Moving like a flowing river

Under heaven nothing is more soft and weaker than water.
Yet for attacking the hard and the resistant, nothing can surpass it.
The weak can conquer the strong,
The soft can conquer the hard.
Under heaven everyone knows this
Yet no one seems to apply it.
Lao Tzu

I was reminded of the above text by Lao Tzu, when I saw how different the beach looks today after yesterdays storm, millions of tonnes of pebbles have moved to form a new terrace equal in height, to the height of yesterdays high tide. And yet, when we put our hand into a bowl of water, the water molds to the shape of our hand effortlessly. Try to pick up a handful of water and water trickles through our fingers. But water, with all its softness, will cut through mountains and re-shape landscapes.

So when we change from one posture to another in Tai Chi, our movements should flow like a river, effortlessly, continuously moving and changing position with out hesitation. Just as rain drops falling on the river become part of the river, so should each posture of a form become like one long posture. And each 'drop' of internal energy combine and move like a flowing river through out our entire body.

Buterflies, berievment and stormy seas.

The flower invites the butterfly with no-mind;
The butterfly visits the flower with no-mind.
The flower opens, the butterfly comes;
The butterfly comes, the flower opens.
I don't know others,
Others don't know me.
By not knowing we follow nature's course.

Ryokan

Three people use my counselling service to to help come to terms with berievment, I listen to them, we talk, I give them confedential emotional support and afterwards lite incense to Buddha, then go and sit on the beach, its sunny but very windy, large waves crash on the shore.

Breathe deep, take the challenge and change your life!

When the sun shines, it is a beautiful day.
When it rains, it is a beautiful day.
When it snows it is a beautiful day.
When storm driven waves come crashing
On to the shore, it is a beautiful day.
When the light goes out at the end of the tunnel,
And life does not seem worth living, it is a beautiful day.
There is something beautiful in everything,
We have only to look.

Even when something may seem completely without beauty, lacking in virtue, or without merit of any kind, somewhere there is beauty and virtue and merit. And when life seems so bleak that there is no light at the end of the tunnel and life is not worth living, very often it is our perception of a situation, person, or thing that defines what we feel at that moment in time. If we change our perception and look, we will find beauty and virtue in every thing.

Wisdom, love and compassion is more important than the ability fight and win battles. Martial art or conflict between nations, the ability to heal, mend, and repair what is broken goes far beyond the ability to fight or cause conflict. One of the fundamental tenants of Tai-Chi-Quan is harmony, internally and externally. This coupled with a non-contentious spirit is more powerful than any martial practice on its own.

Take a moment and consider what is really the truth. Breathe deep, take the challenge, change your life.

learn to laugh, learn to relax

What are the first thoughts that go through your mind when you see the photograph below? "My kind of car....." Did it make you smile? Did it make you think "What on earth...?" and laugh. If after a hard day at work you saw the photo or something like it and you smiled to your self, then you have already started to relax. If I put a picture of a Ferrari or a battle scene in a war zone instead of the photograph below, then you would have totally different thoughts occupying your mind.

Now take a look at the photograph of the "Bamboo raft and basket" and then the "Water lily at Bystock Lake" and look inside your mind, as you look at photographs think, How do they make me feel?. Did the photograph of the Raft and the basket make me feel relaxed, and the water lily did it make me feel peaceful? May be they did, may be they didn't, either way the important thing is to find something to make you smile and relax and to drain away tension.

I photographed the vehicle in a small village in Guilin, China, back in March. There are any number of small general purpose agricultural vehicles like this one, loaded to the gunnel's with agricultural produce carrying vegetables and crates of chicken to local "Farmers markets" this one was waiting to load river rafts and take them back up stream.

My kind of car.......

The resting place is in our mind

The world is constantly drawing our attention outward.
Create some time each day to pause, meditate
and turn the attention within again.
Like a sheet of origami paper folded back onto itself,
the mind returns to being just as it is for awhile.
Carve out a resting place,
a rock to sit on where the mountains
of your mind extend as far as you can see.
Then bring the attention back within
and see for yourself what the mind is.

Anon

Go on, put your feet up

Look around us and you will see that just about everybody is overwhelmed with work, phone calls, media messages, junk mail, terrorist threats, computers, news updates, politics, war, images, noise, traffic, pollution, our minds and thought process are being bombarded with information and I believe we have reached overload, we can not take any more. Family problems, financial problems and much, much more are gradually making us ill, so I invite you to take the antidote. I invite you to take the day off. Take a day off, re-claim your “day of rest”, the day that was once present in our culture, but has now become swallowed up by our 24/7, must have it now life style. I believe that people badly need a day of rest to balance the stress of our fast-paced, stress producing lives. Every day we hurry to get so many things done, to meet urgent short-term demands. We complain about not having enough time to relax or to do the things we know are important to our well being.

All I am suggesting is to try taking one day of rest on a regular basis, one day each week, even one day each month, whatever seems doable on a regular basis and it must be on a regular basis. On this rest day, forget work, civic duties and world affairs; focus on your private life. The activities you choose to do on your day of rest depends on you the individual, but might include playing with family, visiting friends, taking a walk in the park, taking time out to appreciate the beauty of the countryside. If one is physically exhausted, take a nap, read a book, focus on having a day of rest and rejuvenate your body and mind.

After you try a couple rest days, ask yourself how it feels. Were you glad you did it? Do you feel better, more relaxed or further ‘behind' or did you find that it was OK to put off the things you would have done for a day? Was it worth it? Then ask your self “when did I last do that” or it might be “I’ll have to do that again. Then maybe you will find time to take the day off again, just for your self, to relax and unwind and put your feet up

Bamboo raft and basket Guilin

Benefits of Meditation

The art of meditation is the art of Shifting
the focus of attention to ever Subtler levels,
without loosing one’s grip
On the levels left behind.
Nisargadatta Maharaj

The therapeutic benefits of meditation are now well documented and are known to relieve a number of “mind made illnesses” including anxiety and heart disease as well as bring an inner freedom and personal transformation to the individual by opening the door to our consciousness and revealing aspects of our inner selves that have laid dormant for most of our lives. This can be quite liberating, the process of spring cleaning our mind can uncover deeply ingrained feelings, habits and prejudices and help us to recognize them and let go of them, giving us an inner stillness and peace of mind.

Although the benefits are many, there should be no desire achieve goals of any kind in our practice of meditation. Zen uses the term Mushotoku, which means "without any goal or profit-seeking" we should not seek any benefits from these moments, but just simply be. Just concentrate, focus and breathe. The by product of our practice over time being an improvement in:

• Our emotional wellbeing
• Stress relief
• Lowering our anxiety levels
• Controlling our anger
• Reducing depression
• Self confidence
• Improving our self esteem

Mushotoku: The optimum state for Zen practice, in which there is no goal or object, no intention for self gain or profit.

Reflections on 911

0730hrs, sitting on the beach watching the reflections of the sky on the sea and the changing colours as the sun brakes through early morning cloud, contemplating on the changes over the past five years, since the horrors of 9/11 shook the world and trying to work out what lessons we have learned.

If we accept and practice the principal of an “eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” then we will never really have lasting peace and happiness in this world, we can only suffer the anxiety, fear, hatred, and the paranoia of revenge and its consequence. Revenge is not so sweet when we are on the receiving end, violence only creates violence. Nobody can escape the consequences of their actions.

To break this vicious circle someone has to have the courage to make a change, to develop love, kindness and compassion for others, then, we have a chance to live in peace and harmony. We all depend on each other; this is as much so within our families as it is between Nations, as it is between mankind and the planet we live on.

The Dalai Lama said “Benefit others....... If you can not benefit others, don’t harm them”, simple words and a simple lesson that would change the world if we practiced it.

I go home and light incense for all victims of terrorism and war.

Water Lily at Bystock lake

Holding the balloon.

When we are worried, our minds are in a constant state of turmoil; one thought is replaced immediately by another then another and another and we become like a balloon blown here and there in the wind.

When our mind is not peaceful, we find it very difficult to be happy. Our modern 24/7 stress filled world is slowly making us sick. There are so many reasons for us to become despondent and irritated. We allow ourselves to become bitter and angry when we allow stress to dominate our lives. When we start to feel that life is treating us badly we become unhappy, depressed, or even suicidal.

But with the systematic training required in meditation, tai chi and qigong the delusions that are the causes of all our problems and our suffering are eventually eradicated from our mind and we experience a permanent inner peace. With regular meditation, Tai Chi and Qigong practice, our mind will gradually become more and more peaceful. We create an inner peace and clarity that enables us to control our mind regardless of the external circumstances. We develop a peaceful mind free from worries and mental stress, and experience a purer form of inner happiness.

We stop the “balloon being blown on the wind”.

Practicing the Eight Posture Simplified Yang Style Form

It was 0630 when I walked along the seafront this morning, the sea was flat calm and a steel grey colour reflecting an overcast sky, small wavelets made a soft whooshing noise as they lapped gently on the pebble beach. It was not cold, about 20º C.

Starting the "Eight Posture Simplified Yang Style Form", I stood for a few minutes in meditation on the grass at the top of the beach then slowly stepped out with the left foot to the "Open tai chi posture", then moving slow, and controlled I held the ball and turned to the left into "parting the wild horses main" left foot forward then repeating the posture but with the right foot forward.

Without pausing I held the ball, stepped in half a step with the left, (rear foot) to form "White crane spreads it's wings" letting the ball of the right foot lightly touch the ground before moving into "Brush knee and press" with the left hand forward and stepping forward with the right foot into the same posture but with the left hand forward. Turning through 180 degrees clockwise I formed the "single whip" posture, with the right hand pressed forward and the fingers of the left hand forming the cranes beak.

Turning back, (90 degrees anti clockwise) and stepping in with the left foot I move in to "Cloud hands" circling the arms whilst stepping to the right three times. Then "Grasp the bird’s tail" this is really, three moves in one, from a right sided bow stance, we "roll back", "press", and then "push" before turning 90 degrees to the left in to the "Close posture".

The above discription of the eight posture simplified yang style form was difficult to write and no doubt just as difficult to read. I can not remember how long it took me to learn the eight posture form, but for ages I worked through the form repeating the postures over and over again until my muscles knew what to do with out me thinking of it, and I could start and end the form in the same spot blind folded.

One day after our small group had been struggling with the eight posture form, our instructor gave a demonstration of the 42 posture Yang form, it was stunning to watch and he rightly deserved the round of applause he received afterwards. When I asked him how long had he been practicing the 42 posture form, he said seven years, I can well believe it.

You can learn the eight posture form in a matter of a few weeks, to learn it properly a few months, to understand it a few years, but to feel it, a lifetime.

The Eight Posture Simplified Yang Style Form
1. Open tai chi
2. Parting the wild horses mane
3. White crane spreads its wings
4. Brush knee and press
5. Single whip
6. Cloud hands
7. Grasp the birds tail
8. Close

Tai Chi at Bystock Lake

THE LOTUS
First blooming in the Western Paradise,
The lotus has delighted us for ages.
Its white petals are covered with dew,
its jade green leaves spread out over the pond,
And its pure fragrance perfumes the wind.
Cool and majestic, it raises from the murky water.
The sun sets behind the mountains
But I remain in the darkness, too captivated to leave.

Ryokan.

I went to Bystock lake and spent fourty minutes or so working through some Tai Chi forms then sat on a bench watching the ducks in the sunshine, I do not need a lot to make me happy.

Tai Chi and Qigong the Ultimate Stress Busters

I have chosen to present this post from the stress sufferer’s perspective, because the benefits of Qigong and Tai Chi will then become more apparent. I am often asked:

What is stress?
Do I suffer from stress?
What are the causes of stress?
How does stress affect me?
How can I reduce or eliminate stress altogether?

Questions that are some times difficult to answer accurately, because what gives me a great deal of stress may not affect you at all and vice versa. May be someone else, under the same circumstances will react in a completely different manner to you and I. But we all have stress and prolonged stress is making us ill.

So what is Stress?
Stress has been described as “Anything that we perceive as a threat to us that triggers the “Flight and Fight Response”. The Flight and Fight Response evolved over millions of years, and enabled our cave dwelling ancestors to avoid being eaten by dinosaurs, hunt for food and fight noisy neighbors. This type of stress which is relatively short lived, today we do not run the risk of being eaten by dinosaurs, but the fight and flight response clicks into action when for example, we cross the road half asleep and hear the screech of car tires and jump out of the way. Once we are safely across the road our breathing and heart rate slows down and our blood pressure returns to normal.

How does Stress Effect People?
What is the cost of stress to the individual? Studies into the effects of stress, has linked stress to heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide. More commonly stress can lead to unemployment and the breakdown of the family unit.

Do I Suffer From Stress?
The short answer is “YES”. As we have just seen we do in fact need an element of stress in our lives in order to survive. Stress sharpens the senses, makes us quick to react and respond to different situations, therefore we are all subject to stress to a greater or lesser degree. The flight and fight, type of stress is relatively short lived and will wax and wane over a period of time, it never ceases. However chronic stress factors stay with us for a long time, and it is then that we may feel trapped by the factors that cause our stress. The effects of stress then becomes accumulative and if we are subjected to several stress causing factors even for a short period of time, we are at greater risk of developing chronic illness.

A survey by the British “Health and Safety Executive”, (HSE), during 2003 and 2004 indicated that over half a million individuals in Britain believed that they were experiencing work-related stress at a level that was making them ill. This survey of work-related illness indicated that an estimated 254,000 people became aware of work-related stress, depression or anxiety in the previous 12 months. The UK HSE statistics suggest that stress-related costs to UK employers are in the region of £700m every year. The cost of stress to society however is far greater and is estimated at £7bn pa. The Stress and Health at Work Study indicated that nearly 1 in 5 of all working individuals thought their job was very or extremely stressful, and that approximately 6,500 new cases are being reported per year. And this they say is almost certainly an underestimate. (SW103/04). And these figures only relate to work related stress

Physiological effects of Stress
We observe the world about us with our five senses, if we perceive a potential threat or danger, information is sent via our nervous system to our brain in the form electrical impulses starting a chemical and hormonal chain of events known as the Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, (HPA axis). The hypothalamus responds by releasing a hormone known as Corticotrophin-Releasing Hormone (CRH), which activates the pituitary gland to secrete Adrenocorticotropin the hormone that causes the adrenal glands to release three additional hormones, Epinephrine (Adrenaline), Norepinephrine (Noradrenalin), and Cortisol, (Glucocorticoid).

Non-essential processes are shut down and Adrenaline and Noradrenalin, increases blood pressure and cardiac rate, it diverts blood from the gastro-intestinal system to the muscles. Digestion is stopped and we may feel nauseas and have the feeling of butterflies in the stomach. Our reaction times speed up.

Cortisol releases glucose from the liver along with fats, which are released into the blood stream as fuel to power the muscles. Oxygen is needed to burn the fuel so our breathing rate increases. Our heart rate and blood pressure increases to accommodate the need to get oxygen and fuel to the muscles where we respond to the threat by running away or standing our ground and fighting. As already stated acute type of stress dissipates over time but if the problem causing our stress does not go away then we may start to suffer from the cronic effects of stress and find we suffer with the followig.

• Headaches
• Increased blood pressure and heart rate
• Sweating
• Tightness of the chest
• Difficulty breathing
• Hyperventilation
• Tremors
• Nervous tics
• Dryness of the mouth and throat
• Feelings of lethargy and fatigue
• Insomnia
• Diarrhea and stomach pains
• Decreased libido
• Obesity or weight loss
• Bruxism (teeth grinding).
• Back aches or neck pain
• Susceptibility to illness
• Palpitations (heart pounding or skipped beats).
• Muscle tightness or tension
• Skin disorders
• Heartburn and acid stomach
• Osteoporosis and bone fractures

What is Qigong

For thousands of years, Traditional Chinese Medicine has included the use of Chinese pharmacology, herbalism, acupuncture, massage and Qigong. But although Qigong has proven effective for a range of diseases and conditions, and is used extensively by tens of millions of people daily around the world for preventative medicine and self-healing, it has not received widespread acceptance by Western medical practitioners. Qigong focuses on the cultivation of the universal life force/energy, “Qi”, for the maintenance of good health.

The management of Qi for good health, was first postulated in the Chinese Classic, the “Yellow Emperor's Canon of Internal Medicine”, which is considered to be a reflection of medical accomplishment dating from the Warring States Period (476-221 BC). Good health results from a well balanced, free flowing Qi energy which is encouraged by regular Qigong practice. In Qigong we combine breathing techniques with slow physical movements and standing meditation to relieve tension in the body. When our body relaxes, our mind relaxes as well, and the division between the mind and body dissolves enabling us to create a higher state of consciousness. This expanded awareness leads to greater mental clarity and a healthier physical and emotional state.

Chinese Philosophy suggests there are three basic types of Qi, Heaven Qi,(Tian Qi), the Qi of the Universe, and the largest most powerful form of Qi, Earth Qi, (Di Qi), the Qi that is contained within our planet and Human Qi (Ren Qi). Human Qi regulates our growth, vitality, spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical balance. Human Qi also known as the three treasures is comprised of:

1. Jing
2. Qi
3. Shen

The First Treasure 'Jing'

Jing is described as "vital essence." And is the Qi concentrated in the sperm and ova. Jing Qi, is passed on to us by our parents at the moment of conception. Jing provides the foundation for all human activity and is said to be the "root" of our vitality, or the primal energy of life and is closely associated with our genetic potential and the aging process. The quantity of “vital essence” at the moment of our conception is said to determine both our life span and the ultimate vitality of our life.

Over a period of time Jing is burned up in the body by life itself, and when jing is depleted below a level required to survive, we die. Our stress filled 24/7 life styles especially chronic and acute stress and excessive behavior, including overwork, excessive emotions, substance abuse, chronic pain or illness, and sexual excess (especially in men), burn up jing or vital essence prematurely.

The Second Treasure, ‘Qi’
Qi is the internal and external energy of human beings and is obtained from the air we breathe and the food we eat, Qi from our parents (jing), and the Qi that surrounds our body or is projected from our body (External Qi). Internal Qi, is the total amount of Qi inside our bodies and includes the Qi that circulates through our organs and meridians (Qi pathways)

The sum of modest lifestyle practices (correct eating, avoiding excesses, etc.), breathing properly, meditating, qigong exercises and studying one’s subtle physical, emotional and mental changes related to the environment all help regulate qi.

The Third Treasure ‘Shen’

Shen is the third and most important of the Three Treasures and can be described as Mind or Spirit. Shen directs Qi and reflects our higher nature as human beings. Chinese masters say that shen is the all-embracing love that resides in our heart. Shen has been described as “the spiritual radiance of a human being and is the ultimate and most refined level of energetics in the universe”.

Shen is not considered to be an emotion or even a state of mind. It presides over the emotions and manifests as all-encompassing compassion, and non-discriminating, non-judgemental awareness. Shen can be expressed as love, compassion, kindness, generosity, acceptance, forgiveness and tolerance.

The Practice of Tai Chi

Today our lives are so full with pressure from work, families, money problems and having to be in two places at the same time, that we give our selves little time to relax and listen to our inner selves. We may not even feel part of the planet we live on, travelling through space in our own stress filled bubble, yearning for a different way of life. We may not realise that the slow, graceful, dance like movements of the Tai Chi practitioners in the TV intermission, could have a considerable impact on how we control our lives and cope with the stress we suffer in our modern western world with all the complexity of 24/7 lifestyles.

Practicing Tai Chi allows me the time, in an otherwise very busy daily schedule that is time just for me, a time of quiet and gentle exercise, the experience of stillness in movement. When practicing Tai Chi on the beach with the music of the waves or by “Bystock Lake” with it’s blossoming water lilies and the smell of pine resin, the practice of Tai Chi becomes a time for grounding and becoming at one with the universal life force. At times when life at work becomes unbearable I am sometimes able to think through the “eight posture” form and remember what it feel like when I practice Tai Chi and relax, or when I wake up worried in the night, I go into the front room and work through a form and go back to bed stress free.

Physically, Tai Chi and Qigong has improved my breathing and increased my lung capacity after heart bypass surgery. Regular Tai Chi practice has improved my balance and suppleness, I have become more coordinated and relaxed and not so inclined to get angry and frustrated by hustle and bustle of everyday living, I have become a much calmer person as a result of practicing Tai Chi plus my concentration and co-ordination has improved.

My research into Tai Chi and Qigong has introduced me to a history, a philosophy and a culture that has its roots in the Chou Dynasty over 2000 years ago and may have been influenced by a tradition that is even older. Tai Chi and Qigong has become more than just an evening class but a way of life, I believe I have benefited physically and mentally as result of regular Tai Chi practice, and I believe that a lot of other people would benefit from the experience too.