Faulk TaiChi

Learn the beautiful, flowing movements for health and relaxation.

Showing Up

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tai chi class Evanston

This was a week of “a-has” for some of my Tai Chi students. One woman, who has been in my classes about three years told me she really is feeling the energy move through her body in a relaxed way, right from the first two moves, Preparation and Beginning. “I knew my energy has been moving in previous classes, but I really felt it in class today! I felt it right away.” Another student, having been on vacation in Great Britain for over two weeks, walked in saying she wasn’t sure how much she would remember. After class, she told me, “I did o.k.. I remembered much more than I thought I would. It’s good and I’m glad to be back.” Her body remembered even though her mind had doubts. Another student, back after a 5000 mile driving trip said she really wanted to move her Qi through Tai Chi, feel the energy with others moving together through relaxed, flowing movements.

After class last night two students approached me, saying, “we want to thank you. Not only do we feel more relaxed and calm, this class hit deeply, in a personal, spiritual way.”

tai chi movements

It’s not me; it’s students connecting with their internal energy, guiding it in specific ways — mindful, relaxed, with attention to proper alignment. I am a catalyst, a guide for students to find a pathway to best possible health, using Tai Chi and QiGong movements as our vehicle.

Each of these students is committed, makes healthy practices a priority, shows up. Showing up – that’s the key. Showing up even on days when it’s hard to get out the door, when energy might be low, when the to-do list is long. Showing up can be the beginning of change, can be the path towards improved balance, in our bodies and in the way we live.

All these students show up. How do you show up for yourself?

See. . . Hear. . . Smell. . .

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What images come to mind when you think of autumn? Green leaves turning to golden yellow, burnt orange, vivid red. Excitement in the air as you move with the crowd, winding your way to the Saturday afternoon collegiate football game. Walking on a cool, crisp evening by the lake in a light windbreaker jacket.

A season of visible change — hours of daylight are decreasing. Thoughts drift to the fact that winter is not far away. For children, and in triggered memory for adults, it’s the new school year. Vacations are over. We are back to school, back to work.

Try experiencing autumn anew this year, in a very mindful way. Engage your senses. Notice the yellows, reds and oranges of the tree leaves. Watch the precision of the flying long-necked geese, in their perfect V-formation, honking loudly along the way. Stop to glance at the children in the school playground, running laughing, playing with their friends. Note the cloudy days when the raindrops turn into little ice crystals. And note the first evening when goosebumps pop up on your forearms. That extra soft blanket feels so good for sleeping. It is so obvious now that the shadows of the trees lengthen. You see more shadows everywhere.

Hear the humming of harvesting machines in the fields along the country roads. Farmers are picking the field corn and harvesting soybeans in their combines. Locusts buzz loudly — no missing their presence in the city and farms alike.

Smell the apple butter cooking on the stove. The cinnamon and nutmeg in the pumpkin pie make your mouth water in anticipation of autumn gastronomical delights. Not far away is the special aroma of the 16-lb. turkey roasting, soon to be a family feast for a special holiday meal.

Bite into a crisp golden delicious or red apple, with a crunch on each bite. How good is the seasonal acorn squash right now, accented with brown sugar and a touch of butter. My mouth waters just thinking about it.

Outside, your cotton, long-sleeved shirt feels good on your arms. It’s time to bring out your long-sleeved shirts, sweatshirts, jackets. Sandals and shorts are gone until next year.

Pay attention to the crisp, cool air that signifies this season and is so invigorating. It’s a great time to take deep breaths, fill your lungs with refreshing, clean air. Your feel alive. You are in the moment, enjoying the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touches of autumn.

Use all your senses and enjoy!

(Updated from an article I wrote for the Heartwood Center for Body Mind Spirit newsletter, with great input from my mother, reflecting on what she likes about the autumn season)

The Mind of an Olympic Athlete

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Speed, finesse, durability, precision — all images we see as we are spellbound by the London Summer Olympics. The TV images we watch also blast out at us in high definition — the fall, the tears, the bronze medal seen as a loss, the rise to the mountaintop but failing to reach the peak.

It all seems to show that to be human as an elite athlete, is to strive for perfection, reach unthinkable heights, break world records or fall short in just .08 of a second and feel the sting of someone who is a little bit faster, a little bit stronger, a little bit more agile on that particular day.

A fascinating article in the July 30 Summer Olympics Special issue of Time magazine portrays the complex and amazing journey of Lolo Jones, a U.S. hurdler. She embodies an unlikely story of a difficult childhood and rise to a world-class athlete. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, she “choked”, hit a hurdle in the 100m race, and lost the gold medal. I put “choked” in parentheses because the word is coined and has been scientifically researched. The article sites Sian Beilock, from the University of Chicago and other scientists who “suspect that athletes under stress choke when too many thoughts flood the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain that houses informational memory. Worry, and the brain become too busy.”

Lolo Jones continues to deal with the memory of 2008. She lives with media pressure as well as her own to prove to herself and the world that she is a world-class athlete and can win.

That’s more pressure than most of us have to deal with, because we’re not in the media spotlight and we’re not competing on a world stage. However, we can all identify with “choking”, because it happens to all of us. It’s part of being human. Our minds trick us, over think. In every Tai Chi class we remind ourselves to focus on the moment, try to clear our minds of the chatter. It’s a practice for class. It’s a practice for life.

I wonder how many Olympic-level athletes engage in a practice of tai chi, meditation or yoga. If not, I wish they would consider it.

And, I wish for Lolo Jones, a Tai Chi state of mind and body as she comes on the world stage in the next few days.

Lift Your Knee

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Walking is a popular activity at this time of year. The sun is shining. It’s warm outside and we are in days of many hours of light. We feel like moving and know that some exercise is good for us.

What do we think about when we’re walking? Are we paying attention to what’s around us, other walkers and bicyclers, the flowers, the birds, the lake, the bright green leaves on the trees? Or are we in our own world, thinking about work deadline that’s looming, what we’re going to have for dinner, how to resolve a sticky problem or the worst, texting while crossing a busy street corner? Texting walkers can be a challenging obstacle course. And a couple weeks ago I saw a woman reading a hardback book as she walked down the street. Totally unaware of where she was, totally unaware of other walkers and cars.

In Tai Chi class, we practice walking, keeping our legs and feet parallel, focusing on moving our weight totally over the standing leg before picking up the opposite foot. And speaking of our feet, some of us don’t always pick up our foot to take the next step. “How can we take a step forward if we don’t pick up our foot?’ you might ask. Some of us shuffle along, from heel to toe, without actually lifting our foot. Or we drag our heel. It may be habit or weak legs or a physical challenge. Whatever it is, it’s a recipe for a potential stumble and fall.

I ask students to think about not only lifting the foot to take the next step, but also the knee. When you lift the knee, that leg comes up vertically and you firmly have your weight on the standing leg. It’s training our body to firmly have our standing leg be planted into the ground or sidewalk. That gives us stability and helps promote proper alignment throughout our body. It also promotes a vertical movement rather than just a forward movement.

This practice, over time, can help us improve our walking, slow us down and prevent falls. The next time you’re out walking, pay attention to what your habits are.  Are you shuffling, looking down, favoring one side? Take a few moments to slow down — place your foot solidly on the ground, lift the opposite knee and foot, and then take a step forward. Happy and safe walking!

Am I Breathing?

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Yesterday in Tai Chi class, one student remarked that she wasn’t breathing. No, it wasn’t an emergency; it wasn’t a health crisis.  It was  an “aha”, a moment of awareness.

Our movements in class are slow and fluid. We learn to feel and know where are weight is — it is 50/50, equal weight on each leg, 100/0 when we walk, or 70/30, when we move into a bow and arrow stance. Many of us are not aware of how we stand, sit or walk, or where our weight is at any point of time. I help students learn and practice weight-shifting, becoming aware of where our weight is at any point in time. That awareness helps our balance, stability and alignment.

While we practice moves that shift weight, I mention breathing, sometimes in unison as a class and sometimes just breathing naturally, at our own pace. We focus on placing our heel down, then the sole of the foot, then shifting weight onto that leg, all before we even think about picking up the other leg to take a step forward. Sometimes, our mind is so focused on the individual movement, we forget to breathe. We hold our breath.

I often remind students, in the midst of moving, to breathe, just breathe naturally. With practice and increased awareness of our breathing, we learn to move and breathe together, in a very natural way.

Fortunately, breathing is an automatic function in our daily life. Good thing, because most of us would be in big trouble if it weren’t.  However, we can increase the quality of our breathing, and therefore the quality of energy flow throughout our bodies with awareness. With practice. It is a wonderful time of year to be outside, taking a walk, riding a bike, watching a beautiful sunset. Next time you time a little time for yourself, take that walk, with awareness of your breathing.  Count your breaths, coordinate your breaths with each step or just celebrate the fact that you are breathing, moving and doing something very healthy for your body and mind.