John’s Tai-Blog @ Camp Tai ChiTai Chi and anything I can relate to Tai Chi … like life

The Medicinal Side of Tai Chi, Is It What You Think?

My senior training brother and fellow taiji disciple, Michael, coined the term SPD for those times when we think we’re really good at our forms and it’s true… in our heads.  SPD stands for Self Perception Disorder and I’ve come to the conclusion we all do this all the time, with many things.

In tai chi I can work hard at a form until I think I’ve really gotten it down, and then my teacher, Miriam, or Master Cui come along and point out how it could be better.  With tai chi, as with life, the refinements never end.  To me that’s the real beauty of it.

We do this with others too.  We see them doing something we don’t yet know how to do, or we project things on to them that exist mostly in our minds.  Later we inevitably learn we’ve distorted reality yet again.  Usually by then we know the person well enough to accept them for who they are.  Duhism Master Bob Tzu put it so eloquently in his blog yesterday.

Well that’s just perfect

“When you can see all beings as divine and perfect, then it’s time to cut back on your medication.”

Your Thoughts?

John

P.S.  Visit Master Tzu here:  http://www.duhism.com/

I found this image on Fliker.com: http://www.flickr.com/photos/karlburn/2742420441/

Spiders, Snakes and Tai Chi

I was just reading an interesting article on LiveScience.com.  It was about our animal instincts: the knowledge we have, that we either don’t know we have or don’t know how we came about it.  I see this kind of thing in tai chi all the time.

Whether we realize it or not, we all have pretty similar abilities.  Aside from those rare few who can touch their tongues to their noses, our bodies and what we are actually capable of remains very similar from person to person.  Now I know some of you are saying to yourselves “John’s not paddling with both oars today”, so allow me to splain myself.

Richard Bandler and Dr. John Grinder discovered that, with the right mental strategies, you could teach anyone to do what anyone else could do, assuming of course they weren’t limited by some physical difficulty.  The world is filled with people who have limited physical resources, yet have achieved things everyone else thought was impossible.  Spud Webb, a professional basketball player in the 80’s & 90’s, comes to mind.  Because of his short stature he garnered little interest from college scouts.  This despite consistently impressive performance on the court all through high school and his early college years.

When Mr. Webb joined the ranks of Earl Boykins and Muggsy Bogue, as the third shortest player in the NBA, he measured in at a full 5′6″.  (He was a grown man by then so he didn’t get any taller either.)  I remember watching the 1986 NBA Slam Dunk contest where Spud Webb walked away with the trophy.  Spud and a student of his, Nate Robinson, are the only two NBA players under 6 feet tall to have ever won the competition.

John Bandler - remember him, the mind over matter guy - experimented with hypnosis and placebos to help people heal in a number of ways.  He didn’t bother with the sugar either.  He just gave people empty capsules and told them, under hypnosis of course, that he was giving them empty capsules.  He also gave them the suggestion, “the more you think about the fact that you are taking placebos, the better they will work.”  When they woke up he handed them the empty capsules and said, “These are placebos and they’re particularly effective for your condition.”  This worked so well in fact, that when Bandler and a partner tried to market their brand of placebos, the FDA shut them down.  How’s that for a great example of, “I’m here from the government and I’m here to help”?

By now I imagine you’ve forgotten all about the LiveScience.com article haven’t you?  We’ll let’s get back to it.  The article is titled “Fear of Spiders Can Develop Before Birth” and deals with our ability to learn from previous generations.  Not by reading grandpa’s diary, but more like sleeping with a book under your pillow before the big test, and then acing the test without ever having cracked the book.  Pretty cool stuff hey?

Well, with students I sometimes ask them to feel the energy in their bodies.  Often I get, “I doesn’t feel nuthin’.”  Yet, when I ask them to imagine it and then tell me “what it would feels like if’n they coulds”, or better yet where it starts and ends, they can almost always describe it with remarkable accuracy.  I even point to the wrong part my own body just to make sure they aren’t saying what they think I want them to.  Then I ask them to pretend they’re feeling it as they move, and viola, their movement improves dramatically.  Wha’s up wit dat?

Given the right techniques and mental processes, we can all learn to do what we already even do better.  We may not all be Spud Webbs in the rough, but we can all do much more than we realize.  Yea, that includes you too.

Your thoughts?

John

P.S.  Now go read the LiveScience.com article:  http://www.livescience.com/animals/fear-of-spiders-100218.html, you’ll like it.

Tai Chi, A “Secret Key” To Happiness

We all seem to be striving for that future state of happiness. We work long hours so we can have our dream homes, dream cars, go on dream vacations and ultimately experience our dream retirements.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t strive for these things. They have their place and each has it’s own value. I know when I’ve achieved something noteworthy, like buying a new house or having the kitchen remodeled, I feel pretty good about it and also gain a feeling of happiness from achieving it. It feels good.

What if you could not only experience that happiness for brief periods when you accomplished something you wanted - be it planting a special tree in your yard, finding a particularly comfortable and cool looking pair of shoes, or being promoted - but could also get that feeling for a little while each day? Wouldn’t that make life a little better, a little more worth living?

Sounds good doesn’t it? Imagine yourself feeling happy: no worries, no concerns, no outside pressures. That state of mind when realized, reduces stress levels, helps reduce blood pressure, relaxes the body, fortifies the mind, and strengthens the immune system.

Great, so how do you get there? It’s actually much simpler that you might think. It comes from a state of mind you can easily learn to adopt at different times during the day, and the more often you do it the more you find yourself feeling good for no particular reason. The key is to ‘let’ yourself experience it and to do this, all you do is let go of your worries and concerns for a few moments. It’s called mindfulness.

One way to to experience this state is simply by closing your eyes and focusing completely on the sounds in your environment. By this I mean the sounds, not what makes the sounds. When your mind runs off thinking about what the sound means, let go of that and just listen for other sounds. Focus on the direction of the sound, it’s pitch, it’s volume, while at the same time listening for other sounds.

Using your focus in this way for 5 minutes can give you an incredible sense of well being. This is what practicing tai chi does for you and it’s one of the reasons why people become addicted to it. On top of feeling better on an emotional level because of that state of mindfulness tai chi cultivates, it also strengthens the body in a multitude of ways.

So whether you’re interested in tai chi or not, find something you can focus on completely, several times during the day. The simplest way to do this is to focus on one of your senses completely without analyzing any of what you experience. The brief sense of well being you experience will make the rest of your life seem even more worthwhile. The good times and the not so good times will take on more meaning when your stress levels are lower and you can keep things in perspective.

Oh and one more thing.  When we’re not stressed out we tend to make better decisions, leading to even lower stress levels.  Your thoughts?

John

P.S.  I found this pic here:  http://www.computerarts.co.uk/tutorials/3d__and__animation/sound_and_vision

Happy New Year, Year of The Tiger

With this year’s beginning falling on the Western Valentine’s Day, I guess you could say this is the year of the kissing tiger, at least in the West.  I for one am eagerly looking forward to this year.  Being an Ox, I’m happy for my year to be finishing up.  It’s been said that the year of one’s own birth animal is generally a trying year.  For me this has definitely been the case.

The Year of the Tiger is a year symbolizing growth.  I hope this year turns out to be one of true growth for World economies, your personal life, and of course for all areas of my own life.  I therefore wish you 恭賀新禧 (gōng hè xīn xĭ), Happy New Year - a year filled with happiness, love and prosperity on all fronts.

John

__________________

The following description for the Year of The Tiger comes from http://www.yearofthetiger.net/:

According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of 2010 is the Year of the Tiger, which commences on February 14, 2010 and ends on February 2, 2011. The Tiger is the third sign in the Chinese Zodiac cycle, and it is a sign of bravery. This courageous and fiery fighter is admired by the ancient Chinese as the sign that keeps away the three main tragedies of a household. These are fire, thieves and ghosts.

Tigers are physically powerful, gracious, independent and brave, they are extremely bold animals. They are friendly and loving but can also selfish and short tempered. Tigers seek attention and power; frequently they are envious in a relation. Tigers live dangerously which often leads to trouble. They are intolerant, take risks and are always searching for excitement. Tigers are also instilled with a good dose of courage.

The Tiger has an overpowering attraction and is very kind and always takes on the character as protector. The Tiger flourishes by power and attention and takes advantage of all circumstances it gets itself into. The Tiger is a natural leader and loves to be the centre of attention. As a rebel it goes up against authority and speaks out about wrongs in society, and willingly puts up objections. Even if you don’t agree with the beliefs of the tiger you admire his way to protest.

Just as how their counterparts in the jungle are impulsive, so too are individuals born in the Chinese Year of the Tiger. When people think of tigers, it is their vigor and power that comes to mind first. But it has also been noted that tigers are known to share and are unselfish animals. The reason people admire the tiger is due to the fact that they are ferocious and domineering on the outside, but they are just as noble and distinguished on the inside. These are the same personality attributes that persons will have who are born in the Year of the Tiger.

People that are born in the Year of the Tiger are generally well liked because of their charismatic personalities. Often, failing at a given duty or being unproductive in his personal or professional life can cause a Tiger to experience a deep sense of depression. A Tiger is always at their happiest when they endeavor to climb the ladder of success. Attaining the top spot is his foremost purpose; being in a position of power is her ultimate goal. They are quick learners, need to be challenged and often prefer to work alone. Some Tigers tend to change careers more frequently because they get bored quite easily. They are natural born leaders and perform at their best if working towards positions of power and influence. So once there is no further room for progression, they will often move on to something else.

Anyone that is born in the Year of the Tiger is usually straightforward and outgoing by nature. They will never give up no matter how aggravated they may become. But, they are also full of suspicion and at times will take hasty action. Never lose sight of the fact that Tigers are smart and instinctive.

People born in the Year of the Tiger always take pride in being different from others, and normally demonstrate their originality best in their homes. Their homes are typically filled with exotic possessions. It is no surprise that one of the Tiger’s favorite gemstones is the cat’s eye, but tigers also love the sparkle of rubies and diamonds. They like to spend money, and also to share it. They can be very impulsive spenders because they know they can at all times make more.

The Year of the Tiger is the third year in the cycle of “Heavenly Branches”. Customarily, it is called “Yin”. Those born in the Year of the Tiger are compatible with the horse, dog, and dragons. The year 2010 is another Year of the Tiger. It is the ji-chou year. Jji is the sixth of the Ten Celestial Stems and yin is the third of the Twelve Terrestrial Branches and marks the Year of the Tiger.

Were you born during a Year of the Tiger?
You were if you were born in one of these years:
1902, 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, and 1998.

P.S.  I found this tiger image here:  http://media.photobucket.com/image/tiger/HellWard3-WellsideGossip/Tiger.jpg

Random Acts of Tai Chi

Master Cui Zhongsan tells us that trough tai chi chuan (taijiquan) we make the world a better place.  The true spirit of tai chi is to protect and take care of yourself and the world around you.  It’s not to fight or constantly look for ways you “think” you’ve been slighted and to strike back.

When tai chi is practiced in its truest form, an attacker is deflected with as little damage to them as possible.  This doesn’t mean to allow someone to hurt you or those you care about, but it also doesn’t mean to attack someone with a vengeance just because they were hurting, lost control, and lashed out at you.

One of the best ways to take care of the world around you, and therefore yourself, is to help make the world a better place to live.  Become truly selfish and help those around you whenever you get the chance, it will make your private world a better place as you look for reasons and ways to help others.  Your world will take on a different color.

Don’t stick around long enough for people ask why you’ve helped them, just quietly leave them wondering.  It will leave many of them feeling indebted to someone they don’t even know, with no way of returning the favor.  We all feel the need to reciprocate, so what better way to leave someone than to leave them looking for a way to payback the kindness.  The only avenue they’ll have is to help someone else.

Walk away from conflict whenever you can.  Perform random acts of tai chi (kindness) and watch your world change for the better.

Your thoughts?

John

Tai Chi Drill Post Exercise - Part Two

Following up with yesterday’s post on the basics of Yang Style Drill Post Exercise, this video demonstrates how to do additional drills that can be done in the same standing position as the drill post exercise.  These additional drills can be done to add some variety and to practice incorporating turning the waist.

Your thoughts?

John