Image from TIME Magazine website
In February this year TIME Magazine cover story was about: "The Mindful Revolution: the science of finding focus in a stressed-out multitasking culture". Mindfulness is now apparently accepted by the mainstream and it says a lot about the levels of stress in our culture & society - and that we should do something about it. To a Tai Chi practitioner this mindfulness aspect is nothing new. But inevitably when mindfulness is brought up meditation and yoga are the ones oft referred to. Tai Chi barely gets a mention. In the style I do my teacher regularly stresses to: "listen to your body" which is a mindful practice that develops your skill applicable to release stress & tension and restore calm.
Firstly to get rid of tension you first must be aware of it. "Listening to your body" in Tai Chi develops your awareness of different areas of your body, e.g.- where your feet, legs, hips, upper body, shoulders, arms, hands, fingers & head are in relation to each other and being aware of the amount of tension each part is holding. After being made aware that there is tension, learning how to let go of it. Are your shoulders raised, chest tensed, hands & fingers tensed, lower back stiff, posture stooping & spine not aligned vertically? Learning to let go of bodily tension allows the mind to let go of its underlying stressed state and be more calm. This is only one part of the Tai Chi puzzle.
Authour – Lee Chang Tye
https//www.relaxedmindtaichi.com
Firstly to get rid of tension you first must be aware of it. "Listening to your body" in Tai Chi develops your awareness of different areas of your body, e.g.- where your feet, legs, hips, upper body, shoulders, arms, hands, fingers & head are in relation to each other and being aware of the amount of tension each part is holding. After being made aware that there is tension, learning how to let go of it. Are your shoulders raised, chest tensed, hands & fingers tensed, lower back stiff, posture stooping & spine not aligned vertically? Learning to let go of bodily tension allows the mind to let go of its underlying stressed state and be more calm. This is only one part of the Tai Chi puzzle.
Authour – Lee Chang Tye
https//www.relaxedmindtaichi.com
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