(This is the second part of the review of Tai Chi for Busy People)
If shortening and simplifying Tai Chi is all Tai Chi For Busy People accomplished, it would be pretty good, but there are other modified, simplified forms out there as well — some of them are even on YouTube. In fact there is one called Diamond Tai Chi that I find interesting because it can be performed in a very tight space. However, Tai Chi For Busy People’s real value lies in how clearly it communicates the basic elements that most videos ignore or give short-shrift, like proper posture, breathing, proper foot position and how to self-check them. It also very clearly emphasizes that if something hurts or doesn’t feel right, you shouldn’t do it.
If you’re like me you are under considerable time pressure for much of your day. Three kids in school, homework to help with, a job, pets, a house to clean and maintain, gardens and yards to keep up. I also play music some nights as sort of a second vocation. My wife and I get up at 5:30 in the morning to prepare lunches for the kids, make breakfast and get her and two of the kids out the door by 6:45 to get them to school (my wife’s a teacher). I leave the house at 7:15; I drive my youngest to school and then I drive an hour to get to work.
This routine is probably not that different than from many working families, and it can lead to tremendous amounts of stress. Ironically, Tai Chi, which is one of the best things in the world for coping with stress can be very difficult to fit into a schedule like this.
Frankly, over the last couple of years it’s become harder and harder (and, finally, nigh on impossible) to find a solid, quiet, private 1/2 hour (forget about 45 minutes or taking a class!) block of time each day to devote to Tai Chi. I was actually becoming stressed out about not having enough time to do Tai Chi! How’s that for counter-productivity!
The article points to the July issue of the American Journal of Public Health where it says that based on results obtained at the Oregon Research Institute, several counties in Oregon have adopted a Tai Chi program to older adults to promote physical activity and improved balance. Continue Reading »
If you haven’t been exposed to martial arts much, it might (or might not) surprise you to know that martial artists are very competitive about their styles. Practitioners who spend all their time in one particular style of martial art will almost invariably believe their style to be better than any other. I suspect this is more prevalent among younger people — at least I hope so.
The more experience (and wisdom) a student has, I think, the more willing they may be to see the strengths in other styles and want to study them. I know that many martial artists who study hard, external styles such as Taekwando or Karate for many years will gravitate toward soft, internal styles like Tai Chi to find better balance in their lives.
Bruce Lee was probably the ultimate example of a martial artist who was constantly striving to expand his knowledge. He started out studying Wing Chun, a style of Kung Fu (or Gong Fu), but eventually found it to be limiting. So he adopted elements from many other martial arts and incorporated them into his own style and called it Jeet Kune Do. His notion was of a “style without a style” — a martial art that could adapt and change depending on the style of the opponent. Continue Reading »
I received an email last week from a new visitor to the site asking whether I could recommend a teacher in her area. Unfortunately, I don’t have any information that specific (yet), however, I certainly would like to be able to provide that service.
I was thinking about the radio show Car Talk on NPR and I remembered they have a section on their website called “The Mechanics Files” where people can go and recommended their favorite (or least un-favorite, anyway) auto mechanics.
I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be great if there was a website where people could do the same thing for their Tai Chi or other martial arts teachers! And then I realized that I could do that here! So, fellow students, I realize that many visitors to the site are new to Tai Chi and are looking for instructors themselves, however, some of you have already had (or will have in the future) good experiences with your teachers, be it with Tai Chi, Kung Fu or otherwise.
I want to know about it and who those teachers are! I’m going to collect the information and build a special page of Recommended Teachers for the TaiChiStudent.com site.
So let me know about them! If you have a special martial arts teacher that you want to recommend, send me a comment through the site (click on comments in the menu at the top of the page) with the teacher’s name, the martial arts studio (if any) they are affiliated with, phone number, address and anything else that would help a fellow student to find that teacher.
This has nothing to do with Tai Chi or this site, but George Carlin’s special brand of humor and irreverent and bizarre insights had a tremendous effect on my own developing sense of humor during my formative years.
You will find only touches of it in my writing for this site, but my own sense of humor is definitely left-of-center and was formed by deep exposure to George Carlin and Monty Python when I was young. Whereas many kids my age were probably listening to the Bay City Rollers I was listening to George Carlin and Monty Python albums. I can still quote entire routines by heart.
So I was quite devastated to hear of George Carlin’s death (he would have been pissed off if I said “untimely passing”). As a matter of fact I’ve been fairly useless today for much of anything I’m afraid.
I apologize for the gap between blog entries on the site. My children have all been graduating from various levels of schooling (gee, having three kids, each four-years apart, seemed a good idea at the time) and for the last couple of weeks my life has been a long succession of field days, awards ceremonies, commencement exercises and graduation parties.
Between that and finishing off the first/introductory Tai Chi Student newsletter the time just flew by over the last two weeks.
This issue of the newsletter is centered around my article, “How to Find a Tai Chi Teacher or Class” and will be automatically delivered to those using the form on the right side. There is no risk, since the subscription is free and you can unsubscribe at any time just by clicking a link at the bottom of the newsletter.
If you are already subscribed and did not receive a copy of the newsletter please drop me a line using the comments section of the website and I’ll make sure you get it.
Thank you for subscribing. Here’s to a stress-free life.
Here is a video about the benefits of Tai Chi to seniors. Notice how many of the ladies in the video talk about their increased confidence in their ability to move without falling.
OK, I’ve said it before, and I’m definitely not the first, but I just found this article from US News & World Report dating back to April, that says Tai Chi is better than Yoga in helping to improve balance and prevent falls in Seniors. You can read it here:
This is principally because Tai Chi focuses more on maintaining balance and posture through a range of movements, improving leg strength, and muscle coordination, whereas Yoga concentrates more on static poses. In Tai Chi weight is smoothly being transferred from one leg to the other in a slow, fluid motion that emphasizes posture and even, balanced, stable movement.
This is part of Tai Chi’s martial arts heritage. Even when one foot is holding most of the weight during a transfer, the feet are firmly rooted into the ground and the center of gravity is held low to make it difficult for an opponent to knock you off your feet. This translates very well for the elderly into learning how to move and walk with confidence and without the fear of falling.
Sorry I missed this article when it first came out, but I was just starting to put this site together around then.
The attractive girl with the short, spikey, black hair jumped out of her car; phone firmly glued to her ear. She came into the convenience store (where I was deciding what to buy) and padded around, quickly, gathering various snacks and drinks, never for a moment breaking the tapestry of conversation she was weaving with whomever was on the other end of the line.
She continued talking as she got in the check-out line just ahead of me, never pausing or breaking concentration even when it came time to slide her debit card through the reader. She gathered her purchases and exited, still talking intently. I followed her out, visually, as I paid for my Diet Coke (not very “tai chi” of me, I guess, but it’s my only vice!) and watched her get in her car, maneuver one-handed out of her space and speed off, phone still firmly affixed to the side of her face. Continue Reading »
I helped my oldest son Sean, who is almost 18, with sound and setup and breakdown for his band the other night. His band plays “death metal” which is like heavy metal on steroids in a testosterone-fueled state of rage. There is no true “singing,” merely guttural screaming that I liken to the sound of someone gargling with broken glass. Not a pretty image I know, but there you have it ….
As I was listening to the “music” (with earplugs on – natch) I started thinking about how every generation’s “angry music” is angrier than the generation’s before. I honestly don’t know how far it can go. How much angrier, faster, louder and (sorry, Sean) incomprehensible can it get? Presumably, every generation has asked this question. One can only imagine what today’s gangsta rap and death metal would have sounded like to parents of the 1950’s who were scandalized by the sounds of Rock Around The Clock. But I digress … Continue Reading »
