Thursday, December 28, 2006

Tai Chi…It’s the thought that counts

My teacher’s Tai Chi form was once described as “integrity in motion”. Every move he makes has meaning, a continuity that is void of intention. He does not expect to move a certain way he just does it, smiling from the heart.

As I work with my students and grow in my own training, I am beginning to understand better how integrity applies to Tai Chi. There is a physical integrity that lives in correct posture, proper alignment and core strength. Mental integrity supports the physical work through heightened concentration; a kind of calm mental focus that brings awareness to the body. As the physical form becomes more comfortable through strength and improved body memory, the mental concentration will increase thus making way for deeper physical practices such as more attention to alignment, posture or separation. All of which contribute to more strength and body memory, which in turn improves mental focus…and so on.

This circle is typical of what we experience in Tai Chi training. One focus brings strength and allows for deeper focus in another area. Early in training we are challenged to focus on one thing at a time, however, as we develop our skills we find that our mental integrity becomes stronger, allowing for more physical awareness; softer steps, better posture, relaxed, flowing movement and so on.

Where do we start?
Tai Chi Walking is a wonderful, basic exercise to enhance concentration. Especially when you add a count sequence to the weight transfer. If you just walk, there is not much concentration involved, walk slowly and it gets more challenging, Tai Chi Walking adds its own layer of difficulty, now add in a slow count of the weight transfer you are experiencing and you have a nice little mentally challenging exercise.

Now, think about your body weight being 50/50 (5 and 5) as you stand ready to Tai Chi Walk. Think about the three points on the foot and begin to shift weight right, for a step. Either mentally or out loud, count 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 as your weight completely fills the right leg and the left leg towards zero (or empty). Place your empty left leg forward, resting at zero on the ground and now bring awareness to that leg as it begins to fill 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 bringing you back in balance (5 and 5 or 50/50). Prepare for the next step, filling the left leg 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 while the right leg is now at zero and moving forward for an empty step. Try to keep your count very slow and steady while maintaining a focus on your three points and strong posture. As always, breathe!! ;-)

Here is a refresher on Tai Chi Walking Basics:

POSTURE for Tai Chi Walking
1. Stand with your feet parallel and hip width apart.
2. Keep your knees soft and your pelvis relaxed.
3. Shoulders back and down; with your hands either at your Dan Tien or flat against the small of your back.
4. Keep your spine tall all the way up through your neck & head.
5. Keep you chin parallel to the floor.

TAI CHI WALKING
1. Shift your weight right.
(Don’t lean to the right if you can help it. It is better to sink into the right leg with a soft/slightly bent knee.)
2. Empty your left leg.
3. Step out with the left leg into an empty step.
4. Light touch with the heel, and then place the toes softly on the floor - left leg still empty.
(You’ll know your leg is empty when you relax the thigh muscles enough to release any tension in the kneecap.)
5. Shift weight slowly to a count of 10.
(When you get to 5, weight should be 50/50 on both feet. When you get to 10, the left leg should be full and the right leg should be empty and ready to step forward.)
6. Step out with the right leg into an empty step.
7. Light touch with the heel, and then place the toes softly on the floor - right leg still empty.
(You’ll know your leg is empty when you relax the thigh muscles enough to release any tension in the kneecap.)
8. Shift weight slowly to a count of 10.
9. Repeat sequence.

BALANCE TIPS
¨ Keep your knees soft - not locked
Locking your knees will cause your ankle and hip to fight for control
¨ Keep your walk at a hip width distance and your feet parallel
Narrow walking is like walking a tight rope
¨ Keep your posture tall
Bending your head down to watch your feet will throw off your center of gravity
¨ Shorten your step if you can’t keep your front leg empty.
Little ½ -inch steps done properly are more strengthening than long steps done with a thunk to the front foot.

Saturday, December 16, 2006

In Memorium - Ruby Olar - Rest in Peace

Ruby Olar

This week the Tai Chi Community lost a special teacher. I met Ruby Olar during our Tai Chi for Arthritis certification training in May of 2004. His warm smile, generous personality and passion for teaching showed in everything he did. He loved his students, speaking of them highly and often. We kept in touch via email and shared our common passions for Tai Chi, spirituality and teaching. Ruby, you will be missed.

If you would like to express your condolences to the family, please CLICK HERE.

Memorial Service Scheduled for Wednesday, December 20th, 6PM at
Miller Chapel on Baylor Campus; Waco, Texas

Letting go of negative emotions in your Tai Chi / Qigong Practice

This past weekend was quite a challenge for me, personally. I found myself frustrated, annoyed, angry at times and very much away from my center. No need for details here; suffice to stay that there were MANY straws on this camel’s back. Driving to my first class Monday morning, I still had not shaken these feelings and thoughts. I was at a loss for what to cover with our students this week during class. Then, literally as I turned into the Carrollton Senior Center parking lot, a song came on the radio that “snapped me to” in just a few notes. I can not recall any other time where I had such a rapid and profound (positive) mental and emotional reset but there I was, my center and perspective back in place.

I walked into class with a smiling heart and shared my experience in Carrollton and with each class this week. What song it was (Jack Johnson) is not nearly as important as where it transported me. Within seconds, I was back at Camp John Marc with my Juvenile Arthritis kids; Sitting on the concrete floor, with about 40 staffers and 90 kids, watching a photo slideshow of our fun week at camp, partially set to that wonderful song. Tears of joy streamed down my face as I relived the week’s fun memories, so fresh in my mind. So, there it was, my lesson for the week. I decided to talk about letting go. I know, letting go is easier said than done, this weekend was a great case in point. But looking back, I realize that at any point in time I could have made the choice to “let go”. I imagine how I would have felt if I had heard that song mid-day Saturday. What would my weekend have looked like then?

Because Tai Chi happens on physical, mental and emotional levels, holding on to negative emotions such as stress, frustration, anxiety and anger can affect each level of your training in very profound ways. Conversely, Tai Chi can bring these types of unresolved emotions to the surface asking to be dealt with. I have seen many students experience negative emotions and releases, including myself, during their Tai Chi practice. I have even seen good students leave their Tai Chi training behind because they were not ready to deal with these surfacing, often deep rooted, emotions.

Tai Chi is a very individual experience that reflects our personality. Because we are working to create a balance with nature, our true nature is revealed whether we like it or not. ;-) Frustration, high expectations and anxiety can derail a Tai Chi “newbie” as easily as a veteran player if they allow it to happen. One way to subdue these derailments is to return to basics. Your foundation, foot work, posture and breath. In class this week, we used our Qigong warm-ups to move ourselves closer to center. I asked students to focus their attention on tying breath and movement together as seamlessly as possible. Creating a smooth, gentle flow; a unison of physical and mental awareness. Tie this together with a smiling heart and you have the true essence of Tai Chi and Qigong practice.

Returning to fundamentals, earnest concentration on physical, mental and spiritual balance will gently move you back to your center in the most wonderful way. As with everything in life, the more you practice, the easier it gets.

Friday, December 8, 2006

Tai Chi causes separation anxiety… NOT!!


The Yin Yang symbol represents a balance of opposites, a harmony between differences. (Hard / Soft; Empty / Full) In Tai Chi, as with nature, there are no absolutes. You cannot have pure white with out some black and vice versa. You cannot have fullness on one side and emptiness on the other without a small amount of “bleed over” between the sides. This week we focused on applying this concept into our Tai Chi practice. We use the term “Separation” to describe the difference between the sides. When one side is strong, the other must be soft to maintain harmony in the movement.

Left / Right - Up / Down - Front / Back - Which way do we go, George?
These are the three most common directions where we can work on separation within our Tai Chi practice. Each of these represents the direction of focus during a movement or posture. Each begins at the Dan Tien and through the center of the spine, emanating out.

Up / Down involves the concept of rooting and supporting the sky simultaneously. Think of your spine as a spring, which is centered at the lower Dan Tien (just below the belly button) and is both connected to the floor and the ceiling, thus creating a potential energy through the spine. This focus, created in the opening posture, allows us to maintain a strong root while holding an active, healthy posture and should be continued throughout the form.

The Left / Right relationship is best represented in the Empty Step. When working on Tai Chi Step this week each student was asked to take a short step initially in order to effectively establish as much difference from the empty side to the supporting strong side as they could. Typically, the smaller the step, the easier it is to create a more significant separation. In addition, each was asked to extend the reach of the forward step to determine where they lost the ability to feel a Left / Right separation. Once your step reaches out a certain distance you lose the ability to remain empty. This is due to reaching out past your current level of physical strength. Proper Tai Chi requires emptiness in each step we take and there fore you should never step out past your strength to make a movement "look" bigger. If you cannot create emptiness in each step, then you are losing a tremendous amount of how Tai Chi develops physical strength.

Front / Back separation involves recognizing that when you push to the front you must also consider the back and express equally in that direction. If you focus all your attention to the front during a push you take a strong chance on over committing to that movement. Initially, to effectively create a push, it must emanate in both directions.

The 8 Winds
As our Tai Chi practice matures, this direction of focus becomes more complex. The trigrams around the perimeter of the Yin Yang symbol has several meanings but one which I feel is very important to Tai Chi training is that each represents a direction (the 8 winds) from which you must be stable in order to repel an opponent's attack. Basically, if you are not completely aware of your posture, alignment and how it relates to your separation, then you will be knocked out of stance very easily.

All Together Now
Eventually, though much physical practice and development of your concentration, you will learn to maintain attention to each of the directions at once throughout the forms. This leads into the deeper principal of Expansion and Absorption. Every movement is then expressed in all directions, equally.

Saturday, December 2, 2006

Retirement Community Introduction to Tai Chi Workshop

Today Fayne and I went to a local retirement community to present our introduction to Tai Chi Workshop. During the time we share with the residents our goal is to help them understand what Tai Chi is and how it can help them improve their circulation, strength, flexibility and concentration among all the other benefits available through Tai Chi training. We always use some basic movement and flow Qigong exercises to help them feel for themselves the various intricacies of Tai Chi. Then we get them working on Tai Chi Walking which is a wonderful tool for helping them gain strength while stabilizing their sense of balance.

Sometimes, there is someone in the crowd that is very resistant to change and gets annoyed at the prospect of learning something new. As I write this I am recalling a workshop I did about 8 years ago where I was working with the residents on Dan Tien breathing techniques. After a bit of effort on their part, one of the participants announced that she had been breathing the same way for 92 years and was not about to change now. At the time I was taken aback by her resistance to a practice I KNEW would help her tremendously, however, as I look back I understand more clearly how she felt.

Today we had someone in the workshop that felt they were an expert at walking, therefore we had nothing to teach her about that subject. She completely missed the point of Tai Chi Walking and resisted an opportunity to try something new. Walking is part of her daily exercise routine but listening to a different perspective was not. Even while her friends and neighbors were amazed at how this simple exercise was able to help them understand themselves better.

Fear of change is a very large part of why people resist opportunities for growth. With my students, I look for ways to make them a bit uncomfortable because I know from personal experience, that this is where they will find the most growth. Tai Chi is a reflection of the self and therefore will challenge you on a physical, mental and spiritual level if you are open to the opportunities.

As I share this story with my students my hope is that they will understand how to become a bit more open to change and allow Tai Chi to show them new paths for growth.

Creating a continuous flow during Tai Chi

This week has been difficult for me. One of my private lesson students moved to Copenhagen, Denmark with her husband for a marvelous business opportunity. I know we did not say a permanent goodbye but as any instructor will tell you, it is really difficult to see a truly dedicated student walk away, even for a potentially short (2 year) period of time. I want to extend a special “Thank You” to Nichole for her dedication to Tai Chi training and willingness to explore her true nature in the process. Keep up the great work!

Flowing like a river:
This week we worked on creating a continuous flow in our form training. While this is typically a very advanced Tai Chi concept, I like to present it as a seed to be cultivated and nurtured until it ripens on its own. The idea is to be so connected to the Dan Tien that each form begins and ends seamlessly into the next form. The danger in training this too early is that forms can become “mashed” together effectively loosing their integrity in the process. To help prevent this issue, students are encouraged to listen to the Dan Tien and allow it to dictate where each form begins and ends.

Pause, self check, continue:
During early and intermediate stages of Tai Chi form training we always add small spaces (pauses) between the movements so as to allow for a check of posture, tension and alignment. Once the physical movements are committed to body memory, the focus turns towards mental work and thus we begin to whittle away at the space between the forms. As is typical with Tai Chi training, this is easier said than done. ;-)

First floor - Body work; Second floor - Mind over matter; Third Floor - SMILE!
As I often mention in classes, Tai Chi has three levels, physical, mental and spiritual. The process of creating a continuous flow within the form requires a separation of the physical focus and attention to the higher mental aspects of training, therefore, you must be comfortable with the physical movements before you can truly appreciate the nuances of Tai Chi flow. For this reason, beginners and intermediate students, are asked to practice this concept only within the commencement form. This simplifies the practice to a level that can be more readily understood.

As we explored the details of flow this week I found several interesting things to consider.

Visualization
Using mental imagery plays an important part in creating continuity within the forms. Particularly, imagining the Dan Tien being in complete command from its center to the bodily extremities. NO movement begins or ends without the Dan Tien being involved. Imagine strings being tied to your finger tips, head and your toes each one connected to the Dan Tien and being used to direct your movements like a marionette.

Concentration
The more a student was able to maintain their level of concentration, the easier this concept was to integrate into their form work.

Body Memory
The more comfortable the student was with the form (through personal practice), the greater their level of concentration.

What does all this mean?
The more you practice your Tai Chi form, the easier the higher levels of training become to integrate. Funny - this is kind of like the message we have always gotten about a healthy diet - Everything in moderation, eat plenty of fruits and veggies and get plenty of rest.

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Tai Chi, Concentration and… What was the question again?

You are trying to focus on your Tai Chi training and all of a sudden, BAM - You are mentally scanning the isles of your favorite grocery store or fixing your car, or twenty; of a million other thoughts bouncing through you mind. This week our attention was drawn inward, to the mind. That elusive part of our selves which seems to have a “mind of its own”.

Mental flexibility, concentration, focus, attention; All are ways to describe the practice of exercising our cerebellum. In class, we found some fun ways to determine what level of concentration you have and ways to improve it through your Tai Chi and Qigong practice.

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
During our Qigong warm-ups we posed several challenges including our “Alphabet Meditation” (see below) to add a layer of complexity to the warm ups. When the warm ups moved down the body, many students found it difficult to maintain their focus. This adds more proof to the observation that we have a disjointed connection to our bodies from the Dan Tien (belly button area) down. When a student first begins their Tai Chi training with us, we notice that they are very challenged to connect upper and lower body movements. As they progress in training, the connection begins to establish itself and they become calmer and much more stable. This is what people hear about as “grounding” or becoming “centered”.

Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble
One of our students brought a wonderful device in this week that helped each of us better understand the level of concentration needed to perform Tai Chi properly.
BUBBLE WRAP!! ;-) Not just any bubble wrap mind you, but the small bubble kind. Each of us tested our concentration and soft Tai Chi step as we walked our way across those treacherous tattle tales! One lapse in concentration, placing too much emphasis on one of the three points and POP! You were ratted out. We tried the bubble walk with each of our classes and found that it was a wonderful tool for helping students understand the amount of attention needed for proper Tai Chi walking. We found that size had very little to do with it as some of our smaller students popped bubbles and some of our larger students did not.

I would encourage each of you to try it on your own and see how you do. When done properly, Tai Chi Walking is one of the best tools I know of you help develop you strength, sense of balance and a basic understanding of what each step in Tai Chi should feel like.

Saturday, November 11, 2006

An Overview of Qigong and Tai Chi

The origins of Tai Chi date back some 3000 years to a form of exercise called Qigong (translation “energy work”). Developed to help relieve the aches and pains associated with working in the field all day, Qigong became very popular. Over the last three centuries, Qigong exercises have evolved, and become an integral part of the Traditional Chinese Medical System’s preventative maintenance programs throughout China. As western scientists explore these ancient training modalities, research is showing extremely positive results in treating many of the illness and disease we experience in our high stress, demanding world.

Tai Chi, while a martial art at its core nature, takes the healing principals of Qigong and applies them to each technique in a sequenced set of movements called forms. There are five main styles (“houses”) of Tai Chi (Chen, Yang, Wu, Hao and Sun) with some choosing to focus on healing and others on the more martial aspects of the art. When practicing Tai Chi for health, the martial roots of the movements are present but softened to allow the healing properties to be more fully expressed.

Each style of Tai Chi is based on the same collection of principals, which bring focus to precise movement, intense concentration and spiritual awareness. Here is a brief description of these principals for your consideration:

·Grounding Energy – Solid connection with the ground through all movement
·Smiling Energy – Opening the heart center and allowing the form to be enough
·Minding the Breath – Full, expressive breath with focus on relaxation
·Needle in the Cotton – Fully managed posture for core strengthening
·Commanding from Dan Tien (our physical center, just below the naval) – Beginning and
ending all movements from the center / core.
·Sinking Energy – Relaxing / releasing the muscles not necessary for movement
·Silk Reeling – Allowing the Dan Tien to establish a relationship with the extremities
·Present Moment – Mental awareness of the NOW. No future, no past
·Listening – Drawing mental attention internally, allowing for complete focus on principal development through intense concentration
·Connection – Total body connectivity, nothing moves independently, core stabilization
·Separation – Allowing for Yin / Yang Separation within the body for strength development, muscle isolation and development
·Absorption / Expansion – Mentally drawing energy inward and outward based on the flow of the movement

Tai Chi is a complex art which takes years to develop but can begin to provide benefits within just a few training sessions. It is a different, yet very effective way to train the body for strength, coordination, balance, muscle control and postural alignment. Mentally, Tai Chi is excellent for developing high levels of concentration, calm and clarity. Spiritually, Tai Chi can open the heart channel and release a peaceful, loving expression of self through gentle movement and internal growth.

Friday, November 10, 2006

Posture, Core Strength and Tai Chi

Needle in the Cotton.

This term is often used to describe the principal in Tai Chi which draws attention to spinal / core strength. There are several muscles groups that comprise what we consider the “Core Muscles”. Here is a picture showing the core groups in cross section.

Core MusclesNotice the six large muscles positioned vertically around the spine? These deep stabilizers are very important to overall back health and are typically very hard to reach with a regular exercise routine. Mainly because some of these muscles respond early to light loads and the others respond later, if the load becomes excessive or the spine is placed in danger through twisting or off angle alignment. Tai Chi is one of the most effective exercise routines I have found to activate these deep core muscles groups because we focus so much on strong posture, within a steady, load bearing environment. Each load bearing movement in the form changes postural angles, challenges flexibility and strength while working to keep the spine in strong posture.

There are four natural curves to the spine, shown below. In proper Tai Chi posture, each curve should have a natural position and not be forced to straighten or curve excessively. By moving very slowly and in many different directions, Tai Chi serves to stimulate spinal health through increased circulation, flexibility and stability.
Spinal Cord

There are many intricate muscles surrounding the spine. As we get older these muscles may get less work and become weakened leading to muscles spasms, chronic back pain, Dowager’s Hump and nerve impingements (pinched nerve) to name a few. Many if not all of these dis-eases are preventable through strengthening and consistent attention to proper posture.

Intricate Spinal Muscles
Tai Chi helps to bring awareness to our posture and gives us tools to develop proper alignment. We become aware of our bad habits and can work to change them in our daily environment. Because Tai Chi is a gentle form of exercise the key to gaining optimum benefit is a consistent routine of practice.

This week in class:
We explored how to recognize which core muscles were active during a movement and tried to isolate the deep stabilizers during our Qigong warm-ups and Tai Chi form practice. We introduced a few Qigong exercises that are designed to specifically stretch and strengthen the spine in a healthy way. We also paid close attention to our foot work because proper posture starts at the feet and moves up the spine. Without a stable platform from the pelvis to the ground, the spine cannot be stable and in proper alignment. Think of a Big Top Tent with the center pole as representing the spine and the guy wires holding up the tent as representing the external or wall muscles shown on the first picture above. If the center pole is strong, the guy wires are only there in a supporting role however if the center pole is weak then the guy wires are put under excessive load. Now put the center pole (spine) under a strain and you have the makings of a spinal injury such as a slipped disk or worse.

Bottom Line:
Core strength is critical to spinal health and Tai Chi is one of the best ways to develop it safely at any age.

Friday, November 3, 2006

Using Tai Chi to Increase Range of Motion (ROM) and Flexibility

There are many ways to use the Tai Chi forms for personal benefit. Each of the founding principals provides a slightly different focus. This week we explored how Tai Chi and Qigong can help to increase range of motion and overall flexibility.

The amazing human body:
When we put a demand on the body such as running or weight training, it will respond with tools we can use to become more efficient; Increased strength and endurance are just of couple of examples. Mental exercises can also be used to stimulate concentration, memory and stillness. The formula is easy, the more you practice, the better your body gets at doing the task. Conversely, when we give our bodies an aggressive time table for results, such as heavy lifting, our body responds aggressively, usually resulting in chronic injuries such as tendonitis, ligament and cartilage damage even osteoarthritis just to name a few.

Tai Chi, because of its gentle nature, places a loving demand on the body that we can repeat daily or even more frequently. (For example, I teach an average of 4 or 5 classes per day) This consistent yet gentle demand will cause our bodies to respond in a more healthful way. The response is slower than in aggressive training but nonetheless effective. You gain strength, balance, coordination, concentration, flexibility and range of motion without the injuries associated with our “typical gym training routines”.

Working with our students this week we asked them to widen their stance a bit, move a little slower, keep their trailing foot down a bit longer, all in an effort to open joints and gently stretch the ligaments and tendons. When doing this type of work posture becomes even more important. I caught several belly buttons “cheating” this week trying to avoid the gentle stretch being requested. Keeping the hips square, posture tall and knees soft are all important factors in effective stretching with Tai Chi. The more properly aligned you are, the more effective the stretch.

Using Visualization to increase Range of Motion:
Try this… Stand feet hip width apart and parallel with soft knees and your hands out by your hips, center of palms facing forward. Imagine that your body is an empty vessel. Visualize that you are filling that vessel with air so that your arms, all the way through to your fingers, are now pleasantly full, not tight. Your shoulder, elbow, wrist and finger joints should be fully extended without being locked. Take a deep breath and slowly exhale while moving the hands (at full extension) to shoulder height. When you reach shoulder height, soften your elbows and exhale as your hands gently move down the front of your body.

CAUTION: If you move your hands above your head you can create tension in the neck area.

Practicing this Rising Sun Qigong exercise can help you to gain a feel for how to play the Tai Chi forms for flexibility. You should feel a gentle “demand” being placed on the fingers, wrists, elbows and even the shoulders (if you are tight enough) when doing this exercise.

The visualization of filling your “empty vessel” body with air is a wonderful way to fully express your Tai Chi forms without creating tension in the process. Keeping everything relaxed while moving through the form is important, it increases circulation and allows for a more complete stretch. As always, smile from the heart to help your body relax into the movements.