Rami's Blog

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.

 

Finding the Right Mind-Body, Tai Chi, and Qi Gong Teacher, Part 2

This series is going to give you a basic idea of the qualifications you should look for in a great mind-body teacher to guide you through lifelong learning. Part 1 came out last week, and this week we are continuing the qualities to look for.

It is one thing to learn a movements, stretches, forms, and strengthening exercises, and another thing to practice them correctly as an integrated mind-body practice. This week we go over some of the ways that a great mind-body teacher will do that.

Every mind-body teacher will show you how to do deep breathing, and a great mind-body teacher will show you how to do many different kinds of deep breathing, and how to practice them during your mind-body prescriptions. How you should breathe while doing each stretch or tai chi form is of key importance to the practice of those techniques. Deep breathing correctly will allow you to relax your muscles more effectively, which will improve your progress on everything we discussed last week. Increasing oxygen intake is also one of the most powerful things you can do to improve your health.

Not only should your teacher show you how to breathe deeply while practicing, but also while doing your regular daily activities. In the car at a red light. At your desk when you finish a work project. In line at the grocery store. A great teacher will remind you to always look for moments to breathe deep and be mindful.

A great mind-body teacher will instruct you in sitting, standing, and moving meditations. There are teachers out there who know sitting meditations only, or moving meditations only, but a truly wise teacher will have lots of experience with all forms of meditation. With a great teacher, you will learn how to focus your mind and breathe in the way that best accommodates your current form of meditation. A great practitioner knows that each form of meditation is good for different goals, and will help you develop all of them so that you have a well-rounded mind-body experience.

Next week, we'll continue on with even more qualities to look for in a mind-body teacher!

Happy stretching, deep breathing, and empty your mind!

Finding the Right Mind-Body, Tai Chi, and Qi Gong Teacher, Part 1

It isn't easy to find a good tai chi teacher or qi gong expert. For one thing, there are a limited number of people who have knowledge of the entire art. It takes almost a whole lifetime to learn and master the mind-body principles. Second, because it takes so long to learn, there aren't that many people who seek to learn these ancient techniques. I would say that if you are lucky enough to find a mind-body teacher in the Western world, don't call it lucky, call it destiny.

But how would you know that you've found a good teacher? Well, in my experience, a truly great teacher will cover certain key skills and techniques in their teachings. This week I will go over the some of the important material, and over the next weeks we will cover the other qualifications that a great mind-body teacher should have.

A mind-body teacher will teach you to free your body from being a prisoner of the soft tissue, and at the same time, will help you build strength. This is the most basic form of balance that you will learn in your practice. The body should be both flexible and strong, so that you can effectively direct your strength and will, which makes you powerful. This is a fundamental part of your mind-body journey, both physically and mentally.

A great mind-body teacher will help you isolate your joints with gentle movement, and stimulate your energetic system. You can think of your joints like the doorways that energy must move through in your body. When these portals are stiff and closed up, your limbs and organs can suffer. Opening these joints allows blood, oxygen, and energy to flow to every part of your body. This is important for healing, performance, and overall health.

You need to learn correct alignment when standing, sitting, walking, and moving slowly. Alignment is crucial for avoiding injuries and maintaining health. The older you get, the more important this is. Balance is largely based on correct alignment, and preventing dangerous falls is all about having good balance. Alignment is also key to preventing injury during athletic performance.

That's all we'll cover this week! Next week, we'll go further into the skills that a truly great mind body teacher will cover with you.

Happy stretching, deep breathing, and empty your mind!

P.S. If you haven't read it yet, please check out the special article spot that Cancer Wellness TV got on the NAMASTA website this week! NAMASTA is a highly respected association for mind-body professionals, and a great place to let people know about Cancer Wellness TV!

Total Body Scan, Part 3: Dissolving Relaxation

Hello again Mind-Body students! This week we finish up the total body scan series with the total body dissolving relaxation (on two blocks in this video, but you can do it sitting, standing, lying down, and more!).

If you haven't checked out the previous training techniques you should use to prepare for this practice, check them out below:

Face dissolving relaxation
Light and heavy forces technique
Grounding and Rooting

And here is the how-to for the total body scan relaxation!

See you next week! Happy stretching, deep breathing, and empty your mind!

Total Body Scan, Part 2: Grounding and Rooting

Welcome back mind-body students! If you haven't seen last week's video about the light and heavy forces, be sure to check it out. That video and this one are both part of a series progressing toward the Whole Body Scan meditation technique.

See how long you can feel your energy below the ground for after practicing this technique!

That's all for this week! Happy stretching, deep breathing, and empty your mind!