How can Tai Chi help you become more flexible?

Bend over, touch your toes... Yeah Right!
Early in my 28+ years of martial training I was taught that unless you "force" your body to stretch, you will never gain flexibility. This was followed by several forced stretching routines such as standing up against a wall and putting my heel on a classmate's shoulder whereby he would lock out my knee with his hands and push my leg upward until I said stop OR screamed in pain, which ever came first. The best part about this process was that he was next. ;-) Later we learned that ballistic (bouncing) stretches were a BIG NO NO. We learned that they can cause scar tissue and micro tears of the muscles, tendons and ligaments. YIKES!

How flexible are you...REALLY?
When I first came to Tai Chi practice, with my current teacher, he told me that I was REALLY tight and needed to become more flexible. I did not understand his observation, because while I could not do a full split, I had no problem kicking over my head. He explained to me that while I could stretch my hamstrings for a high kick this was a bungee effect and not true flexibility. Then he asked me to do the same kick in slow "Tai Chi" motion. I was astonished that I could not even kick up to my waist! I had been doing "fancy" kicks above my head for years! I now understand that true flexibility requires little effort to express. You do not use the muscles to "force" the flex, they are only used to move you into their fullest range of motion.

Stretching, the facts...
Your body is an amazing tool. It will respond to any consistent request to its utmost ability. Do weight training every day and you will gain muscles mass but you could likely also become tighter and less flexible. Run distances every day and you will soon be able to increase distances with less fatigue but watch out for those knees. Sit on the couch and watch TV and soon you will be gifted with extra padding to help ease the stress on your caboose. ;-) Watch out for your elevated blood pressure and diabetes. Sorry, but it IS true. Flexibility is no different. The more your stretch (properly) the more flexible you become. I read that professional hockey goalies stretch for 1 to 2 hours every day! I know, they get paid to stretch, but still you have to admire their dedication. The way they are expected to move with lightning quick reflexes, if they are not truly limber, serious injuries are quite likely.

Slow, gentle, consistent practice is the key...
The only way to create true flexibility is with patience, and a gentle approach to the challenge. Hmm...Sounds a lot like Tai Chi. ;-) I have experienced this approach with my own body and know it works.
Try this exercise: Extend your arms out by your sides at hip height, palms facing forward. close your eyes and see if you feel any stretching going on. Now, using your visualization skills, imagine that you need to reach out just a little further, trying to touch something that is just out of your reach. Does that feel different? Each body is different so any stretching you feel will be specific to the tightness you have within yourself. If you approach your Tai Chi training with this visualization of being just our of reach in every move your make, you too will experience some very good stretching. Keep in mind you should never compromise your posture to affect a stretch. Stay tall, strong and never lock your joints to make the stretch work harder. Remember, I am proposing a gentle process of consistent request on the body, not a power Tai Chi stretching session.

Yes, we move slowly in Tai Chi but for good reason. We are working very hard to keep the core muscles engaged through our soft knees and strong posture, while working to gently, consistently request more strength, flexibility and stability with every step. All this while smiling from the heart.

Tai Chi, consider it... slow but sure.

How Tai Chi Improves Balance – Mind over Matter

“If you don’t like the weather in Texas, wait a minute…it will change”

This week we should have been more careful about what we asked for… It was FREEZING cold and we had a few ice storms to boot. Yes, a few. We never do things small here. It did bring to mind a question many students have asked me.

How can Tai Chi improve my balance?

Because of the special type of Tai Chi we teach, many of our students have balance challenges as well as physical limitations that may affect their mobility. I love a good challenge! ;-) However, even in our more able-bodied student population, I find very similar challenges with balance and physical coordination. For both populations, the training approach is the same.

Foundation and Focus

There are two important parts to developing your balance – Foundation and Focus. Without a strong attention to the three points on each foot, a soft knee and tall posture, balance will always be an elusive part of your training. One day you may have it and on another you won’t. Whether you are learning a move for the first time or you have been training for years, the foundation MUST always be your first focus. Without a stable platform to work from, your upper body is not going to be stable enough to move properly. Period.

“I don’t know, I just fell…”

How many of us have taken a stumble or fall because we “missed a step” or obstacle in our path? Show of hands please. ;-) You can have all the strength in the world but if you are not paying attention you are likely to stumble and fall. Conversely, if you are a very focused individual but do not have much physical strength, you are just as susceptible to stumbles and falls. Of course physical limitations can play an important part as well but I want to keep this discussion more general. In class we do our best to address individual needs within this basic balance-training concept.

I have had the opportunity to interview quite a number of people that have taken some significant falls and there seems to be a strong recurring theme. They were not paying attention. Most of them could not even recall what lead up to the actual fall. In a humorous tone I have sometimes asked, “weren’t you there?”

I have seen this in class as well. When a student is focused, their balance is very solid, especially compared to when they are distracted in some way; nearby loud noises, when learning a new movement. I have even been known to influence their mental focus myself, to make a point of course. ;-)

Tai Chi and Balance – How does it work?

Any type of physical training is about consistent demand. The human body is a truly amazing tool. When we put a demand on it, the body does its best to respond. If that demand is consistent over time, the body will adapt to meet the need. IE: more strength, better balance… Tai Chi places a gentle demand on the body to strengthen from the core out through slow, challenging movements with a strong attention to proper posture. Because Tai Chi is gentle, we can place this demand on the body more frequently, without taxing it to the point of stress or strain. This ancient training technique improves fine motor control, muscle density, tendon and ligament strength and flexibility as well as scientifically documented increases in bone density. From a martial perspective, this slow training provides an intense muscle memory that can be called upon at full speed without losing attention to root, core strength. This makes a well-trained Tai Chi practitioner very adept in combat situations as well. We just choose to be passive, relaxed, happy and healthy. ;-)

Use it or lose it!

The mind is very much like the body, use it or lose it. From a mental standpoint, Tai Chi is extremely challenging. In your very first Tai Chi class, you will see many opportunities to increase your concentration. The slow movements leave a lot of time for your mind to wander; much like a three year old! There are many muscles, typically not very active in our everyday movement that come alive in Tai Chi formwork and therefore require more mental attention.

Try this…

You are already used to walking, now try it at a snails pace. I mean REALLY slowly. MUCH more concentration is required. Think of it like a large rowboat full of people where most of the time you only have 30% of them rowing (gross motor skills) and suddenly everyone (fine motor skills) wants to row. It takes some mental focus to get everyone on the same page, moving in the same direction. The more you practice focus / concentration, the better you become at it. The deeper you get into Tai Chi training, the stronger you become physically and mentally.

Believe me, as far as Tai Chi training is concerned, moving around the room in a graceful, fluid manner is just the tip of the iceberg. ;-) Stay warm, dry and be well.

TaiChi - Pace yourself...

A very interesting week...
Over the past 5 months, at the request of our students, we have been working on a Voice Cue CD, which would allow them to hear our "call" while they practice at home. During the holiday break we worked very hard to get a draft into their hands this week. So we gave each class a chance to listen and move to the calls during their training time. This helped us take some notes on format and flow while it allowed them to feedback to us what they would like to hear. The overall response has been very positive and yet quite interesting.

The Three Bears...
We always encourage our students to share freely and (to our benefit) very few of them are too shy to do so. In helping us to review the Voice Cue CD, we heard that the pace of the CD calls was too slow, too fast and PERFECT! As I gave this mix of feedback some thought and watched the students doing the form to the CD, I noticed that some were ahead of the call, others were behind and a few were right on the money. Which students were at which pace, had less to do with how long they have been training this form and more to do with their personal spirit. It seemed that the ones with the most patience, did the best work with the CD.

God grant me patience, AND HURRY!
Each of us has our own pace in life. A flow, energy, vibration or whatever you want to call it. When we practice Tai Chi on our own, we are able to embrace this personal rhythm and flow within the form. When we practice in a group environment, the teacher sets the pace and because students are there to learn, they conform to his/her flow. When we played the Voice Cue CD for them, the students lost their visual cues and had to somehow try to conform to our voices while finding themselves alone in the movements. This is when the differences in energy surfaced into the comments of too fast, too slow and perfect. I feel this all boils down to patience.

Can we surrender our desire to control; allowing ourselves the opportunity to experience a Tai Chi flow within someone else's voice?

Can we let go of second-guessing and our self critical, judgmental natures long enough to enjoy the Tai Chi experience?

Can we give ourselves the space to be less than perfect?

I don't like being uncomfortable...
So often, the students that walk away from Tai Chi training do so because they became uncomfortable with something. Either they felt they would never get the movements, or they did not like the feelings of frustration, impatience, confusion that they experienced during training. I have found that the most powerful growth experiences in my life have come from the times when I was most uncomfortable. It can be physical, mental or emotional discomfort but it is always when we have to pick ourselves up and say - "You can do this" that we get the most out of whatever knocked us down. Each of us who trains in Tai Chi, experiences these setbacks on a regular basis, if you are truly paying attention. That is the beauty of Tai Chi, it makes you uncomfortable, helps you grow and learn, physically, mentally and emotionally.

Tai Chi helps us to experience and appreciate life more fully. Is that not why we came into this world?


On a side note...
We have several students facing serious, life threatening illnesses head on right now.

Will they be stronger on the other side of their personal struggles?

Will they appreciate the life they have more fully?

Will we be a better people for working with them, helping them on their challenging journeys?

Will we all gain a little life perspective that allows us to be more patient with our families and ourselves?

Absolutely!

A Happy Tai Chi New Year!

Years ago I resolved not to make any New Year's resolutions and so far that is the only one I have ever made that is holding its ground. ;-) I do however take this time to reflect back on what has gone well in my life and what needs improvement.

Of course I need to practice my Tai Chi more, eat better, sleep longer, spend more time with the family, grow the business and be happy. But to place overly high expectations on myself only serves to disappoint me come February or at best, February 5th. ;-) Neuro-linguistic programming training says it takes 21 days to make or break a habit. I believe it takes less than 20 days for the typical person to dash their hopes with an overzealous resolution and send themselves into 340 days of "whats the point... 2007", the sequel.

In Tai Chi training, we ask our students to have goals but lose expectations, have determination but lose disappointment, be persistent but not demanding, to accept failure but not defeat. In short, to give yourself room to be less than perfect, to recognize and appreciate the little successes along the way and not not give up when you stumble or falter at the hands of this difficult, rewarding training we call Tai Chi.

So what to do?
If you want to set a resolution, be specific, not just "exercise more" or "eat better" but find an exercise program that is of interest to you (like Tai Chi maybe? ;-)), allow yourself a slow steady pace to get into the routine of that exercise and give yourself a break if you stumble of few times during that all important 21 days.

In 2007 "Eating better" is quite the challenge unto itself. With all the fast food that slows your arteries and speeds your trip to the "new pants store" we have a life that no longer knows how to slow down and MAKE TIME for a real meal. So lets pull out something ready made and frozen, save ourselves an entire 15 minutes of meal preparation and compromise the vitamin content of our foods to the point of extinction. Here is a suggestion, take some time during the weekend to prep the veggies, and other items you will be using during the week and have a plan in place for each nights meals. Remember, only 21 days to make a habit stick. Another option is to cook the meals on the weekend like stews and stir fry dishes that only get better as they sit in their own juices waiting to be warmed up during the week. Fayne makes a fantastic Chili by the way.

For me, I will look back on 2006 with a clean rear view mirror, recognize the challenges I still face towards being the perfect husband, father, son, instructor, friend; smile and know that I will be smiling again this time next year at the steps I made along my path.

Do your best, expect a few stumbles, never give up and most of all, have a safe, healthy and happy 2007!