I am 73 and have osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. I was told I would be in a wheelchair in two years time, which I refuse to accept. I am about ten days into a beginning tai chi practice. I am astonished at how much straighter I stand, how much better I move, how much less pain I am experiencing. In my early 30s I practiced aikido, so the tips you offer remind me of what I learned then, more specifically body/muscle memory. ( Like riding a bicycle, only different.). I love your teaching style, the clarity and practicality of how to both center and flow in equal measure. Thank you so much.
Thank you for the lovely comments. Tai chi is great for improving posture, balance, leg strength, mobility, and flow. Most if not all physical issues are a result of resistance, and by practicing tai chi rest assured you will develop less resistance on all levels. Many years ago I attended a 10 day silent mediation retreat, and through many hours of meditation I realised experientially that all pain is resistance. It is the resistance of the sensations that creates the most suffering, and by contrast when we embrace the sensations we experience them very differently. When we welcome the sensations they transform. this was later confirmed again through the teachings of a very advanced spiritual teacher who stated "the only way to experience anything is to resist it". This takes it one step further and it makes a very interesting contemplative exercise. Tai chi will take care of you for life. Keep up the good work!
One thing that is helping me as I try and follow along is to pause for a moment and just spend some time shifting my weight from leg to leg to develop a feel for that before adding any of the hand or arm movement. I am finding keeping track of all of the concerns at the same time difficult. I'm sure it will get easier with practice, though. Thank you for what you're doing.
Jared Housh thank you for the kind words. You’re absolutely right and I encourage you to keep on with that practice. I have also many times just focused on changing weight from leg to leg and feeing the connection in the hips, allowing the waist to turn. It takes time for the weight to travel down from the shoulders and into the legs, let alone make it down to the feet. Many thanks 🙏
Hi Colin. I'm not sure if I'm on the right track, but this is what I'm feeling in a continuous cycle when I follow along with the video: - When you say 'change', the side my waist/legs is turning towards gets spring loaded (especially the inner upper thigh area) - When you say 'shifting weight', it feels like a releasing of the spring load towards the side the weight is shifting towards Is that the type of depth/feeling I'm looking to cultivate in my form?
Hi Victor. You basically want to transfer weight from one leg to the other as much as you can. When the waist turns the leg will follow because they are connected to each other and inseparable. In the beginning it will feel clunky. With practice it will become smoother. Don't worry about cultivating feelings to much, because the way we describe the feelings will change as the feelings change. Focus on relaxation, centre alignment from the crown point to the ground, and keeping the hips level as you change weight and turn. That will help you.
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I am 73 and have osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. I was told I would be in a wheelchair in two years time, which I refuse to accept. I am about ten days into a beginning tai chi practice. I am astonished at how much straighter I stand, how much better I move, how much less pain I am experiencing. In my early 30s I practiced aikido, so the tips you offer remind me of what I learned then, more specifically body/muscle memory. ( Like riding a bicycle, only different.). I love your teaching style, the clarity and practicality of how to both center and flow in equal measure. Thank you so much.
That’s beautiful. 🌞
Thank you for the lovely comments. Tai chi is great for improving posture, balance, leg strength, mobility, and flow. Most if not all physical issues are a result of resistance, and by practicing tai chi rest assured you will develop less resistance on all levels. Many years ago I attended a 10 day silent mediation retreat, and through many hours of meditation I realised experientially that all pain is resistance. It is the resistance of the sensations that creates the most suffering, and by contrast when we embrace the sensations we experience them very differently. When we welcome the sensations they transform. this was later confirmed again through the teachings of a very advanced spiritual teacher who stated "the only way to experience anything is to resist it". This takes it one step further and it makes a very interesting contemplative exercise. Tai chi will take care of you for life. Keep up the good work!
One thing that is helping me as I try and follow along is to pause for a moment and just spend some time shifting my weight from leg to leg to develop a feel for that before adding any of the hand or arm movement. I am finding keeping track of all of the concerns at the same time difficult. I'm sure it will get easier with practice, though.
Thank you for what you're doing.
Jared Housh thank you for the kind words. You’re absolutely right and I encourage you to keep on with that practice.
I have also many times just focused on changing weight from leg to leg and feeing the connection in the hips, allowing the waist to turn. It takes time for the weight to travel down from the shoulders and into the legs, let alone make it down to the feet. Many thanks 🙏
Hi Colin. I'm not sure if I'm on the right track, but this is what I'm feeling in a continuous cycle when I follow along with the video:
- When you say 'change', the side my waist/legs is turning towards gets spring loaded (especially the inner upper thigh area)
- When you say 'shifting weight', it feels like a releasing of the spring load towards the side the weight is shifting towards
Is that the type of depth/feeling I'm looking to cultivate in my form?
Hi Victor. You basically want to transfer weight from one leg to the other as much as you can. When the waist turns the leg will follow because they are connected to each other and inseparable. In the beginning it will feel clunky. With practice it will become smoother. Don't worry about cultivating feelings to much, because the way we describe the feelings will change as the feelings change. Focus on relaxation, centre alignment from the crown point to the ground, and keeping the hips level as you change weight and turn. That will help you.
These videos help me immensely in my practice but I have one nagging question. What's the cat's name?
That would be Kira 🐈😹