FEAR is a powerful motivator and the media knows it.

We live in Dallas, Texas. Some 400 miles north of the Hurricane Harvey aftermath and flooding currently overwhelming our southern most neighbors in greater Houston and southern Louisiana. Our hearts go out to them as they work to recover from the sheer magnitude of this event.

As a Medical Qigong Therapist, I have the opportunity to see first hand what fear can do to the body in every patient I see. Short, medium and long term.

Short term it creates an elevated state of sympathetic nervous system response which promotes tunnel vision, a deeply driven need to move away from the perceived danger and strong motivation for self preservation. These are programmed so deeply into our human nature that it is almost impossible to avoid some level of fear response under the right circumstances.

With medium term exposure to fear, we find ourselves able to "manage" the prolonged fear response in a way that allows us to function more "freely" in our day to day. Sure we are anxious, our blood pressure may be elevated and we are quick to overreact to situations, usually inappropriately but we are functioning none the less.

With long term fear response, our nervous system has been in a state of sympathetic overdrive for so long that it is now the only place we "feel safe". We are on constant alert, usually have heart palpitations or arrhythmia, trouble sleeping, frequent headaches, a short fuse, reacting either with anger or retreat to even the slightest stimuli, and proper digestion is a distant memory. Pain levels are elevated and unrelenting with personal and professional relationships deteriorating and now vulnerable to collapse.

At first, this state of fear response feels "hot" and uncomfortable but over time, we acclimate and become "comfortable" with these more intense feelings. Or maybe "familiar" is a better word. We now feel that if we are not in this heightened state, we will somehow lose the edge necessary to feel safe, not consciously realizing that we truly do not feel safe, ever, and this is what keeps the viscous cycle going. 24/7.

The news media exploits this part of our human psyche as a way to stimulate viewership which then allows them to charge more for advertising and make more money. Not unlike the more readership a newspaper has, the more they can charge for advertising. So when a "big event" like Hurricane Harvey happens, they know that the most reliable response to generate viewership is fear. Sensationalist imagery, promises of more detail to come, and the threat of impending doom are hallmarks of our current model of news media. In Dallas, this week, we are experiencing a panic around a media outlets FALSE PREDICTION that we have a MAJOR GAS SHORTAGE looming large. This has caused people to line up around the block, start fist fights for cutting in line, fill extra containers and scramble on social media to find a tank of gasoline. The fuel companies have been hard at work to calm people down after this report with little to no success. Remember the tunnel vision I mentioned? The ball is rolling are we are chasing it down the hill. Cant stop now! The same theory applies to the people we see on the news who have driven into too deep water and now need to be rescued. While there may be some arrogant people who think they can make it, the vast majority are operating on fear and the fear in their minds is greater than the fear of driving through high water, during that myopic moment in time. Of course, hind sight is 20/20 and we, from our couches can see that this is a bad idea but in that moment, in their minds, they see no other reasonable choice.

We can not control the news media except by turning them off, and we certainly can not control mother nature but we do have the ability to control our Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) and its response to external stimuli. Depending on the level of intensity you personally experience, it will take training, deeper awareness and maybe professional guidance but you can train yourself to strengthen your connection to your innate fight or flight response mechanism (ANS). Medical Qigong Therapy combines physical, mental and emotional training to help guide your path to wellbeing. This is a path of personal empowerment, not a quick fix, with truly amazing results. Fear is not an enemy to be conquered but a friend to be understood. Are you ready?

Its "Practice What You Preach Time" again...

While it has been quite some time since my last blog entry, life has continued, and my ability to hold the 8 Qigong Principles aligned is still challenged, daily.

Fayne and I have been blessed to have been working with Veterans within the North Texas VA Health Care System since October 2012. Fast forward 4 years and we have worked with over 800 hundred Veterans with thousands of issues from PTS(d) and chronic anxiety to chronic pain and depression. The transformations we have witnessed in quality of life, are nothing short of amazing. In all the measurements we take on physical, mental, emotional and social levels, through our detailed questionnaire, our Veterans are reporting no less than a 44% improvement, in every measurement taken. Additionally, we have had no complaints filed against us and no reported suicides of our students and many are reducing or eliminating their symptomatic medication loads for pain, elevated blood pressure, anxiety and depression.

Yet in light of this wall of evidence that our Training Mindfully with Qigong Principles extended group education program works very well, The VA has informed us that they will not be renewing our contract for 2017. We have been told that this is strictly a budget issue and that they now have people “trained in Qigong” that can “do it in house.” For them to tell us they can train internal staff in a few weeks to do what we have been training almost our whole lives for, is hard to take. For them to say that we are too expense is to grossly underestimate the skill we bring to the group training environment, the quality of the TMQP program, and the incredible success of our graduates. Plus the fact that our per Veteran served cost is less than $15.00 per class, including the many off classroom hours of administrative requirements involved in managing our formal VA Clinics, is hard to accept.

To say this is a blow to Fayne and myself is to understate the impact on our family. As of this week, we now have two young men in college (out of state) and this contract represented about 80% to 90% of our annual income. Yes, you could say that we put too many eggs in one basket and I would agree, however, the demands on our time to manage this government program, and the roller coaster ride working with the VA has been, in great part, created this vacuum. Extending our programs into Fort Worth two years ago year, then taking it away this year with a potential promise to return, plus the requested addition of a new Plano class and a seated Spinal Cord Injury Program for 2017, had us choosing not to backfill our teaching schedule as we planned to serve more Veterans weekly. This conversation from our Director carried forward into late June. Then, suddenly, we were told they were opting not to offer SimplyAware new contract.

We could be bitter and resentful but we are not. We are mostly sad, and hopeful. Sad because we have grown quite fond of working with these amazing people, from all walks of life, we call Veterans. We cherish the opportunity to meet them where they are, sharing perspective shifting insights and traditional Qigong training to help them find their physical, mental and emotional alignment. From this place of alignment, they are able to make choices that are firmly in line with their true, most beautiful nature. Fayne and I are hopeful, because if we practice what we preach and stand in our Qigong Principles, we know deep in our hearts that if this door is closing, the universe has something even more powerful in store for SimplyAware, and our family.

We know, our Training Mindfully with Qigong Principles program empowers people to step into their truth and maybe that is what was most uncomfortable for the VA. We witnessed many of our Veterans shedding years of pain and suffering, greatly reducing, and in many cases, eliminating their symptom relieving medication load while reconnecting with their friends and families with an authenticity which is beautiful to see. So if the 4 years we had within the VA’s medical, military and government bureaucracy did nothing else, it gave us a mound of evidence that this training works very well.

When we broke the news to our current classes, they were understandably very angry. In their experience, the VA has a history of taking away programs which prove beneficial. We encouraged them to use the tools they have been working so hard on these past few months. We told them to stand in their Qigong Principles, align themselves, speak their truth in a manner which honors them, and then, most importantly, TRUST that this transition will work out best for all involved.

We we first received this major, life changing news, Fayne and I checked in with each other and both said, I’m not scared. Is this scary? Yes. But we are not scared because over the past 14 years we have witnessed so many significant shifts in our world that turned out to be exactly what was needed, in that moment, that now we simply TRUST that everything will work out as it should. That does not mean we will just sit back and let the money come rolling in from...wherever. It means that it is again time to sit quietly, align ourselves within our Qigong Principles and listen for the next steps on this beautiful journey. Stay tuned!

A week full of opportunities...

I am getting to this later than I had hoped but such is life. This morning I weighed in at 199.7 pounds. At this rate, I will reach my goal weight of 185 lbs. in less than three months.


One of my favorite mantras is "TRUST - ALLOW - BE THANKFUL" ~ Dr. Alan Chen

TRUST that everything is unfolding as it needs to, in your best interest
ALLOW things to unfold before you in their own time
BE THANKFUL for every step and lesson along the way


This week began very well with me leaving for Albuquerque NM to attend a weekend of Board meetings with my colleagues on the National Qigong Association Board of Directors. For me, the big challenge when traveling has always been sticking to a healthy diet. Restaurants are notorious for serving rich, oversized portions and offering intense dessert options. Not long ago I would have fallen prey to my "I deserve this" self talk and would have come home having added at least two of three pounds to my morning weigh in. I am pleased to say, not this time.

Over the past month, my observations regarding self talk, triggers and patterns has really helped me to become more aware. That awareness has helped to shift my behaviors from "unconscious habit" to conscious choices and WOW what a difference! I found myself easily moving past bad choices on the menu and finding the best choices for my continued success, and it did not feel like sacrifice, at all. In addition, when I made a choice which was a bit less healthy, I allowed that to be a conscious choice and therefore did not have the guilt and self loathing attached to it I am so used to feeling. I even had a very nice chocolate tort (flourless cake) with a creme brûlée layer on top for dessert on Saturday night. This was topping off a nice grilled salmon caesar salad. No guilt. This is very new territory for me.

On the walk back to the hotel I listened to what I was telling myself about the meal I had just enjoyed. Yes, there was some doubt that I had made a good choice but over all I allowed myself that treat without the baggage.

Now, once I got home, things were a bit different. We began a new series of Qigong Principle Training at the Dallas VA on Tuesday and I was feeling lees than prepared. In short, my "less than" and "not good enough" self talk was on full volume. Being pulled in many directions, I find myself lacking time to work on the tools for that program which leaves me feeling frustrated and fatalistic. This leads me to being tired, then when I do have time, I sometimes lack the motivation to step into what I know have to (and truly want to) do. This is where some of my positive self talk comes in to save the day. "I can do this" / "one step at a time" / "it will get done" are all things I hear in my head, especially when I am feeling really beat down. Sometimes "whats the use" wins, but not for long. For you see, even with all the difficulty I have faced in my life, I am still here. I am a fighter. I am a survivor. I married one too.

Even still, the fighter in me allowed my anger to crop up this week and my pain levels have been higher than usual. This is a familiar, albeit uncomfortable, pattern. I tried to sit with my breath and listen to my anger, working to identify where it was coming from but at times it was clouded over and unclear. This simply shows me that there are parts inside me which still need me to listen with an open mind and compassionate heart. There was a time where my ego would get really angry at the thought that I was not "done" with my anger but I know realize I am, and will continue to be a "work in progress".

Sinking Energy...Letting go

This week I weighed in at 204. Down two pounds. My mind feels brighter and I am finding I have more energy. I started back to teaching, after our year end break, which brings about a new selection of challenges. Mondays, I eat snacks in the car, driving between classes. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays I typically eat out, using the down time to read and write. As we all know eating well in a restaurant can be a challenge, between calories, portion sizes and other temptations. This is where Sinking Energy can come into play.

Sinking Energy, on a physical level, is about letting go of unnecessary muscles. Allowing my structural alignment (bones) to bear the majority of the load and my muscles to move the load from place to place, in proper alignment. On a mental level, Sinking Energy becomes about letting go of thoughts which do not serve me. "its just one treat", "I deserve this" and "I don't care" are three big ones for me, especially when I am looking at things that do not support my long term health goals.

Taking a step back, before I could make a conscious choice to move past these "self talk" messages, I first had to hear them clearly, acknowledge that they at one point may have served me but are now in my way. Here is a typical example form my week - I am feeling "snackie" and head to the pantry. Nutella! I can smell it, remember how it tastes and want some. Then I hear, "but you shouldn't". Then, but I have been so good, I swam 2000 meters on Thursday - "I deserve this". If I am able to resist further, then I hear, "I don't care". Even though a part of me knows I really do care. Especially when my pants are too tight and I feel foggy and tired after the fact.

In my work with addictions, I have learned that the typical "physical need" once triggered, lasts only about 20 minutes. After that it is a mental game. So one strategy I am implementing on this journey is to sit with the craving and self talk for 20 minutes before I make a final decision on the "treat". This does not mean sitting in meditation, although that can be very good if the craving is strong. It simply means to spend time listening to the craving. I find that doing something else while I am actively listening to the craving helps distract. With this practice, I am finding that after about 15 minutes, the internal drive for the treat is basically gone. And if, after waiting, I choose to have the treat then I eat it slowly, allowing myself to enjoy every morsel, guilt free. That is the deal. Obviously if the addiction is deadly, such as with narcotics, leaving the guilt free sampling out is critical to long term success.

I found a saying that I have posted on my wall next to my desk which is helping me with letting go of these thoughts that no longer serve my best interests.

"Discipline is choosing between what you want NOW, and what you want MOST." Perfect.

Creating range of motion and flexibility with Tai Chi

This week was a culmination of the past few weeks work. We had focused on Trusting Energy, proper alignment and posture, relaxing and smiling from the heart, clearing out mental and physical clutter and being in the moment. All of which led into this week's focus of creating range of motion and flexibility within Tai Chi Training.

One Tai Chi Step at a time...
I think the most difficult thing new students face is the acceptance that Tai Chi is a different way of training the body. Especially in the Western "civilized" World people have been taught that faster is better; no pain no gain, push past pain to get results, even things such as "Pain is weakness leaving the body". I have come to know that this mind set is nothing but GARBAGE. A detriment to the way our bodies were designed to operate. Sure, if you are a professional athlete, pushing the limits of your body is part of the job. Have you ever wondered why athletes are making so much money? One of the main reasons is because their "athletic life expectancy" is typically 10, 15 or 20 years at best. Many of which have the "career ending injury" that cut their earning potential short. For the rest of us, trying to push our bodies to these extremes is not only unwise, it is unhealthy. In Tai Chi, we train hard but we train smart. Carefully maintaining posture, alignment, relaxation (important for strength development), deep breathing and mental clarity. Our process has been scientifically proven to be very effective but it does take time and a certain level of commitment to the process.

Stretching the Tai Chi Way...
I have mentioned before how creating a trust within the body is important to effective training. Well it is even more important when working on your range of motion and flexibility. There is a hierarchical structure to our bodies that starts at the skin, fascia, muscle, then tendon, ligament and joint. In order to open a joint, the connecting ligaments must have room to stretch. For the ligaments to stretch, the tendons and adjoining muscles must relax which in turn will allow the surrounding fascia to stretch as well. This harmonized dance of connective tissues is why Tai Chi takes so much concentration to perform effectively. Here is an example, from my training. For many years I had trained to jump, move quickly on my feet (plyometrics) using tools like running, jumping rope and other drills; all of which created extremely tight achillies tendons and adjoining calf muscles. Cramps and spasms were a norm in my routine. Something I dealt with as part of the training. "Comes with the territory" I heard from instructors and told myself. Then I met Dr. Chen who was NOT surprised at how tight I was, especially considering the training I had been through. He showed me that forced stretching would not do any good (it had not for years in my body anyway) and that I needed to move smaller and softer, creating a trust in the body that would allow it to relax and stretch based on the natural process. Over time, I noticed that my steps became longer and more relaxed, naturally. As I became stronger, I was able to gently challenge my flexibility through a patient, attentive process we call Tai Chi. Even with all the forced stretching, bouncing, machines, pain and strain, I am MUCH more relaxed and flexible now than I even have been.

Tai Chi Back Step...A great place to start.
Most of us have tight calves so lets start there. Using the Tai Chi Back Step, place your foot empty to the back. First touch the toes, sink at the supporting knee and rest the back heel empty to the floor. There should be no weight on the back foot at all. If you can not get it to the floor in a relaxed way then you have stepped beyond your available flexibility. Shorten your step until that back foot can relax completely to the floor with all your weight to the front foot in good posture. Now slowly shift weight to a 50/50 stance and begin the process over to the other side. Remember to keep your steps small enough to maintain an empty step back. Meaning, once your back foot is fully to the floor you should be able to pick it right back up without shifting weight.

Deep Breathing...Part of our training.
Long ago, Oyster Divers would amaze people at their ability to stay under water for very long periods of time. They had trained their bodies to increase their lung capacity and become more efficient at managing their oxygen consumption. This is yet another example of how well our bodies respond to consistent demands placed upon them. It further shows that if you want to increase your lung capacity, improve your oxygen exchange, all you have to do is relax, practice consistently and be patient, it will come.

The training process I am proposing and sharing with you does take a lot of patience and consistent practice but the rewards are a more relaxed, health body that is stronger, faster and more flexible than ever before. All this without PAIN!

Tai Chi can help you clean out your garage!

Last weekend I found myself staring at a room full of clutter in our house (related to a previous business idea) and felt a strong desire to clean it up. I call this state of mind an official “CONNIPTION”. This frenzied effort at stress relief involved first creating space in our garage for the items we wanted to move out and prepare for garage sale. Fast-forward two days and two plus trashcans full later to Sunday night; we all noticed a big difference in energy we felt around that particular room in our home. For two years we (and our guests) have passed this room trying to ignore the clutter, not realizing what a drain of energy this had been on us; until it was gone!

Its only human…

As I mentioned this story to students during the week, literally everyone nodded in agreement, recognizing that wonderful feeling (energy) associated with a newly uncluttered area in their homes. I started meditating on the concept of clutter as it relates to the human experience and of course, to Tai Chi.

The way I see it, there are four layers of clutter in our human world; environmental, physical, mental and spiritual. I would like to break down what our students and I shared about this important point during the week.

Environmental Clutter

This involves your physical space. It can be stress felt about global “clutter” issues (pollution, deforestation, endangered species…), home, office or car, wherever you focus your attention and time. In Chinese Culture, they take the concept of environmental clutter so seriously that there is an entire practice devoted to this called Feng Shui.

Everyone I spoke with this week (over 200 people) each has a countertop, drawer, table, room or even and entire home (your secret is safe with me) they feel is very cluttered. More importantly, I could see that it drained their energy just to talk about it. We each try to justify our reasons for this behavior and quite honestly they are all excuses and irrelevant. The fact is that this cluttering behavior is a very real and very human tendency. No one seems to be immune, but just like in Tai Chi training, becoming aware of the drained energy feeling can set you on a path to change.

Physical Clutter

Lets move into Tai Chi training and look at how the concept of “cluttering” can affect our training. Think of each muscle as a piece of unattended mail on your desk. Now think of your first attempt at Tai Chi movement as if you were looking for the lost electric bill in that mess of unattended mail. Each muscle (letter) having a purpose but you find yourself unsure as to what you are supposed to do with them all. This predicament can create deep feelings of frustration, confusion, disappointment, even anger, in short, draining energy. Over time, as you relax and trust more, the muscles take their coordinated places within the movement and you begin to flow in harmony with your body, relaxed and calm. The energizing feeling in that moment is very rewarding, much like clearing off that letter ridden desktop.

Mental Clutter

Using the same cluttering metaphor of letters and a desktop, think about the mental anguish you feel when you are looking for something important and cannot find it. You know it is here where you left it but…GRRR - WHERE IS IT!!!

How about when you are practicing your Tai Chi forms? Are you feeling the same types of frustrations? Did he say left hand or right foot? Where is my weight supposed to be again? Oh sure, NOW he wants me to breathe too!

Allowing your mental clutter to distract you from the physical movements is normal in early training but the goal is to slowly let go of all that “mental noise” and allow the movements to find their way in a calm and peaceful mental environment. The body must settle into a certain level of comfort with the form in order to achieve any success at this level of training.

DISCLAIMER: Well here is a loaded gun. I am going to speak from my heart but please do not take this as the way I feel everyone is or should be. These are just my observations, fully open to discussion.

Spiritual Clutter

I have spent many years searching for a brand of truth that speaks to my heart and soul. In my explorations I have seen many people lost in the clutter of hypocrisy, self-doubt and conflicting messages wrapped around organized religion. I recently had someone tell me they were worried about their ability to pray effectively because arthritis had crippled their ability to hold their hands “properly” for prayer. I smiled and shared with this lovely lady that prayer / meditation / speaking to God (whatever you want to label it) comes from the heart and not from a specific location (church, temple, mosque or synagogue), position (kneeling, standing, seated), or from specific hand gestures to be effective. This perspective seemed to ease her mind, but it got me to thinking about the “spiritual clutter” that prevents us from being true to our selves for fear of being wrong or even worse damned. Every religion I have ever studied has some version of “The Golden Rule” – “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” – yet many religions today deeply believe that if you do not worship their God, in their specific way you are on the outside looking in. Well, everyone cannot be wrong and right at the same time; how about THAT for spiritual clutter. Personally, I feel that if you come from a place of honesty, integrity and with unconditional love, whichever “God” is watching will be pleased.

Tai Chi Spirit vs Spirituality

When I speak of spirit during Tai Chi training, I am merely speaking to the openness of our hearts. When we train the physical body to be strong, relaxed and “uncluttered”, our minds will follow with a calm, refreshing clarity. With these elements in place, the spirit is free to be open, compassionate, empathetic and full of unconditional love…Smiling Energy in its purest form.

Tai Chi is NOT exercise…

This entry is quite a bit longer than usual, thank you for staying focused. People are under the misinformation that Tai Chi is just another exercise routine / gimmick / training system and in some cases they are right. It seems almost every week I hear of some new “Style” of Tai Chi. Including metamorphosis concepts like YoChi (Yoga and Tai Chi combined). Sounds more like a health food snack to me. As is discussed in this blog entry, traditional Tai Chi training, as we share with our students, involves MUCH more than just physical work. After all, how can you practice a flowing form of exercise in a room full of clutter.

Suggestions for practice:
There are 12 fundamental principals that govern Tai Chi training. (From grounding energy to strong posture, relaxed breath and a smiling heart) Trying to detail principals within your form practice makes things very cluttered so I always suggest my students use Qigong work for their focused principal practice, picking just one to focus on at a time. This will allow you to draw focused concentration into that selected principal within a limited movement set. For example, if you choose to focus on Circular Breath, then pick Qigong movements that will help you enhance that focus such as Crane Spreads its Wings, Gathering Breath or Repulse the Monkey all of which spread the arms out in some manner allowing for full expansion of the lungs.

As far as the other clutter in your life, you know what to do but are you willing to let go and do it?

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.

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!