Ideal form of exercise

According to the book The Blue Zones it is important to think of exercise in terms of what you can reasonably do long-term.

The ideal form of exercise is moderate enough that you can do it for the rest of your life. It needs to be joint-friendly, provide a gentle workout and be sustainable.

This sounds rather like tai chi, doesn't it?

The drawbacks of exercise

Not all forms of exercise are necessarily good for you. For example, running may improve cardiovascular health but is also very hard on the joints.

Lifting heavy weights can cause significant tension to accumulate and - if the muscles are large enough - adversely affect the skeleton. Most forms of exercise have pros and cons; especially sport.

Our next induction course is Monday 7th September.

New starters are welcome! 

Martial classics

There are a number of martial classics, including:

1. 36 Strategies

2. The Art of War

3. The Book of Five Rings

4. The Methods of the Ssu-ma

5. Questions and Replies Between T’ang T’ai-tsung and Li Wei-kung

6. T’ai Kung’s Six Secret Teachings

7. Three Strategies of Huang Shih-kung

8. Wei Liao-tzu

9. Wu-tzu

Empiricism

Talk is cheap in the modern world, so we encourage direct experience instead. Nobody in the class is expected to take the instructor's word for it. Find out for yourself through practical exercises.

Belief is not a requirement, nor is faith. You are not a 'disciple'. We adopt a scientific approach. The evidence is to be found in the doing and the proof in the effect.

This is called 'empiricism'. Discover the facts for yourself. Feel it for yourself. This is the heart of Zen.

Tai chi is the one exercise that can universally help solve our growing health crisis. It has stood the test of thousands of years. We have a generation of baby boomers with increasing health problems; old people who are sick, in pain, fearful, and cranky; a middle class that is increasingly incapable of affording most of the drugs that are prescribed for their ailments; children that are flaccid, diabetic and asthmatic. People of all ages are addicted to drugs, alcohol, sugar, cigarettes, and caffeine. Stress follows almost everyone like a shadow.

(Bruce Frantzis)

Flexibility

Most adults lose flexibility in their hands as they grow older. This is often the result of neglect and misuse. In our tai chi school we often ask new people to try and use baoding balls.

This is usually quite telling.  Baoding balls are 2 metal spheres held in the palm of the hand and rotated using the movement of the hand and thumb. 

Often people are exceedingly inept. Their hands simply will not move adequately to perform the exercise.

Refined movement

Modern technology is re-shaping how we use our bodies. Jerky, sharp movement is coarse and unrefined; clumsy. The joints of the body are capable of a wide range of movement.

Excessive use of toys is limiting those movements; emphasising the same actions repeatedly.

e.g. if you watch an Asian dancer, the hands perform intricate shapes and minute movements which look simple but are very hard to replicate.

Tension

A keyboard, mouse and monitor are interfaces that enable you to use the computer. The same is true of a mobile phone or videogame controller. 

They were not designed with health in mind.

Be aware that your health must be your own concern. Continual use of a restricted number of muscles leads to muscular tension in the arms, wrists and hands.

Form teaches

Form teaches economy of movement, centre, range & reach, coordination, footwork, balance, timing, synchrony, flow, natural body use, healthy body use, strong skeletal alignment, power generation, stance and positioning.

Form (whole-body movement)

Every tai chi form movement has a purpose. The student must understand why they are doing the movement, otherwise that movement is meaningless and most likely incorrect.

What is the movement for? How does it operate? Look at different forms in the syllabus - armed and unarmed - and consider the way in which the body is being used.

Examine the purpose, the method and the outcome.

Qigong

As a precursor to tai chi, qigong offers the student an opportunity to explore crude body mechanics without the need of direct application.

Structure, balance, stance (foot position), mobility, coordination, use of energy, alignment, posture and poise are all explored using simple exercises.

Basic concerns such as ambidextrous body use are introduced. Muscle tension is identified and relaxation is encouraged.

Qigong exercises enable the student to become familiar with their existing habits of body use, and provide the opportunity to consider alternative approaches.

 Our next induction course is Monday 7th September.

New starters are welcome!

Lower back

Lower back problems can be caused by various things but the main problem is sitting too much. Sitting causes the muscles to shorten. It is then harder for them to relax and lengthen.

Pelvis problems occur because the spine has lost its natural curvature and the muscles pull the pelvis out of alignment.

Posterior pelvic tilt

One common back problem many students exhibit is called a 'posterior pelvic tilt'. It is caused by standing badly and sitting badly.

As such it's a 'lifestyle problem' and not something we can address in class. We're not therapists. Students are responsible for remedying the problem themselves.

Stiff muscles

People who go to the gym promote massive tension in their shoulders. The shoulders are pulled up towards their ears by the unnecessary shortening of the muscles.

This is the outcome of failing to relax. The shoulder joint is pulled up out of its natural position and the skeleton is distorted.

Failure to rest appropriately

Not many people make the time to rest properly. They watch TV. They go out for meals. They run. But they do not rest.

Twisting & over-stretching

It is quite common for people to damage their back by stretching too far in everyday life or twisting the wrong way.

Stretching and twisting are normally safe as part of a slow, controlled, supervised exercise program. In everyday life, avoid both.

Step

Rather than stretch, step closer. Use a stool if you need to reach high. Instead of twisting, keep your spine vertical, and turn your entire body to face the object/subject.

Remember that humans are forward-facing beings.

Too much sitting

The main problem with sitting is gravity, loss of circulation and the tightening/shortening of your muscles. Muscular tension stops your joints and vertebra from moving freely.

When the hips, groin and sacroiliac freeze-up, the overall skeletal mobility is reduced.