Tai Chi for health & wellbeing
I’m having fun, as usual, running our Pozitive Kidz are happy kidz six week program. The focus is on building self esteem from a Tai Chi perspective.
The kids love the speedy Tai Chi drill. This is where I stand out in front of about 30-40 students and yell out various posture names and then they have to quickly jump into position.
For example I’ll yell out names such as;
I was in Hobart, Tasmania, last week working with primary school students in our ‘Pozitive Kidz are happy kidz’ workshops.
It’s a program I’ve run for years and it focuses on building self esteem from a Tai Chi perspective.
In one of the workshops I discovered the ‘one Tai Chi second’.
It was after our yin meditative exercise which was preceded by a very active yang exercise.
I was reinforcing the theme that we need to pause before we react to things without thinking.
And it occurred to me to use the term ‘one Tai Chi second’. It’s something that I’ve never used before and it was created on the spot. And these creative moments are always a delight because it gives me more material to use when teaching young students.
I said to the students, ‘if you feel upset, or someone is teasing you, slowly breathe for one Tai Chi second’.
How long is one Tai Chi second?
As long as it takes to remain calm and centred.
I will never forget February, 2008.
I delivered 60 workshops in 26 days.
The workshops were our ‘Pozitive Kidz are Happy Kidz’ schools program which focuses on building self esteem from a Tai Chi perspective.
The students age range from 5-12 years old.
At that stage, each workshop ran for 30 minutes – four per morning – two before the break and two after the break.
These were high energy workshops which included props , games and humour to engage the children for the full session. A traditional approach would have been boring and not work as well.
By the time the third and fourth session kicked in during the morning I had to stay centred and make sure I was not repeating or forgetting to include an activity.
Because when I deliver a workshop I leave some flexibilty so I can react to what is happening in the moment, besides covering the core skills.
I now know what it feels like to be out on the road covering several gigs a day over an extended period.
It may not be rock n roll but it’s great fun and exhausting.
Why put my self through this ‘ordeal’?
I’ve got no choice.
I’m passionate about what I do.