What is truly wonderful though is that as human beings we can train ourselves to be more response-able. This can be achieved through relaxing and sinking. It is the ability to deeply relax throughout the body, allowing tensions to release and in doing so remaining grounded. With relaxing and sinking we are able to keep the connection to the more evolved parts of the brain open which allows for the ability to respond to challenges with mindful awareness.

This is an area which I love to explore, both personally, with friends and professionally. More and more it is becoming clear to me how the key to remaining present (especially when things get difficult) is through being embodied, dwelling in the here and now. That is knowing when there is a disconnect and as soon as possible bringing awareness to re-connect through the breath, the body and the senses. As this skill becomes more refined the capacity to be responsive grows.

In tai chi we cultivate the ability to relax and sink in an integral, embodied way so to improve presence, balance and grounding. The solo practice is fundamental to learn to move according to the tai chi principles, balance, connection, lower – upper body co-ordination, synchronization and timing of movements, etc. During partner practice we have the unique opportunity to support each other in developing the skill to be more responsive as our balance is being affected by another person. Interpersonal practice is particularly helpful to untangle patterns of reactivity and disconnection, as our relating is predominantly somatic. Deep holding patterns can be gradually released through the body. It works best when the learning environment is enjoyable and supportive. To make steady progress in partner practice I use a trauma sensitive approach with people I work with.

In the widest sense relaxing & sinking training will improve our ability to deal with whatever comes along in our day to day life.  We increase our chances to respond wisely to challenging situations we may find ourselves in.  Relaxing and sinking helps us to remain more steady and connected to the present moment. Rather than tensing in a reactive auto-pilot mode we become skillful in responding more consciously and ease-fully.

Here are some simple steps to enhance your ability to relax and sink and to cultivate the ability to stay embodied in your practice and in daily life:

Step 1 – Being Aware…

Checking in frequently. One way to do this is by asking yourself: “Am I aware or am I elsewhere?” Classic signs of being elsewhere are mind wandering, getting caught in thinking, distracting yourself, resisting experience, speeding up, growing tense, feeling ungrounded.

Step 2 – Acknowledging what is happening…

Accepting, letting things be as they are, saying to yourself ‘right now it is like this and it’s okay’, giving yourself permission to be how you find yourself and feel what you feel.

Step 3 – Opening to the Breath and Body, and to the Senses…

Feeling the breath throughout the whole body, as best as possible all the way in and all the way out.

Attuning to one sense at a time: smelling, tasting, hearing, seeing, touching without any overlay of interpretations or judgements. Simply being as open as you are able to the full sense experience. Being curious of what you are noticing in the body.

Step 4 – Giving the process space and time…

Relaxing and sinking is a life-long development. There is no end to the level we can relax, open, be balanced and grounded. Resilience grows with time and develops best when we bring a caring, kind, gentle, curious approach.

The benefits are endless. Allow the process to unfold and rejoice in the transformative gifts you will receive on the way.

The post The Art of Relaxing & Sinking: Cultivating Embodiment in Tai Chi and in Daily Life Copy appeared first on Wholistic Health Works.

What is truly wonderful though is that as human beings we can train ourselves to be more response-able. This can be achieved through relaxing and sinking. It is the ability to deeply relax throughout the body, allowing tensions to release and in doing so remaining grounded. With relaxing and sinking we are able to keep the connection to the more evolved parts of the brain open which allows for the ability to respond to challenges with mindful awareness.

This is an area which I love to explore, both personally, with friends and professionally. More and more it is becoming clear to me how the key to remaining present (especially when things get difficult) is through being embodied, dwelling in the here and now. That is knowing when there is a disconnect and as soon as possible bringing awareness to re-connect through the breath, the body and the senses. As this skill becomes more refined the capacity to be responsive grows.

In tai chi we cultivate the ability to relax and sink in an integral, embodied way so to improve presence, balance and grounding. The solo practice is fundamental to learn to move according to the tai chi principles, balance, connection, lower – upper body co-ordination, synchronization and timing of movements, etc. During partner practice we have the unique opportunity to support each other in developing the skill to be more responsive as our balance is being affected by another person. Interpersonal practice is particularly helpful to untangle patterns of reactivity and disconnection, as our relating is predominantly somatic. Deep holding patterns can be gradually released through the body. It works best when the learning environment is enjoyable and supportive. To make steady progress in partner practice I use a trauma sensitive approach with people I work with.

In the widest sense relaxing & sinking training will improve our ability to deal with whatever comes along in our day to day life.  We increase our chances to respond wisely to challenging situations we may find ourselves in.  Relaxing and sinking helps us to remain more steady and connected to the present moment. Rather than tensing in a reactive auto-pilot mode we become skillful in responding more consciously and ease-fully.

Here are some simple steps to enhance your ability to relax and sink and to cultivate the ability to stay embodied in your practice and in daily life:

Step 1 – Being Aware…

Checking in frequently. One way to do this is by asking yourself: “Am I aware or am I elsewhere?” Classic signs of being elsewhere are mind wandering, getting caught in thinking, distracting yourself, resisting experience, speeding up, growing tense, feeling ungrounded.

Step 2 – Acknowledging what is happening…

Accepting, letting things be as they are, saying to yourself ‘right now it is like this and it’s okay’, giving yourself permission to be how you find yourself and feel what you feel.

Step 3 – Opening to the Breath and Body, and to the Senses…

Feeling the breath throughout the whole body, as best as possible all the way in and all the way out.

Attuning to one sense at a time: smelling, tasting, hearing, seeing, touching without any overlay of interpretations or judgements. Simply being as open as you are able to the full sense experience. Being curious of what you are noticing in the body.

Step 4 – Giving the process space and time…

Relaxing and sinking is a life-long development. There is no end to the level we can relax, open, be balanced and grounded. Resilience grows with time and develops best when we bring a caring, kind, gentle, curious approach.

The benefits are endless. Allow the process to unfold and rejoice in the transformative gifts you will receive on the way.

The post The Art of Relaxing & Sinking: Cultivating Embodiment in Tai Chi and in Daily Life appeared first on Wholistic Health Works.

To make swift progress in our practice it is less about what we do and more about the way we do it. On many occasions during mindfulness and tai chi practice, I used to let myself be side-tracked, usually by thoughts about the past, the future or judgements about myself or others. Without realising that it was happening I was going through the motions, the mind unfocused, easily reacting to experience, all resulting in slowing down progress.

Over time and with the kind support of teachers I have introduced mindfulness tools into tai chi practice and have become particularly interested in developing the three core elements to strengthen mindful awareness and so refine tai chi skills.

Intention
This is ‘why’ we practise, our motivation and what we would like to get out of it. What brought us to the practice and what is keeping us practising? It’s helpful to check in with our intention and to renew it on an ongoing basis. Setting a simple and clear intention for a practice session is part of this factor and helpful in strengthening our ability to focus. We choose one aspect we would like to work on during a session, maybe alignment, grounding or a specific section of the form. This type of intentionality is a particularly effective method to maximise our training time.

Attention
It is ‘what’ we are focusing on in the moment that matters. Paying attention and bringing curiosity to our moment to moment embodied experience. When the mind wanders, we notice it as soon as possible and gently invite it to wander back to the body. In mindfulness tai chi training we are growing more present through whole body listening. Stillness in movement and movement in stillness develops with time and practice. This will manifest as being more balanced, easeful and flowing.

Attitude
This is the ‘how’ of our practice and it helps bring substance to it. We are invited to cultivate acceptance, curiosity, patience and compassion. As awareness of habits and patterns that are no longer helpful grows, we learn to let go of judgements and allow the body and mind to orient towards effortlessness. As an outcome of practising with an open attitude, we also gain greater overall resilience and ability to navigate life’s ups and downs with more grace, joy and kindness.

Intention, attention and attitude are essential in developing presence. With presence comes clarity and the ability to choose how we wish to relate to what is arising in any one moment. As we deepen into practice the ability to respond mindfully rather than react automatically grows. Mindfulness tai chi provides an opportunity to cultivate wise communication with ourselves as we engage in solo practice and with others if we care to explore our skills in partner practice. For me, this approach to tai chi has become an effective way of supporting an enquiry-based process for strengthening mindfulness. It’s also invaluable for embodying tai chi principles and for refining the art.

As we travel the path from healing to wholeness I will be inviting you to listen deeply to the rhythm of your body during mindfulness tai chi sessions and to get curious about what delights it is revealing.

The post It Ain’t What We Do, It’s The Way That We Do It appeared first on Wholistic Health Works.

When becoming triggered the following four practical self-management skills are particularly effective to help with rebalancing the nervous system and remaining embodied during stressful situations. No matter if the disconnect from the present moment is by speeding up, overthinking, judging, or if it is presenting in mindless distractions, the following skills are particularly effective:

~ Pausing into mindfulness when noticing tendencies to leave them here and now space. Then asking yourself: what do I get from disconnecting? Notice which attitude you bring to your practice, is it kind, supportive, open or is there aversion and closing down?

~ Breathing fully and feeling the body, connecting with the belly and grounding into the present moment. Being aware of the contact points the body is making, ie feet on the floor, hands on the thighs etc. Giving more time to the out-breath then to the in-breath has a noticeably calming effect on the nervous system.

~ Moving a little more slowly and consciously to help with feeling the body, staying connected and remaining present from moment to moment. To remain present we need to be able to anchor into the body. Mindfulness tai chi is particularly helpful in developing embodied awareness. Solo practice and partner work give us opportunities to explore embodiment in a safe and supportive environment. This allows us to bring mindfulness more readily into day to day life situations, especially when interacting with other people.

~ Opening to whatever is happening in the moment, noticing what it feels like in the body. Bringing curiosity to experience and asking yourself questions such as:  Am I operating on automatic-pilot mode or resting in embodied presence? What does it feel like to be embodied vs being caught up in the head? How am I relating to what is arising? What would most support me right now?

It helps to have a clear intention, to check in frequently, to slow down sufficiently during stress trigger times and to remain present to whatever is happening in both mind and body.

The tendency to speed up when triggered by stress is still there for me, yet I am able to catch it sooner when the nervous system gets activated. A total disconnect happens less frequently. I remain embodied for longer periods of time and rather than reacting to stress it is becoming easier to pause into mindfulness, attune to what is emerging and bring kindness and compassion to what I am experiencing. This allows me to respond more skillfully to whatever situations are presenting themselves.

Exploring our triggers mindfully helps with getting more comfortable with what is creating discomfort. It’s a rewarding process which allows us to become better resourced and to move into deepening embodied presence.

If you wish to check in with your own experience, ask yourself the following questions:

What are your ways of disconnecting from the present moment when triggered by a stressful event? Rushing, overthinking, judging, or distracting yourself from the moment? How are you relating to your experience? Is there acceptance and kindness? What do you most need in moments of stress?

Your body is a unique natural ecosystem. Listen to its wordless communications. Tune in to create and maintain a sense of balance.

The crucial environment to care for is first and foremost your own inner one.

The post Caring For Your Nervous System appeared first on Wholistic Health Works.

In 1994, I had the great fortune to meet gifted tai chi teacher Wee Kee Jin and to start learning the Huang Sheng Shyan system of tai chi. In this system, the essence is found in the tai chi form, which is the set of movements developed as a means to train the body to move in a harmonious and synchronized way. Eventually, every movement contains the tai chi principles and the form becomes formless. Loosening exercises support the tai chi form and partner practice offers opportunities to explore skills with others. Practising with peers is an extension of the form where we work towards remaining balanced and grounded as external relaxed forces are affecting us. It consists of sensing exercises which are explored in a safe and conducive laboratory-like environment. The intention is to cultivate the art of yielding to and neutralizing incoming forces.

Playing tai chi with a partner can be seen as a type of interpersonal mindfulness practice. We support each other in growing embodied presence and relational intelligence. Training is collaborative and in the spirit of camaraderie. Sensing exercises are practised in slow motion in order to learn to move with another person while maintaining our central equilibrium. Whenever we get into a situation when we feel like we are losing our balance we are encouraged to notice what is happening in the body and respond mindfully rather than react mindlessly. Tai chi sensing exercises give us an opportunity to bring attention to what it feels like to let go of unnecessary contracting and disconnecting. Somatic awareness grows with time and practice. Through training in an embodied way, we develop the ability to be more responsive and learn to maintain our centre effortlessly. A natural process takes place which leads to becoming more integrated and finding greater ease and flow as we deepen into the practice. An extra bonus is the light-hearted and fun learning environment tai chi offers.

When facilitated by a qualified instructor the Huang system of tai chi is particularly powerful in supporting mind-body integration. Loosening exercises and form practice help us with improving alignment, increasing relaxation and grounding, and enhancing the ability to connect and synchronise the body. Partner work functions as a mirror and reflects where we need to fine-tune skills in our individual training. It is invaluable to make progress in tai chi as we need feedback to assist us in developing a deeper presence and for building resilience. Explored mindfully and co-operatively peer practice offers an effective method to engage in somatic experiencing. To ensure we work within our window of tolerance, it is important to remain aware and curious about what is happening in the whole body from moment to moment and to apply self-regulation tools when required. As mind-body integration improves our nervous system functions more optimally and we are able to respond with mindfulness rather than react automatically to what is happening in our inner and outer environment. With time and practice mindfulness grows, we become stronger and more skilled in managing energy and maintaining the ability to flow. Of course, getting to this level in tai chi is only possible when assisted by an experienced teacher.

During my initial years of training, I was mainly focused on Qi Gong meditation and solo form practice. Physical and mental health benefits were noticeable after sessions and motivated me to make time to train regularly. Since my teens, I have had challenges with health issues. Chronic pain was a regular companion and gradually impinging more and more on daily life. Tai chi was invaluable in finding better posture and in becoming more relaxed and has had positive effects in reducing pain severity and duration. The emotional body however needed further attention and methods to help, particularly with reigning in the discursive mind.

In the mid-1990’s I was introduced to formal sitting meditation practice and soon after started attending silent retreats. I enrolled in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction training, became interested in compassion-based communication approaches and learned effective skills which helped me grow both personally and professionally. Mindfulness and compassion-focused interventions began to influence my understanding and approach to tai chi. It opened me up to a deeper level of realization that the training process is one of unlearning and letting go of what is in the way of remaining in a place of balance and state of flow.

A memorable and outstanding light bulb experience at the time was hearing about ‘Neuroplasticity’, the brains’ ability to re-organize itself through forming new neural connections throughout life. It confirmed to me the importance of practising tai chi with mindful awareness to be able to unlearn unhelpful habits of moving my body. I realized these habits were reflected in self-limiting behavioural patterns which got me stuck and I was also happy to let go of, gradually.

To support my practice I found myself gravitating onto the path of Insight Meditation and started with regular sitting meditation. In 2000 I found an inspiring mentor in Sharda Rogell from Spirit Rock Meditation Center who comes to teach in New Zealand every year. Sharda was key in keeping me on track and encouraged me to embody mindfulness more fully. Many other wisdom teachers, both from NZ and around the world, practice companions and spiritual friends have also greatly contributed to deepen my understanding and to assist me in progressing on the path. It has been an incredible journey to come home to the body and see peers do the same.

In writing this article it is my wish it may contribute to revealing tai chi’s mindfulness potential more fully, so that anyone who may be interested, whether with or without a physical limitation or a wandering mind may tap into it and enjoy its manifold benefits.

Lucy Schwabe

The post Tai Chi as a Path to Embodied Mindfulness appeared first on Wholistic Health Works.