Take your time. You are making progress.
Lesson from a Turtle
Celebrating Year of the Wood Snake
People born in the Year of Snake are said to be resilient and courageous with strong interpersonal skills and leadership qualities. The wood element adds a layer of growth and creativity, because just as the Snake sheds its skin, this year represents the opportunity to renew oneself, embrace new possibilities and leave behind outdated ways.
What a fun, energizing afternoon Tai Chi students and friends had as we gathered on February 2 to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Come with us and feel our positive energy reach out to you.
We began by centering and cultivating positive energy with Michelle Bobier.
Letting go of our to-do lists we focused on standing in good alignment, breathing and stretching, moving our energy to enhance our physical and mental well-being. Ahhh. . .
Sarah Bernauer lead us in a discussion of opening chakras to enhance energy flow. We moved gently to feel the energy come up through our feet into our center and upper body. The image resonated because in Tai Chi we root our feet like a tree into the earth and bring up the nutrients and rich energy the earth provides.
Daniel Thatcher continued leading our energy movement with fundamental principles of Tai Chi — proper body alignment, methodically shifting our weight with intention, moving from our waist and hips rather than the upper body,
relaxing our knees as we stand with our weight equally distributed on our two legs. Look how centered and relaxed everyone is, focusing entirely on the moment and breathing.
In “The Movements of Magic – The Spirit of Tai Chi Ch’uan,” Bob Klein says: “Often in life, we are so caught up in concentrating on the past and future that we miss the present. And truly, the present is all that exists for us. We may think about the past or imagine the future but we can actually deal only with the present. In the present we have power.”
What a wonderful way to celebrate the 2025 Lunar New Year, breathing and moving in the present, being mindful of the moment.
A big thank you to Daniel, Sarah and Michelle!
Letting Go
Is your mind swirling with a to-do list that keeps getting longer and longer? Are you fearful about the current climate of we vs. they and where it might lead? Is AI going to make you obsolete? Do you reach the end of the day and ask yourself “What have I accomplished?” and don’t like your answer.
Do you feel like this —
but would like to feel like this ^
First . . . Breathe. Stop whatever you’re doing and take 30 seconds to breathe. Inhale. . . Exhale. . . Again, inhale, then exhale. Inhale . . . Exhale. One more time. Inhale. . .Exhale.
It’s summer so take a walk outside. Wander through a farmers market. Attend a free outdoor concert.
To relax your mind and body you have to let go of what you’re already doing or thinking about. When you walk, focus on how it feels to put one foot forward, shift your weight to it. How marvelous that one leg can manage the weight of our entire body! How marvelous it is to be able to walk!
Tai Chi is a wonderful practice to help us relax and let go. We learn to let go of what is spinning in our heads, focus our bodies and minds on gentle, flowing movements. We are like the trees rooted into the earth, connected with nourishing energy that flows up through our bodies. Being in the moment. Letting go.
An Unexpected ‘A-ha’
This week two tai chi students, in separate classes, told me that they had experienced something unexpected, something they would not have thought about as a benefit from tai chi — increased leg strength and muscle tone.
The first woman discovered this in the midst of a Shiatsu bodywork session. The professional working with her commented on the strength in her legs and asked what kind of exercise she did. She did a quick review in her mind — not a long distance walker, runner; not aerobic classes or strength training; some bicycling but mostly in the summer. Then she mentioned tai chi.
“Ah, that’s it. Tai Chi is excellent for building muscle strength in your legs,” the healer said.
My student was excited about what she discovered, excited about such positive results she had not expected.
The second woman has only been in tai chi class a couple months. In each class, we practice deliberate walking, in proper alignment, focusing on the standing leg. When we place our weight fully on one leg, centered and rooted, that allows us to more easily lift the opposite foot and leg to step forward. That meditative practice promotes increased balance and increased strength and stability in our legs.
I asked the students what they were feeling, what benefit they were receiving from the walking practice. The first one to speak was the ‘second’ woman, who said she was feeling stronger, particularly when walking up and down steps.
“My legs don’t hurt so much. I notice that I can do more and it is easier. It motivates me to keep doing tai chi, even though I don’t remember the specific moves we do. But I do remember the walking, because I do it every day.
These little discoveries are actually ‘big’. I call them the little ‘a-has’ of life that make us feel good about ourselves, that keep us motivated to continue with our healthy practices, in this case, tai chi.
Faulk Tai Chi
Wishing for each of you, an unexpected and motivating ‘a-ha’ for your leg and body strength.
Some Good Advice
“Does anybody else have osteoporosis?” one of my newer Tai Chi students asked the class during a break in my seniors’ class this week. A couple women nodded their heads in a ‘yes’.
“No, I don’t have osteoporosis, but I do have osteopenia, one woman added. A couple others nodded ‘yes’ to that remark.
“Well, I want to do everything I can not to take medication for this. Once I start, I think I might be on it for life. I need to see what my doctor says next week, but I don’t like the idea of taking strong medication for this. What else can I do?”
“Do you take calcium and magnesium?” “Foods with calcium and Vitamin D can help.” “I had to cut back on salt and caffeine.” “Exercise. Exercise can help.” Each class member had some valuable input on the subject.
“Let’s talk a bit about exercise,” I said. “Walking is great because it’s weight-bearing, which can help strengthen bones. Walking outside is great but the cold days of winter can make that a challenge. However, we do walking, intentional walking in every Tai Chi class – forward, backward and sometimes pivoting in and out of a bow stance. Not only does that help with balance, it’s weight-bearing and can be good for our bones.” More nodding of heads.
I added, “Walking once a week in class is a start, but the real benefit from that practice is to do it at home at least a couple times a week. Even with limited space in a condo, the walking we do doesn’t need much space. The key is getting yourself to do it, setting aside time, just as you do to come to class.”
“Wow, I hadn’t thought of that,” the woman, who originally asked the question, said. “I have to try to be focused to do that.”
The weight-bearing aspects of shifting weight and walking through Tai Chi may have positive benefits for our bones. However, there is an additional benefit to being in a class. We help each other out. Even if the student ends up with medication, all the good advice she received will certainly be of benefit.
A Lesson from the Turtles
So much negative news on the television right now — round-the-clock coverage on finding a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings last week. It puts our nervous system in a state of high alert, of fear lurking around the corner. Don’t go out of your house. Lock the doors. Don’t let anybody in. Will our city be next?
So, I will offer an alternative today, a story that will make you smile.
By chance I happened to see a little story on TV that offered a good life lesson for all of us. An organization on the east coast rescued turtles in the midst and aftermath of hurricane Sandy. I’m not sure what condition the turtles were in, but now they were ready to return to the Atlantic Ocean.
A truck arrived on a sandy beach. The pleased workers carefully took out 240 to 250 turtles, ready to return to their natural habitat. The spotted turtles, with about 16-inch or so shells, were lifted out of the truck. At the front of the TV screen were the turtles and toward the middle of the screen a few feet from the turtles were the waves lapping up onto the beach.
The turtles seemed to have smiles on their faces, looking directly at the water, anticipating their freedom. As their legs touched down on the sand, they looked forward and started moving. Slowly, ever so slowly. Their destination was clear but they didn’t hurry. They took their time and didn’t touch or run into each other. They just moved forward. Slowly, right side forward, then left, then right. . .then gracefully moved into the water and were at peace as they returned to their home.
In Tai Chi when we practice walking, I often mention that ‘the tortoise wins,’ meaning the slow, steady, purposeful movements of the tortoise, the turtle is what we want to emulate. The turtles are steady, focused and intentional. They are in the moment. The live a long time.