“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.”
― Henry David Thoreau
Hi, everyone! This time I thought I'll share some more of my Tai Chi training experience. And I made the video that shows moving from one season to the next while staying dedicated to the practice. For about year and a half I've been learning this beautiful, ancient trio of skills that includes Kung Fu and Qigong besides Tai Chi.
We are all different and enjoy different routines and hobbies. Some people don't have patience or courage to do Tai Chi but I found its benefits are universal - few weeks ago my friend's long lasting neck pain disappeared after just one of our sessions. It's important to stay active and loosen your body especially as we grow older, in order to stay healthy and vibrant.
Qigong specifically is a good starting point, doesn't require much space and you can follow some online class, no need for a one on one with teacher. It opens the meridians and clears blockages so the stagnant energy can flow. Here you focus on breathing, correct posture and accumulating energy. Tai Chi is then like a dance, it moves the accumulated energy to all organs and body parts.
Given my 4 big loves - nature, poetry, old Kung Fu films and cinematography, you can understand why I love training and making these movies. :) Some people find it hard to follow the complex moves; to me it comes natural and easy, even though at first I was far from perfect at it of course.
The more you train the easier and more natural it becomes. At some point your mind memorizes the moves and from then on the body itself is leading the way, the memory is stored inside and you start moving effortlessly. The mind is free. That's when the real training begins and when you witness the real benefits. Something inside opens up and you become one with the environment, the practice becomes a moving meditation.
A good, regular stretching is necessary to be able to perform this well. Most of the time you are in low stances and stretching. It's important to strengthen the legs and open the hips and that's the main goal of my current routine. I will start sharing groups of exercises that work on these elements.
I thought I'll make a video showing a transition of the four seasons and how training looks like in each of them. It's important to stay active even during winter months. And what a better place to train then in such beautiful natural environments. Images are stills from the movies I make, not the best quality but hopefully can paint the picture. :)
