“Use these 3 simple ideas, to help you Re-energize your Tai Chi practice”
Tai Chi is not only good for your overall health but it’s a convenient exercise that you can do even during your most time strapped days.
Being human, getting it to be a habit in our every day lives may be a challenge.
Here are 3 ways to help you keep going with your Tai Chi practice:
Number 1. Simply one of the best ones to do any time during your day: Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Do this as slow and as relaxed as you possibly can. Repeat this 10 times.
You could do this either standing up or sitting down. If you’re reading this now, then off we go: Ready – In for a slow count of four or five and out for seven or eight.
You will find tons of opportunities to this throughout your day. Simple but powerful, a great exercise.
Doing this will develop an awareness of fitting simple exercise into your day, yes even a busy day.
Go with the Stress, then let it go…
Number 2. We all do this at some time during our day. This is a way to go with the flow of any bit of stress. Tense your body, get really up-tight and even clench your teeth, and hold it just for a few seconds. Then let yourself completely go by totally relaxing as much as you can.
Notice when you tense that you’re breathing is a little curtailed and most likely you will breathe through the mouth only, which is not ideal as this will dissipate your energy and not use your lungs fully. This also highlights the importance of number one.
The Goldfish Bowl, time to put the Kettle on
Number 3. Here is an easy one to co-ordinate exercise and breathing. I call it open and close or the Goldfish Bowl. You could do it while waiting for the kettle to boil.
Stand upright but relaxed. Bend your knees slightly.
Imagine you are holding a goldfish bowl in front of your abdomen area, so your wrists hands and arms are curved.
Inhale gently in through the nose as you open both arms out in a slow but continuous movement.
When you naturally come to the end of the inhalation, you begin to exhale out through your mouth, while simultaneously bringing the hands back towards the starting position of holding the bowl.
There is a clip of me doing this just after being in a stuffy meeting for a few hours.
For those of you who may have previously done some Tai Chi with me, and put up with my many whims, you might be interested in attending a once off “Tai Chi Morning Workshop”.
The details are here… http://taichiclassescork.com/summer-half-day-course/
I’m looking forward to seeing you all again soon.
Frank Murphy
