In all Taoist practices, there is a theme of moving like a newborn. We look to the softness, connectedness, and smoothness of their movements to re-learn and relax how we normally get around. Taoist breathing trains you to move your belly, sides, and back in a gentle compress and release pattern that tones the internal organs. The Opening and Closing of the joints that we train in the Marriage of Heaven and Earth qigong, teaches you how to minimize muscular force and lead your movements from the natural hydraulic pumps in the joints and cavities of the body.
Anyone who has suffered back pain, especially lower back pain, understands from listening to doctors and therapists that much of their problems are the result of years of bad posture. The spine is meant to curve in a certain manner to allow the nervous and circulatory systems to function at their optimum. When we slouch, sag our shoulders, even stand too straight, such as maintaining a military like posture, we force the spine into unnatural positions.
I want to thank everyone who took the time to answer this poll about meditation practice. You shared some really nice insights into what you experience and why you practice. In this post, I want to share some of the common themes and the particular language people used to express what happens in a typical meditation practice session. Body-Centered Meditation Practice The first big theme was how physically oriented many people are in their practice.
One of the biggest benefits that you can get from studying Tai Chi is to improve your physical and mental health. What most people do not understand about Tai Chi, even some beginning students, is that the power to do this comes not from the muscles but from the Chi. It is much easier for non-spiritual people to visualize the body as a complete of electrical circuits and the Chi as the electrical potential that runs across those circuits.
In his new book, the Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi, Dr. Peter Wayne lays out the “8 Active Ingredients of Tai Chi” to help us understand the interface between traditional Tai Chi practice and the Western biomedical paradigm. As the Research Director of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, jointly based at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and the founder of the Tree of Life Tai Chi Center, Peter blends more than three decades of teaching experience with ongoing inquiry into what makes Tai Chi an effective medical intervention.
Taoist sitting meditation is a powerful practice, but many people have a hard time sitting still or focusing on their bodies long enough to develop sensitivity to the energies of sitting meditation. Sometimes, when you explore related practices, like Tai Chi, you develop the skills you need to ease into sitting meditation practices. One of the most important skills taught in Tai Chi is the ability to focus. It is only through structured focus that we can access our Chi, or internal energies.
I was talking to a friend last night about standing qigong and different meditation traditions that we had both tried. When we say “meditation” in this context, we were including all practices like breathing for relaxation, Tai Chi, qigong, and sitting practices too. Part of what I’d like to hear from you (see below) is how you define “meditation” in a way that’s practical and part of your everyday life.
Tai Chi has the potential to solve many common posture-related problems, but only if you follow the correct Tai Chi principles. Specifically, you want to pay attention to the body alignments that unify the arms, legs, and spine, creating effortless openness throughout the skeletal system. In Tai Chi, the way you hold your neck and head and release the pelvis into the legs are the exact opposite of what those of us who sit all day do.
