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How does a young person
move?
This is an interesting question.
There is a sense of ease.
No struggling, grunting or groaning, no pain in the
back or the
knees.
The body responds instantly to the dictates of the mind.
A young person is spontaneous and free.
How does an older person move?
Their steps are often very heavy and their legs are locked and
immobile.
There is a sense of
clumsiness.
People frequently walk in an
agitated manner;
over-striding and erratic.
The lower back is inflexible and the sacroiliac
does not move correctly.
The back is stooped, the neck stiff and the hands are tight.
Exercise methods
Many modern
approaches to exercise do not cultivate youthful
movement.
In fact, they do not encourage
movement at
all.
Harsh training methods
promote an immense amount of
muscular tension which
prevents the joints from moving properly.
Motor learning
For many people, their fitness regime
does not take into account
'motor learning'.
Motor learning is about the process of using the body, rather than simply
exercising the body.
Agility,
mobility, relaxed
spontaneous movement, balance,
structure, alignment, biomechanics, efficiency,
ambidextrous body use, joint
health, coordination,
skill,
emotional wellbeing or
psychological flexibility.
Tai chi combines exercise with motor learning.
Youthful
body
Think about the
qualities
associated with how a youth moves:
Agile
Squatting easily
Flexible
Supple
Dynamic
Virile
Stamina
Good poise
Free
No pain
It sounds a lot like
tai chi...
Will lifting weights accomplish this?
Better
late than never?
A lot of people seek to exercise later
in life.
This is good.
But not as good as exercising
throughout your
life.
The later you leave it, the harder it will be, and the more limited the results.
People at birth
are soft and supple:
At death,
they are hard and stiff.
When plants are alive,
they are green and bending;
When they are dead,
they are dry and brittle.
Soft and bending is the way of the living;
Hard and brittle is the way of the dying.
Therefore,
a great strength
that is inflexible,
Will break in the wind
like an old dead tree.
So the arrogant and the unyielding
will fall;
And the humble and the yielding
will overcome
(Lao Tzu)
Choiceless
Aging and eventual death are
unavoidable.
Acceptance is irrelevant; we will die whether we accept it or not.
Realising that there is nothing you can do about it is very important.
But you can live deliberately and consciously for as long as you are
able to.
Relish every day
You can end the struggle and move with the
flow.
This will not remove your
ailments but it
will help you to live with what you have.
Dreams of youth are an attempt to ignore
reality. Why bother?
Enjoy your life. Make
the best of what you
have.
Live now
Eat sensibly,
exercise and relax.
Live a life of quality
and dignity.
Find joy in what is
happening right now in your life and make
every day
count.
Tai chi rejuvenates
Cultivating a
youthful mind and a
youthful body are quite different to plastic surgery or dressing like a
teenager.
Tai chi is tangible.
It requires a lot of
effort... and that alone may help you to live
longer.
The training is also concerned with
re-energising the body.
Daily exercise
Dr Michael Greger (author of How Not To
Die) recommends 90 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every day.
The three doctors who wrote The Okinawa Program maintain that tai chi -
with its ancient origins and incredible health
benefits - is the ideal form of
exercise for modern
people.
Worth reading
•
Vitality
•
Benefits
•
Anti-aging
•
Longevity
•
Rejuvenation
For
Rachel
Page created
21 May 2007
Last updated
29 August 2018
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