We Survived!!

Well we all survived testing tonight.  It was sweaty and nerve racking for all of us, but in the end Sifu didn't throw knives at us when we did something wrong or chase us around the room with a sword to see if we could defend ourselves from seriously demented people.  I have to say that we all breathed a hug sigh of relief for passing.  We also received our packages for the Mastery Program which I will be going over tonight  to see if I will continue after the Zen Super Boot Camp is over.  

The cool thing is that I now get to add a patch and chevron to my sash, symbolizing that I have moved into Block 'B' status.  I am not sure how I will get this on by tomorrow night, but i'll do my best, even if I have to pin it on with safety pins!

Congratulations to all that made it tonight! To all that will test next, don't worry.  It is not as bad as you think!

See you next class!!

the Nerves...

Well, testing is today and there has been a bit of buzz around our little Tai Chi community about the nerves we are all feeling.  My thought is that all they can say to me is that I have to practice a bit more before moving on.  I can imagine some people in my class feel if they do not do well, Sifu will take down a sword from the wall and chase them around the room screaming, "MORE TAI CHI!! MORE TAI CHI FOR YOU!!!"

I have noticed that stress is all relative.  Since my last job, I don't think I can face stress the same way as I use to.  If you knew me then, then you know what that stress was like.  Anyway,  I wish us all good luck tonight and calmed spirits.  A couple of us are showing up early so  we can practice "Push the Mountain" before testing.  It is BEAUTIFUL outside today, so we will practice outdoors.  Keep your fingers crossed!!

Biting the Bullet

Ok, so after Tai Chi tonight I signed up to test out of Block 'A' and into Block 'B'.  I wasn't originally going to do it, but with some careful prodding from Natalia, Jen, Monica, and Diane, I felt I was ready to show my stuff in front of Sifu.

I was proud that I got through 'Move the Mountain, Push the Sea' tonight.  Now that I am testing, I found myself practicing the movements in the car on the way home to drill the sequence in my brain.  I can only imagine what the person behind me was thinking while I was moving one arm in the air while driving with the other.

Well, testing is this Wednesday at 18:30.  We'll see what happens!

the Holiday Sweet Tooth

This weekend we took Phillip to his first Easter Egg Hunt in our complex.  He wasn’t necessarily impressed with searching and finding Easter Eggs as he was with the 6 foot Easter Bear which Phillip nicked named “puppy”.  We still are working on the animal names.  Anyway, as we walked around the pool house with a bunch of other kids from the neighborhood we started racking up a number of plastic eggs with candy inside.  With Phillip not fully vested in the festivities, I figured it was up to Dada to 'represent' for the family.  I was on a roll with the baby boy on my shoulders when I noticed I filled his basket to the brim and was starting on a plastic shopping bag that was given to us.  It was then something popped into my brain.  “When did the celebration of the resurrection of Christ turn out to be a time to fill ourselves with mass produced confectionary crap?”  And what's up with Peeps?  Are they really food or are they the left over glue that holds Space Shuttle tiles on during re-entry?

Since I have been going through this Boot Camp my taste buds have been hyper vigilant to the taste of sugar and what I feel like after I consume it.  I hope to show my son that candy is a treat and not a snack or a meal.  However that is hard to do when images are screaming at him that juice boxes and sugary cereals are the norm and not the exception.  All my wife and I can do is try and hope for the best.

So, if you can, try celebrating this holiday with some good old fashioned homemade food.  You'll like yourself better in the morning!

the Fighting Fish: Cystic Fibrosis

I have the pleasure of knowing a family through my church that could use the benefit of the kindness of strangers.  They are the Fighting Fish!  DJ and Rebecca Fish are the proud parents of Colin and Katelyn Fish who are both stricken with Cystic Fibrosis.  If you do not know what Cystic Fibrosis is, it is a condition that makes your body create too much mucus which builds up in the lungs and makes it extremely difficult to breath.  CF also impairs the body's ability to extract and process nutrients out of food, which leaves the infected without the ability to operate normally like we take for granted.  

Now I do not normally spread the message about raising money for debilitating diseases because frankly I am bombarded on a daily basis to raise money for causes.  Fortunately with CF, I have had the extremely pleasure to know Colin Fish, his dad DJ and his mother Rebecca.  I had the joy of watching Colin in our church's nursery while his parents attended service.  I have to say that Colin is a truly happy and joyous child.  He is probably the happiest baby I have ever met regardless if he was having a bad day or not.  The kindness and curiosity that Colin exhibits as an infant and now as a toddler lets me believe that he will grow up to be not only a productive member in our society, but a loving and caring person that could enrich all of our lives if we have the pleasure to meet him.  

For this cause I ask anyone that reads this blog to seriously consider donating to this worthwhile cause.  You can click on the posted link below to pledge an amount for the walk we will be having in May.  A little know fact is that the CF Foundation runs totally on private donations.  Since this disease affects such a small portion of the population, it rarely receives funding from the Federal Government which donates to larger causes such as Breast Cancer and other more widespread diseases.  THIS MEANS THAT ALL OF THE MONEY DONATED TO THIS CAUSE DIRECTLY EFFECTS THE PEOPLE THAT IT IS MEANT TO HELP.  So please find it within yourself to help this very noble cause.  

Here is the link to donate:  http://www.cff.org/Great_Strides/dsp_DonationPage.cfm?walkid=6368&idUser=334823

Here is a video to introduce you to who you will be helping.  These are real people within your own community.  So please find it within yourself to help.  

Thank you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=Dc3NXPENvg8

  

Children's Games

Last Boot Camp Day we all were exposed to what George called 'Children's Games'.  As an adult it was a bit hard to swallow that we would have as much fun as the kids I see after school, but I was wrong.  Kicking soccer balls, running slaloms, and even sandwiching a ball between two people while running sideways got us sweating and laughing all at the same time.  

The evening culminated in a good game of dodgeball.  Of course this was not the dodgeball I remembered as a kid.  I remember lining up my shots with a 2 pound rubber ball as big as my head at another kid's noggin.  Putting all of my force behind the throw that could take him off of his feet if executed correctly.  However, we did what we could with what we had on hand.  Each person (about 35 of us) had a ball and formed a circle with our victims in the center.  Each ball weighed about half as much of air so there was no potential for damage.  Never-the-less we had our choice victims.  Having 40-50 balls screaming at our head makes you take pause regardless who you are or how much the projectiles weigh.  Or in Vira's case, instead of taking pause you could crouch down on the floor waiting for the on-slot to end.

It was a good night all in all.  We had some new people join the Boot Camp.  My Buddy group accepted a new one into our fold.  I guaranty you that they did not know what they were getting themselves into.  I'm look forward to next week. See Ya!

Free Bird

Last night my Boot Camp Buddies (+ 1) and I went on our outdoor assignment for class.  We biked the Ballantyne Greenway, which is about 6 miles long.  Good company, great weather, it was a gorgeous afternoon to ride.  Riding through the blooming trees got me thinking about what Sifu talked to us about at our last Zen class.  He talked about the importance of living in the moment.  Easier said then done in this world, but as I rode on that path, the message sunk in more than usual.  It felt good to ride my bike. Dodging walkers and even enjoying the 4 year old running with her Grandpa.  It felt good to live in the present.  Pushing all of my troubles, wants, desires, responsibilities, and history out of my brain opened me up to take pleasure in just being there, breathing.  It was really enjoyable.  Another thing that I realized was that it was OK for me to feel this way.  It was OK not to be burdened at that moment.  It was OK to look past just where my feet were taking me and to fully absorb and experience the world around me.

If this sounds like it is a flashback of a chemically induced experience, I can assure you IT WAS!  Although the chemicals were not the illicit substances your probably thinking of.  It was due to the endorphins pulsing through my system from getting out of my desk chair and participating in what was around me.  I have to say that my mental outlook has started to finally change from the dogma that I have been making myself experience over the past decade.  It is nothing less than a freeing experience that I hope we all can help each other with.

So go out and enjoy the day.  Each one is a gift that we should truly appreciate.  Hope to see you all on the trail!

A special thanks to my Boot Camp Buddies: Jack, Elaine, and Caleb (the + 1) for a great time.

Guan Gong: the man and the mystery

If you come to the Peaceful Dragon, you may have wondered why, at the beginning of each class, we bow three times to a scroll on the wall of a guy that looks like a chinese version of Santa.  Is this idol worship?  Was this a past teacher of the school?  The short answer is No to both.  The picture on the scroll is of a legendary figure in Chinese history named Guan Gong.  Guan Gong is a legendary General that represents the embodiment of loyalty, righteousness, and benevolence in Chinese history and mythology.  

Guan Gong lived towards the end of the Han Dynasty in China.  He is famous for making a brotherhood pact with Lui Bei and Zhang Fei who looked to reinstate the Han Dynasty from the warlords trying to come to power.  The pact between these brothers symbolizes the true bonds of friends that look after each other in hardship.  In his battles, he was known to disarm and then free the survivors of an opposing army so that they could return home to their families and lead peaceful lives, showing his benevolence.  Unfortunately Guan gong is reported to have been captured and then beheaded during the battle with the Wu forces.  

Even though Guan Gong was a real person, his legend has far surpassed him.  Most likely his brutal death set Guan Gong as the beloved martyred hero in history.  Many chinese view him as an amalgamation of great wisdom, charity, and even warfare.  So when we bow to his depiction at the beginning of class it is out of respect of what he represents, but not of him.  It is interesting to learn about Guan Gong and what he represents.  His depiction changes depending the artist, which can provide an insight of that particular artist's period and interest in Guan Gong.  

 

If you find out anything interesting about Guan Gong, feel free to post a reply. 

St. Patrick's Day

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!  I know not everyone is Irish, but that doesn't mean we can't partake in the festivities of a culture that has helped shape and define the world as we know it.  My wife and I had the extreme pleasure of taking our honeymoon on the Emerald Isle for 14 days in 2007.  From the moment we stepped foot on Irish soil we were in awe of the lore, history, locations, and traditions that make up some of the world's most inviting and charismatic people.  So in the midst of the crazy hats and green beer that will be passed around today, I will be partaking in a true Irish tradition of a cold pint of Guinness and possibly a shot of Jameson, while sitting back and listening to some true Irish tunes.

So what ever you do today, be sure to take some time to enjoy this wonderful day.  On behalf of myself, my sweet bonnie lass (my wife), and my sweet chubby cheeked leprechaun (my son), slainte!

TaiChi Stance Trainer for the iPhone/iPod

Those of us fortunate enough to take part in Tai Chi classes fully understand the importance of mastering the (7) fundamental stances.  However, when I practice away from class I find it hard to know how long I should hold a particular stance for without feeling like I am rushing through them.  Usually my knees are the things that tell me to switch poses. So how do I to train my knees to hold out longer without splitting my focus. As an engineer, I figure there must be a more efficient way of working on my form without watching the clock like a hawk and counting the elapsed time I have held each stance. 

Then it hit me.  The last Crossfit gym I trained in had a device called an Interval Timer.  This device beeped every time the boxer or student needed to change activities.  This is exactly what I needed, so I went on the hunt to find one for the iPhone.  My one and only device that comes with me EVERY WHERE!! Low and behold “there’s an App for that!”  I found an app called the ‘UltraTrainer’.  It is an interval timer that lets you setup a routine with variable times and randomized actions so that you are kept on your toes during your workout.  So I took an hour and put in the following stances within a WORK interval that I need to work on:

Left Forward Bow             Right Forward Bow

Left Back Stance               Right Back Stance

Left Cat Stance                  Right Cat Stance

Left Crane Stance              Right Crane Stance

Left Box Stance                 Right Box Stance

Left Dragon Stance            Right Dragon Stance

Horse Stance

Then I set up a REST interval, because we all want to know that there is a rest period SOMEWHERE in all of these stances.  When these are setup, then I can set the amount of time I want to spend working and then the amount of time for my rest period.  This helps range the amount of time you want to spend with one repetition of the workout session.  So I set the time ranges to the following:

WORK Duration: 2 min

REST Duration: 15 sec

Repetitions:       4

So my total workout is a random organization of all of my stances that lasts no more than 9 min.  Not bad I think. One bonus to this app is that you can record a title that can be announced every time that particular stance is chosen.  This way, you can keep all of your attention on working through the pain while your iPod/iPhone tells you which stance to perform and when.  Cool huh?

I have not tried it very long so I will keep you up to date as to its usefulness.  If you want to get the app from the App Store, feel free to see me in class and I can pass along the custom setup for the app.  Try it about and let me know what you think.  If you have any questions let me know.  Happy training!!

Tai Chi Warm Ups

Every TaiChi class starts out with a heart pumping workout.  This may not seem like a lot of work, but try sitting at a computer for 9 hours a day and then ask your body to do this.  It defiantly gets my heart pumping and sweat pouring from my brow.  In order for us to advance as students, we are expected to put these warm-ups to memory in this order.

Warm-ups

1. Circle hips 10x
2. Circle knees 10x
3. Circle body 10x
4. Elbow to toes 10x
5. Pendulum leg stretch 10x
6. Side leg stretch 10x
7. Outside wheel kick 10x
8. Lying leg stretch 10x
9. Front/side combination kick 10x
10. Back kick 10x

Standing relaxation 1 minute (My second favorite warm-up.)

Power Set

1. Raise & lower palms 50x
• Ugh by #40.
2. Cat stretches forward 10x
• This is done on the finger tips. Youch!
3. Cat stretches backward 10x
• This is also done on the finger tips. Youch!
4. Cross-legged roll backs 20x
• You have to roll your legs over your head, while lying on your back, and touch the floor behind you.
5. Back arches 10x
• Think "making your body a table while your face looks towards the ceiling." 

Lying down relaxation 1 minute (My first favorite warm-up!!)

Stretching Set

1. Side split holding ankles 1 minute
2. Sit back, lean to left then right 1 minute each
3. Head to left then right toe 1 minute each
4. Lean forward 1 minute
5. Front split left then right 1 minute each

Circling arms chi kung 10x

Approximate Total Time:30 minutes

This is something that I am getting better at.  When I first started, I thought my heart was going to explode out my chest like an Alien chest burster.  Now I can get through the warm-up with just a sweaty brow and a good heart rate to start our class with.  I do this about twice a week.  Soon I will make it part of a daily morning workout to get me going in the morning.   Either way, this is a good way to start or end the day.

Progress Through Increased Mileage

I have always wondered how you can measure how relaxed you are.  I believe I have found the perfect measurement tool, my hybrid.  I drive a 1st generation Honda Insight.  If you want to know which one it is in the parking lot, it is the blue one that looks like a bullet.  It is equipped with a realtime gas efficiency gauge in order to provide feedback to your driving habits.

I have noticed lately, that if I have a real good TaiCh class and I am in that 'Zen' zone, my gas efficiency goes up by 2-3 mpg.  It just goes to show you, a centered chi and a calm mind affects more than just your body, it affects your wallet as well.  ;o)  Happy driving everyone!

Push the Mountain, Move the Sea for Dummies

Ok, so we are not dummies.  Some of us just need a little refresher coarse in this TaiChi form so that we can advance in our art form.  Thanks to my lovely wife (my own research librarian), I am able to provide all of us a place where we can refresh our minds in this form.  Here is the form broken down:

1. Raise hands then lower hands
• Palms up, wrists lead and fingers follow.  Remember to point your elbows to the floor.
2. Hold Ball
• Imagine your Chee as a real ball.  Place your right hand near shoulder height and your left hand down under your belly button.
3. Step to the left into a Horse stance while dropping your hands.
• Remember to sink into this Horse stance.
4.  Raise hands then lower hands
• Palms up, wrists lead and fingers follow.  Remember to point your elbows to the floor.
5. Raise hand to the side, up to shoulder height, bring palms inward past the ears, then straight out forward with palms vertical.
• Remember to keep your elbows pointed down and close to your body at all times.
6. Step to the right into base position as you lower hands
7. Raise hands to sides, cross right in front of face
• bring hand to inside when crossing
• lower with right hand on top
8. Raise hands to front (palms up), turn, then stretch open to sides as you breathe in.
9. (Reign in the horses) Slow close of fist, bring to ear level, (Push horses away) push out to sides with palms out, then gently close fists and bring in to shoulder width.
10. Raise fists (fingers forward) with eyes following hands.
• Repeat 3x
• Feel like fists are on a rail that allows them to raise and lower from the shoulder.
• Fist position is thumb on outside touching third finger.
11. Raise hands in Push Sky (fingers inward with palms to the sky), the lower and trace around a large sphere. Turn hands out at waist and trace sphere to top.  At the top, slowly Push Sky.
• Repeat 3x
• After third time on the downward movement, brings hands in relaxed fists 
12. Extend fingers as you touch toes.
• Repeat 3x
• Keep knees relaxed but not bent.
13. Three crossing positions after cross hands
• Left hand high, right hand low
• Right hand high, left hand low
• Left hand high, right hand low
• Right hand high, left hand low
• LOWER hands with right hand on top
14. Hold ball 
15. Step to the left into a Horse stance while dropping your hands.
16. Raise hands at sides (palms to floor) cross flat palms in front with Left, right, left, then lower with right on top
17. Step to the right into base position as you lower hands - Condense the Chi

This is how a master does it!  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjxttGCgSRE

the Squashing of the Students

We had an interesting Zen Super Boot Camp workout on Tuesday.  George demonstrated that not all TaiChi "masters" understand the true meaning of the form.  He has seen some TaiChi "masters" line up a bunch a people in a line, all pushing the "master" together, but the "master" is able to withstand the pressure.  We learned that there are two tricks to this demonstration.  One trick is that if you achieve a proper form, the body can transmit the applied force of the people through the core and down to the feet.  This is the lesson he was conveying on good form means the harmonious transmission of Chee.

The other trick was that when you have multiple people trying to push in the same direction at the same time, any deviation from anyone in line can completely negate the force being applied to the 'victim'.  As a result, if you have 10 people pushing and the 4th person in line is not completely applying all of their force exactly in line with the others, then the 'victim' truly only receives the force from the first three people in line and some diminished force from the 4th and beyond.  To prove this, George lined us up and had us demonstrate this one person at a time with the others pressing against us.  Ultimately he was correct.  A few of us could hold out when everyone pressed 100%, but most of us stayed up for 50% which is still impressive seeing we had 15 people pushing in each line.

It just goes to show you that good TaiChi is more than an experience in mental stability and stamina.  It is also a lesson in SCIENCE!!  TaiChi for Mythbusters here we come!!

Monday Night TaiChi

I had the pleasure of attending another TaiChi class last night.  Even though I was suffering from some sort of sinus infection all during class it was a good class.  I don't recommend trying to balance yourself while trying to breath through a stuffy head.  It doesn't help.  You find out real quick that all of that breathing that they make you practice is REALLY important, especially when you can't!

Overall the class was relaxing.  We went over some new stances that will help us learn control over our movement.  The one I liked is called "shooting the bow".  It is a stance that tests the "6 points" concept.  This means that your hips and shoulders should move at the same time, knees and elbows should move at the same time, and hands and toes should move at the same time.  This sounds easy in theory, but in practice it takes some coordination.

We then practiced "Push the Mountain, Move the Sea".  I only have about 1/3 of this sequence memorized, but we practiced what we knew on our own to help cement those movements in our muscle memory.  I found that closing my eyes helped me concentrate while practicing.  I was just lucky that I didn't loose my balance and fall on my face, especially while moving in and out of my 'horse' stance.  I need to learn the rest by March 20th in order to advance.  I have a bit of work to do before then.

I am looking forward to class tomorrow.  Butt kicking 101!!  Whoo Hoo!!

New Followers!

Over the past couple of days I have had a few more followers of the blog. To those people I have to say WELCOME!!

Hopefully you will find this blog an interesting mix of collected Eastern wisdom, heart felt revilations, and some good ol' fashioned humor. When you walk with me on this path we'll both be amazed at what
we find together.

Reply posts to the blog are appreciated. If you find something you like or want to expand on, feel free to reply. I like feedback.  Replies will be screened and the approved ones will be posted. Just remember this journey is through my eyes, so there maybe stuff you may disagree with. If this happens, feel free to leave a reply, but don't be shocked if it doesn't get posted.  In any event you can sign up to follow this blog by clicking on the Google link to the right of the page. If you do this I can keep track of my audience.

Thank you again for following along with this journey. I'm pretty sure we will experience some great things together. See you all in class!!

the Enemy Within

The homework for the Zen Super Boot Camp tonight is to write about the people who sabotage our goals and what you are doing to combat that.

Looking through my past and present, I have to admit that I have had very few people that have tried to sabotage my well being.  Thankfully I have had others in my life from whom I have drawn strength enough to turn away from the bad influences and focus on the good.  However, there is one person that has been a part of my life from the beginning which has influenced me in both the good and bad.  That is person is myself.  There are many times I have found my inner voice criticizing me far greater than any outside influence on the planet.  Part of its power is that it is extremely hard to get away from.  There is not room in my head to run away from it.  If I set goals for myself, the inner voices prods me to make them grand and in some cases too grand.  When I fail to meet those goals, it is the first sound I hear criticizing that I should have done better.  That, even if I tried everything in my power to accomplish something, that there was more that I could have done, but was just not strong enough to do it.  Over time this critical view gets stronger and stronger to the point where it starts to interject its will well before the goal has been set resulting in stagnation and apathy.

Recently though, I have found a renewed peace in what someone (external of my brain) told me.  “Life is a journey and not a destination.”  This is simple to say, but in this busy life that I lead it can be forgotten pretty easily in between the goals (or destinations) that I set for myself to show progress along the journey.  In order to combat the negativity that my inner thoughts throw in my path, I choose to literally set myself apart from the stressful situation that I am faced with.  When I start to feel stressed about a situation, I consciously step back and take a look at my life as a whole.  I flash images through my brain of my beautiful wife and son, my parents, my brother and his family and remind myself that this stress (in the long run) means nothing.  What matters to me in the long run is that my wife and son has food on the table and a roof over their head and (most importantly) that I am still breathing.  Remembering these images and reminding myself of what is truly important, frees my mind to tackle the problem at hand.  I know that even if my family and I fall onto true hardship, the network of close friends and family that we have been blessed with will come to our aid and enable us to be truly be strong in order to persevere.

Now this approach did not and has not come easy and you may want to roll your eyes and say "that never works!"  I was not able to really employ and benefit from it until I had a major life change recently.  Nonetheless it has helped me stay calm and approach my inner negativity with patience and confidence.  Confidence in knowing that I am only in control of my personal actions and thoughts, which empowers me to press on to do things that I have always wanted to but was frozen with the fear of failure.  I am not cured from my inner critic in anyway, but by reminding myself what is truly important in life has helped me gain a few precious first steps in enjoying my journey that God has given me.

Now I ask you, when you look around your life, what do you see that truly matters?  If you focus on these few truly wonderful things or ideas do you feel happy? Focused? Freed?  If the answer is ‘yes’, then I would write those down and remember them.  If the answer is ‘no’, then I would say you have not truly found what is truly important.  Your inner voice will tell you, like mine has.  Sometimes the voice inside your head tells you more through silence, then through noise.  Focus on this and see what you come up with.  You may be surprised at what you learn about yourself and what you have been missing that truly makes you happy.

the Kung Fu Panda

Today was another day of Tai Chi.  Natalia lead our beginner class, which turned out very well.  We focused on basic stances and breathing, which always helps when you are trying to learn an art form.  As we were holding one of our 7 beginning stances I was forced to concentrate on my reflection within the mirror.  I have to say that I was not at all please with my overall look.  My inner picture of my appearance does not mirror my external appearance.  However, I did realize who (or what) I did look like...the Kung Fu Panda.  If you don't know who the Kung Fu Panda is, it is a movie from DreamWorks about a Panda named Po who embarks on a journey of becoming the chosen Kung Fu student.  In my opinion his picture above closely resembles what I look like in Tai Chi class.  I am achieving the flexibility I need to push myself forward, but I have an added level of complexity seeing that the belly gets in the way.  I guess I will just need to learn the 'Belly Bump' that Po employs in the movie to put my belly to good use.

Regardless, I believe that this movie sums up my current and future path in the Zen Super Boot Camp.  Even thought Po is bigger than the average, he doesn't give up and ultimately pulls through in the end.  If you have not seen this movie I highly recommend it.  Especially if you are a Zen Super Boot Camp student.  To me, I will have the positive image of the Kung Fu Panda while working towards my goal.