Chris Chi

Tai Chi for health & wellbeing

 

 

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Tai Chi – Miracle Cure?

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Is Tai Chi a miracle cure for your problems?

Is it the best fighting art?

In two words, no and no.

It’s not Tai Chi that will provide you with a miracle cure.

The miracles you are looking for may occur if you do two things.

  1. Keep an open mind
  2. Practice

Very simple concepts that are difficult to do because it requires discipline.

So the next time you read about the miracle of Tai Chi, ground yourself in reality and focus on the above concepts.

If you do your Tai Chi, wellbeing, and self defence skills will improve gradually.

Footnote: There are no free yum cha’s in Tai Chi. Only practice.

Sitting Meditation

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As part of my overall training I do about ten minutes of sitting meditation each day.

I do it for two reasons;

  1. it enables me to calm my mind
  2. it gives my wonky knees a rest from the more physical training I do

When I do this meditation I spend two minutes on the ‘inner smile’, three minutes on ‘dissolving’ and five minutes on focusing on my tan tien.

Here’s how to do it;

  1. sit on the edge of the chair
  2. relax the shoulders
  3. Imagine a string attached to your head, gently pulling you straight up
  4. feet shoulder width apart and flat on the flloor
  5. Hands resting on the knees
  6. Breathe slowly, deeply and comfortably

Although I combine my sitting meditation with other techniques,  it is okay to sit there and just meditate.

Have a go and let me know how you feel afterwards.

60 Workshops in 26 Days

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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.

Underwater Tai Chi

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When you are practicing your Tai Chi form imagine you are underwater.

But make sure your head is above water!

I’ve found that using this visualisation technique slows my movements down alot. Especially if I am in a rushed mood when practicing Tai Chi.

I also get a deeper sense of Chi flowing through my body.

Here’s how to do it;

  • Relax you body
  • Imagine you are standing in water up to your neck
  • Start your form
  • Feel the slight resistance of the water as you move

If you decide to use this technique let me know how it feels.

Footnote: Source –  Tai Tips #10

Adopt A Tai Chi Posture

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One way of improving your Tai Chi form is to adopt a posture and practice it each day.

In my training I have a list of the 37 postures (the form) in order and each day I practice one posture. After 37 days I start again.

I do 8 repetitions slowly, both sides of the body (where relevant). For example a posture like ‘White Crane Flaps Its Wings’ can be done, left and right side of the body whereas ‘Beginning Posture’ cannot.

The benefit of adopting a posture is that you can see if the technique is correct straight away and make the adjustment on the spot. When you are practicing the entire form all you can do when you make a mistake is to make a mental note to correct the error the next time you practice.

Today I was working on ‘Monkey Retreats’ and noticed my body was not  facing the centre when I had completed the movement. I ended up twisting my waist to the right.

Make sure when you practice each posture you do it slowly and stay focused.

Do this and your adopting a Tai Chi posture daily will help you improve your form.

Footnote: Source – Tai Chi Tip #1