No Room Too Small for Tai Chi

I've recently heard several of my students say that one of the nice things about tai chi practice is that you can do it almost anywhere. In fact, it can be done in the space equivalent to a two foot by three foot throwrug or even smaller. The trick is to simply step back with every rollback in the form. Doing this simple maneuver allows you to virtually stay in one place. This is particularly useful in video teaching.

Teaching tai chi and meditation through the internet does pose some restrictions of space, but does not really inhibit full expression of tai chi movement. Movement of qi energy is primarily a function of the mind. So as long as the form is conceptualized by the student, his or her practice will cultivate healthful benefits. This is true whether one is taking lessons through the internet or practicing in their kitchen or on their back porch.

The fact that tai chi practice can be done by oneself, in a group, or over the internet in whatever space is available is a real advantage. So keep on practicing and enjoy the benefits.

Namaste

Oops! I Just Lost My Balance!

"Oops! I Just Lost My Balance" are words you never want to hear. Right? In fact, losing your balance can result in devastating falls, trips to the hospital, or worse.

Most people don't give balance training much thought until they experience a bad fall resulting in a concussion or broken hip. Fortunately, however, tai chi offers us a means to improve our balance every time we practice the White Crane Set.

When we begin tai chi, our knees are slightly bent, our back is straight, and our balance is divided equally between both feet. But as we begin our set, weight shifts to the left leg and then to the right leg as we turn and move. At this point, we must move our center of balance to the weighted foot in order to pick up the left knee and step out.

In almost every movement we shift our weight from one foot to the other. Maintaining our center of balance over the weighted foot is a key rule of Tai Chi, and failure to master this rule results in hesitant and shakey movement throughout the set.

Not only is balance key to tai chi, but It is essential to keep us from falling in our daily lives. Being able to maintain your balance could save you from serious injury. So don't let, "Oops, I just lost my balance," be what you say before a dangerous fall. To sharpen your balance, just keep on practicing tai chi every day.

Namaste

What Do You Feel?

What are you feeling right now? Are you feeling warm or cold? Do you feel your heart pumping blood throughout your body? Do you feel air entering and escaping your lungs? Can you feel tension or relaxation in your muscles? You may answer yes or no to any of these questions, but many of us in the modern world pay little attention to these wonderful and important relationships with our own bodies. So what does "feeling" have to do with practicing tai chi? I'll answer that shortly, but first try a simple experiment.

Hold the one hand palm down just below your mouth and blow air gently over the back of your hand. Is your hand cold? Is the air warm? Release all other thoughts from your mind and focus on the feeling. In tai chi practice we focus on our mind-body connection through our sense of touch and attention to what we feel. Feeling the flow of air across our skin is just one example of mind-body experience.

To a newborn baby, the sense of touch is intense. Babies love the feeling of their mothers and fathers as they hold and play with them. As we get older, however, many of us rely on our eyes as the primary organs to sense our environment, and the sense of touch loses some of its importance.

In tai chi practice we strive to reconnect with our bodies and our physical feelings. Breath, muscle contraction and body position can be felt with each tai chi movement. We must also feel the flow of qi or universal life force energy throughout our bodies. Enhancing our mind-body connection and the flow of qi in our bodies is what tai chi is all about.