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.

Heavy head

Your head weighs almost a stone. When you let it hang forwards it acts as an anchor; pulling your spine downwards. The chest caves in. The abdominal muscles collapse.

Bad lifting technique

Most people are quite aware of how to lift things correctly but many people ignore the advice. Hurried, sloppy lifting - with little or no adhesion to good structure and alignment - can lead to problems.

Take the time to learn how to lift things properly. There is a bounty of free information on-line. It is not complicated.

You just need to keep your mind on what you are doing, be sensible about the weight and use your body well.

Find the calm

There are calm places to be found in every town. A tai chi class is a good example. Calm voices, settled emotions and an atmosphere of friendship and camaraderie will be immediately apparent.

This may feel most unfamiliar to you, odd even. Don't panic. Give yourself time to adjust to something different. Just stay with it and enjoy. A feeling of serenity and peace may settle upon you.

 Only when your mind is clean are you in a suitable state to read books and study the ancients.

(Huanchu Daoren)

Notice things

The first indication of a calmer mind lies in your capacity to notice the world around you. Instead of driving past in your noisy car, you walk slowly. You see.

Insignificant-seeming things catch your attention: a butterfly, a leaf, a flower, the sound of an insect or the call of a bird. If you experience genuine awe and delight, then you are learning.

As we work, we use the form as a guide. It is something we work with, not something you learn to show off.

The form is a process that serves you, not an adornment you bring back to hang on your wall.

(Chungliang Al Huang) 

Those who are harsh and aggressive are like fire,

burning whatever they touch.

Those who are ungrateful are like ice,

chilling whomever they encounter.

Those who are obsessive and inflexible

are like stagnant water or rotten wood,

already void of life.

 (Huanchu Daoren)

One is taught in accordance with one's fitness to learn.

 (The Silent Flute) 

Wear & tear

Suppose you buy a car in 2020 and use it very rarely. In 2026 you decide to sell the car and take it to a dealership. The mileage is unusually low for a car of its age.

Yet the car is still 6 years old chronologically. In terms of wear and tear the car is 6 months old.

Tai chi is about spending your energy frugally. That way, as you get older, your wear and tear is unusually low for a person of your age.

Mind, body, spirit

Tai chi combines mind, body and spirit in every action. The student feels acutely alive and alert; energy-filled and passionate.

By using the body more efficiently, you can become less tired and feel more lively.

Nervous agitation

Neurotic conduct is not youthful. Look at small children, unhindered by adult interference. They are usually curious about their immediate environment.

Taste, smell, touch, sounds, sights. The child is not fidgeting or restless, bored or emotional. They are filled with awe and wonder.

He lives long who enjoys life and who bears no jealousy of others;

whose heart harbours no malice or anger;

who sings a lot and cries a little;

who rises and retires with the sun;

who likes to work and knows how to rest.

(Mislimov)

Large movement

It is easy for most people to perform large, extended movements that rotate the shoulder joint or bend the elbow.

No particular skill is involved.

Our students are not taught to practice in this way.

Whilst large movements may indeed exercise some of the muscles and the joints, they fail to address the full range of potential movement.

The real skill lies in the small, in the subtle.

Thirty spokes converge in a single hub;

It is the centre hole that allows the wheel to turn.

(Lao Tzu)

Mind, body, spirit

Instead of feeling apart from what is happening, we feel the physics of the movement, the kinetic flow.

Our own body and our self-consciousness is lost in the event itself.
There is no more self or other, just movement, just sensation/feeling.

When your mind/body/spirit integration is complete, you act so unconsciously that you no longer really feel the movements as such.
It is spontaneous and natural. It just happened.

Too slow?

If you go too slowly it can be counter-productive. Instead of loosening and relaxing, you stiffen up. This occurs because the muscles are working too hard to carry the weight of the body. Find a pace that is slow but still smooth.

Beginners find it quite difficult to move slowly. This is understandable. In our class, beginners move at a comfortable, easy pace. They are not encouraged to be too slow at first. 

Skilled students are asked to slow down considerably. This makes the practice far more potent. The body must work harder, and excellent balance is necessary.