Steve’s Musings
How to Practice Tai Chi
These suggestions come from the booklet ‘An Introduction to Tai Chi’ by the Harvard Medical School. I have edited and condensed the material here. For the full text, I recommend you harass the Longmont Public Library into providing you a free copy. Failing that, it is...
Science Catches Up to Tai chi
Today, I received a copy of a Harvard Medical School special health report called: ‘An Introduction to Tai Chi.’ This is a 46 page booklet that recommends Tai Chi as an exercise program for mental and physical well-being. The Harvard Medical School doesn’t make...
Consumer Reports Study on Back Pain
The June 2017 issue of the Consumer Reports Magazine took a look at back pain. Causes, remedies, costs, and how back pain affects quality of life. They interviewed 3,562 back pain sufferers and found the most satisfying relief came from regular Yoga or Tai Chi...
Vestal Virgins – an insight into daily Roman life
Colleen McCoulough, Author of the Thorne Birds, also wrote a five book series on Caesar. I read them, and attended a book signing where she said: “Thorn Birds gave me the means to go to Rome and do the research I always wanted to do.” The books are a delightful...
What’s a Body to Do?
How many body's do you have? You can think about this as various bodies, or as various aspects of your body. If you can gather all your bodies/aspects, and convince them to all live together harmoniously in the being called you, then life is good. And long. And...
Sticking Jing, Geckos and the Green-Blooded Tree Skink
Sticking Jing is an almost magnetic feeling. That is, your opponent should feel as if you are stuck on them like chewing gum. Once you can stick to someone, you can control their speed, their direction and when the opportunity presents itself, you uproot them...
Your Tai Chi Isn’t in the Mirror
The other day, during a class, when we would start to practice our form, I noticed a student moving left & right to get into the right spot. I asked him what he was doing, and he replied: “I’m getting to the place where I can see the mirror.” Aha! Your Tai Chi...
By Way of an Apology to Jaqui Gee
The other day, Jaqui reminded me that years ago I referred to Chen Man-Ching's T'ai Chi form as Inferior T'ai Chi. I apologize profusely. I can only hope that Jaqui can forgive said comment as the off hand remark of a testosterone laden and obviously much less wiser...
Musing #1: The four enemies you must face
The four enemies. (Loosely liberated from Carlos Castenada) The first enemy is fear. Fear paralyzes you. For fear, you don't act. There are several forms of fear. One of the lesser manifestations of fear is worrying. If you are constantly imagining bad things in your...