* Tai Chi and Qigong Day, 2016, will be celebrated World Wide on Saturday April 30, 2016. The festival was created by Bill Douglas to bring Tai Chi into the spotlight. Celebrated in over eighty countries across the globe, we gather in large displays, or small groups, or even alone. We go outdoors or stay inside, to beaches, lakes, parks large and small. Starting at 10 AM in your time zone, we gather to celebrate Tai Chi and share how the practice of Tai Chi and Qigong has changed our lives and the lives of others. We celebrate Tai Chi friendships, lasting many years, even decades as we turn and circle together, in silence or with music.
Then
I remember looking out of an upstairs window to see our son, Rob, and his friends practicing Tai Chi in the sunny tree-filled yard.
"I want to do that!"
"I want to practice Tai Chi!"
"How will I learn Tai Chi?"
"How do they remember what comes next?"
Now
Thanks to Tai Chi practice:
** I am pain free.
I feel increased joy with creative work and play, a mix of sun and clouds, brush strokes heavy with paint or wisps of flowers and light. Writing helps me splice light and shade together with pictures added for colorful accent. Spontaneous creativity comes Out of the Blue.
Tai Chi teaching leads me to people like me. Friends appear, out of box thinkers with positive shared outreach, mutual support systems, and creative communications. Giving and Receiving is dynamic action, a balance of Yin and Yang. Helping hands and hearts cross miles and eons.
Tai Chi at the Matterhorn with Dr. Paul Lam
Tai Chi Reflection:
Rob Roy wrote:
** "....One principle of Tai Chi is to use as little muscular contraction as possible. In today's fast paced society, it is common to put unneeded stress on the body's muscles, organs, and joints. These patterns of tension are often so ingrained in our habits that they go unrecognized...."
Recently I felt myself tensing up, arms, shoulders, and wrists started to become uncomfortable. Soon I was resentful and frustration was increasing. Then I recalled Rob's advice.
What Now?
I slowed down! I started consciously relaxing sore areas, even when doing household tasks or typing. What had I been doing? I was racing to achieve a task so I could run ahead into other chores at express train speed.
Wait a Minute!
"Relax, what's the hurry?"
"Take Time, Breathe, Rest...." Even 5-10 minutes helps, a slow down break in routine resets the body, mind, and spirit. I lifted dishes and piles of clothing gently instead of forcefully. I took time to relax the joints and muscles with warm dry towels. I took time out to enjoy a snack without multitasking.
Within a short time, I was pain free again.
*** Dr. Mercola: Tips to Make Your Workout Feel Easier
Listen to music.
Exercise when it feels right for you.
Get restful sleep.
Use active dynamic stretching
Avoid over exercising
Short bursts of exercise, say 5-10 minutes, several times a day can benefit. "Moving is more important than exercise." Keep moving, even standing up then sitting back down can help. Look out the window, or at something green, a plant perhaps. Reset your brain with a few deep breaths and sharpen your eyes' focus as well.
More Tips
**** Dr. Yang, Jwing-ming, "Vary your Tai Chi practice speeds, switch from fast to slow all in the same workout."
Schedule Walkie-Talkies with best friends and buddies. Take your phone outside then walk and talk. Even when you are apart, you can connect in conversations while moving and looking at nature!
+ "Approach Today Gently...."
"Our Journeys Have Enriched Our Lives," Deepak Chopra
World Tai Chi and Qigong Day:
One World~One Breath
Thank You Tai Chi Friends Around the World~
Jou,Tung Hwa, Taichifarm.org, '"Be a Crane Among Chickens"
Dr. Paul Lam, Tai Chi for Health worldwide, Born Strong biography. "All is Possible With the Mind."
He, Weiqi, co-creator of 18 Form Taiji Qigong, "Everybody Happy, Everybody
Beautiful....Put a Flower in Your Heart."
Dr. Yang, Jwing-ming, "The Yi [mind] Leads the Qi [energy.]"
Yang Family Tai Chi, creators of the Yang Long Form, "The Form is Not Written in Stone," Yang Zhen Duo
Terry Dunn, Yang Long Form, Flying Phoenix Qigong, "Tai Chi imparts softness and solidity."
Yang Yang, Chen Style Taiji, "Qi [energy] can be sent over distance."
Key Words: Blogger Search Tai Chi, Qigong, World Tai Chi Day
Related Posts:
** Tai Chi World Day, April 4, 2105 to read Rob's complete article
Sunrise Mountain
Mountain Vision
Color Y(our) World
Forgetting is More Important Than Remembering
Resources:
* Bill Douglas, creator of World Tai Chi and Qigong Day, is a Tai Chi Expert and best selling author.
*** Dr. Joseph Mercola online free newsletter, 12 Ways to Make Your Workout Feel Easier, April 8, 2016
**** Dr Yang Jwing-ming, WMAA.com Tai Chi, Qigong, Martial Arts, books, Tai Chi Theory and Practice, DVD's, apps and more
+ Deepak Chopra, chopracentermeditation, free meditations and for purchase, free online newsletter, Yoga, meditation, health and nutrition topics
Dahlis Roy: Visionary Artist Author and Tai Chi Instructor
Images
Sunrise Mountain, oil painting by Dahlis
Dr. Paul Lam Practices Tai Chi at the Matterhorn, photo printed with permission from Dr. Paul Lam
White Crane Spreads Wings, photo of Dahlis
