Chris Chi

Wellbeing & Performance - the Tai Chi way

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Archives for July 2010

360 Degree Breathing

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One of the Chi Kung techniques I use occassionally to energise my body and calm my mind is what I call  ‘360 degree breathing’.

You can do this skill either lying down, sitting or standing.

Here’s how it works;

  • Take a deep breathe and imagine you are breathing in good Chi inside every cell of your body
  • Breathe out slowly and imagine you are breathing out negative Chi (toxins or negative thoughts or feelings)
  • Do at least 8 repetitions to start with and build to whatever is comfortable for you
  • relax your breathing – make it natural – don’t force it

A very simple technique that with practice will give you a quick way of feeling good and staying focused when you need to.

Bear Staff Form

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Check out this bear performing a staff form.

I like his wrist flexibility and posture.

Not sure what style it’s practising. Probably some ancient Bear Style form.

Hmm, I must go outside and practice my form –  up to where he bites the staff.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBB0F7naojM&feature=player_embedded#![/youtube]

Footnote: Discovered this clip on Al Simon’s ‘The Tai Chi and Qigong Blog’.

Working With Teenagers

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Last night’s presentation (see previous post) to a junior football team went very well.

Twenty 15-19 year olds attended and they were not sure what was going to happen. Their coach said it would be special and to ‘watch out for the Sabre’.

I was a little apprehensive about the reception I would receive as it was my first presentation in a football environment. And Tai Chi can appear weird and silly in a macho culture.

But my concerns evaporated quickly as the boys got right into the spirit of what was offered by having a go to a very different approach to achieving their best.

Over the years, working with teenagers, regardless of the environment, I find the same themes keep coming up.

If you want to engage them in an activity you need to;

  • make it fun
  • challenge them
  • talk their language
  • make it relevant
  • keep things moving
  • encourage and praise them often

I finished the presentation with some weapons demonstrations to reinforce the difference between Yin and Yang energy. I did a short sword form, staff form and fans. They enjoyed the snapping fans demonstration.

It’s great fun working with teenagers.

And maybe why I enjoy it so much is because  ‘I’m just a big kid too’.

Tai Chi & Aussie Football

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This evening I will be delivering a presentation to about thirty 15-19 year old footballers.

The theme is Best Performance – a Tai Chi perspective.

I know from experience that if I present it in the traditional way I will lose the audience in the first few seconds.

Teenagers need excitement, movement, fun to keep their attention otherwise they get bored quickly.

I intend to ramp up the excitement and get them focused by using humour demonstrations and challenges. I’ll bring in the teaching points at the end of the fun stuff.

The key to the success of the presentation will be the language I use in relation to Tai Chi.

I’ll need to keep it simple and relevant to their football skills. Having an esoteric approach will only bore them.

Now excuse me while I go and  practice my sabre form for the demonstration this evening.

And iron my Tai Chi shirt.

It’s a bit wrinkled. Just like me.