Like the Yin-Yang, Eastern Martial Arts and Western medicine are two halves of a whole. My mission is to preserve the ancient mind-body tools and pass them on to you.
Welcome back mind-body students! If you missed last weeks episode of Tai Chi Tips for Sports about improving lower back rotation, you can check that out here.
This week, we talk about the Up and Down strengthening exercise as it relates to sports training and conditioning. You also get to find out the specific Tai Chi form inspiration for the Up and Down move. It's called "Pick Up the Needle from the Sea Bottom."
Hope you enjoy! Happy Stretching!
Happy New Year everyone! Good to have you back.
We are starting this year with some older videos of mine that are very important at this time of year: Tai Chi Tips for Sports.
Many of the most popular sports will begin their pre-season training and conditioning in the next couple months. Rebuilding strength is good, but maximizing your flexibility is much more important for avoiding injury. All too often I hear about athletes who seem totally fit before the season starts, and then in their first game, BOOM, they tear a ligament, or twist an ankle, slip a disc, or something else.
This happens because they are not fully prepared to perform at 100%, which is what their events require. In the coming weeks, I'll be showing you three of the most important exercises an athlete can do to achieve peak performance and avoid injury during their season.
And of course, this is not just for athletes! Maybe you only golf on weekends, or occasionally play a pick-up game of basketball, or perhaps you just work on your feet all day. These techniques are for you too!
This week, the static stretch for "Ward Off," also called the "Chair Twist." Enjoy!
Hello mind-body students! Good to see you back at the blog again.
This week, we are introducing the assisted flamingo stretch to our workout for elders. You may remember the flamingo stretch from earlier blogs we've done. This assisted version of the technique has the same goals: to create hip extension and allow for better range of motion and greater stability.
But for students in their 70s, 80s, and even 90s, standing on one leg with no supports is not safe. So, we developed this stretch to provide a stable surface to lean against (the wall), as well as a place to rest the lifted leg so that the arms can be used to stabilize you further.
Keeping the leg straight might be easier for you, or bending it might be easier. It depends on which of your muscles have better mobility. Ideally, you will be able to work your way up to the full stretch shown in the third picture below (far right). Knee bent, foot resting flat on the support, and lower leg straight up and down under the knee, not leaning to either the right or left.
When getting into this stretch, make sure that you are stable against the wall first. Then, gently lift your leg up to a comfortable position and rest it on the support. It is very helpful to have someone aiding you with this exercise at first. That way, they can adjust the support you are using until it is in exactly the right spot (80% effort to lift the leg that high, and NO pain! If it is painful, lower your leg until it doesn't hurt!).
This stretch should be done twice a day, for 2 minutes on each leg. As always, you can work up to this gradually. You can also work up to the height shown in the pictures below. If your hamstrings are very tight, you might have to do the first posture (far left below) at a lower height. If your quads are tight, you'll have to start the second posture (the middle and right pictures) at a lower height.
Be gentle! Move a little more every day and you'll reach your goals in no time.
Happy Stretching!
Posture 1: Straight Leg
Posture 2: Leg Bent (Front)
Posture 2: Leg Bent (Side)
Don't forget that I have a new course up on Udemy.com! It is called "Strengthen Your Immune System with Tai Chi and Qi Gong." It is a shorter course that is great for kids, college students, the elderly, and everyone in between! It's only $20, so check it out today!
One of the most difficult aspects of maintaining a healthy lifestyle is adapting your exercise, diet, and activities to your body's changing capabilities. There are countless reasons why our body may not work the same as it used to. Injury, surgery, having children, and even the natural aging process can change our body's ability to function. It could even be something as simple as not getting a chance to exercise for a while.
In my experience, if I don't do arm exercises for a couple weeks, I have to ease back into a routine to avoid straining myself too much and risking injury. When I am in good practice, I can do two sets of 30 wall push-ups (elbows in then elbows out). But if I even go two weeks without upper body exercise, I need to start back at 15 repetitions on each set, rather than the full 30.
And what if you have just had surgery? Many exercises on the blog are related to recovering from or preparing for surgery. I always show you how to do the exercise with no resistance, because adding resistance when you are weak after surgery is dangerous. You have to accept your new level of ability, and slowly work your way back up to your previous capability. Even if you are not strong enough to completely lift your arms, or if you have very low range of motion after an operation, do not feel ashamed and do not push yourself to get better too fast. The wise thing to do is to be confident that you will get better with time, and stick to your new routine very closely.
Recently, I had a blog reader ask me how they should do the breast cancer exercises when they aren't planning on having surgery. Should they do them the same? Differently? Should they bother to do them at all?
My answer was, of course they should do them! These exercises are not just for surgery, but for getting oxygen and healing energy to the site of the cancer. The difference is, what is your 80% level when you have not had surgery? 80% effort after surgery might mean just stretching your chest a tiny bit while lying in bed. If you aren't having surgery, but are going through chemo, 80% effort may be doing a few chest exercises for 10 minutes while sitting in a chair. If you are completed treatment and are feeling healthy, 80% effort could be chest and arm motions with some 5lb weights in your hands, while standing up.
It's all about recognizing what your ability is at this stage of your life, and doing the right amount of exercise to maximize healing and minimize your chance of further injury or illness.
Happy Stretching!
Tight calves can cause all kinds of walking issues and general foot pain. Make sure to stretch them! Here is one way of doing it.
This is a classic hamstring and lower back stretch, now combined with the water breath meditation, and shown from a few different levels of flexibility.