4 Ways to Sneak a Little Tai Chi into Your Day
Having trouble scheduling time to practice outside of class? Here are four ways to sneak up on Tai Chi and make it a part of your day:
• Alpha and Omega. Make Tai Chi the first thing you do when you wake each morning, or the last thing you do at night. If you have trouble get-ting your day started, stimulate your body with “Beating the Heavenly Drums” or an-other Qigong exercise you enjoy. If you are physically exhausted or sleep is elusive at night, instead of counting sheep, lie down and go through “Push the Mountain” or what you know of the Tai Chi form in your mind.
• Need a break from the computer screen or a challenging mental task? Sit in Wu Chi to evoke the same alert-aware state you achieve in class during standing meditation. Add the arms for Universal Post and you will also relax and strengthen your upper body.
• Need to make a lengthy phone call or several short ones? Practice a little Tai Chi Walking. Take a few steps forward, backwards, or side-ways, then repeat. If you have speaker phone, you can add the arms and walk the postures you’re learning in the Tai Chi form.
• Think being stuck standing in line is a bad thing? It’s the perfect time and place for a little stance training. Back, Bow, Cat, and Horse stances will hardly be noticed by others while you wait.
There’s the saying “practice makes perfect,” and another that states “it takes at least a thousand repetitions before you begin to master a movement.” Sneak in a little Tai Chi each day and you will be well on your way to a thousand repetitions—well on the way to mastery.