My First Day Tai Chi'ing

My doctor heard me when I explained that exercise has always allowed me to tap into some energy.  Ever since High School, I've been doing some sort of cardio exercise.  It seemed to me that if I didn't sweat, I wasn't getting much out of the task of exercising my body.  I used it as a cleansing of both body and mind; allowing my soul to see clearly.

At my sickest, I pushed myself to get out and run or something between a walk, wobble and jog.  Even in the winter months I'd force myself to get out of bed in the wee hours of the morning, bundle up and get out the door.

Exercise seemed to be all I had left in my hopes to overcome the debilitating effects of fibromyalgia.  Other doctors told me to stop because it was too hard on my body, but I couldn't risk handing over the last hope I had.  Dr. Bier heard me.  He told me to continue to jog, if that's what made me feel better.  He also suggested that I use a martial arts to build and strengthen my chi (life energy).

I ran for another two weeks after Dr. Bier's advice and then I noticed the urge to push myself wasn't as strong.  There was definitely a shift going on in my consciousness and my body. Then last week I decided to go on youtube to try a beginner's Tai Chi class.

It was frustrating at first because the pace was much slower than my general day-to-day pace.  I took this as a sign to slow down even more…consciously.  I followed the instructions, allowed a flow of the movements and caught myself wanting to do a Tai Chi version of Americanized Vinyasa Yoga.  I taught this yoga for many years.  It flows from one movement to the next, connecting the breath to the movement and it can move quickly.  I held back from changing the Tai Chi I was learning.  It occurred to me that this ancient martial art has lasted through the generations and studies have shown that it is of great benefit for the flow of energy.

I'll need to work on being in the moment no matter how fast or slow the moments come.  I spent a great deal of time learning the movements and being in my head most of the time.  I'm sure with practice, the movements will be second nature and my brain will have the opportunity to get out of the way.

Surprisingly, I had normal achy muscles the next day.  I give Tai Chi one and a half thumbs up.  The half of thumb is only my hesitation to make it part of my routine.

With time, I'm sure I'll be Tai Chi'ing at least three times a week.

Thanks for reading, forwarding and following!!!
Terri