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STRESS MANAGEMENT - REDUCING STRESS For Personal and Business Health, Wellness and Productivity. |
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STRESS MANAGEMENT - REDUCING STRESS For Personal and Business Health, Wellness and Productivity. |
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Corporate T’ai Chi - Reducing Stress Increases Productivity
| Below is an excerpt from The Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai Chi & Qigong (Chapter 1). All rights are reserved reprint of any portion of the following is forbidden without express written consent from the author. Email wtcqd2000@aol.com with inquiries. |
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Chapter 21 “Tie”-Chi: Corporate T’ai Chi
In This Chapter
Corporations all over America are integrating the powerful health and personal growth tools of T’ai Chi into the fabric of the workplace. Why? Because T’ai Chi can save companies big money, is very applicable to the office, can lessen workplace injury, reduce stress, and boost performance. This chapter details how T’ai Chi accomplishes these goals, so you can speak with authority to your company’s Wellness Director about it. Many companies will pay for a T’ai Chi program, making it well worth your time to suggest it to the Wellness Director.
You can help your company understand how sponsoring T’ai Chi classes is in their best interest as well as yours. One of corporate America’s highest unnecessary production costs is in lost productivity due to employee stress. U.S. businesses are losing $300 billion per year due to stress (that’s over $7,500 per employee, per year), which may be why the Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration (OSHA) has declared stress a workplace hazard.
Companies and corporations are increasingly turning to T’ai Chi as a solution to stress. Companies that have offered T’ai Chi to either their employees, clients, or executive staffs include Sprint, Hallmark, Inc., Black and Veatch Corp., Associated Wholesale Grocers, BMA (Financial), and Columbia Hospitals, to name a few.
A community college near Kansas City provides T’ai Chi classes as a wellness program to their staff, and many participants are finding alleviation of chronic pain conditions, less stress, and fewer sick days. T’ai Chi is rapidly becoming the most popular wellness program for many companies. Isn’t it great that companies are realizing that what is good for the employee is good for the company’s profits as well?
Investing in Creative Potential If T’ai Chi can help employees recover from illnesses and thereby reduce absenteeism, that can also mean major savings. But what about creativity? T’ai Chi’s meditative quality enables practitioners to become more creative as they let go of being locked into old patterns. A popular corporate expression is to “think outside the box,” which means to look beyond the established way of doing things, to try to find new and innovative approaches, capitalizing on constantly changing tools and technology. It’s a useful concept, but how do you really think outside the box? You have to release the old ways of doing things. Again, T’ai Chi is about letting go of everything, mentally, emotionally, and physically which requires releasing prejudices and preconceptions, making you clearer and more open to new possibilities and potential. If T’ai Chi can help employees think outside the box, this will open them up to fresh innovative approaches and may boost profits more than anything you could begin to measure.
Lower back problems are a large part of costly, unscheduled absenteeism. T’ai Chi is very effective at helping with chronic lower back pain, as well as other chronic pain problems. Since T’ai Chi is the very best balance training in the world, causing participants to be half as likely to suffer falling injuries as others, T’ai Chi can reduce workplace injuries dramatically. Tell your company’s Safety Director to look into the Emory University T’ai Chi study on balance. It will get his or her attention. Some T’ai Chi exercises are very similar to exercises designed to prevent Repetitive Stress Injury, such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Therefore, you may be hitting several birds with your well-thrown T’ai Chi stone.
One thing that makes T’ai Chi uniquely ideal for the workplace is that it requires no special clothing or equipment. If you have 15 minutes and a quiet room, you are all set to experience some amazing stress reduction and energy boosting. Since T’ai Chi is so slow and gentle, you often need not work up a sweat when taking a T’ai Chi break. By simply loosening your tie or kicking off your heels, you are all set (see DVD insert’s T’ai Chi Long Form and Mulan Basic Short Form Exhibitions to realize they can be done anywhere with no special wardrobe needs and little space). In fact, Sitting QiGong or simple Moving QiGong can be done right at your desk. As employees become more adept at these tools of breath and relaxation, they’ll use them throughout the day to reduce stress and boost performance.
What your co-workers and you will soon discover is that the more loose and flexible you are physically, the more flexible you will become in your social and business interactions. We literally hold onto prejudices, grudges, and resistance to change in our body’s tight muscles. We cannot open our minds if we don’t allow our bodies to loosen up. T’ai Chi’s promotion of deep loosening and relaxed motion promotes a letting go of the control issues we all have. It can facilitate a looser, yet more productive work environment as communication becomes easier between employees who less and less resemble walking, emotional land mines. T’ai Chi diffuses the stress bombs that build up within us and can make the workplace not only less dangerous, but more fun. We can discover the “real person” in our co-workers as their rigid armor begins to fall away. Part of that “realness” is the fun part of ourselves we were in touch with as kids. A rigid workplace environment can hide that fun, more vulnerable part of us. Therefore, T’ai Chi may not only help us enjoy our work more, but the company of our co-workers as well. Again, the Chinese say T’ai Chi helps return us to that magical youthful state of mind, which is not childish but childlike.
Most companies are painfully aware that the machinations of office politics are a severe drain on productivity. On a personal level, most of us are all too familiar with the energy drain that office politics can cause.
The intra-office political maneuvering we often call office politics, which involves employees wasting time trying to alter office opinion of others through gossip or innuendo, is mostly rooted in fear and control issues. The more relaxed and at ease we are with ourselves, the more at ease we will be with co-workers, rather than reading our fear into office relationships. Again, T’ai Chi exercises not only help cleanse our mind and heart of rootless fears, but can help us let go of control issues. T’ai Chi’s exercises, when done correctly, help us let go of attachment to outcome or destination, and just learn to flow through more effortless changes. T’ai Chi helps us to break from unhealthy patterns of internal fear or stress responses, and this can resonate out to the office relationships, helping us and our co-workers be both calmer and more productive. Just as tension begets tension, calm can help beget calm in those around us. On the other hand, if you truly do not like your job, the quiet mindfulness that T’ai Chi offers can help you come to terms with it. Its focusing aspect may help you decide what you want, how to get it, and how to be calm and poised enough to perform a great interview for the job you do want. Then someone who really does want your job can come along and fill it, and the great flowing energy of the corporate cosmos can do its thing.
T’ai Chi encourages us to let go of old ways and patterns while opening us to new, better ways of doing things. As discussed earlier, T’ai Chi can help us think outside the box, to be open to fresh, innovative approaches. This is how T’ai Chi is being introduced to the workplace. Companies are doing it in their own way, and finding out how to use T’ai Chi’s tools to fit their needs.
Considering Costs Costs can vary widely. If you are a Wellness Director, the important thing to remember is that cheaper is not better. If you get a cut rate T’ai Chi program that few employees take advantage of, then you are not really saving your company any money. If absenteeism or disciplinary problems decline or productivity increases after the introduction of a T’ai Chi class at your company, then your company will profit in the long run. It is therefore in your best interest to find a good T’ai Chi instructor, one who is knowledgeable, approachable, and fun, who can connect daily work stresses to her T’ai Chi instruction approach, and make their classes effective stress management sessions.
There are several ways companies can invest in T’ai Chi. Some companies passively promote T’ai Chi, offering a space for employees to practice during lunch or after work. Others do much more. The best T’ai Chi and Stress Management seminars are optional. Provide employees with the option of working or attending the seminar, but do not make the seminar mandatory. Most people will opt for the seminar to get a break from work anyway, but the quality of the seminar is completely different if the employee has chosen to be there. This is the first step in an employee creating his own healthy lifestyle. If it’s someone else’s idea, we resist, but if we feel empowered to change ourselves, we have a vested interest in a positive outcome. Some companies may reward T’ai Chi practitioners with a 30-minute morning break, if instead of drinking coffee and sodas for 15 minutes, they use the 30-minute break to attend morning T’ai Chi classes in the area provided. This could be done in conjunction with a weekly one-hour video or live T’ai Chi class during lunch or after work. For the daily T’ai Chi breaks, sign-in sheets could be used to document employee participation. This information may be helpful to acquire rebates or subsidies from company health insurance providers to cover the cost of T’ai Chi classes. Ask your carrier.
If employees attend a morning T’ai Chi or QiGong class, have half of the class start before work and half during paid work time. The potential savings in employee health, productivity, and attitude will more than make up for the minimal investment of the half hour of pay. Companies can thereby take the lead in encouraging employees to take up healthful habits that in turn promote decreased absenteeism, increased productivity, and diminished disciplinary problems. The Least You Need to Know
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| Above is an excerpt from The Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai Chi & Qigong (Chapter 1). All rights are reserved reprint of any portion of the following is forbidden without express written consent from the author. Email wtcqd2000@aol.com with inquiries. |
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| Below is an excerpt from The Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai Chi & Qigong (Chapter 1). All rights are reserved reprint of any portion of the following is forbidden without express written consent from the author. Email wtcqd2000@aol.com with inquiries. |
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Chapter 1
Why Practice Tai Chi (and Qigong - Chi Kung)?
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> The reasons behind Tai Chi’s exploding popularity > The root of Tai Chi > A brief history of Tai Chi > ALL styles of Tai Chi can offer powerful benefits Tai Chi comes in several excellent styles. While some chapters in this book relate to particular Tai chi styles, you’ll find this book to be a valuable resource to anyone exploring “any” form of Tai Chi or QiGong, which is why it is used as a primer and textbook by teachers of many styles worldwide, and in several languages. Tai Chi is practiced by about 20 percent of the world’s population and is fast becoming the most popular exercise in the world today. Its rapid expansion is largely due to one important fact it feels really good. Although Tai Chi was originally a martial art and is increasingly offered by martial arts studios, it’s now practiced in businesses, hospitals, and schools everywhere. Tai Chi is not only a valuable tool for improving health, it is a powerful business tool as well. Companies see that T’ai Chi improves productivity by helping employees to be happy, relaxed, and creative. Hospitals see Tai Chi as a potent, yet cost-effective, therapy for nearly any condition. Tai Chi classes can be found nowadays almost anywhere. In this chapter, I’ll give you a whirlwind tour of the reasons behind Tai Chi’s growing popularity and what Tai Chi can do for you. Exploring the Reasons Behind T’ai Chi’s Popularity Do you ever feel like life is getting more stressful? It is. The increasing stress in today’s world is one reason for Tai Chi’s growing worldwide popularity. Tai Chi was designed to help people go through change with less damage by improving the way we handle stress. Studies show change is stressful, and even though change is often good, if the stress that change causes isn’t managed it can damage your health and outlook on life. Since about 90 percent of the discoveries made in the history of the human race have been made in our lifetime, we are all going through some serious change and stress. Therefore, Tai Chi’s ability to help practitioners “let go” of this stress more easily is just what the doctor ordered, literally. Imagine life is a carousel upon which we ride. When life gets spinning really fast, Tai Chi seems to slow things down, like a hand pulling us away from the “edge,” back to the center of life’s carousel. Here, in the center, we can let life spin even faster and not feel like throwing up (hardly ever anyway). In fact, by practicing Tai Chi as you ride life’s carousel, you might even catch yourself going “wheeeeeeeeeeeee” a lot more often. Whether you are stressed out, continually exhausted, treating a health problem, or just wanting to get in shape and feel young again, Tai Chi is just what you need. Tai Chi goes right to the heart of everything we do by healing and cleansing the central nervous system. Tai Chi helps us to let go of all the nervous tension that bogs down our mental computer system (like getting a general tune up every day). This makes everything inside us work better, which often makes the world around us seem better, too. So Tai Chi is really a self-improvement tool that will make you a better “anything-you-want-to-be.” Unless of course you want to be stressed out, exhausted, uninspired, and feel old and out of shape. In that case, Tai Chi won’t help.
People everywhere in the world are rapidly embracing Tai Chi as “their” exercise. Although Tai Chi originates from China, it is now seen so commonly in the West that soon it will be thought of as an American thing, a British thing, a Canadian thing, or whatever. If you ask American kids what their favorite American food is, many will reply, “Pizza!” (which is originally Italian). And someday, when asked what their favorite American pastime is, Americans will say, “Tai Chi!” Tai Chi Relaxes the Mind, Body, and Our Lives Just as we flow through the changes of life (or not), our life energy, or Qi, flows through us (or not, if we are stressed out). Qi is the energy of life and flows through all living things. Qi animates, heals, and nurtures life. When the stress of change makes us tense, we squeeze off the flow of life energy. Physically, this feels like tension. Tai Chi and QiGong are easy, simple, yet sophisticated relaxation exercises that encourage the muscles to let go of tension, the mind to let go of worry, and the heart to let go of angst. Tension, worry, and angst all block our Qi flow. Tension, worry, and angst are usually the result of our mind, heart, or body being unable to “let go” of something. The goal of Tai Chi is to move through a series of choreographed movements like a slow martial arts routine, but very slowly and in a state of absolute relaxation. In order to do this, we have to let go of our mental/physical tensions, grudges, prejudices, and anything that keeps us tied to the past. This enables us to flow more easily into the future by clearing our mind and body of old stress so that we constantly get a “fresh” perspective on life. Tai Chi is simple and easy to do, yet benefits us on many deep and complex levels. Tai Chi’s slow, relaxed movements incorporate breathing and relaxation techniques that cleanse our mind, body, and emotions each time we go through the gentle movements. T’ai Chi is designed to uncover and release every single place we hold tension or blocked energy. When our mind or heart holds onto issues (fears, obsessions, angers, and so on) our body literally squeezes itself with tension. Going slowly through the movements is like doing an internal scan of the entire body to clear and release any place the body is gripping onto tension. There is no exercise on earth that can help you go through this wild ride toward the future quite like T’ai Chi can—which is why T’ai Chi is truly the exercise of the future.
Tai Chi Promotes Internal Strength for Young and Old Tai Chi looks very much like slow-motion kung fu. David Carradine performed a form related to Tai Chi as Kwai Chang Caine on the television series Kung Fu. And although Tai Chi shares some similarities with kung fu, don’t let that scare you away. Tai Chi can be practiced by anyone at any age and in any condition. In martial arts circles, it is known as an internal martial art. Tai Chi promotes internal strength physically, mentally, and emotionally, which is why it can be powerful training tool for martial artists. But you don’t have to be a martial artist to benefit from Tai Chi because it can also be practiced even by those in wheelchairs, with great results. Unlike karate, Tai Chi has no belt or ranking system because the benefits of Tai Chi can only be felt and not seen. You practice Tai Chi to live better, more calmly, clearly, healthfully, and productively. Tai Chi is a tonic for life. You will see your progress reflected by how you feel, how spry you look in the mirror, how much you love life, and how healthy you are. Isn’t this much better than owning a black belt? However, if you do karate, Tai Chi can help you get that black belt by improving your internal function and grace. Also, Tai Chi differs from most martial arts in that people of all ages can practice it. Many people with disabilities and ailments practice Tai Chi as therapy. No one is restricted from practicing Tai Chi, and yet Tai Chi can benefit the fittest athletes, just as much as it benefits elderly arthritis sufferers. Tai Chi clubs are sprouting up all over the world, with people from all walks of life. Tai Chi: Finally an Exercise That Feels Good! Tai Chi is popular because it is easy to do and provides a gentle workout that doesn’t leave you drained, but energized! Tai Chi’s “effortless” nature is a big stretch for most of us, however, because we associate exercise with force, pain, and tension. In fact, some exercise actually contributes to stress. When I played junior high football in west Texas many years ago, the coaches determined that we were through running when one of us started throwing up. That’s right, upchucking. It was the only time in my life I ever hoped to see someone throw up. Tai Chi is helping the world get a healthy, enjoyable view of exercise. As a nation, we have adopted a mutant notion of exercise, exemplified by the mantra “no pain, no gain.” This has traumatized many Americans, including myself, leaving an indelible mark on how we view exercise. In Tai Chi we have a mantra, too, “If your exercise causes pain, you’ll get so sick of the thought of it that you’ll never want to do it again.” Ours isn’t as neatly poetic as “no pain, no gain,” but ours makes infinitely more sense. Tai Chi should always, always, always, feel good. And since it does feel good, you will look forward to it. Each morning you will find yourself grateful that you’re alive and able to practice this cool exercise called Tai Chi.
Tai Chi doesn’t begin with the premise that there is “something wrong” that needs to be “fixed, sculpted, lost, or burned off.” It is a very accepting exercise, and helps us remember we are already perfect … but our ability to get better is limitless. Everyone is qualified to do Tai Chi. You don’t have to look good in tights or Spandex to do Tai Chi, although if you do Tai Chi enough, you’ll look pretty good in whatever you like to wear.
Tai Chi and QiGong are for anybody who is dealing with stress. In other words—everybody. Anybody can do Tai Chi. If you’ve picked up a book on Tai Chi, you’ve probably experienced the acute stress of imagining yourself in some of those incredible (seemingly impossible) positions the Tai Chi models pose in for the photos. Relax. Those people are models. Most people do Tai Chi just the way you will do it. Easily and effortlessly. Although Tai Chi was one of the original martial arts, it is now practiced all over the world as a relaxation technique by people of all ages in the same shape you are in, and sometimes in even worse shape. When you begin an exercise class, you may have the illusion that everybody other than you “belongs” there, and that they are all “good” at it. You will find that everybody goes through the same trials and tribulations. As you lighten up on yourself, you’ll see struggling, growing, and healing are everywhere. Breathe and enjoy; you are among friends. When you first begin practicing Tai Chi out in the backyard or in your local park, people may stare. Before long, your unique practice of Tai Chi becomes part of the rich texture of the neighborhood, and if you move away, they will miss you. Just as Tai Chi adds to your personal internal charm, your practice adds to the charm of your community.
Life is very complicated, and Tai Chi cannot solve all your problems. However, Tai Chi can help you simplify your life in a big and relaxing way. Imagine that you’re a tree. While your mind and body are the trunk of that tree, all your “life stuff” is like the many leaves on that tree. Your job, relationships, hobbies, hopes, and problems are all dangling out there on the tips of your life. When your health is bad or you can’t sleep well, this affects the whole tree. You may have problems with your job that may strain your relationships, which in turn will drain the energy you need to pursue your hobbies, making you too tired to have hopeful dreams, and causing your problems to get seemingly bigger and bigger. When you are already beat, trying to figure out how to heal all these sick, shriveled leaves is too much to even think about.
However, what if you could pour some magic water on the roots of your tree? Magic that would heal all the sick leaves and cause them to grow larger, to catch more breezes and more sunlight, and more fun! This is what Tai Chi does. By nurturing the very core of your mind and body, Tai Chi makes you better at everything you do. You don’t practice Tai Chi to be better at Tai Chi (although that happens). Each time you practice Tai Chi, you pour healing water on the roots of everything you are. This healing water, or energy, is carried out to the leaves of everything you do, making you the freshest, greenest tree you could ever want to be.
One name does not adequately express everything Tai Chi is because Tai Chi nurtures so many aspects of our lives at the root. Although originally a martial art known as Tai Chi Chuan (“supreme ultimate fist”), the shortened name of Tai Chi reflects how it is now viewed, as one of the most effective mind/body exercises in the world. So Tai Chi now refers to “supreme ultimate health exercise,” “supreme ultimate relaxation therapy,” “supreme ultimate balance conditioner, muscle toner, beauty treatment.” Tai Chi is the supreme ultimate because it goes right to the root of most health problems by relaxing the muscles and mind, aligning the spinal posture, and balancing the energy systems that run through the body, providing them with life energy. It is one of the most soothing, easy, and powerful things you can do for yourself. It is a profound self-improvement tool, a great toning exercise, and an incredible healing art. Whether you want to improve external beauty, mental outlook, or physical health and longevity, Tai Chi heals the roots of your being.
Tai Chi is a highly effective therapy for many injuries or chronic conditions, whether mental, emotional, or physical. The following chapters will discuss different maladies and how Tai Chi treats them. Tai Chi bolsters the immune system, as well, and can actually eliminate problems long before they become an actual physical illness. Forget about covering up problems with makeup or surgery. Beautify from the inside out instead! Many cells are replaced daily, and almost the entire body is completely replaced every five to seven years. You are literally born anew on some level each and every day of your life. How those cells are reproduced is determined by how the life energy, or Qi, flows through your body. Therefore, you can have a terrific impact on how you age, look, and feel by promoting your Qi flow.
Have you ever sat back and noticed how small children never run down? Like the Energizer rabbit, on fast forward, they leap and spring, dance and chat, and chat and chat. Have you ever thought to yourself, “God, I wish I had that energy”? Well, you do have access to that energy (and without doing espresso shooters).
As human beings, we begin to block our access to that energy as we “mature” by holding onto past grudges, by shouldering responsibilities that are unrealistic, or just because of silly worries. Then we don’t know how to let them go, and we get used to having less and less energy. We can think on a mental level that we want to “stop worrying” or “let go of tension,” but that doesn’t really work. We need life tools that help us let go of these blocks on deep levels in our mind, heart, and body, so that we can open to your flow of life energy. Tai Chi and QiGong will give you access to simple exercises, which feel good and can open a valve to that limitless energy you thought you had lost forever. The Chinese discovered long ago that these blocks, or our stress, are simply the mind and nervous system squeezing onto grudges, worries, or even desires. Just as our muscles can tighten when tense, our mind and heart can grip tension too, and we have to be taught how to let go of their squeezing grip on life issues. So the goal of these ancient exercises is to wash our nervous system clean, so our mind can be fresh and vibrant like a newborn baby’s, while still remembering the important stuff, like stopping at red lights and dressing before going to work. Seriously, as we let go of most of the meaningless, irritating debris bouncing around in our mind, we have more space and energy for really important ideas to surface. Important memories like the bill we forgot to pay, or realizations like we forgot to tell someone how much you care about them. Tai Chi’s slow, soothing movements provide that calm open space, even in the very center of the rat race.
America is not into the “aging” thing. What Americans spend on cosmetic surgery attests to that. Tai Chi will help you get over that prejudice, while also slowing the aging process in many ways. The Chinese believe as we practice Tai Chi it returns us to a state of “child-likeness” (but not childishness), where we see the world with fresh eyes. This allows us the freedom to reinvent ourselves easily and constantly, just as children do, enabling us to flow with the changes of life. We can once again be flexible and exuberant, while still benefiting from the wisdom of experience (like being able to hit our mouth with the spoon, well, most of the time). So Tai Chi has the ability to renew us, and through that renewal enhance our strength, health, and creativity. Tai Chi is based on the principle that the world doesn’t need to be held up by our worrying mind and tense body. In fact, we are much more helpful to the world (and far more enjoyable to be around) if we can let go of as much stress as possible. Realizing this principle is the first big step to letting Tai Chi reopen you to your own personal rejuvenating “fountain of energy”!
Tai Chi is unique. Although it is in a way 2,000 years old, it is at the cutting edge of modern Western medical research. Tai Chi is ancient yet modern, Eastern yet increasingly Western. Using Tai Chi is a way to get the most benefit out of all worlds, old and new, East and West. In fact, Western science is embracing Tai Chi very rapidly. Almost every month a new study seems to find yet another thing Tai Chi can treat, cure, or improve. A researcher at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell said Tai Chi is about to explode (in popularity) as medical practitioners discover the time-tested technique. In fact each new Tai Chi player educates more people on Tai Chi, and sometimes in odd ways. One of my students was practicing Tai Chi in the park in a suburb of Kansas City one morning when a police officer approached him to ask if he was all right. The officer said someone had called and reported somebody was having a “problem” in the park. So it may behoove you to know a bit more about Tai Chi in case you need to do some fast-talking. The following will help. For an exercise that is so made to order for modern life, it is amazing to realize that Tai Chi is thought to be about 1,200 years old. Furthermore, Tai Chi is an expanded version of a more ancient exercise called QiGong, which may be at least 2,000 years old. Tai Chi’s moving exercises are done very slowly, like slow motion kung fu. In days of old, Tai Chi (or Tai Chi Ch’uan) was primarily a martial art. It is believed that Buddhist and Taoist monks began practicing Tai Chi forms in monasteries (yes, like the Shao Lin Temple) for two reasons: One, to promote health because they were out of shape from sitting around meditating all the time; and two, because they were so out of shape, they couldn’t defend themselves, and bandits would come and beat them up before taking their valuables. (And you thought you had stress!) When most people first join a Tai Chi or QiGong class, they are not quite sure what they are getting themselves into. Most have a mother, a doctor, a friend, a daughter, or son telling them, “This Tai Chi stuff is the greatest thing since sliced bread and you have gotta try it!” However, these enthusiasts can’t quite explain why you’ve gotta try it. So the following is for you, or whoever’s been trying to explain it to you.
In modern terms, Tai Chi and QiGong are ancient systems of biofeedback and classical conditioning. Traditional Chinese doctors of long ago noted that our natural tendency is to hold onto stress, which bogs down the brain. They therefore created exercises that would train the mind and the body not only to continually dump stress, but also to actually change the way the body handles future stress (not the way your kids change the way you handle stress, but in a good way). As Tai Chi players move through their slow motion movements, their mind becomes calm, their breathing deepens and slows, and their muscles relax. All this happens while the muscles are toning, making it a very efficient exercise. But, forget about efficiency, Tai Chi should be done as though you were going to do it forever. If you try to “hurry up and relax,” it doesn’t work as well. By proceeding slowly with Tai Chi, and making it a game, you will be much more likely to enjoy it and to stick with it. Chapter 2, “Let’s Get Physical,” explains how even in Tai Chi’s easy going way, there is great power and dramatic physical benefit awaiting you, no matter what style of Tai Chi you enjoy. Refer to this book’s valuable insert DVD to view non-instructional exhibitions of a Mulan Basic Short Form and a Tai Chi Long Form, to get a feel for the soothing un-hurried flow of Tai Chi motion, with a calmness that all styles promote. > Tai Chi reduces stress and slows the aging process. > Everybody can do Tai Chi. > Tai Chi restores the power of youthful exuberance. > Tai Chi is an efficient therapy that can improve all aspects of your life. > By clearing the mind, Tai Chi reminds you that life is a miracle. |
| Above is an excerpt from The Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai Chi & Qigong (Chapter 1). All rights are reserved reprint of any portion of the following is forbidden without express written consent from the author. Email wtcqd2000@aol.com with inquiries. |
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World T'ai Chi & Qigong Day
CONTENT, PRODUCT, & RESOURCE "A to Z" Guide:
- Acupressure/Acupuncture Tools & Educational Resources
- Acupuncture - Anatomical Acupuncture Models
- Acupressure - Instructional VHS Video
- Acupressure Massage Tool - for Foot Points
- Acupressure Therapy Trigger Point Work Book
- Acupressure Self Treatment Guide
- Acupuncture Journals and Magazines
- Acupuncture & T'ai Chi / Qigong (Chi Kung) Educational Content
- Acupuncture - Magnetic Acupuncture Eye Treatment System
- Acupuncture - Musical Acupuncture CD
- Affiliate Programs - Earn with your site Promoting Natural Health
- Air Purifiers - for Home, Car, Office
- Allow Your Greatest Potential to Emerge
- Associations / Publications - T'ai Chi & Qigong Worldwide
- Batik Letter Holders - Elegant Oriental Wall Hangings
- Batik Wall Hangings - Large Intricate Chinese Images
- Bed Cushion/Back Support Massaging Chair - with Massager and Reading Lamp
- Books, DVDs, Videos, CDs on Many Styles
- Calendar of Events (Local, National, International misc. Tai Chi & Qigong Events)
- Calligraphy - Original Personalized Chinese Character Paintings
- Celebrate World T'ai Chi & Qigong Day
- CDs, DVDs, Books, Videos on Many Styles
- Chinese Cushions & Tissue Box Design Sets
- Chinese Embroidered Coasters
- Chinese - Women's Blouses; Silk, etc.
- Classes in Your Area - Teacher/School Directory
- DVDs, Books, Videos, CDs on Many Styles
- Electronic Stimulator Acupuncture Pen
- Feng Sh ui Consulting - for persons or business
- Foot Spa - Massages Acupressure Points on Feet
- Getting Involved in World T'ai Chi & Qigong Day
- Health Balls - Chinese Cloisonne (for hand massage, meditation, etc.)
- Juice - Organic Noni Juice from Hawaii - Great Detox!!
- Kava Tea - Soothes and Relaxes
- Liability Insurance - Group Discounts for Schools/Teachers
- Life Enhancement Benefits of T'ai Chi & Qigong
- Magnet Therapy - for Self Treatment
- Massaging Chairs - Chairs that Massage You!
- Massager - Palm Percussion Acupressure Point Stimulator
- Massage Tool - 3 Head Stone Self Massaging Tool
- Massage Soap - Soap Designed to Massage you
- Medical Research on T'ai Chi & Qigong
- Pen Containers - Chinese Designs
- Photo Archive - World T'ai Chi & Qigong Day Events Worldwide
- Pillow Stuffer - With Lavendar
- Qigong Video Introduction - FREE
- Soap - Soap Designed to Massage you, & Moisturize
- T'ai Chi & Acupuncture - Content on How They Relate
- T'ai Chi's Ability to Relax the Mind, Body, and Our Lives
- Tai Chi Tutorials - Horse Stance
- Tai Chi Tutorials - Vertical Axis
- Tai Chi Tutorials - Don't Tear the Rice Paper
- Tai Chi Tutorials - Sinking Your Qi
- Tai Chi Tutorials - Preparing for the First Day of Class
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| Beliefnet.com Article on Stress and Employment, etc. by Bill Douglas, Founder of World T'ai Chi & Qigong Day |
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Stress-Busting With T'ai-Chi
Research continues to reveal the mind-body benefits
By Bill Douglas
Excerpted from "The Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai-chi & Qigong," with permission of the author and Macmillan Reference. T'ai-chi is a very popular form of Qigong, or, more precisely, Moving Qigong. Although originally a martial art, T'ai-chi has evolved into a highly effective biofeedback and classical conditioning mind-body technique that helps the practitioner clarify mind and heart, and therefore one’s life.
T'ai-chi can be a key to discovering personal empowerment. As we find that we can take control over our body's circulation, our blood pressure, and our stress responses, we are empowered. This empowerment begins to resonate out to every aspect of our lives, work, relationships, and society. As we feel empowered, and T'ai-chi works its clarifying magic, we find learning easier and more exciting. We become drawn to learning as the world becomes fresher and more magical because of our new sense of well-being. T'ai-chi cultivates and supports our childlikeness, our curiosity, and our zest for life. T'ai-chi also teaches us how precious and miraculous life can be. When we treasure each moment of our lives, we are much less likely to engage in acts that endanger our health or our freedom. When we feel at peace within ourselves, we are much less likely to hurt others. Much violence is the act of someone in personal pain who externalizes that pain on others. T'ai-chi can help heal that pain, thereby reducing much violence. T'ai-chi and Unemployment Since people who grew up in high-stress households have higher unemployment rates, T'ai-chi may help both parents and children change that pattern. Secondly, since many people are increasingly required by the modern economy to change careers several times, T'ai-chi's promotion of letting go of the past and relaxing into change can be helpful to adults in today's job market. England's Royal Academy of Pediatrics College released a study that concluded that "stressful" households caused problems for children that could last a lifetime. One thing they discovered was that children from such households endured higher unemployment levels than kids from more peaceful households. We know that stress limits our creativity and can affect our self-esteem. T'ai-chi's ability to provide children with a tool to find a calm place within, even when home is "less than calm," can be of powerful help to them. T'ai-chi Is Relaxing Into the Future In today's modern workforce, it is estimated that most of us will change not jobs but careers over five times in our lifetime. For people who find change difficult, this can be excruciatingly stressful and even life threatening over time. In a world of constant and relentless change, T'ai-chi's ability to help us mentally, emotionally, and physically let go can be a great help. By being able to let go of past employment and being open to new information and self-definitions, we can be ready to flow into our next occupation. This flowing can happen, not only less stressfully, but with an adventurous anticipation, just like when we were kids. This is what T'ai-chi can help us do as individuals and as a society. When you catch yourself considering worst-case scenarios while engaged in a task or project, take a deep breath and let your entire body release thoughts, tensions, and fears. Then make a list or flow chart of what is required for success. This will let you realistically decide whether to proceed rather than resist change because of irrational fears. T'ai-chi promotes a sense of "being in the moment," of dealing with the tasks at hand, and of letting go of fear-based projections of the future. T'ai-chi and the Health Care Crisis Approximately 80% of illnesses that send us to the doctor are due to stress. The six leading causes of death are stress related. Our health care crisis is literally due to stress. Stress can be managed, and there is perhaps no more effective stress management tool than daily T'ai-chi and Qigong meditations. Hospitals and insurance carriers are beginning to incorporate T'ai-chi and other Qigong into what they offer clients. Physicians, from neurologists, to cardiac and hypertension specialists, to mental health providers, are prescribing T'ai-chi for a host of physical, emotional, and mental conditions. Medical-school nursing programs are also introducing T'ai-chi to their students as part of their training. Other schools are considering offering it to all medical students. T'ai-chi begins to show us that we have a health care crisis simply because we choose to have a health care crisis. Each of us has it within our own power to dramatically lower our dependence on general health care, pharmacology, and surgery. The fastest-growing investment industry in the U.S. today is pharmaceuticals. The top three such pharmaceuticals are ulcer and high-blood-pressure drugs, and mood-altering medications. T'ai-chi and Qigong can have significantly positive effects on all these conditions in some cases. T'ai-chi and Qigong are not at odds with modern Western health care. They can be partners with it. You don't decide between medication or surgery and T'ai-chi. If you need medication or surgery, then use it. However, medication and surgery should not be our first line of defense. If we practice T'ai-chi, we may never develop the need for certain medications or for much heart surgery. Again, stress is the reason most of the physical conditions requiring medication or surgery develop in the first place. If we daily water our "T'ai-chi Tree's" roots with the soothing balm of life energy, we will be less likely to ever need that medication or surgery, saving ourselves pain and money, while saving our society a great financial burden. We cannot afford to ignore our body's signals and our health until we are in a crisis situation and then expect society to lavish money upon us for expensive surgery or medication. This isn't just about Medicare alone: All our health insurance premiums are skyrocketing because of a national need to become mindful of our health and ability to heal. T'ai-chi can save us all big money and help us feel good while doing it.
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| On Stress Management and T'ai Chi, by World T'ai Chi & Qigong Day Founder, Bill Douglas |
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A Global Event Announces the Answer to Our Stress Filled Information Age by Bill Douglas Most illness is caused by stress. In fact, aging is accelerated by stress. Studies show that change is stressful, even "good" change. So as we computer jockeys settle into the saddle of a new age of rapidly changing information, we need an edge that can help us stay healthy, sane, and vibrant. Ironically ancient mind/body techniques are the world’s best answer to our modern problems. T'ai Chi provides the perfect balm for our generation. T'ai Chi's gentle series of relaxing motions cleanses the body's tissue of accumulated stress and, by doing so, boosts all aspects of our health systems. Our time is filled with paradox. A problem in this modern age stems from the great promise of the information age -- a tidal wave of data being created by and offered to our "left brain"; that part of our minds that is analytical, calculating, and categorizing the world. Of course, this is a powerful and important part of who we are. This is the part of the mind that gets things done, pays the rent, builds the houses, and makes the cars. Our "right brain," however, is getting left behind in our rapidly changing techno-world. Our right brain is the feeling, smelling, sensing, enjoying part of the mind. This is the part of the mind that smells the flowers, not to analyze the smell, but to be filled with its beauty. When we go to the cyber mall, for example, our right brain doesn't get to play. The cyber mall is a wonderful thing that saves us time, money, and gas for our cars (and thereby saves the environment), but there are no Auntie Anne's Pretzels to smell in cyberspace, or warm sunlight streaming in through the big skylights. So what do we do? We get the best of both worlds. T'ai Chi is a series of exercises to balance the mind. T'ai Chi teaches us to experience life for sheer pleasure, thereby creating balance in our busy "get things done yesterday" world. If you learn T'ai Chi and practice in the morning before you sit down at your computer, your right brain (the sensing and enjoying brain) will be turned on more. You will feel the texture of your computer keys. You will remember to take the time to get a nice cup of green tea or herbal cinnamon spice tea, and you'll interrupt your staccato keyboard occasionally to smell the tea's rich aroma, feel the warmth in your hands, and breathe the breath of life deeply into your lungs. Although you are at the cutting edge of the information age rev |
