We know that doing any form of daily exercise is simply one of the best habits we can have, because it’s great for our health.
Tai Chi is one of the most convenient exercises that you can do every day, even during your most time strapped days. But being human, I also realize that the stress of our lives is never far away and exercise takes a back seat. Getting it to be a habit in our every day lives is a job and a challenge. The best tip I can give is to choose 3 or 4 easy exercises and just stick to those at your busiest times.
But if you are still stuck, here are 4 ways to help you keep going with your Tai Chi practice:
1. Simply sit down relax and take a good deep breath. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Do this as slow and as relaxed as you possibly can.
You could do this either standing up or sitting down. If you’re reading this sitting at your PC, 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 throughout your day. A great exercise, do it at traffic lights and even while watching TV, or after a meal. I would recommend that if you do this you are in exercise mode because you will develop an awareness of not just doing the exercise but fitting it into even a busy day.
2. Tense your body, get really up-tight and even clinch your teeth, a 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 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.
3. Here is another easy one, I call it open and close. You could do it while waiting for the kettle to boil.
4. Attend a Tai Chi workshop to give you a kick start. For those of you who may have previously done some Tai Chi with me, at any one of the courses and find yourself a little stale in your practice, you might be interested in attending a once off “ Tai Chi Morning” Workshop.
Attending this one and a half hour morning workshop is an opportunity to update yourself on your practice, if perhaps you wish to get back into the habit of your daily exercise.
If you are a beginner, there is also a one hour Tai Chi introductory Workshop which will give you a good overview of what Tai Chi is all about and the benefits of practising Tai Chi.
The next Summer Workshops will be held on Saturday Morning, July 26th, 10.00am – 11.30am (improvers) and 11.30am – 1pm (beginners) in the newly refurbished Fermoy Youth Community Center, Ashe Quay, Fermoy.
The workshop will be held upstairs in the Anderson Room which is a lovely calm setting overlooking the river and allows maximum light and fresh air (Chi) in through those huge windows.
This will be a time for reflection on your Tai Chi practice and catching up with old friends while making new ones in the process. I love to encourage a sense connectedness as it is a focal point of the teaching and is a huge part of Tai Chi development.
Tea, Coffee and light refreshments will be available during the break.
So if you find yourself a little stuck in your practice this is an ideal morning to re-energize your practice.
