These last few weeks I have been taking courses through WellSpring. This is a non profit organization for patients, caregivers and families dealing with cancer. They have a wide variety of courses from educational to entertainment. The current courses that I have weekly is a Gentle Yoga, Brain Fog, and QiGong. Every one of these courses come with strategies that we are to try for a dedicated time to see if they work for the individual. Here are some key points that really resonated with me.
1. Trust the process, do not focus on the goal - this is continually reiterated in Gentle Yoga. Do small consistent actions and feel your body in the poses, do not focus on trying to get that perfect looking pose because that is when you will get hurt. You work up to it gently and gradually. Doesn't this sound familiar? We are always told to trust the process in our Kung Fu and as I continue to rebuild my foundation I can look honestly at my self and know that my progress is proportional to the effort that I am putting in. Some things I am continuing to improve while others are stagnating.
2. Practice the strategy - During our Brain Fog course, we have been given 2 strategies this week to help with remembering items. We have been asked to really practice these strategies (compartmentalization and story telling) and not bend them to something that we like. These are not easy strategies for me and it takes a lot of work to focus and use them but the more that I practice, the easier it is becoming. Does this sound familiar? How many of us have "bent" the I Ho Chuan requirements to make them fit something that was "easier" to do? I can honestly say that I have done that on more than one occasion but I also have done IHC enough to know that it is only when you practice the requirement in its true form that you benefit from it.
3. Relax, feel, and enjoy - during QiGong we are reminded that we may not feel the energy flowing during our practice but with consistent practice it will get easier and easier until it is second nature. I have not felt any great increase in energy but by doing this and Tai Chi weekly, I am feeling it at least consistently. I have been able to improve my relaxation to the point that I keep catching myself nodding off during my meditations (lets call it going into a trance, sounds more positive LOL)
4. Move with your breath - both Yoga and QiGong are focused on moving with your breath NOT breathing with your movement. We have many Kung Fu forms that also are based on moving with your breath. I knew that I was not doing it effectively before but now I realize how ineffective I was. You need to know your movements so you are able to focus on the breath and not having to think about what is next. I have been practicing on small chunks of my forms (only 2-3 moves) so I can really focus on the breath instead of the movement. This is a really hard concept but as with everything it will take practice.
5. Last but not least, go outside your comfort zone - I signed up for an online music program that I thought Mike would really enjoy. It turned out that I also had a blast. It was just something different that was out of my comfort zone and was surprised that I learnt new things about myself.
This is my Segway into the Tiger Challenge - Go outside your comfort zone, trust the process, breathe deep and ENJOY! You will learn lots about yourself as well. Wishing I was there but cheering you all on from the sidelines!
No comments:
Post a Comment