Salt Lake City Park

This is a picture of the community park we been practicing the internal martial arts in for 15 years.

Say Goodbye to Anxiety and Anger With A Few Deep Breaths!!

We all get worked up, or anxious, from time to time. There is no definitive way of escaping this but  how we go about making it better is the question that needs answering. When I was in school, I never really knew how to deal with my temper tantrums, rapid hearts, shakes etc. Whenever there was a situation, considered awkward in my mind, I would do everything to avoid them at all costs. It only took me one time and if I felt totally uncomfortable, I would tell myself to never get involved in those situations going forward. Awkward situations for me included things like being around highly attractive girls, a lot of people at one time, or even when I had to answer a question in front of my fellow classmates.

Whatever the reason was for my nervousness or anger, during those times listed above, I didn’t know how to calm myself inside and out. A little over five years ago, when I started practicing Tai Chi, Qigong, and stillness mediation, I finally learned how to channel my nerves. It was all through a simple technique that keeps all humans functioning…breathing. It’s kind of funny because my parents and friends would always tell me to “take a deep breath” , when they saw me getting somewhat agitated. When I was younger, I had a tendency of being hard-headed and stubborn.  I never truly understood the importance of taking a breath and how it could truly calm me down.  Who knew that doing some simple breathing could give me that momentary relaxation I needed to handle most “nerve-wracking”  situations. It has also helped  in the past couple years, especially when I worked in a sales job. Anytime the customer would get angry, I would remind myself to “just breath” and that two or three deep breaths helped me stay absolutely calm. There is nothing truly like a quality breath!

chi-kung « WordPress.com Tag Feed / by wartica

10 Tips For Setting Up Meditation Practice

The benefits of meditation come with regular practice, and that means making it part of your life. That’s one of the great challenges of learning meditation, so here are ten tips for establishing a meditation practice.

1. Get some instruction

You can learn the techniques of meditation from books and CDs: there are some good ones around (check out our shop). But it helps a lot to learn from a real person.Take a course – or go to a class where you can ask questions about the issues. In time, it helps to have friends or even teachers who are more experienced meditators than you are.

2. Settle on a practice that suits you

On an MBSR course there are three main practices – the mindfulness of breathing, the body scan and mindful movement, and there are many others out there. It’s worth experimenting a bit and then settling on the practice, or combination of practices, that work for you.

3. Find a regular time for practice

You might start off thinking you’ll just try fitting meditation into your day somehow or other, but establishing a practice means finding a time that works for you. For many people, first thing in the morning before the day starts up is a good time; others prefer the evening. There are pros and cons with either so you’ll need to experiment.

4. Set up a meditation place

You can meditate anywhere, but if you sit down amid clutter it has an effect. So set aside a space that evokes the feeling of meditation. Some flowers, a candle or an image on a table can be enough to encourage the feeling that you’re leaving aside the usual preoccupations. It also helps to set aside the cushions or chair that need for meditation, and it’s worth thinking about getting some meditation cushions or a stool.

5. Talk to your family or housemates

To avoid people barging in or turning up the music just as you start to get settled, talk to the people you live with and let them know what you are doing. Don’t worry if they thing you’re weird: if they notice you’re calmer and happier they’ll soon change.

6. Meditate with others

It’s hard to keep anything going on your own, at least to start with. We all need encouragement and guidance. Many people find a setting where they can meditate with others: Buddhist centres, sitting groups, follow on courses.

7. Go on retreat

Retreats are a chance to get away from all the things that usually fill up our lives. They vary in length: you can find day retreats or residential retreats for a weekend or longer. Just being quiet and meditating several times a day lets everything settle down so your experience can go deeper. On an intensive retreat you don’t do much apart from meditate, but there are less demanding options as well.

8. Take your practice off the cushion

If you think of meditation as something that only happens in the formal practice time, it will be hard to maintain. So look for ways to keep the thread of mindfulness and meditation alive through the day. The Three Minute Breathing Space gives you time to stop and connect with mindfulness, and you can find many more, informal ways to do the same.

9. Reflect on your values

Most of us get enthusiastic, every so often, about a certain kind of exercise or studying a particular subject. But, looking back, we only maintain a few of these. They are the ones that touch on the values at the core of our lives. If you can make the connection between something that is a deep-seated drive like helping others or understanding the truth, or a pressing concern like not getting depressed or being more effective as a parent, then you’re much more likely to be able to sustain it.

10. Be patient … and persistent

Establishing a regular meditation practice is a long-term project. You may miss days, get discouraged or just forget about meditation for a while. The key thing is to keep going. If you force yourself to meditate when you really don’t feel like it, you’ll probably have a reaction to the whole idea; but if you wait until you do feel like it before you pick your practice up again, it may never happen. But with time,

Finally, if you have learned meditation with me, do keep in touch and come to the Practice Sessions. I’d love to hear how you are getting on.

Wildmind Buddhist Meditation / by Vishvapani

Zen to Fitness – The Incredible Power of Small Fitness

This is a very appropriate article where the internal martial arts are concerned!

People tell me they’re excited about developing fitness, but just can’t seem to start. They lace up their shoes but can’t make themselves step out the door. They get into push-up position but can’t force themselves to go down.

They don’t have a problem once they get started, they just have a problem starting. It’s almost as if they are afraid of the “pain” of the workout.

I think all of us, even fitness veterans, have witnessed this problem at some point. For me, it used to be a crippling problem. I would, for instance, start running, but be unable to force myself out the door after a few days. Failing to start prevented me from developing the fitness habit.

But I have found a solution:

Small fitness. That is, doing only a small, easy amount of a fitness activity.

If you feel like you can’t run at all, tell yourself you will just run a block. This is easy enough, so it will get you outside and jogging.

As it turns out, you probably will feel better once you get started. If this is the case, then you can run longer, but if you still don’t feel like running, only run the block. Don’t break your promise to yourself or it won’t work next time.

If you don’t want to eat all that broccoli, try eating a piece or two. Maybe it isn’t so bad, so you will eat more. Or if you still don’t want to eat it, don’t.

Say you usually do 100 push-ups but aren’t feeling motivated today. Try doing 10 or 15 and see how you feel.

Don’t have time for a workout? Make yourself do a few pull-ups (or even 1) every time you enter a room with a bar.

The key to small fitness is two things: doing something, no matter how small, is always better than nothing, and starting small can make  you want to do more.

There will be days when you don’t want to run or workout or eat healthy. If we give in, the habit is broken, but if we use small fitness, we can keep the habit while still moving forward.

This is not to say that you should always implement small fitness. Implement it when you feel like you don’t want to do anything, and when you are first developing a fitness habit. From then on, it’s your call.

From now on, you don’t need to take days off when you don’t feel like doing fitness. You don’t need to break your fitness habits. You just need to utilize the power of small fitness.

Jake O’Callaghan

Tips for Type As who can’t meditate

Meditation can change the brain from a mass of neurons twitching with anxiety to grey matter humming on a Zen wavelength. And you needn’t be a Buddhist monk to benefit.

Neuroscientists have discovered that after just eight weeks, non-meditators who start a mindfulness practice show decreased brain activity in the amygdala – the brain region that controls anxiety – and increased grey matter in regions involved in perspective-taking and regulating emotions.

Too bad the idea of meditation stresses people out.

People think they have to sit in a formal cross-legged pose and “get rid of their thoughts,” says Dee Willock, the Vancouver-based author of Falling Into Easy: Help For Those Who Can’t Meditate.

But any comfy position is fine – as long as it doesn’t induce sleep, Ms. Willock says. Efforts to suppress or eliminate racing thoughts are futile, she adds. The goal is to put antsy thoughts in the background while the mind focuses elsewhere.

Beginners may find it easiest to simply notice how each breath feels in the body, Ms. Willock says. Or be aware of bird calls, car beeps and other ambient sounds. Likewise, try using the drone of a ceiling fan or other white noise to sink into a meditative state.

Urgent thoughts will intrude (“What if I tank in the meeting?” or “Did I turn off the stove?”). Acknowledge their existence, she says, but then tell them you’re going back to your focus. “It’s like training a puppy.”

Fears of being at the mercy of negative thoughts is a “huge barrier” for newbie meditators, notes Ms. Willock. She suggests imagining that each breath brings joy, or by filling in the details of a happy memory. While it may seem contrived, she says, “as soon as you describe it to yourself, you’re there.”

Dial-down strategy

Busy people can meditate anywhere, even if it means sitting in a living room full of kids, Ms. Willock says. Start with 15 minutes a day, since the mind tends to calm down around the 10-minute mark. It’s okay for some sessions to feel more meditative than others, she adds. “Meditation has a cumulative effect.”

~ ADRIANA BARTON

Put Down That Tai Chi & Qigong Book!

You can pretty much throw away those “instructional DVDs” while you’re at it.

One of the key takeaways from Master Fong Ha’s tai chi workshop was that most people complicate learning a tai chi form. It’s almost as if there wasn’t enough of a learning curve in tai chi.

Fong Ha taught the first 13 postures of the traditional Yang style tai chi form to my students in 2 days. It took me 6 months and maybe even more to teach the same exact material!

How did he do it? Check out the photo here of the first tai chi posture called “right ward off” and mimic the older gentleman on the right. The only instruction I’ll give you is that your right leg should bear most of the weight during this posture, turn your body to the right corner of the room, and hold it while relaxing your whole body for a minute.

Next, mimic this posture for the left ward off. Put most of the weight on your left leg while having your body face the front of the room and hold the posture while relaxing your whole body for a minute.

Voila! You just learned two tai chi postures already! Do this for at least 30 minutes alternating from right to left and you have yourself a good exercise routine.

Most books and DVDs will go on about how flowery the movements in between these postures should be. According to Fong Ha, IT’S NOT NECESSARY! By cultivating the stillness in these two poses, you are programming your muscle memory. Furthermore, you should not worry about how to get from the right ward off posture to the left ward off posture. Follow the famous Nike slogan “Just do it.”

This practice not only transformed my understanding of the tai chi form, but it also transformed the way I teach it.

April 22, 2012 at 1:07 pm – moysauce

http://www.swimmingdragontaichi.com/2012/04/put-down-that-tai-chi-qigong-book/

Practice

“Spiritual success is gained by daily cultivation. If you practiced for the day, then you have won. If you were lazy for the day, then you have lost.

Self-cultivation is the heart of spiritual attainment.  Gaining insight and ability is not a matter of grand statements, dramatic initiations, or sporadic moments of enlightenment.   Those things are only highlights in a life of consistent activity.

Whatever system of spirituality you practice, do it every day.  If it is prayer, then pray every day.  If it is meditation, then meditate every day.  If it is exercise, then exercise every day.  Only then will you be able to say that you are truly practicing spirituality.

This methodical approach is reassuring in several ways. First, it provides you with a process and a means to maintain progress even if that particular day is not inspiring or significant.  Just to practice is already good.  Secondly, it gives you a certain faith.  If you practice every day, it is inevitable that you will gain from it.  Thirdly, constant practice gives you a certain satisfaction.  How can you say to yourself that you have truly entered a spiritual path unless you can
look back on years of daily practice and take comfort in the momentum that it has given you?”

-  By Deng Ming-Dao
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
April 4   Day 94

Self-Correction Through Training

‘In the smallest movement, the willing of falling into the ground, softening of the joints and the appreciation of the vertical  relationship to the ground is strictly necessary to the ability of energy to circulate entirely’ – P Ralston

‘Weight in motion creates change’ – J Aston

There’s the principles of resting-in and supporting in solo work and connection. Sometimes it feels as if there is too much leaning and putting an unbalanced load into your partner. Approach this defect with the idea of draining from the contact points without losing connection. Couple this with ‘Hand Up, Me Down’. Refine the ground path draining downwards and see if you can get  below the ground simply by adherence to this.

What is hand up, me down? Raise the hand. Just the hand. As it spirals up, relax the body. Let it drop downwards. The downwards movement raises the hand. Now the hand continues it’s spiraling up. Wave goodbye to your hand. It is released to the air as the body sinks below. It raises of it’s own accord. This is the principle called hand up, me down.

by OldtaichiGuy on April 3, 2012

Muscular Coordination and Fascial Body Movement

I am beginning to see the difference between body movement driven by muscular coordination and body movement that also incorporates a system of fascial connection or what might be called fascial body movement.

Internal strength as I now understand it, is expressed through fascial body movement and not through muscular coordination alone. Developing fascial body movement follows a very different path from developing muscular coordination.

Developing muscular coordination involves developing the gross and fine muscular motor skills and eye-hand coordination for a particular activity. This is the system we use, for example, to learn how to walk, write, play ping-pong, and practice some martial arts forms.

Developing the feeling of fascial body movement involves feeling fascial stretch, noticing where there are gaps in the feeling of fascial stretch, and then eliminating these gaps by linking the areas where you feel stretch to develop full body fascial connection.

In the Wujifa system, internal strength is developed following the path of fascial body movement. Wujifa focuses on developing the feeling of fascial stretch through simple, functional exercises. The core Wujifa exercise is Wujifa Zhan Zhuang with its unique structural alignment points of 1,2,3,4 – 1,2,3,4.

Here is an example of fascial body movement as demonstrated by my instructor. If you don’t see any difference between this and the more familiar muscular coordination movement, that’s OK. If you don’t know fascial stretch, and if you haven’t had someone show you many, many times, then distinguishing the two can be difficult or confusing.

Wujifa Basics: Connection Stretching and Refinement

In my early years when I was learning and practicing Tai-chi forms and push-hands, I thought that refining my muscular coordination skills would lead to internal strength. After ten years on this path, I discovered that I was no closer to demonstrating internal strength than when I started.

Over the last ten years of learning and practicing Wujifa, I am now beginning to see a difference in how various internal martial arts practitioners move. I notice that only a small percentage of people practicing the internal martial arts actually move with fascial connectedness or fascial body movement. Very interesting….

Even though conceptual understanding is no substitute for actual practice, being able to conceptualize the distinction between Muscular Coordination and Fascial Body Movement has helped me understand why my earlier practicing Tai-chi forms and push hands did not lead to developing internal strength. I hope you find this distinction useful as well.

Blogger |by Mike at internalgongfu.blogspot.com on March 28, 2012

Taiji practice for Total Hip Replacements

These are some recommendations. Please know that I am not an expert on any subject, so use your common sense and check with your doctor if you have questions. My background as a western medical doctor, some knowledge of acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine, familiarity with osteopathic concepts and practice, and some years of sincere TaiJi practice creates a somewhat unique opportunity to express the commonalities in these disciplines.

As more Americans live longer and longer, healthy and appropriate forms of exercise will be an increasingly important part of lifestyle. Taiji (Tai Chi) is one very helpful and popular form of exercise for Seniors. This practice of gentle and slow movements that enhance balance and calmness have many physiologic and emotional benefits, hence Taiji’s growing popularity among our elders.

In medicine we say ” do no harm.” This basic principle must also be followed when teaching Taiji to Seniors. Many 60, 70, 80, and 90 year old students often have medical and surgical histories that must be considered. In the writings below, the issues of modified practice for seniors with Total Hip Replacements will be addressed.

Basic Concepts of the Hip Joint

The hip is a “ball and socket” joint, meaning that one bone (the leg bone or femur)has a round ball-like end that fits into a cup-like cavity of another bone (the pelvis or innominate bone.) This arrangement allows for a wide range of movements, in contrast to “hinge joints” such as the knee.

In the illustration below, hip joint is shown. The green arrow points to the articular cartilage that provides a smooth surface to protect the bones during movement. As the range of motion of the joint is engaged, this surface moves and rotates freely within the cavity of the innominate bone.

front view of the right hip

In the view below, the bones have been cut through to enable us to see a few important features. The short vertical purple line shows the direction of the force of gravity, which is transferred through the hip joint through the leg, through the foot, and into the ground. The diagonal line shows that the pelvic bone’s cup does not completely cover the entire vertical surface of the ball. Note the red arrow. This region is one vulnerable area for a hip dislocation.

front view of the right hip (cut through the bones)

Another “risky place” is seen in this back view. Note that the angle shown above is also found in this view. If the hip is turned to an extreme position of folding/closing (turning the navel to the right while the right toe is pointing forward) would create stresses, where, if the tissues where compromised, the ball of the hip could “pop” out the back, or dislocate.

back view of the right hip

The green arrow is the “sit bone” part of the pelvis, and the blue arrow is the hard bone easily felt on the side at the upper part of the femur, called the Greater Trochanter.

side view of the right hip

This side view shows a vulnerability to dislocation if the navel is turned to the extreme left while the right toes are pointing forward.

about Total Hip Replacement surgery…….

In this illustration, an aspect of the procedure for surgery for Total Hip Replacement replacement is shown. Note that the neck and ball of the femur has been cut off, and that the cavity in the pelvic bone has been enlarged to be able to receive the artificial cup.

In this picture the finished arrangement is shown, with the stem of the prosthesis in the femur and the neck and ball of the prosthesis inserted in the prosthetic cup. Note that, essentially, the angles of the normal hip appear to be maintained. There are some subtle aspects that are important, but are beyond the scope of this writing (such as offset of the center of rotation). However, no matter how brilliantly engineered, an articificial hip is not the same as a normal healthy hip. Reference was made earlier to compromised tissue facilitating the possibility of dislocation. Surgery such as this does significantly compromise the tissues, since many of the supporting muscles and ligaments have to be cut through, then surgically repaired in order to perform the surgery. The resulting weaknesses can be a major source for dislocation of the artificial hip.

post-op precautions………

After surgery, patients are given very specific instructions about how the leg may be used without causing dislocation of the prosthesis. Some of these prescriptions are quite life-changing. For many weeks, activity is very limited as the tissues begin to recover from the surgical trauma. The hip cannot be bent to more than 90º. This means no low chairs, low toilets, etc. also, merely tying one’s shoes incorrectly could lead to dislocation. Over time, the tissues do get stronger, but some movements must continue to be avoided.

TaiJi Principles and Total Hip Replacement…………

In TaiJi, we teach the principles (from the Chinese classical teachings) that guide the movements. Are these principles in accord with good medical and common sense? Yes, I believe that they are. Following the principles can lead to stronger tissues and a lower likelihood of dislocation. One principle is “Upright Body.” This means that there is a clear vertical orientation, from suspended headtop to the “bubbling spring” on the sole of the foot. We talk about “sinking the sacrum.” This is accomplished by relaxing, especially the muscles in the low back (lumbar region). As we relax, imagining a ten thousand pound weight on the tip of the tailbone, the lumbar muscles can soften. Note the red arrow on this side view x-ray illustration.

:

There is also a clear horizontal orientation. Note the yellow arrow above: The pelvis MUST stay level in all dimensions, front-to-back and side-to-side. As the sacrum sinks, the pelvis can become more level, rather than tipped forward. It is equally important not to thrust the tailbone forward, pointing the navel (Dan Tian) up and tilting the pelvis in the opposite direction. This front-to-back direction must be level and not tilted. either too up or too down. Again, the teaching, “use mind, not force” is central.

The X-ray below is a front view. Notice the level yellow arrow:

See how stable the hip joint is! Tipping so that the right hip bone comes up puts stress and strain on both hip joints. The same is true when we tip up the left. If, as the weight is shifting, there is a sense of “poking out” at the GreaterTrochanter of the femur, the hips are probably unleveling, and the force of gravity is not being conducted vertically.

Keeping the pelvis level is one part of avoiding total hip replacement problems.

The other important concept is to not over-turn to the extremes (due to all of the considerations described earlier). So what is considered too much turn from the hips? After reviewing this question with an orthopedic colleague, the following suggestions are made.

1. Do not turn in more than 30 degrees. The navel (Dan Tian) can be thought of as a vector (arrow). When our navel, knee, nose and toe (knee and toe of substantial/ weight-bearing ) are all aligned, the vector of the Dan Tian and the vector of the foot direction are the same. When turning to the left while in the left foot, for example, the vector of the foot can be thought of as the zero point, and the hips safely turned until there is a 30 degree difference.

2. Do not turn out more than 30 degrees. The same “tracking system” can be used here. Turning out more than 30 degrees can also cause hip dislocation.

In considering these points, it is clear that there needs to be some modification of the practice by students with Total Hip Replacements. I certainly cannot suggest changing the form! That is not changeable. However, we do need to modify the individual practice. This means that the extremes many postures should be limited. Postures such as Lifting Hands, White Crane, and others which require extreme outward opening must be examined carefully. Similarly, turning in, such as Rollback, transition to Single Whip, entering Crossing Hands, and others need to be considered.(some simple choreographic modifications)

More important than these technical form requirements are the principles, which are not compromised. Relax, Upright Body, Turn from the Hips (with reasonable limits!) and clear differentiation of yin and yang (full and empty) can all be done. Therefore the benefits of practice will be maintained.

Practice of TaiJi increases body awareness and discipline. I sincerely believe that correct practice, will, over time, strengthen the tissues and decrease the likelihood of problems. Indeed, it may be that TaiJi practice is a very helpful and useful exercise for people with Total Hip replacements.

Carl Hendel,M.D. 8/00