The Power of Systema Breath Work in an Extreme Situation.
By Daniel Satari, Sweden.
Less than an hour after leaving my first weekend introduction to Systema and the core principles and exercises with Matt Hill, I was presented with a quite powerful experience.
I was walking from the tram to a square in quite a rough neighbourhood of town [Goteborg in Sweden]. I’m still hot from training and my body is sore from all of the work.
I see a young man about hundred feet ahead of me. He is throwing punches in the air as if hitting a punching bag.
Another man is walking behind him and slightly behind him three more.
I walk with a confident stride pretty much all the time, so I walk past the first guy without stress.
The second man stops me. He asks me if I want to buy drugs.
I’ve lived in a lot of major cities (L.A, Paris, Istanbul etc.) and through experience have learnt that if someone wants something from you on the street, they will either take it from you if you’re weak, or try to take it until you show them that you will not give it to them.
People who want nothing from you, smile and say hello.
This guy obviously wants my money, for whatever he’s got in his pocket.
One way I’ve learned to avoid situations that can get heated is to be a chameleon, join the opposing side, and bond.
I tell him that I already have some, that I am set. So I thank him and walk off.
He follows. Or rather joins me.
He now starts asking what kind, if I need more, and so on. The other guys fall in behind us.
My pulse is rising, and I’m focusing on my speech so as not to stutter, slip on my words or lower my voice as I am now making stuff up.
I’m trying to keep a calm conversation as I feel he is looking for any slip-up, any sign of weakness to use to his advantage.
I stop to stand still. So does he.
Probably not a good move I know. I should keep both feet ready to move.
By now, my adrenalin is pumping as I start thinking about how I’m going to fight my way out of the situation against five guys. All of this happening in a split second, as a result of thinking.
I catch myself thinking.
And this is not what I want.
I don’t want to fight.
I want the calm Daniel to be able walk away from this.
At this point they are all circling me.
I’m standing my ground, and in to my mind come the practices from the weekend. “In through the nose, out the mouth. Repeat. Inhale calm, exhale tension.”
And all of a sudden I feel calm and peaceful. I relax and my body language is telling them that I mean no harm that I have respect for them, but I will not move and they will not have me.
Suddenly I get a phone call and I have an excuse to move. When I leave I see that they had all actually dispersed and that I’d been left with the main guy.
In the end a very powerful Systema breathing exercise, a deep respect for life and everyone’s individual path and a good dose of courage led me out of a potential fight.
Thanks to Systema, all my teachers and the wisdom of so many people before me.
To wrap up this story,
I heard a very strong sentence once, and it has made its way to my core:
“Speak the truth always, even if it leads to your death”.
My truth, in this case, is that I am a calm loving person.
And I spoke the truth without using any words. Only through breathing.
Daniel Larsson Satari,
Goteborg.
Sweden.
Explore the full range of Systema breathwork, health practices and combat at the Devon Systema Camp in June. Now over half full!
For a once in a lifetime adventure try the Sweden Forest Camp in September. 1 Week that will change your view of the world for the better. Only 5 spaces left.