Swimming

 Every so often, when I think I understand the principles of efficient swimming, I learn something new that shows me there is still more to learn, and to further modify my form. This may then take a while to put into effect, as change often requires work to be done.

Two examples come to mind; 1) Improving the kick, which requires leg and core muscles to be developed before it is even possible, and 2) changing the way the arms are used, in order to both maintain a streamlined body through the water, and to only push through the water in the desired direction. 

Both of these may be seen as exercises in relaxation and as exercises in getting rid of extra movement, and both take some time to effect a change in strong, long term habitual patterns of movement. This is done by mindful attention to detail, and may be seen as a powerful form of meditation.

The arms, instead of going around in circles like windmills, first pushing down, then back, and then up with each stroke, and also disturbing the upper body’s stillness in motion (See earlier posts, or example below.), may be used more like the paddles in a canoe, always pushing back, and not creating any right/left upper body extra movement. 

This maintains a more streamlined body form through the water. This also involves more muscles, using the elbow, forearm, and wrist muscles and joints (Rather than mostly just using the shoulders). 

This again creates that “stillness in motion”, as seen in the hand remaining “still”, or parallel to the floor when dribbling a basketball or using a yo yo (by simultaneously bending the wrist and straightening the elbow to push down, and then straightening the wrist and bending the elbow to raise the hand up).

The kick is more complex to describe, but may be improved by swimming using flutter kicks only, and observing one’s progress through the water. Some useful things to pay attention to and possibly modify are ankle and foot angle, knee flex amount and timing, and core involvement.

The flutter kick takes strength, relaxation, and the elimination of extra movements, and may also be seen as a powerful mindfulness/meditative exercise. 

As different muscles must sometimes need to be developed, and habits changed, these changes may take considerable time.

Again, no sincere effort is wasted. Expectations of instant progress may be unrealistic, but as the effects of mindful practice do manifest with time, radical improvement will occur. 

Happy Holidays to All,

Daniel

Covid Thoughts

 At first it’s roses, roses, roses, then it’s thorns, thorns, thorns.  - G I Gurdjieff

The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.  -Old Sufi Saying (Idres Shah)

No sincere effort is ever wasted.

This too shall pass.

Trouble can be so beautiful at the beginning.  - Poem title, Shuly Xóchitl Cawood

Mortality is what makes things precious.

Momma said there’ll be days like this, there’ll be days like this my momma said.  - the Shirelles

Stay Healthy,

Daniel

Natural Exercise

 In past posts, I have written about the usefulness of various stretches. The importance of these may also be related to a basic level of fitness, which may vary greatly according to one’s age, general physical condition, medical or structural limitations, or simply one’s general lifestyle decisions. 

Each of us must decide for themselves what activity level works for them.

 Whatever level of fitness works for you, T’ai Chi will definitely prove to be beneficial.What works for one person may not work well for others, and whatever fitness level you require of yourself, you should feel good about it.

My own fitness benchmarks that I present below are meant to be used as one example of many various possibilities. I suggest that you find what works best for you. 

You may find my example to be far less, or far more than what your own requirements dictate, but my wish for each of you is that you feel good about yourselves, whatever your personal goals may be.

I consider myself reasonably fit when my daily activities don’t always exhaust me. To facilitate this, I try to incorporate some things that might be considered workouts, and some that are just normal daily activities.

Workout examples range from swimming, walking, bicycling, or gardening/yard work. Occasionally they might include washing or waxing a vehicle, going on a birdwatching (birding) expedition, canoeing, or any of many interesting physical activities, minimally at least two or three times weekly. 

It is important to rest if you are ill or exhausted and need time to heal. Don’t overdo it and listen to your body. Rule number one is “Don’t Hurt Yourself”!

Examples of daily activities are a little different. Instead of doing knee bends or squats, I try to get up from chairs without using my hands, and, if able, also to get up from sitting on the ground or floor without using your hands. 

If you drive places, you may want to park farther away and walk a little more (a few feet or a few blocks…). 

It also Helps one’s fitness level to pick things up from the ground, such as pine cones, things at the beach, trash around the house or outdoors, branches in the path, and so on. 

All of these opportunities may alleviate the need to schedule time to work out. 

It is somewhat important (but not necessary) to learn the habit of enjoying these activities, and it is up to you to seek out activities that you might be able to enjoy. 

Again, Stay or Become Healthy!

Very Best Wishes,

Daniel

Moving from the Hips II, Generalization

 Synopsis of Part I, (July, 2018)

Movements which originate from the body’s center are a hallmark of good T’ai Chi. 

These movements usually exhibit an integration of all the parts into a unified whole, with all the parts coordinating harmoniously, supporting , reinforcing, and strengthening each other. 

In this way it may be said that the whole becomes more than the mere sum of the parts. 

For the human body in the gravity field, the spine may be viewed as the center of the body, with the hips at its base and the shoulders at the top. 

Out of these extend the neck and head, arms and hands, and legs and feet, out to the extremities. All may benefit from exercises generated from the center. 

Some of the largest muscles in the body stem from the hips, at the base of the spine. 

These upper leg muscles turn the hips. This energy is then transmitted through spinal rotation, through the shoulders and arms and on out through the extremities, and similarly down through the legs and on through to the lower extremities. 

This is usually accomplished in the lower, weight bearing structure by centering over the weight bearing side, rotating this side in balance, and passing energy out through the non-weight bearing side, out through the non weight bearing extremities.

This energy transference requires relaxed connections between the parts, and this relaxation is dependent upon one’s being in balance within the gravity field. 

In simpler terms, balance allows relaxation which then allows the cooperation between the parts, engendering the integration that allows efficient energy flow and unification of the parts, that which we call Chi.

Possibilities:

The Evolution of the Consciousness

(The above description may also be used to describe the energy flow from the extremities to the core/center, aptly describing the flow of sensory input as well as muscular energy output.)

One may see this as the opportunity to directly and intimately experience the way in which any system may function at maximum potential. 

This can be applied to physical systems, information systems, and to observable multistage processes in the natural world. 

In short, it may lead one to an extremely useful way to integrate all that experience into an intricate woven fabric that may be all inclusive. 

What may evolve, among other things, is a spiritual insight into the nature of reality. 

This may possibly manifest as a view of the connectedness of all we perceive, that which some might call God, or Spirituality, or a conscious Universe.

Once again, if these thoughts seem obtuse or totally beyond one’s idea of acceptable discourse, please feel free to consider them, like Einstein’s gedanken (thought) experiments, as nothing more than more of my late night ramblings. 

I am not laying out a logical theory here, but merely suggesting some possibilities that you might find useful or entertaining.

Very Best Wishes to All,

Daniel

The Meaning of Life

 When I was a teenager in the 1960s many people my age went to school (college) to find careers. I was lucky enough to be able to seek a more abstract, spiritual course of study. I was concerned about what a proper course should be for one’s life, and questioned what was the meaning of life. 

The mere accumulation of wealth didn’t seem to be enough. In order to solve this existential dilemma I resolved to become a renaissance man and survey the breadth of human knowledge and potential, in order to find my place in the world.

Although I never found my material calling, as I grew older, I became more comfortable with not knowing, or finding, my means of achieving a personal livelihood. At some point I came to the realization that in order to achieve a more meaningful existence perhaps the contribution of something that makes the world better for my having passed through it in this life made my life more meaningful.

Maybe we create the meaning in our lives by what we choose to do with our lives, and that by making the world a better place we may find the meaning we seek. This might entail the pursuit of something beyond the accumulation of personal material wealth. 

A Mother Teresa Story

My friend Andrew, (a hippy turned Trappist Monk), once told me a story of Mother Teresa. 

In her travels she visited Atlanta and gave an inspirational talk to the business community there. After this visit, the businessmen expressed a desire to do something to further her work, perhaps to fund the building of the wing of a hospital in India. 

As the story goes, she replied that they didn’t have to go half way around the world to do good. 

They should, rather, instead of buying themselves a five dollar cigar, spend three and a half dollars and then take the dollar and a half that was left, and use it to help the poorest people in their own community.

In just this way, we may help to evolve our world by our everyday actions, and in so doing, find our own inner peace and balance. 

My friend also told me of a group of Tibetan Monks who visited the monastery in the middle of Georgia. He was given the task of taking them to a mall in Atlanta, and said that all that they bought was a box of band aids.

A Good Heart

In these times many people are being presented with many challenges. 

Sometimes it can be difficult to find the best path to lead us to a better place. 

As we travel through this life, if we can find people with Good Hearts, and foster this quality, I know that this will somehow make things better, both for ourselves, and for the world around us.

It is this quality that, when found, may become the essential deciding factor that allows us to feel optimism and strength. 

This is true even in the worst, most challenging times and situations.

Sometimes we vote, not with a ballot in an election, but by the actions and endeavors that we participate in. 

We do this and thereby may cast our vote for a better world. 

Get out and vote!

Words of Hope

My Mom used to say that in times that were challenging it was helpful to remember that “This too shall pass.”

The Jewish Sages remind us that “A Good life is its own reward.”

The Dalai Lama has said that “We should always be satisfied with our material wealth, and never be satisfied with our spiritual growth, always seeking more.”

If these times seem challenging, perhaps these thoughts might help us to get through them.

As Howard used to say, “If you come to learn, you always come out ahead.”

History teaches us that if the Sun has risen every morning thus far, it will probably rise on a new day tomorrow as well. Let us hope that we will all be there to see it. 

Let us strive to make it a better day, and thus create a useful place for ourselves in that future.

If our vision is worthy, surely it will come to pass.

Able was I ere I saw Elba.

(Palindrome attributed to Napoleon)

Napoleon sent 60,000 soldiers to Haiti in the late 1700s and early 1800s to crush the slave rebellion there. The enslaved people that had survived the yellow fever epidemic there were aided by the plague that Napoleon’s soldiers were not immune to, and their rebellion was successful.

This stopped Napoleon from having a foothold in the New World from which to conquer America, and resulted in his selling his holdings there to the United States, (The Louisiana Purchase). Some of these freed people moved on to the United States and built a new life in New Orleans.

Stretches that Help Balance

Some simple stretches that I do pretty much daily seem to help achieve balance in my T’ai Chi form. 

These include some stretches for the legs, lower back, the chest and arms and upper back. Loosening tight muscles in those core areas is a practical way to make control of one’s balance much easier. 

I try to do these stretches before a single performance of the form, or in between a set of two or three performances of the form, often including both right and left hand versions of the form.

A note of Caution: as with any new physical activity, Start off slowly and gradually increase the duration of the activity.

 Don’t overdo these stretches at first, and start gently. Do not try to stretch as far as you can, or do anything that hurts or is difficult for you. Wait to push, even a little, until your muscles are used to the new activity, and if you have any doubt, please err on the side of caution!

 The first few days of a new activity should not cause any discomfort, and one should be patient! Listen to your body and soon enough you’ll make progress. 

Rule number one is Don’t Hurt Yourself!

1. (Each Leg). Either standing on one foot, or lying down, hold the front of your ankle behind you with the knee fully bent and the upper leg pointing down, with the stomach pushed out a little in front. This stretches the muscles in the front of the leg, above and below the knee. (If standing, you can hold on to something with the free hand, so you don’t fall. This can be done while you are waiting in line, or in bed lying on your side). Hold each stretch for 30 seconds, gently, and allow the muscles to relax and let go a little.
2. (Whole Body Stretch) Lie down on your back and hold your arms above your head and stretch your arms up and your legs down. Do this for five seconds three to five times with a few seconds in between stretches. Do this pointing the heels, and sometimes pointing the toes. Again, let your muscles relax and let go. If you do these stretches too quickly, the muscles will tighten up instead of relaxing, and that’s not good.
3. (Lower Back and Back of Legs, Standing or Sitting). If standing, extend one leg straight in front of you and rest the heel on a table, chair, or other rest. Bend at the waist and hold the foot, toes, what ever you can reach, with both hands. Don’t fall down. Hold for 40 to 65 seconds and let the muscles on the back of the leg and in the lower back relax and let go and slowly open and stretch. DON’T OVERDO THIS ONE! Be gentle and patient with yourself. Don’t hurt yourself! Bend at the waist, and don’t curve your spine too much. This one will help the balance a lot!  If sitting on the floor, on a rug, or on a mat, reach for your feet with them straight out in front of you. If you can, hold your toes, the balls of your feet, or, if you can’t, use a small towel under the ball(s) of your foot/feet, and hold the towel ends in each hand. Spread the legs apart and stretch toward each foot for 40 to 65 seconds, reach for the center between the feet and stretch forward for 40 to 65 seconds, then put the feet together and repeat the first part, holding both feet. Again, don’t curve the spine but try to bend from the waist, and BE GENTLE! Don”t injure yourself! Do these slowly and gently and allow the muscles to relax and open up. It might take a few weeks to see improvement, but Don’t Rush This! (These muscles might have been very tight for a long time). If in any doubt, consult with a qualified physical therapist or yoga instructor first! 
4. (Doorway Stretch). Standing in a doorway with your arms held straight and 45 degrees up from the shoulders, hold on to the doorjamb on each side and lean into the doorway, pulling your shoulders back and extending your chest forward. Be gentle and cautious, and try to hold this for 30 seconds, letting the muscles slowly relax and start to let go. As you get better at this, you may lean into it a little more and stretch the lower back a little, but DON’T OVERDO THIS and don’t fall or hurt yourself! This stretch is really good for those of us who may read in bed while propped up by pillows, or slouch back in comfortable chairs or sofas, often while reading. It can be very beneficial for improving one’s posture. This can immediately improve the control of one’s balance. It also counteracts any tendency to slouch or round one’s shoulders forward. You can also do this stretch one arm at a time, by holding on to a corner, a pillar, or other support and stretching one arm and shoulder back at a time, by turning outward and away from the stretched shoulder and arm.
5. Sometimes I might add a yoga style spinal twist stretch for each side, but describing this in words might be incomprehensible without a demonstration, and is beyond the scope of this introduction.

Why Dogs Bark

Why do dogs bark at postmen? 

Because when they do, the postman goes away!

“Tough times don’t last, Tough people do.”  -Trace Adkins

Best Wishes Always,

Daniel

Going Online

With the onset of the covid 19 virus epidemic, a worldwide phenomena, the ensuing social isolation required to stem its’ spread has temporarily stopped my classes. Many classes at the college have resumed as on line events, and I am considering this option in order to fill the current need for T’ai Chi as a positive influence in the world.

The Rasta carpenters have a saying, “Measure twice and cut once.”, or, as the joke goes, “I’ve cut this board three times, and it’s still too short!”.

With this in mind, I am beginning to look at what teaching a physical activity such as T'ai Chi might be like as an on line and interactive class, with 21st century technology. 

My co-instructor at the college is now teaching English on line. I have used the same on line technology for doctor visits and for Face time. With the current requirements for social isolation, some good options come to mind that make use of traditional teaching methods.

I’m looking forward to beginning interactive sessions one on one, before advancing to the classroom situation, and have plans for three types of sessions or session parts for the new classes. 

First, we begin with, for new students, an introduction to the form, including a brief overview and demonstration. 

Second, we offer a traditional following of the form, which would be good for students at various levels and very useful practice for new and current students.

Third, we offer teaching sessions in which  individual  students’ solo performance of the form, as far as they can do on their own, will be critiqued individually, presenting useful tips that are usually helpful to all of the students.

So far, I have not set a time line for this, but I have already begun the hardware and software design and accumulation, and hope to proceed rapidly once a usable teaching vehicle has been implemented.

 It is my hope that this effort may prove invaluable long after the virus spread precautions are history, and may find its’ way to a large audience.

Post Traumatic Growth

The Cubans have a saying, “Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” 

This might be applicable with the current pandemic. Hopefully we may yet take what ever lessons life sends us, no matter how difficult they may be, and come out the other side with good energy to face the future.

Best wishes to All,

Daniel

Life in 2020

Sometimes God, or the Universe, might whisper in our ear, a subtle message if we need it.

 It might be to do the right thing, or to slow down and take better care of ourselves. 

If we miss this message, it might present in a little stronger form, a tap on the shoulder, as it were.

 “Slow Down”, or “Do what’s Right”, or perhaps just “Pay Attention!”. 

If we still don’t pick up on this, if we are lucky, we might get another, perhaps stronger little slap in the face, such as a flu or a virus, perhaps. 

If we still don’t get the message, … Who knows? But we probably won’t like it. 

I hope that we don’t need to be hit by a truck before we heed the warning.

Let’s all try to take better care of ourselves, what ever that means to each of us, because if we don’t, no one else can.

This might also mean taking better care of each other, our families, our country, our planet, what ever we might consider ourselves a part of.

Again, if we don’t, no one else can do this for us.

How to Start

Get enough rest and some exercise, and things will get better.

Don’t wait!

Take better care of yourselves, Now!!

You can’t help others if you don’t stay, or get, well!

The Larger View

Be careful what you wish for…

When I was younger it came to me from my experience in the Sweat Lodge, that, as Barrett used to say, God always answers prayer, but sometimes the answer is ‘No’.

I had found that jogging (slow, steady running) seemed to really clear my head when nothing else worked. During my runs I found myself praying. This evolved into a sequence that began with wishes for long life, good health, peace, joy, wisdom, and a few other things along those lines. 

I asked these things for, beginning with my family, (who I named individually), my teachers past and present and their families, friends, and so on out to the people that I passed on my run, their families and friends, the people and beings of my community, on outward to my part of town, my town, city, county, part of Florida, the whole state, the South Eastern United States, the whole country, continent, hemisphere, on out to the whole planet, solar system, part of our galaxy, the whole galaxy, the local galactic cluster of galaxies, on out to infinity. 

From the smallest sub atomic particles out to the largest aggregates, from the fastest to the slowest, through a litany of all that I could conceive, I would pray that all would help each other and interact for the benefit of all.

This took about 40 minutes, and was my regular practice for a long time. 

The Theosophists say “As Above, So Below”, and as I prayed for the external world, I was also asking for these things for all the parts inside myself. 

Sometimes God works in mysterious ways. As I look back, I see results that truly answered my prayers, but not in the way I expected.

During a medical checkup my physician found some elevated liver enzymes, and further study found a medical issue, (Hepatitis C), requiring, in those days, a combination of chemotherapy and a virus killer. The disease had been caught early, between stage one and two, (microscopic, reversible damage, assuming the treatment worked), and the treatment was successful.

I had no symptoms of the illness, but the six months of treatment nearly killed me. I lost 50 pounds, the recovery was slow, and my stomach was never the same. Since then I have been forced to eat a much healthier diet, which has probably added 20 years to my life.

God had answered my prayers.

The Sufi’s say “Don’t count your money, your losses and gains, until the end of the market day.” 

Perhaps we sometimes get exactly what we need, on grander stages as well. We might be able to apply this larger view in such arenas as world health, global or national politics, and so on, even if it doesn’t seem pertinent at the time.

Namaste,

Daniel

Acting Out

Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like bananas.

                   -A thought on the ambiguity of language…

When we accept a looser definition of language, we may see activities such as music and T’ai Chi as the expression of feelings, hopes and aspirations that are often not easily put into words. 

This “Acting out” is seen in children, who often have not yet developed the ability to frame their feelings into words. 

In play therapy, a safe space is created in which such feelings may be expressed. 

Through this process the need to act out with family, in school, or other, perhaps less appropriate situations, is alleviated. 

Later in life, we may find our own, more subtle ways to deal with these needs for self expression. 

This helps us to look at our own “stuff” and sometimes to make friends with it.

Opportunities for these “Meditative moments” may often occur when practicing T’ai Chi or, for instance, humming a tune. 

This “letting things that usually go un-noticed out” where we can see them, might sometimes be immensely therapeutic, and lead to a healing of the spirit and soul.

Namaste
Daniel