Even if you have cultivated a daily practice that takes you into deep relaxation, it’s helpful to have a set of stress reduction techniques “that work in 5 minutes or less.” You can pull these out during the day when you have a few minutes of downtime. If you are busy and really stressed out, these relaxation techniques can prevent your stress level from going through the roof. Try them and let me know what you think. ...
As a Tai Chi teacher trying to educate people about relaxation, I come across some pretty common misconceptions. Which of the following two ways is how you think about your personal energy levels? Your answer will determine how well you can achieve whole body relaxation: Couch Potato Model of Relaxation -- How many people try to bust their butts during the day only to come home and completely crash at night? Maybe you play this out during the week and crash on the weekends? I call this cycle the Couch Potato Model of Relaxation. You have to become one with the cushions of your couch to recharge your batteries. This is a fundamental misconception about the nature of work and rest being like an on/off switch. Energy on a Dimmer Switch -- In tai chi and chi gung, we actually value the ability to seamlessly shift between high and low energy output, like a light on a dimmer switch. This is in direct contrast to the Couch Potato Model of Relaxation that alternates between complete crashes (the light is turned off) with the short, quick bursts of high energy (the light is turned on). In the Dimmer Switch Model, relaxation has a form. In the Couch Potato Model, it is formless, floppy, and disconnected. In order to smoothly shift the gears of your energy level between complete relaxation and high output performance, you need to build an energetic matrix that supports this process. One of the best ways to build up your energy matrix is through a standing chi gung practice. ...
People often ask me if tai chi is good for losing weight. If they’re asking whether tai chi is a substitute for running or lifting weights, the answer is usually “no”. When someone has been really injury or hasn’t exercised in a long time, tai chi can get you back on your feet and moving pain free. For these folks, tai chi can be a safe first step towards more demanding exercise. ...
In class the other day, a student asked me what kind of chi gung (qigong) we study. She said a friend of hers had been learning a different form and they wanted to compare notes. This is always an interesting conversation, because the term “qigong” covers a lot of different forms of exercise. Literally, it means “energy development” or “energy cultivation”. The chief aim of any qigong practice is to develop your natural energy levels, making your energy, or chi, smoother, increasing your capacity to move it through your system or using it for specific applications, like martial arts or meditation. ...
Most of the practice tips on this blog are about setting good practice habits in motion, but bad habits, like poor breathing, need to be disrupted too. The tools you use to disrupt bad habits are the same ones you use to create good practice habits: Make the “when” and “how” of your practice highly contextual: “On Tuesday, I will practice for 15 minutes between meetings in my office, so that I can feel more energized as I head into the afternoon.” Focus on small chunks of skill: “As I do my qigong form, I will focus on how the weight-shifting connects my feet to the floor.” Finally, leave yourself wanting more. If you always finish a practice session feeling like you’re not burnt out, but actually a little bit hungry for more practice, you’re going to crave your next practice session. Over time, you create a practice snowball, where the little doses of highly contextual practice add up to a greater inner drive to practice, more practice stamina, and the ability to focus on meaningful aspects of your practice. This is the best path to acquiring new skills. ...