"Tai Chi for Body and Mind Fitness" DVD is Now Available!

I'm very happy to announce my instructional tai chi DVD is available to order online. To order, just click on the picture of the DVD. This 2-disc program is one of the most comprehensive, tai chi DVD's available today. I take a playful approach to this ancient, Chinese martial art and encourage students to relax and have fun while learning this “moving meditation”.

This program provides:

• Background information on tai chi
• Easy to follow instructions for all levels of students
• Practical advice to improve posture and balance
• Tips to make tai chi accessible for those with physical limitations 

We all know the importance of exercise. The challenge is to find an exercise we'll stick with and that is appropriate for our bodies as we age. I've purchased gym memberships but stopped going after a few weeks because (here are a few of my excuses): The drive was too long; I didn't have time before work; I was too tired after work. (Fill in your own excuses here _____).

I provide detailed, step-by-step instruction so you can learn tai chi in the comfort of your home. No special equipment or clothing is required and you can do it anywhere, in a small amount of space. Unlike other forms of exercise, tai chi conditions your body while it quiets your mind. The flowing movements of tai chi are enjoyable to perform and they can help reduce stress, improve balance, lower blood pressure and increase joint flexibility.

Always consult your physician or medical professional before beginning any exercise program. I recommended you use this video in conjunction with a tai chi class.

Continuous Movement, a.k.a., Keep Moving!

After being seated at my desk most of a day preparing my taxes, I had stiffness in my lower back and hips.  I wasn't surprised because I'm aware of the importance of "keeping things moving".  I was surprised I'd forgotten that important lesson! 

Today, in class, I reminded students to strive for continuous movement in their t'ai chi.  During silent practice, I thought, the continuous movement of t'ai chi is a reminder to keep moving in our daily lives.  

Someone once said, "stasis is death".  Here is a definition of stasis from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
"a slowing or stoppage of the normal flow of a bodily fluid or semi-fluid, as in, slowing of the current of circulating blood. Stagnation." 

Most of the lessons we learn in t'ai chi are applicable in our daily lives.  
Keep moving in t'ai chi and in life! 

Beginner's Mind

From Wikipedia: "Shoshin (初心) is a concept in Zen Buddhism meaning "beginner's mind". It refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner in that subject would."

When studying t'ai chi, it is part of the learning process to hear the same information over and over. A lot of information is imparted in every class and a student can only absorb a portion of it. Repeating information gives students more opportunities to absorb the information and apply it. This helps them maintain a sense of discovery and newness in their practice. 

The long, traditional Yang style t'ai chi ch'uan form consists of 108 positions or postures. Many are repeated. The concepts of the positions don't change. How we "interpret" them and experience them in our own bodies is where there can be variation and new discoveries. Every time you practice t'ai chi, you are different than the last time you practiced so you have the opportunity to have a fresh, new experience of each move. You give yourself the opportunity to "see" the 108 moves with new eyes and a beginner's mind. 

The ancient masters said "T'ai chi ch'uan is like a long river flowing." Put your toe in the river on Tuesday and the river is different than it was on Monday.
The best students are the ones who practice with humility, accept correction with gratitude, and use their "new eyes" to keep their practice fresh.

"The real voyage of discovery

consists not in seeing new landscapes,
but in having new eyes." - Marcel Proust

Get Hip to Your Hip Alignment

In a bow stance, when 70% of your weight shifts into your right leg, your right hip should be released back. The knee goes forward and should track over the middle of your foot, but the hip is released back. The hips are positioned under the shoulders and you maintain that alignment when your weights shifts forward and back in a bow stance. Some students, while shifting their weight forward, turn their hips and shove the right hip forward.  Turning the hips could strain the lower back and cause hip pain. 

Your "Demeanor" During T'ai Chi Practice

Looking at some early pictures of myself during practice, I look very serious. Almost stern. I am serious during practice but I'm also happy and joyful! 

It's good to have a "lightness of being", not just in your physical body but also in your mental aspect. Think of how you feel when you are looking at something beautiful. Your inner feeling is usually expressed in a faint smile and a softness come across your face.  

I remind students to consider their facial expression during practice. Feel the sensation as if you are observing something beautiful, because you are. You are observing all the beauty that is you, performing this beautiful practice moment to moment. Often, when I remind students to move in an effortless, tension-free way, I'm referring to the physical body. You also want to be tension-free in your thoughts. Let go of judgmental and negative thoughts about yourself and others.  Looking at those early pictures of myself was a reminder to be tension-free in my body and mind.

Happy Knee Year!

Most of us take our knees for granted and don't give a second thought to how we treat them.  When we're young, our knees quietly bear the burden of our weight and carry us through our rough and tumble activities.  Knees can take a lot of punishment particularly while playing sports.  As we age, we may experience knee pain, arthritis or other knee problems that result from injuries earlier in our life.  

Here are some tips to help you have a Happy Knee Year:

· Always warm-up your knees before practice. While in bent knee, circle your knees in four directions (side, forward, side, back). When circling them back, give them a gentle stretch back. Circle as low as you are comfortable.
· When shifting your weight back and forth in a bow stance, be sure your knees stay centered over the corresponding feet.
· When performing Grasping Bird’s Tail, the knee of the front (right) leg should remain in the direction of the foot when you turn your tan tien and shift your weight back. It should not turn in, or collapse, when your tan tien turns to the left.
· At the beginning of the form when you “sink” your weight, try to maintain that same depth of bent knee throughout your form. Coming up and down in your legs can put undo stress on your knees.
· Be flexible like bamboo. In your practice, you may be accustomed
to a fairly low posture (having your knees bent a lot). However, if at some point you injure your knee or just have a sore knee, you may be able to continue to practice if you adjust how much you bend your knees. Be flexible and change how low you go in your knees.
By not “sinking" as low as you typically do, you will take several pounds of pressure off your knees. If your knees are still extremely sore during practice, you may want discontinue practice and give your knees a rest.

Stand for your health

   As often as possible, choose to stand rather than sit.  Most chairs are not good for your back.  How often have you gotten up from a chair and felt sore or stiff in your lower back or hips?  Standing helps restore your body to it's natural state of balance.  But most of us aren't comfortable when we stand because, over time, we've developed poor postural habits.  We've forgotten how to stand comfortably.  We lock our knees and push our hips forward.  These two things put a tremendous strain on your lower back so standing becomes uncomfortable and we head for the closest chair.
   To stand comfortably, imagine you are going to "perch" on the edge of a high stool.  I say "perch" because your torso will remain upright (rather than lean forward, which we do when we sit in a  chair).    Bend your knees a little and think of your hip bones aiming straight down.  Your knees release forward and your hips release back  When you come up off that high stool, stop before you lock your knees back.  Ideally, this positions your hips under your shoulders.  Having this alignment and maintaining that little "release" in your knees and hips will help you stand with ease and can help prevent and relieve lower back pain. 
   Whenever you stand, have your weight balanced between your legs and through the bottoms of your feet. 
   In all my classes I have a "standing" assignment:  I ask students to practice standing comfortably, as often as possible.