TAI CHI IS SELF CARE
Even on the most glorious sunny day, most of us would agree that life isn't always easy. We think about how he did that, and she said this, and we feel pain, anger or resentment. In fact it is true that he did do that, and she did say this, and we don't let it go. We remind ourselves over and over of the hurts. We drive ourselves crazy, and we make ourselves sick.
Neuropsychology has well established that we react to stimuli before our conscious mind can catch up. This means that it is easy to step – whether that be a physical, emotional or mental step – into places that aren’t in our best interest. Becoming more conscious of our habits makes positive change possible so we can improve our life experience.
Recently some of the senior teachers of our school were asked why we teach. Below are some responses. In general, we teach for the love of tai chi. We teach in order to be of service to humanity. We teach to help people improve their health and wellbeing and because it improves our own health and wellbeing. And we teach because that is how we learn. To learn more, continue reading.
From Rhoda Jacobs
Increasing Bone Density with Tai Chi
By Pat Gorman and Margaret Olmsted
I went to a car show last spring and admired the beautiful old cars that had been lovingly cared for. It reminded me that for those of us who are aging, we are like older cars. If we want a car to last a long time, we need to put in good gas and fluids and lubricate the moving parts and keep it clean inside and out. We have to take it out for a drive. It can’t just sit in the garage. If we want to have a pristine old car, we need to put in a lot of attention and TLC over the course of many years.
Here is a list of principles from Yang Cheng Fu, interpreted by our senior student, Edna Brandt. Yang Cheng-Fu was a grandmaster of tai chi in China in the 1920s and 1930s.
BE HERE TAO: My life with Qigong and Tai Chi
By Pat Gorman
Growing up in a blue-collar neighborhood in Queens in a first-generation immigrant neighborhood - Italian and Irish - all the parents were invested in having their kids fit in and become "American". American language, sports, movies, ideas, behavior. Meditation, self-examination and exploring consciousness were not even on the horizon.
Tai Chi and Aging
by Margaret Olmsted.
There are many benefits that come with aging. Among them are increased wisdom and ease with life. Also, many senior citizens are partially or completely retired and are exploring new activities and freedoms.
The idea of applying tai chi principles to every aspect of one’s life is attractive to almost everyone. It is easy to understand that the more we integrate principle into life, the more we embody our art and enrich all aspects of life. This article reviews how skiing can inspire deep tai chi practice.
by Edna Brandt, LAc Licensed Acupuncturist and Tai Chi Teacher
Your houseplants or your lawn or garden will grow more or
less by themselves, though they will get gangly or weedy
without attention. If you want a premium lawn or prize roses,
you need to cultivate, to pay attention to what is needed. You
need to make sure that there is the right placement, the right
amount of water and sun, the correct fertilizer. If you
cultivate your plants or lawn, they will have beautiful qi.
In the same way, you need to cultivate your own qi to have
the best health you can. Without special care, you will
