The holidays are upon us again and the shopping frenzy has begun anew. Many of us are running many different directions in store after store trying to find the perfect gift. We are far from alone as we fight the overcrowded malls and sidewalks and find ourselves dodging loaded shoppers and bumping into those that seem locked into their cell phones rather than watching where they are going.
It’s time to put some of our tai chi experience into practice. One of the key ingredients in tai chi requires that we exercise relaxed awareness. In essence that means that we need to hold ourselves in good posture, keeping the body fully relaxed and open. There is a common misconception when we use the word “relax” in tai chi. Very often we think of relaxing as letting everything go limp so as to release tension and stress. In fact to “relax” in tai chi means to open and expand yourself from the inside to allow your internal energy to flow unimpeded. By so doing your posture becomes more suspended, your joints and ligaments more open and your connection to the earth more grounded. This in turn allows you to be more aware and better able to yield to outside force.
It’s a very easy concept to envision but a more difficult one to put into practice. Adding tai chi to your daily routine, however, is a great way to begin thinking about your overall posture and body awareness. Tai chi will help you to focus on these and other underlying principles and allow you to more easily build them into your everyday life. And that includes facing the holiday shopping frenzy!
Contact Tai Chi Lee or visit www.taichilee.com
Tai Chi Lee 