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The right thing
If a child said that they did not want to brush their teeth, flush the
toilet or go to school, a parent might gently persuade the child to 'do the
right thing'.
As an adult, we often have the luxury of determining for ourselves what we want
to do.
This is not always a good thing.
Necessity
We go to work, not necessarily because we want to but because we need the money
in order to survive.
Mood, choice, wishful thinking do not come into it.
We need the money.
May your wishes come true
Adults often act out of whims, boredom, restlessness... rather than out
of necessity.
Gratification and entertainment are common motivations for action.
Mood becomes a factor.
An obstacle
Health, fitness and wellbeing are usually not seen as being a priority until a
major incident occurs such as a heart attack or a persistent bad back.
This unexpected obstacle may lead to action.
A person may briefly think more closely about their wellbeing.
Usually though, no real change occurs and the individual simply resumes life as
though nothing adverse had taken place.
Old habits
People seldom eat well and rarely exercise in a healthy, systematic way.
Why not? They simply do not feel like it.
Effort
Eating nutritious food requires a degree of effort.
Undertaking an exercise regime entails making notable
lifestyle changes. It is far easier to do nothing...
Doing nothing
The danger with listening to whims and moods (when it comes to
fitness, health and wellbeing) is that life continues regardless.
You age.
Your body deteriorates.
Health problems get worse.
An individual can ignore a bad back, yet the problem will not go away.
It will just get gradually worse.
Paul Atreides: My father sent you to test me.
Music ... then?
Gurney Halleck: No music. I'm packing this for the crossing. Shield
practice.
Paul Atreides: Shield practice? Gurney, I thought we had practice
this morning. I'm not in the mood.
Gurney Halleck: Not in the mood?! Mood's a thing for cattle and love
play, not fighting.
Paul Atreides: I'm sorry Gurney.
Gurney Halleck: Not sorry enough.
(Dune)
A new way
Tai chi was designed to be trained every day
regardless of mood.
The best time to train is shortly after you get out of bed.
Even half-asleep, you can work through most of your qigong and be onto the
Long Yang
form
before you realise it.
Habits make life easy
Over time, this habit of getting up and getting on with the practice become
deeply ingrained.
Like going to work.
Like brushing your teeth.
Like flushing the toilet after using it.
Awake & alive
Maintaining a healthy body, settled emotions and a
clear mind should
not be relegated to an afterthought.
You are alive now.
You use your body, mind and emotions every waking second of the day.
Vitality
Tai chi offers the opportunity to optimise the experience of living.
Rather than slouch, slump and stumble, you can step nimbly
and skilfully
with excellent poise and grace.
Your body is no longer a sack of meat, it has become a responsive,
spontaneous vehicle for self-expression.
Beyond emotion
Once tai chi is seen as being as important as work, hygiene, happiness and
food, your attitude towards training changes.
The art is embraced.
You set aside the time necessary to practice the skills, to relish the
insights and foster on-going growth and
development.
Mood becomes irrelevant.
Page created
18 April 1995
Last updated
16 June 2023
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