Mysticism as applied to Physical Conditioning:
In the East the number 10,000 holds a unique and spiritual signicance. It is the number of God or the Unknowable. Hence many sayings like: "Once movement 10,000 variations" or "The sea is Lord of 10,000 streams because it remains beneath them". In the western world the ancient Jewish Kabalists used a diagram called the "Tree of Life" to explain the mystery of creation. It was composed of ten spheres that everything in known creation could be pigeon-holed into. In the ancient world all letters had number correspondances. Thus many types of encryptions or interpretations of Jewish words came about. The DaVinci Code is an example of one of these number systems known as Gemetria. Another is AIK BKR. In AIK BKR all the letters were classified by number and evolution. Thus 10 is the same as 100 which in turn is the same as 1000 etc.... These letters or numbers could be interchanged to create new words. Following this "Theosophical Deduction" for the number 10,000, its base is 10. Interestingly enough the metric system is a base ten number system. It is derived from the measurement of the earths circumference which yields a number thats lowest common denominator is ten.
As this "Base of Ten" applies to physical conditioning:
When the body is involved in the process of activity or inactivity the heart,breathe and movement of the limbs is the focus. Thus counting these processes can be utilized in a scientific manner. The average individuals heart beats 70x a minute yielding 3600 beats in a one hour period. Three hours yields 10,800 beats, When involved in strenous activity the heart beats much faster than 70x a minute. When the normal process is consciously controlled either being speeded up or slowed down a type of "Storage" occurs. This storage is conditioning. If an individual slows their breathing down to one breathe being inhaled and exhaled over a period of a minute they have an advantage over a normal "breather". This advantage is conditioning. They have cultivated or stored through a scientific approach to slowing down their breathe. When the breathe is sealed inside the body one must be very careful. Thus all the hooplah about not holding the breathe as you move or exercise. Any person familiar with free-diving can tell you about shallow water unconsciousness. When holding the breathe it creates a pressure cooker effect on the body. This pressure cooker effect can be utilized in combat by creating a situation in the opponents body that causes them to hold their breathe and then striking them. If the air cannot escape through the normal avenues of the body it will seek escape somewhere else causing everything from cysts to stroke like affects.
In aerobic exercise motions a person being able to do 100 motions properly compared to a person preforming 10 proper motions is able to do so because of storage (Cultivation or conditioning). A person working their way to a thousand has even more storage. It easy to see why the ancient mystics used 10,000 as a number of the Divine. Do you know anyone who can do 10,000 push up or jumping jacks? Do you know anyone who can hold their breathe for 1000 heart beats? Or even 1000 seconds(Let alone 10,000!)? Anyone can do 1000 motions at their leisure. Conditioning occurs when an individual begins to put time limits on this. Most San Soo people can do 100 windmills in a minute. Why not 1000 windmills in 10 minutes? Oh is that still attainable. Work your way to 10,000 in 100 minutes. This is attainable. 10,000 windmills in 10 minutes? Your a GOD!!!!!!