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Move – Enjoy the Moment

June 22, 2020 By Arlene Faulk

The most sunlight of the year, that’s where we are. Summer Solstice. It feels different this year because we can’t gather for outdoor concerts, beach or boating gatherings or cookout parties. There is a virus around and for many, it’s a time to be cautious for our health and that of others.

Even with this reality, we need to take good care of ourselves, pay attention to our bodies and spirits. If a health club is off limits, be sure to walk, even if it’s around and around the same two or three blocks.  Breathe – inhale,  then  exhale.  Stretch. Bicycle. Take an online Tai Chi class. A yoga class. Dance.  When  we  move  our  bodies,  focus  our  energy  on  the  movement, we  relax,  quiet  our  mind  and  enjoy  the  moment.

Tai Chi on Zoom
dancer

TAKE  TIME  TO  MOVE  YOUR  BODY ENJOY  THE MOMENT.

inhale exhale

Filed Under: Breathwork, Changing Seasons, Energy, Mindfulness, Tai Chi Tagged With: body movement, dance yoga, exhale, focus, inhale, tai chi class, the moment

Listening

January 21, 2017 By Arlene Faulk

Faulk Tai Chi

Is listening becoming a lost art?

Generally, we think of listening with our ears. Does that sound like a strange statement? Think about it. More and more conversations are transacted via email or text or twitter. We may occasionally listen to a live speaker but many of us rely on reading sound bites or short news stores on our computer or phone. I don’t think we can really listen through the written word. Nuances, inflections, tone are difficult to pick up on a screen and maybe more likely to be misinterpreted.

PDX Chinese Gardens

Really listening and hearing another person requires focus and being open, open to what he or she has to say. There is another aspect of listening that is as important as readiness to hear spoken words – listening to our bodies. Many years ago I learned an important lesson from an exercise instructor in New York City. “Your body doesn’t lie,” she announced in class one day. I thought and thought about that. Dealing with some severe physical challenges at the time, I realized that I used my mind to say “It’s not so bad,” “I can get through this” I wasn’t really listening to my body because I didn’t really know how to do it. When I started to listen, through work with a professional acupuncturist, I started to take time out for rest, started a Tai Chi class. Tai Chi helps me quiet my chattering mind, empty out the thoughts, be in the moment, be a better listener.

It’s only when we can focus on the moment that we can quiet our mind and open up to listen, to our body and I also believe, to words of other people. It takes openness to listen, from an open mind that is willing and ready to listen.

If you are like me, it may be helpful to think what you might do, what you might let go of, to be in the moment, to really listen. What is your body telling you? How might you really listen and hear what someone else is saying out loud to you? You may find that listening in conversation, being open to others is related to how your body feels.

Filed Under: Energy, Listening to our Body, Mindfulness, Paying Attention, Tai Chi, Tai Chi Classes Tagged With: body and mind connection, openness, quiet the mind, the moment

The Mind of an Olympic Athlete

July 31, 2012 By Arlene Faulk

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.

Filed Under: Change, Listening to our Body, Mindfulness, Tai Chi Classes Tagged With: energy, focusing, quieting the mind, stress, the moment

Arlene Faulk

Arlene Faulk

After a years-long struggle to understand and conceal debilitating symptoms while I ascended the corporate ladder, I found comfort and healing through Tai Chi and Chinese Medicine.

My memoir, Walking on Pins and Needles, is the story about the power to control our lives and move in the direction of possibility. Read more...

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FROM TAI CHI STUDENTS

Tai Chi makes me feel calm, yet energized. Because of my practice, the small irritants of life affect me less.

Tai Chi student

I had back surgery, was in pain and had little range of motion. Tai Chi practice at Heartwood has helped me increase flexibility, my range of motion and my overall stamina.

Tai Chi student

Arlene teaches the Tai Chi form in such a gentle and connected way that many movements now feel utterly natural and healing.

Tai Chi student

I've even shared some of the exercises with my bike club to help reduce injuries. They really work!

Tai Chi student

I've always been a klutz and have regularly lost my balance and fallen when walking outside. Arlene taught me how to stand and walk properly through Tai Chi. I really can't believe it: I haven't fallen in four years since I've been taking Tai Chi with Arlene!

Tai Chi student

I love Arlene's Tai Chi classes. She helps us understand not only what we're doing, but also why we're doing it. That really helps me take what I learn in class and apply it to my daily life.

Tai Chi student

I'm really inspired by what Tai Chi has done for Arlene. She is a great teacher, who is calm and very patient. She has really helped me not to be so hard on myself.

Tai Chi student

I play golf and had a lesson after school, on the same day we had Tai Chi class. My coach commented, 'Your posture is amazing and all of the balance issues that we have been fighting for so long seem to have just taken a vacation.' I mentioned to him that I thought it was due to Tai Chi.

Tai Chi student

Tai Chi relaxes your entire body and promotes peace and proper breathing. The more I manage to breathe properly while doing any activity in my life, I generally tend to do a lot better at it. I benefited from Tai Chi because it managed to help me with my breathing skills even more.

Tai Chi student

Tai Chi really gives my body strength to put up with the pains of my breast cancer and back problems. Tai Chi is 'sneaky'. You don't think it's helping, but eventually you realize it's helping you.

Tai Chi student

For me, Tai Chi brings comfort and quiet amidst all the chaos and change.

Becky, Tai Chi student

In just a few months, the practice has become perhaps the most nurturing element in my life during COVID times, when sustaining a commitment to anything else has been challenging.

Barb, Tai Chi student

The community Tai Chi has provided has been a gift. With so much we can now do whenever we wish --- with an app, YouTube video, or streaming service --- meeting weekly (via zoom) in real time, live, to practice Tai Chi creates true community.

David, Tai Chi student

I really enjoy our time together and I've found Tai Chi a great way to "keep moving," not only during this pandemic but also as a regular practice with a wonderful integration of mind, body and spirit.

Martha, Tai Chi student

Tuning into the class and seeing familiar faces of the other students brings a nice sense of community and connection during this time of separation and isolation.

Julia, Tai Chi student

I love the walking practice because it helps me slow down and focus only on the moment.

Tai Chi student

Tai Chi has made me aware of how I’m standing and where my weight is. My balance is improving.

Tai Chi student

I hear Arlene saying to listen to my body and only do what I can do. That helps me relax.

Tai Chi student

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25 Years Faulk Tai Chi

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