in that it is rooted in the Russian expression of Orthodox Christianity. This is of interest to me because I'm a Christian, so it was important to find an art to study that has some connection with my faith.

The factor that makes Systema incredibly unique and interesting to me is the way it focuses on the breath as being primary. In many other disciplines, there is often mention or some focus on breathwork, but usually later down the line. In Yoga, for instance, breath control is the 4th or 5th limb (so you go through observances, ethics, and physical postures before explicitly working with the breath. In many fitness circles, you would be hard pressed to find any focus on the breath. Yet, the breath is the most important function across the entire spectrum of being a human (physical, psychological, spiritual). Breath is the link between all planes of existence. You can only breath in the present moment, and there the riches of healing, wholeness, and vitality are found. Systema starts with the breath and keeps it simple, yet accessible to engage it for immediate benefit.

Now, Systema as a whole includes combatives, but that's only a part of it. Systema is really a system of human development, a way to grow in wisdom, strength, and health. The philosophy of Systema focuses a great deal on becoming a capable individual to be useful to your family and community, so it's really built for householders and people who need the quickest, simplest path to effectiveness. The four pillars of Systema are breathing, relaxation, posture, and movement. Notice that combat isn't a pillar. You don't need to fight to learn Systema as an integrative path, although surely it could be very helpful for learning more about yourself and how to respond in crisis situations or survival situations.

The basic premise of Systema is thus: for physical and psychological reasons, we stop breathing. Breathing is supposed to be continuous (we'll get there in the seven principles article, up next), but we often pause the cycle when we concentrate, get scared, or have some sort of physical blockage in the body. Another premise of Systema is that breathing is more than just a physiological function located in the lungs. In fact, according to Systema, it is a full body process involving every system in the human being. Therefore, the goal of Systema is twofold: to restore continuous breathing at all times, and to have the breath permeate the entire body as a process.

There are many benefits to this process, but the biggest is awareness. Simply put, awareness of breath is awareness of life, and awareness of the breath through the entire body is an awareness that is present, not caught up in the past or the future (or other imaginary places our consciousness can hang out in). With expanded awareness comes deeper connection with God, greater health, wisdom, and the ability to navigate our world.

Systema accomplishes this by introducing principles of breathing to restore breathing to its full function, and then applying those principles to simple practices and movements that layer over every day life. While it is advisable to take on a daily disciplined practice of Systema, its power is truly in how you can apply the principles of breathing and awareness to your entire life. The goal of continuous, permeating breath is a difficult one once you become aware of how much we hold our breath, and how little awareness we have as well as how much we are physically stuck in our bodies. But, once you can identify how unconsciously incompetent you are and then learn the tools of Systema, you are on the path to achieving that goal and unlocking a whole world of spiritual awareness, health, and flow. This is done through simple, pain-staking, disciplined work of constantly coming back to the breath as the primary driver of human unfolding.

Systema is different from other arts that also have an element of focus on the breath and embodied awareness. The main difference is in its simplicity. You don't have to learn complicated sequences of movements, esoteric spiritual systems, or deviate a large amount from your normal life. Systema drops in your life exactly as it is, is simple, accessible, and despite being connected to Orthodox Christianity, is quite agnostic in makeup. In a lot of ways, your life won't look much different after taking up Systema. However, you will have a much different experience of your life.

In the next article, I'll dive into the Seven Principles of Systema Breathing. After that, we'll go into the specific exercises and routines that are prescribed by the masters of Systema and that I've developed on my own, and then attempt to bring it all home at the end. In the process, I'm hoping to develop even more awareness and knowledge around the depth of Systema, and be inspired to take my practice to the next level. My hope is to eventually attend classes and seminars to learn from the pros and build community around my passion for the art.