The Dragon's Head Blog: Staying Strong in Great Britain – stories of individual practise, part 4
The comments and recounted experiences keep rolling in. It’s wonderful to know how many people are making the very most of their isolation, practising with dedication and heart and finding so much treasure for themselves. Thank you everyone for sharing and inspiring us all to stay motivated, and keep practising to be strong(er).
“I’ve increased the number of dan yus I do from 50 a day to 180 a day. I am surprised that the eczema on my ankles has healed after this increase.” Norman
“It’s such a help to have a healthy focus and an activity that gives such a sense of calm”. Fiona
“Taking it slowly contributes to a very meditative movement, allowing the energy to flow in a gentle way throughout the body”. Andy
“Laughter is the best medicine, second to Tai Chi”. Viv
“At the end of this period, may be our view of things will change”. Evelyn.
“I do my 5 mins of each foundation exercise plus 100 Dan yus, after breakfast, and would like to think I will continue this for some time. It gives me so much energy, and I feel like Tigger while I get on with my jobs or gardening.”
“It’s a nice thing to do each day, mentally and physically”. Moira.
“If I do the downward move slowly, I can focus on dropping but keeping the top of the head high”. Valeria
“Its important to me to be in the right frame of mind, and that practice is a choice and not a chore”. Maria
“It focusses the mind when I have to tell you what I have been doing”. Mary
“I have been keeping up with my Tai Chi, but after reading his (President, Crispin Barker) message, I felt compelled to go into the garden and do a complete set. With the sun shining and the birds singing, it felt really peaceful.” Margaret
„While doing the foundation exercises on my own, I realised I have been very lazy about my Tai Chi, and not really 'owning’ it all all. Instead, I have been following the person in front, and just copying them. And of course now I have no one in front. I think the present situation we are in has helped me realise this, and I have realised that it is up to me myself to own it and not copy what the person in front is doing”.
„I wake every morning just after 6.00 with a sense of anticipation – of my morning practice in the garden during the COVID-19 restriction! The stairs, either up or down, are a challenge, and walking around the village, a trial. Childhood polio 63 years ago left my legs weak; bouts of rheumatoid arthritis have exacted a toll on my knees, and the weakness resulting from long term nerve damage do nothing to diminish the gratitude, pleasure and satisfaction of my morning practice. I started with 30 minutes practice 5 weeks ago. Now, I spend an hour doing dan yus and tor yus, 20 minutes on other exercises and 20 minutes standing meditation; and with time on my hands it can only increase! It makes the walk back up the garden, to breakfast, slow, but more steady than in several years. Master Moy indicated years ago that I should work harder. Little did I know that the current situation would give me the opportunity to follow his guidance more fully, and make me ever more grateful for the gift of Taoist Tai Chi”. Steven
„My Tai Chi practice at home is going well. I’ve settled into practicing three times a week, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. My thoughts are that when I used to train with weights and Thai boxing virtually every day, that training then was so intense that my daily normal strength was not as good. Tai Chi is beneficial, nurturing strength for daily life”. James
„I’m practising every day now, and when I do the set now it feels like sunshine entering into my joints and my bones”. Ernie
„The zoom calls we have together are like a big hug”.
„Since the lockdown I have been doing the Dan yu challenge every day, and most days the first 17 moves, which I feel have helped me in not having lots of problems with my back. Since lockdown I have been doing lots of gardening (I have quite a large garden), particularly weeding. In the past this has caused me to have pulled muscles in my back and lots of discomfort generally. As we speak my back has not caused me any problems and I feel quite fit. I had a replacement knee operation last year which unfortunately didn’t go to plan, and I had a lot of complications, so my garden suffered greatly as I was unable to do it. Therefore, considering the amount of work I needed to do, I cannot believe that I have not suffered with my back at all, and I can only put it down to the Tai Chi, which is the only thing I have been doing differently. Up the Dan yus!” Pat