<![CDATA[Move With Life - MWL Blog]]>Wed, 26 Jun 2024 01:45:39 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Recommended Tai Chi + Chi Kung Reading]]>Tue, 11 May 2021 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.movewithlife.net/mwl-blog/recommended-tai-chi-chi-kung-readingWe Stand on the Shoulders of Giants!
"Reading is an honor and a gift from a warrior or historian who- a decade or a thousand decades ago- set aside time to write. He distilled a lifetime of campaigning in order to have a "conversation" with you."
...
"If you haven't read hundreds of books, you are functionally illiterate, and you will be incompetent, because your personal experiences alone aren't broad enough to sustain you. Any commander who claims he is "too busy to read" is going to fill body bags with his troops as he learns the hard way."
...
"Reading sheds light on the dark path ahead."
- General Jim 'Mad-dog' Mattis (as written in Call Sign Chaos)

With these words in mind I want to share the books that have sped up my understanding of the Tao and improved my Chi Kung and Tai Chi practice drastically!

The Depth of Tai Chi and Chi Kung practice is impossible to undertake effectively without fully exploring how modern science mixes with ancient Chinese culture and traditional Taoist texts.

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This pursuit isn't easy but it's not impossible, and I've found some great resources to help out. In any college curriculum there's always a book that accompanies a class. As my friend and mentor Dr. Tony Zayner used to say, "However good your teacher is, your success relies on how hard YOU study."

Here's some great books to read and to study on various aspects of Tai Chi, Chinese medicine, Chi Kung Taoist Meditation and other wise. I'll do my best to categorize them by novice, beginner, intermediate and advanced/ in depth knowledge seeking. Each title is hyperlinked to order on Amazon. ENJOY! :)

Novice

For those of you who are not students of mine I highly recommend start with these. For my students YOU SHOULD'VE READ THESE A LOOOONG TIME AGO, use this opportunity to refresh yourself. ;) In short I would say an important place for everyone to start is my simple and concise introductory packets. In these packets I have written and compiled my personal views on the history and context of Tai Chi, Chi Kung and Kung Fu in relation to how we practice these arts. In these you can find my personal lineage of instruction and my viewpoints outlined simply. I try to stay as matter of fact as I can. Download these by clicking the links down below.
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Alongside of our intro packets I also highly recommend the following books for more in depth knowledge on the following topics as listed below... With all these books I don't subscribe to everything they contain, and some things are dangerous to practice without the guidance of a qualified instructor. I highly recommend anyone interested in these practices seek out a qualified teacher.

Most of these practices and exercises are benign, however some caution should be taken in the pursuit of herbal remedies, fasting, and of course take caution with certain spiritual practices in light of your particular religious inclination. That being said much of Taoist meditation practices are secular when properly understood. Due to the specificity and personal nature of meditation I highly recommend seeking out a qualified teacher and guide to help with these practices. I'd be more than happy to offer guidance in this respect by phone. Text me to introduce yourself (336-542-7525) and we can set up a one time appointment to chat, free of charge.

Beginner Chi Kung ​Books

The most common question I get about Chi Kung outside of "what is it?" is, "What is Chi?" The most common answer among a variety of western instructors is "Chi = Energy" I despise this answer. Chi or Qi is NOT JUST energy, rather it is something akin to a concept or idea that the Chinese originated to describe the connected nature of things. This esoteric fabric of principles that run through things principles and a certain tangible-ness that brings about movement to universal functions and human sensibilities. In our Tai Chi and Chi Kung practice we say that Chi is the relationship and actual flux between Yin and Yang. Without movement there is no Chi/Qi...

"A Brief History of Qi" by: Yu Huang Zhang and Ken Rose

A Brief History of Qi gives a broad and deep historical look into understanding how this concept of Qi has deeply effected art, painting, writing, medicine, strategy, politics, and philosophy in China.

"Cultivating the Energy of Life" by: Eva Wong

Cultivating the Energy of Life gives a good translation and commentary on the classical Taoist text of the Hui Ming Ching. This text is a foundational one when it comes to the practice of Taoist meditation and it plainly outlines how the breath is used in meditation to achieve health and 'transcend worldly problems'. I urge my students to always seek practical application for everything we do. This "meditation" is not only visualization, feeling, or a mental construct, but rather it is also/or more importantly a physical thing we are doing to effect our  body through a breathing mechanic of relaxation, a shift in mindset, and a deeper more nuanced way to use our muscular system to improve overall spinal and internal organ health.

"A Complete Guide to Chi Kung" by: Daniel Reid

A Complete Guide to Chi Kung offers an in depth and broad overview of a variety of Chi Kung practices. Everything from physical exercises, meditation, mindset, eating, and sexual practices is touched on in this book.

Beginner Tai Chi Book + DVD

For direct knowledge of our Tai Chi practice I recommend the following books at the beginner level. Our beginner level primarily has to do with learning the movements of the form and the 26 basic principles. These books are a great reference to help with learning the movements of our Tai Chi form, and to get a general understanding of the man Prof. Cheng Man Ching was.

"Tai Chi: The 'Supreme Ultimate' exercise for Health Sport and Self Defense" by Prof. Cheng Man Ching and Robert Smith

"The Professor: Tai Chi's Journey West" DVD

Intermediate Chi Kung Books

"Taoist Meditation: Methods for Cultivating a Healthy Mind and Body" Translated by Thomas Cleary

"Tao of Health Sex and Longevity" by Daniel Reid

"​The Tao of Success: The Five Ancient Rings of Destiny" by Derek Lin

"Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained" by Derek Lin

Intermediate Tai Chi Books

"There Are No Secrets: Professor Cheng Man Ching and His Tai Chi Chuan" by Wolfe Lowenthal

"Lao Tzu: My Words Are Very Easy to Understand" by Cheng Man Ching

"Gateway to the Miraculous: Further Explorations in the Tao of Cheng Man-Ching" by Wolfe Lowenthal

I urge all readers to look at the push hand and self defense sections of Cheng + Wolfe's books more as a strategic exercise instead of taking it literally. Push hands has some limited value to train a deeper awareness of relaxation and yielding, but it is a very limited value. I hold and teach that Tai Chi is NOT a self defense, nor 'martial' art directly. As a 2 time combat veteran and training and working with professional fighters, in the past and on a regular basis, I feel grants me foundation enough to make these claims.

Even if Tai Chi was used as a fighting art a long time ago, it doesn't fit that bill currently. However, (And this is a very big however) I have been using Tai Chi exercises for over a decade to rehabilitate an array of acute and chronic musculoskeletal injuries to great benefit. Tai Chi is much better served as a healing art, in which it bares much fruit. All the talk of self defense in Tai Chi books should be taken with a heap of salt, and always with an emphasis on strategically dealing with life lessons instead of practical advice to defend ones self.

Advanced reading exploring history and Taoist Foundations for Tai Chi and Chi Kung

"Complete book of Chinese Health and Healing" By Daniel Reid

"Complete Works of Lao Tzu: Tao Teh Ching & Hua Hu Ching" By Hua Ching Ni

"The Tao of Happiness: Stories from Chuang Tzu for your spiritual Journey" by Derek Lin

"Chinese Martial Arts From Antiquity to the Twenty-first Century" Peter A Lorge

"Taoist Classics: Volume 1" Thomas Cleary

"Taoist Classics: Volume 2" Thomas Cleary

"Taoist Classics: Volume 3" Thomas Cleary

"Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine" By Maoshing Ni

"The Tao of Physics" By Fritjof Capra

"Regardless of how good your teacher is, your success relies on how hard YOU study."

Another way to say this is,
"With minimal help YOU are your best teacher!"

Journaling and writing about how each of these texts effects you is a great way to dive into them and make them relevant to your life. With this list there is plenty to keep you busy and practicing for years if not decades to come.

Keep the Tao my friends.

I hope your life is filled with much love.

Until next time.
​-Dan
]]><![CDATA[Smooth Emotions BETTER Health!]]>Fri, 16 Oct 2020 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.movewithlife.net/mwl-blog/smooth-emotions-better-health"Above all else, calmness is the most important thing."        - Master Feeman Ong Picture
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) there are 2 things to look at when we speak of living a healthy life. External influences and internal ones. The TCM view is that sickness is brought about by an imbalance in either of these two categories, usually both.

Traditionally external is looked at first and internal second. External is the category of things that affect us from the outside in, lifestyle, diet, exercise, etc. Internal is the opposite, so the things that affect us from the inside out, i.e. our mindset, thoughts and emotional state.

Both of these things can bring about drastic changes in our health and wellness. Today we'll be covering internal influences. Particularly how our unbalanced/subconscious emotional reactions affect our health. I'll be following up this post with another on how we can deter these problems and/or come to move past them. My preferred method to do this is a simple approach to meditation attitude and journaling.  Let's dive into internal influences.

"Most sickness comes from the mind"
-Master Lee

In TCM emotions are thought to be directly linked to organ function in the body. Current science loosely supports this idea with the knowledge of how our emotions affect the release of different hormones  through the endocrine system and cycling between 2 nervous system states. In ancient China their science wasn't as sophisticated as we have today. Therefore I'll do my best to succinctly outline possible correlations, however, this obviously isn't a direct scientific study... I want to focus on outlining TCM concepts instead of becoming hyper focused on the possible scientific correlations. Let's start by outlining a general TCM concept and then look at Master Ong's take on emotions and how that emotional state may affect bodily function and overall health.
  • In TCM schools there are 2 primary schools of thought.
    • One view is that the kidneys are the root of all internal problems because it is where our jing/essence is housed. If our essence is agitated and we are out of center/imbalanced this affects everything down the line. I can see an easy correlation between this outlook and our adrenal function in stress response and how that effects the switch between our 2 autonomic nervous system states, (Parasympathetic- rest and digest, Sympathetic- fight or flight).
    • The second school of thought is that the spleen and stomach is the root of all internal problems because it is where all our sustenance is derived, because that organ pair is linked to the function of digestion and overall thought processes. In turn the view is that in order to digest our foods properly we must first have a calm balanced outlook and this together has a profound effect on our hormonal system and our overall mood.
  • That being said Master Ong primarily saw things in the first direction, I subscribe to both... without going down that rabbit hole, here's 3 main emotions and the organs they are associated with in TCM.
  • Worry:
    • Worry/ hyper-pensiveness/ anxiety is the first emotion to look out for. According to Master Ong it has the potential to interrupt your sleep, negatively influence your eating habits and muddles your thinking... primarily affects Spleen and Stomach.
  • Anger:
    • Anger causes similar symptoms as worry but also projects your problems outward onto others and causes more pain, inflammation, tension and similar problems in the body, in TCM it is said anger causes the Chi to rise and act chaotically... primarily affects Liver and Gallbladder
  • Sadness:
    • Sadness is held to be the worst of the three because while sad and depressed the mind constantly tortures itself, so in the end all good thoughts are undermined by a sad demeanor. Sadness is said to cause the Chi to malfunction in its duties... primarily affects Heart, Small Intestines, Pericardium, Sanjiao, and the Shen or 'spirit'

Out smarting your emotions!

Life will always have ups and downs, it's our outlook and attitude that makes the difference. Difficulty cannot be avoided, circumstance, hardships, death and failure cannot be erased. In short we will always be faced with hardships and the emotions that go along with them. Feeling and acknowledging your emotional state is very important and indeed the first step toward living an upright and great life. There is an old Chinese proverb that says...

"Sit under a bitter tasting tree, play the guitar to be happy."

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Basically it means find and do what makes you happy in times of hardship. That being said it is important to distinguish destructive desires from healthy habits or disciplines. It didn't say "sit under bitter tasting tree and drink a bottle of wine." Another thing implied by the saying is bring value to others, playing the guitar brings music and joy to others. In finding our personal happiness we are able to then share and expand that joy to others.

Having this attitude of seeking happiness is the first step and it will allow you to overcome problems quicker. Remembering the good times and facing reality by doing what makes you happy will help you reach calmness sooner.

Finding happiness is important! I urge everyone to take the time to keep a journal and really explore the depths of your mind to outline the difficulties you face and dig into your motivations that help you uncover your true happiness. That being said it is important to use happy things as tools to reach calmness, not the root of your calmness. This leads to our next segment... To weather the storm of life the mind must be studied and trained. This is the importance of journaling, attitude, and meditation.

Master Feeman Ong's 4 Pillars to Training the Mind

  1. Kindness: establish a mindset to live without harming anyone or anything
  2. Conservative​: not in the political sense but be conservative in food, money, sleep... Don't eat, spend, or sleep too much... Replenish and relax, make your life happy not miserable! 
    "Caution is the best self protection in life... When things are going well for you, you should remember that it will not last forever" -Master Lau Pui Chung
  3. Peace of/in Mind: The better your relationships are the more relaxed the mind is. Hold peace in your mind and act in a way that conditions you to hold peace of mind in the midst of stress.
  4. Quiet: Every day take time to relax your body and mind, meditate.

Followup post on Meditation

]]><![CDATA[Meditate for a better life!]]>Fri, 16 Oct 2020 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.movewithlife.net/mwl-blog/meditate-for-a-better-life"The type or particular method of meditation isn't important, rather it's developing patience and persistence... The results will come, just keep practicing, and above all stay calm."
​- Master Feeman Ong
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My personal view is that Meditation is the process by which we shape our mind to rest in the Way and create the life we desire to be reflected in the world. Meditation for me is three fold. Without honesty, action and reflection in all three pursuits meditation lacks objectivity and falls into self-proclaimed 'enlightenment' which in actuality is a delusion.

3 folds of meditation.
  • discernment
  • facing existence
  • preparing yourself for right action
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Therefore training (the mind, and in turn the body) to follow 'The Way' is how we go on the path to our better life, a path of success regardless of the endeavour. We'll start exploring these folds by elaborating on what they specifically mean and how I apply them...

In short practicing meditation helps to uncover root causes for our deepest emotional imbalances and traumas. It forms a great tool to better health by smoothing out our emotional changes. If you want to read more on how emotional states can affect our health read: Smooth Emotions BETTER HEALTH! ... then come back =)
Lets start off with some quotes from Chuang Tzu
  • "The torch of chaos and doubt - this is what the sage steers by... but relegates all to the constant. This is what it means to use clarity."
  • "Therefore understanding that rests in what it does not understand is the finest. Who can understand discriminations that are not spoken, the Way that is not a way? If he can understand this, he may be called the Reservoir of Heaven. Pour into it and it is never full, dip from it and it never runs dry, and yet it does not know where the supply, comes from. This is called the Shaded Light."
  • "If the Way is made clear, it is not the Way. If discriminations are put into words, they do not suffice. If benevolence has a constant object, it cannot be universal. If modesty is fastidious, it cannot be trusted. If daring attacks, it cannot be complete. These five [clarity, discrimination, benevolence, modesty, daring] are all round, but they tend toward the square."
  • -Chuang Tzu

"The torch of chaos and doubt - this is what the sage steers by. So he does not use things, but relegates all to the constant. This is what it means to use clarity."

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The torch of chaos and doubt can be seen as a euphemism for discernment. Chaos and doubts come from a lack of understanding and/or acceptance of something. This torch steers the sage by constantly looking to clarify the root of chaos and doubt. To use the metaphor constructively, the sage burns chaos and doubts to light their way looking at specific events in how they have come to unfold into personal outlooks and specific ideas which constantly affect their lives. This clarifies their underpinning motives and using empathy they can come to use this clarity for and toward others.

​Master Ong used to call it... ​"Seeing through the red dust."

In the practice of meditation I simply outline it this way. Sit quietly without any expectations. Listen to your breath, when thoughts arise let them go. If they pull you emotionally and refuse to go away ask yourself why that thought preoccupies you?

... Continue asking yourself clarifying questions, and answering them until you have no more questions to ask. Then it will be clear to you and you will be more still... gradually this process brings more and more clarity. With proper planning action and reflection this unfolds into a way better and more stable life by gradually chipping away at personal problems and seeking to use this knowledge to uplift help and build on others experience.

"Therefore understanding that rests in what it does not understand is the finest. Who can understand discriminations that are not spoken, the Way that is not a way? If he can understand this, he may be called the Reservoir of Heaven. Pour into it and it is never full, dip from it and it never runs dry, and yet it does not know where the supply, comes from. This is called the Shaded Light."

I call this facing existence or in traditional chinese parlance wu wei. This fold of meditation to calm the mind and body by resting in our being. We all have our ups and downs, some days are better than others. We can be sure of this more than all other things. The definition of life can be, as Jim Rohn said, "Life is opportunity mixed with difficulty... it's been that way for the last 600,000 years of recorded history, it's not likely to change!"

Meditation is how we train ourselves to be resilient to this flux by observing and understanding the most important thing of all, the roots of our attitudes and our thoughts. Resting in wu ji is the root, it requires a daily return to be useful and gradually unfold.

"If the Way is made clear, it is not the Way. If discriminations are put into words, they do not suffice. If benevolence has a constant object, it cannot be universal. If modesty is fastidious, it cannot be trusted. If daring attacks, it cannot be complete. These five are all round, but they tend toward the square."

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"These five are round but tend to be square" means virtue and truth are solid things, however, context dictates to an extent what they are.  This stable flexibility must be sought out in the mind to have a totality of application. One way to do this is: "Learn the way. Know the way. Refine the way."


Discernment- Learn the way.
Facing existence- Know the way.
Refine the way- Reflect and adjust your way.

Reflecting and adjusting will help a lot with application of what you get from your meditation sessions. I recommend journaling to help with this. Journalling is the only way to truly reflect on what you accomplish in meditation and how well you apply it to your life over time. It's impossible to map progress without regular reflection. There's also no way to reflect on this stuff if you personally don't write it out.

Daily practice:

  1. Set a timer and sit down silently breathing with your eyes closed listen to what comes up for you, w/o expectations. Start with 15 minutes daily working up to 30 minutes a day. No need to do more than 30, never do less than 15.
  2. ​Take time periodically writing out what came up for you during that time. Especially if there was a breakthrough, also take into account your emotional state, etc. Don't stress if it felt like forever, or nothing happened.
  3. Why? ... What did I learn? What am I going to do about it?
  4. Remember the 5 phases of the mind:
    1. More agitation little stillness
    2. Equal agitation and stillness
    3. Little agitation more stillness
    4. Stillness until something moves you.
    5. Stillness even when something comes up.
  5. Cultivate resilience with a general happiness in all existence.​

In your practice of meditation, regardless of system or style remember:
Master Ong's 3 Keys to meditation

  1. Be patient
  2. Practice all the time
  3. Don't worry about it
]]><![CDATA[STRESS FREE LIVING!]]>Tue, 31 Dec 2019 08:00:00 GMThttp://www.movewithlife.net/mwl-blog/stress-free-livingHow do we move/act without stress? Picture
At the core of stress free living is the understanding that true relaxation or truly being stress free is not simply going limp, or giving up.

In Tai Chi we say "true relaxation" is balancing movement and stillness. Physically this correlates to relaxation not being limp, this principle is the first thing you learn in Tai Chi.

In short to truly relax and be without stress we must have principles in place to balance the situation. In other words these principles form a sort of "skeleton" to our life.

In martial, physical and psychological practices this framework is the cornerstone we use to accomplish skill. Regardless of the particular practice the ultimate goal is balanced action w/ relaxation. Structure is the foundation of this relaxation, a way to live alongside of stress while still accomplishing goals.

In this post we'll dive into some foundations we can all use to accomplish a more stress free and productive life!

Three foundations of stress free living!

  1. Correct timing and strategy
  2. Acting with trust
  3. Detachment from the outcome

Correct timing and strategy!

BAMSIS, OSMEAC
In short correct timing is moving when it's the right time to move. My teacher Dr Tony Zayner once described this as "Don't move until you are full to the brim with all that is needed... at that time one can swallow his cup and use the sustenance for the journey ahead" Correct timing in that context is based on one's preparedness and strength of will.

The second part of this foundation is strategy. Without the right strategy it doesn't matter how prepared you are or how strong your will is, therefore, correct timing must be joined with the correct strategy. We find the correct strategy by learning from those who have gone before us.

Master Feeman Ong always said "When you drink a glass of water remember where it came from." This relates to strategizing as much as it does to reverence and acknowledgement. Fill your cup with what has worked for the highly successful few and only after you have practiced/drank it you can streamline and figure what works for you. Having the foundations of past successes and strong proven strategies should give you comfort and strength to trust in your actions, just keep practicing.

Acting with trust!

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Acting with trust builds on correct strategy, in that, it's easier to trust something proven to work by others. Another way to look at it is seek the truth. It is far easier to implement something you trust and know to be real as opposed to something you are unsure of, or that you refuse to have faith in. The other component to this is that ultimately we must trust in ourselves that we can actually accomplish similar results. A great quote to remember in this respect is...
​
"If someone else can do it I can too!" and "If I can do it, it's easy." -Jim Rohn

Detachment from the outcome!

Acting in trust should be extended even to the expected achievements from your actions. Many people spend their entire lives striving for something. In striving for our goals many times we accumulate anxiety, pain, insecurities and various internal + external hardships. This comes from worrying about the outcome.

Here's an idea try this...

Focus on doing the best you can today and now, not on whether you can meet your own expectations.

"Don't let likes or dislikes get in and do you harm. Don't treat your spirit like an outsider. Don't wear out your energy, leaning on a tree and moaning, slumping at your desk and dozing."
-Chuang Tzu

To summarize, stress free living is correct action with relaxation as a foundation. Be honest and it will help you relax throughout your actions. Keeping these foundations intact will help relaxation seep into your every action. Therefore acting with relaxation in mind and body can bring the greatest outcome.
]]><![CDATA[Martial Posture VS Lifting Posture]]>Tue, 31 Dec 2019 08:00:00 GMThttp://www.movewithlife.net/mwl-blog/martial-posture-vs-lifting-posturePicture
What really is the correct spinal posture?

I've gotten this question many times from my students and massage clients alike.

In short the answer hinges on what you're going to use it for.

In day to day movements, Chinese martial art practice, and I would argue for the same in massage practice, correct spinal posture comes from lifting the crown point and pointing the sacrum, then tilting it depending on your use. 

What this does is straighten out the spine and expands it in order to grant space in between the vertebrae and take pressure off of any one point on the spine, as illustrated in the picture on the left.

Why would we want to use this posture instead of the normal weight lifting posture?
The short answer is that this posture takes pressure off of gross moving muscles of the body and puts the emphasis on the postural muscles. This posture is what is used primarily in the internal martial arts of Tai Chi Chuan, Xing Yi, Pa Kua, and various styles of Shaolin. The extension is meant to take the pressure off of the bigger and stronger gross moving muscles of the body, and to put the emphasis on the postural muscles to deter joint degeneration. The strength of postural muscles lasts much longer into older age, and, as their name indicates, are key players in adjustment of posture and postural ailments. This is because they support the joints better and are built to do so for longer periods of time.

The spinal posture noted above is used to retrain the holding of the spine taking the pressure off of the main areas that are usually in need of adjustment (as chiropractors will tell you are...) Occ+C1, T12+L1, L5+S1. This posture does so by retraining the surrounding muscles of Illiopsoas (main contributor to L5+S1 problems), quadratus lumborum (secondary contributor to L5+S1 problems), Lumbar paraspinals (L5+S1), thoracolumbar paraspinals (T12+L1) Suboccipitals + scalenes (Occ+C1 and 'forward head carriage') This is done by holding the extension in our day to day movements. When holding this extended posture of the spine the above mentioned muscles work in unison with their antagonistic pair. Eventually after consistent practice relaxation is possible into this neutral position, bringing about greater balance for daily use and joint health.

I advocate this training method for health practice and to hold as a 'default posture' during day to day activities. The reasoning behind this is because whatever you train your body to do becomes exaggerated with time. This also explains why the areas noted above are the norm for chiropractic adjustments. From the time of childhood the S curve is emphasized "shoulders back, chest out, butt back, and head up straight" this exaggerates that S curve overworking the muscles noted above, in time pulling the spine out of alignment. That being said the extension of the spine is not the be all end all posture, all of the time. There are times when the 'lifting posture' is needed, and that is when lifting heavy objects. Before we get into that lets explain what 'lifting posture' is.

Lifting posture

Mainstream weightlifting postural requirement is usually the spinal S curve. While performing a deadlift, for example, the force you are working against is gravity, gravity always pulls down so we have to safeguard against its pull with the muscles surrounding the spine to avoid injury. There are various different theories on proper technique in lifting weights but they all hinge on maintaining the spine static. This usually entails the S curve in the spine and extensive use of spinal erectors and various other muscles in the abdominal wall for stabilization.

The two methods noted below are the theory of intra-compartmental pressure, and intra-abdominal pressure mechanism. It should be noted here that without use of the above mentioned methods there runs a high risk of serious injury when lifting heavy loads of weight. As I said in the beginning it is important to keep in mind what we're using the posture for. If you want to look into those methods of tension and muscular use I highly recommend it. These topics are well outside the scope of this article, but great compliments to what I'm talking about...

Intra-compartmental pressure

Intra-abdominal pressure
When lifting weights the goal is to build muscular strength, size, or endurance while working against resistance. In martial art, more importance is put on having the alignment to divert, project, or accept incoming force. It is a common idea in Chinese martial arts that acceptance and diversion of force are accomplished more easily through alignment and technique as opposed to muscular strength. Although one complements the other, alignment and technique is generally trained more often because that precision is something that lasts much longer than the strength gotten from muscular force in a single contraction or various contractions.

In conclusion I feel this elongated spinal/ hanging posture is meant for day to day life and realistic application toward routine actions, upright pushing and pulling. Lifting posture is meant for use in building muscular strength, and specifically lifting higher amounts of weight that require greater amount of support and should not be superimposed onto day to day actions unless moving heavy weight up from, or lowering down to the ground. Personally in clinical practice I have used this posture for correcting the above mentioned postural alignment problems and various other issues surrounding the spine and pain resulting from these misalignments.
]]><![CDATA[WHY and how to TAI CHI your FITNESS!]]>Tue, 31 Dec 2019 08:00:00 GMThttp://www.movewithlife.net/mwl-blog/tai-chi-your-fitnessTai Chi is more than a slow moving dance, it's a categorizing of things...
The Chinese have been saying for thousands of years that all things can be categorized by their polar opposite. These polar opposites are symbolized by the Tai Chi Tu, or in English the symbol of ultimate extremes. Here in the west commonly known as the Yin Yang symbol.

How does this idea of polar opposites relate to exercise?
This black and white circle symbolizes polar opposites and how all opposites can be trained to balance each other. Yin being the black side and Yang being the white. The simple answer to the question above is yin= resting and yang= activity. The more complex answer would be yin is the relaxed muscle and yang is the tense muscle. These answers, however true, still do not get to the root of the question- how does this theory relate to exercise. In exercise there are yang types and yin types; ultimately the type of exercise can be rated on a gradient by the primary muscles used (slow/fast twitch, gross movement/postural), for strength/relaxation, and how moderate or explosive.

​Why is this even important? The idea is that for all things to function to the best of their ability these two attributes must be balanced. In this way exercise truly benefits our physical, mental and emotional health. Categorizing these things is the first step to balancing them.

​Down below you will find a chart illustrating the correlating yin and yang attributes of exercise.

YIN

  • Healing + rejuvinating
  • Deep muscles
  • Structural + postural holding muscles
  • Muscles on the front and inside of the body
  • Tendons and ligaments
  • Internal/Bone focused
  • Relaxing
  • Flexed
  • Low to no impact
  • Slow
  • Stabilizing
  • Strength building
  • Isometric
  • Eccentric contraction
  • Constant and steady strength
  • Static, slow + gentle Stretching
  • Focused on feeling
  • Breath focused
  • Endurance running

YANG

  • Destructive + depleting
  • Superficial muscles
  • Muscles primarily used for movements
  • Muscles on the back and outside of the body
  • Muscles and fascia
  • External/Skin + gross movement focused
  • Invigorating
  • Extended
  • High impact
  • Fast
  • Moving
  • Power building
  • Isotonic
  • Concentric contraction
  • Explosive power
  • Dynamic stretching
  • Focused on results
  • Body focused
  • Sprinting
Practicing Tai Chi philosophy in exercise requires balancing yin and yang types of exercise. When looking at various sports, training programs, and martial arts if you want to achieve lasting progress with little to no injury you must balance yin and yang. In short this means a well rounded balanced form of cross training.

For your focus on yang based exercises you must have a yin based practice to support it, and vice versa. A simple example is weight lifting and Tai Chi, Chi Kung or Yoga. The reason many weight lifters add Yoga to their practice is for the stretching and postural basis it uses that heals and safeguards their joints from injury. The same with Kung Fu and Tai Chi Chuan the structural focus and slow gradual stretching of Tai Chi Chuan heals and relaxes the high intensity and explosive movements of Kung Fu. In various martial arts this balance is found, if not completely encompassed by the martial art, then by cross training it with other arts. A prime example of this is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu’s Rickson Gracie, he has achieved great results by merging Yoga and BJJ to better his art and health, as seen in the video below.
Regardless of the art trained, exercise//sport practiced Yin and Yang are both required for great lasting progress. This is the “Way of Great Polarity” the “Tai Chi Chuan” of training. Balance your methods and you will build enduring strength and control. I choose to do this by training in Tai Chi Chuan, Kung Fu, and Mixed Martial Arts. Weight lifting, calisthenics, running, and dynamic along with static stretching all hold important places in everything I train in as well.

​Find what you enjoy on both sides of Yin and Yang and be sure to balance one with the other.
]]><![CDATA[From Tension to Relaxation!]]>Tue, 31 Dec 2019 08:00:00 GMThttp://www.movewithlife.net/mwl-blog/from-tension-to-relaxationChi Kung is training the proper use of tension!
Tension usually has a negative connotation in Chi Kung and Tai Chi. It is said that we must flow like water and “relax” into movements for the most benefit. The big question that runs through many peoples’ mind is HOW?!?

To turn the traditional teaching around, the main question to ask is NOT how do we relax, but rather, How can I use my tension more efficiently?
Strength Training Anatomy 3rd edition by Frederic Delavier
​Truthfully it is tension that holds us up and moves us. Relaxation on the other hand is us letting go, it makes us heavy and connects the body as a singular unit. Relaxation by itself is a simple thing, yet putting it into movement requires a refinement of the tension needed for a task. In this post specifically we’ll focus on the use of tension which influences the efficacy of movement.

Tension in the sense we are talking about is the state of contraction in a muscle. For us to generate any movement we must contract our muscles, there’s no way around it. For us to do anything at all, our body must have some level of tension. To flow like water and relax into our movements we must pin point this tension to exactly what we want to accomplish.

Alignments and timing of tension are very important to refining our movement. Seeing as this is very much movement specific, today we’ll work on illustrating the basics of using tension with some simple examples.

Simply put, any tension that moves you away or holds you back from where you want to go is wasted effort. Keeping this in mind the use of tension in striking or weight lifting can be summed up in one phrase… Create a solid anchor for your force to launch from.

The caveat to this is the more joints the force has to travel through the more difficult it is to execute correctly. An example is a simple Preacher Curl vs a Standing Bicep Curl. The Preacher Curl (top left) is significantly easier to perform because the elbow joint is the only joint involved in the exercise, since the arm is supported on a pad. On contrast a Standing Bicep Curl (top Right) the whole body must work to stabilize and focus the work in the bicep, making it much more difficult. This stabilization has more real world application and builds potential for more martial power as we require the same kind of stabilization from the ground up in executing any standing martial technique.

​Another illustration of this difficulty and stabilization in movement is a basic Kung Fu Straight Punch. In this movement the bottom half of the body stays stationary while the upper half executes the movement. These alignments are seen and trained in “Punching with fierce eyes”. An exercise from the 8 pieces of Brocade. @ 5:52 in the video below

The necessity to stabilize forces us to focus and pinpoint our tension. The more we focus  and pinpoint our tension the easier it becomes to relax and connect our body. With practice the shaking subsides and we become strong as well as sturdy. When sturdiness has been achieved we can begin to shave off the unnecessary tension. It is in this way Chi Kung starts with tension and moves toward relaxation. 

A summary and recap of important points

  • Not how do we relax, but rather, How can I use my tension more efficiently?
  • Putting relaxation into movement requires a refinement of tension needed for the task.
  • ​IOT put relaxation into movement we must focus our tension onto exactly what we want to accomplish and have a foundation/anchor to move from.
  • Use tension to create a solid anchor for your force to launch from.
  • Any tension that moves you away or holds you back from where you want to go is detrimental to your progress.
  • Another way to word the above is, Any disconnect from the anchor to point of issuance is force lost.
  • Efficiency is connecting the anchor to point of issuance while wasting less.
  • The more joints the force has to travel through the more difficult it is to execute correctly.
  • Stabilizing muscles form the foundation of launching force.
  • The higher the focus the easier it is to relax.
]]><![CDATA[Injury]]>Sat, 09 Nov 2019 08:00:00 GMThttp://www.movewithlife.net/mwl-blog/injuryA poem to inquire
Life happens, this we know is true.
Today we wish was like yesterday,
but by living, the day passes through.

This line of time from present to past,
make the best of today,
for only the best minutes last.

The things we go through
yesterdays weigh heavy,
but by honor we stay true.

Our vision of future
with injury, self doubt, or failure
becomes like a tumor

Slowing us down
the days weight compounds
with our expectations, smiles, turn to frowns

​To release this fate
seek the cure of your fears
Look deep within, dig through the tears

Seek in body and mind
quietly observe yourself,
release your obstacles and you'll find...

The day becomes brighter,
knowing it's not the mind or body
but the spirit that's the writer...

Of your destiny.
Your fire.
It burns regardless of hardship or desire!​
]]><![CDATA[Traditional Martial Arts OR Modern Martial Arts?]]>Mon, 17 Dec 2018 08:00:00 GMThttp://www.movewithlife.net/mwl-blog/traditional-martial-arts-or-modern-martial-artsRoyce Gracie (BJJ) vs Jason DeLucia (Kung Fu)
After having seen a certain martial art demo have you heard someone say or have you said this before?

"That will never work... in the 'cage'/ on the 'street'/ in UFC/ against a boxer or mixed martial artist!"

If you have I'd say you're/they're probably right. The problem with that statement is the UFC or 'the cage' isn't the be all end all testing ground for martial art. When it comes to martial effectiveness I'd say 'the cage' or the UFC is one of, if not the best place, to pressure test your technique in a 1 on 1 all inclusive environment.

The more broad problem is that 'martial effectiveness' isn't the only goal in 'traditional' techniques, styles, exercises, or forms.

My purpose in writing this post is to help you refocus how you look at traditional martial arts, and martial art practice in general.

The focus when looking at martial arts, especially traditional ones, should be on asking "Does the art build a certain skill, attribute or does it have some other cultural or social relevance?" Various martial arts focus on different aspects of these. Boxing, JiuJitsu, and Mui Thai even fall into these categories. In particular we're looking at skills such as musculoskeletal development, cardiovascular and other forms of fitness, whole body coordination, efficient strength, posture, and rehabilitation of injuries and many more. After seeking the reasoning we then have to ask ourselves is this something we could find appealing? 

It all boils down to critical thinking. ​In this post we'll offer some references and knowledge to find reasons behind traditional practices and my personal reasons for continued practice of traditional martial arts. After reading this I hope you can make a more well informed opinion of traditional and modern practices. =)

Muddy waters of history!

Looking back in time is never an easy task, regardless of the culture you're researching. In Martial Art culture it is more difficult still. I wrote about this difficulty in the past by outlining problems with traditional chinese martial art history here (IMPACT of Martial History) Instead of going down that rabbit hole again today I want to share some good links you can reference for further exploration.

- Wiki martial art timeline

- Evolution of sports martial arts

- Karate's Sacred Tome

- Black Belt Magazine's Martial Art history

- Research of Martial Arts by Jonathan Bluestein
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When looking at the current state of martial arts it's very important to note all eastern arts came from a traditional background and were specialized into much of what we see today. Mainly this specialization has been from an all inclusive traditional view into a specific concentration on one or a few things. Traditional martial arts were/are all inclusive in the sense that originally they were there to teach character development, social service, personal discipline, martial history, skill development, and martial application using solo and partner drills. This would finally turn into free form application, live sparing and other types of skill testing for self defense.
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At a broad view many martial arts have deviated from their traditional roots mainly in the pursuit of sport. Most 'modern' martial arts keep their traditional roots intact, although focus primarily on one aspect due to "sportifying" themselves to be more culturally relevant and hit a more modern 'fan base'. Here's some examples.
- Modern Tae Kwon Do is basically an updated version of Tae Kwon Do that focuses on kicking for sport and acrobatic breaking demonstrations.
- Modern Wushu is basically traditional Kung Fu that focuses on gymnastic form practice and choreographed filmed or live demonstrations.
- Judo is basically traditional Ju Jutsu relegated to mainly throwing techniques.
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is basically Japanese JuJutsu that has been specialized to the groundwork of grappling and locking.
- Mixed Martial Arts is an mixture of various systems and styles of martial arts (usually boxing, mui thai, brazilian jiu jitsu, and wrestling) with the sole purpose of seeking the most effective martial application inside or outside of the related combat sport.

By categorizing or describing them in this way is to illustrate the natural progression and specialization. All of these arts excel greatly at what they do and are lethal in various aspects of self defense. My point is that "sportifying" is very much a natural progression and isn't necessarily a negative thing. With the rising of more sophisticated weaponry, i.e. GUNS, arts of hand to hand combat haven't held as pivotal a role in the realm of self defense as they have in the past. Likewise with the rise of more civilized societies and social structures self defense as a whole has been strongly delegated to the likes of law enforcement, security, military personnel and at times mercenaries. Keeping this in mind the question then becomes why train in martial arts at all, if not for a certain sportlike attribute?

What are my reasons for training traditional martial arts???

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I ask myself this question at the beginning of every month. Usually it's the same reasons, sometimes I find more.

My reasons for practicing Tai Chi Chuan and Kwan Ying Do Kung Fu is that it has always been a way for me to reset my body and mind. It's brought me comfort in the worst times of my life and continues to help me grow as a person in different ways. On top of these reasons physically it changes as I change and I find new discoveries in the techniques/forms every time I practice them.

Traditional martial arts are a great way to train that brings better health and grows into a constant form of self development. Simply the deeper you dive in the practice the more that it unlocks in you. If it's the same form you've been training for years, the skills and development grows as you do. More so than this, traditional formwork is a training method where you don't need anything or anyone else to make improvement. Once you have the foundational principles and pay close attention the alignments and coordination develop to heal every part of your body and mind with every session.

Without getting into specifics traditional martial arts train every aspect of you from the inside out. There are exercises for mind, body, and spirit if you want to dive into the spiritual history of the art you're training in. From Japanese Zen and Shinto in Karate, Aikido, JuJutsu or Ninjutsu, to the Chinese view of Tao in Tai Chi or Cha'an in Shaolin Kung Fu. From Filipino meditations to Mui Thai spiritual dances before combat, you can find spirituality in any practice... or not, IT'S NOT REQUIRED. If you don't like confrontation you can focus on the 'softer side' pursuing health and fitness, If you enjoy competition focus on the 'harder side' of conditioning and self defense drills. You can develop power in various ways through many methods with or without equipment. There's a martial art out there that trains it.

What I like most about martial arts is you can train anywhere, in anyway, with anyone, however, and in whatever way you want and progress infinitely on your own or with a partner if you so choose. The depth is endless. The only limitation is your desire to practice and discover yourself.

In time, regardless of practice, you'll find mindfulness and endless potential! Keep training and enjoy the fruit of your practice!
]]><![CDATA[Martial Art + Massage need each other!]]>Thu, 02 Nov 2017 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.movewithlife.net/mwl-blog/martial-art-massage-need-each-otherA match made centuries ago! Picture
Massage has been very important in martial arts for a long time. Not just for injury recovery, but also for prevention, and even many times as a requirement for ranking as a "master" in w/e discipline or system.

Today we'll explore the main reasons I feel one is indispensable from another and how both complement each other almost seamlessly.

Warm up your hands and grab your lineaments today we're diving into how massage and martial arts make a devastating healing couple!

Many traditional martial arts instructors were healers!

PictureZatoichi, the blind swordsman and traveling massage therapist
Many come to mind but the 2 most popular ones I feel are Zatoichi, and Wong Fei Hung.

Zatoichi is a traveling massage therapist, and ronin samurai who, while blind, finds himself in very awkward situations assassinating top samurai officials and escaping from near death many times. I don't know if he was a real person but his movies and antics tell quite an amazing story, and traditionally massage therapists in ancient japan were blind... so there may be a bit of validity in that.

Wong Fei Hung is a chinese folk hero who is one of the most popular of the 10 tigers, a group of martial arts masters said to be the best in all of China. Wong, besides being an exceptional martial artist, was a renowned physician and healer who helped many people. Due to his great local rapport there were many stories written about him and as such his persona became a huge focal point for kung fu cinema across the ages. Now having been played by many great actors in the genre, Jet Li and Jackie Chan to name a few.

Outside of famous characters there are various systems and styles of martial art which boast their own types of massage techniques and forms. Japanese massage systems like Okazaki, Shiatsu, and Ashiatsu are practiced by many karate-ka, judo-ka, and jujutsu practitioners. They are used as a way to balance out all the impact, and injuries. Massage in these arts is also  used to help people safeguard from pulling muscles, deeply damaging muscles from impact, and assist in strengthening ligaments and tendons. In the case of jujutsu greater flexibility assists in the ability to escape various grapples, and holds. This same massage practice and flexibility facilitates the effective use of these various techniques. Massage is a great asset to bring the art together and help the practitioner progress more efficiently and effectively in its practice.
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Japanese martial arts are not the only ones that have used massage throughout the ages, Chinese martial arts of Wudang and Shaolin Kung Fu are said to be the originators of much of the tui na (Chinese massage) we see today. There has also been, like I noted above, countless Kung Fu movies based on facts that the local kung fu master was also the town's doctor/healer. Traditions like these show how intertwined massage, healing, and martial arts have been for centuries in the orient.

Outside of China and Japan we see similar connections in Thailand, Greece, Russia, India, and many more. This mixing and melding has many other reasons outside of the obvious safeguarding from injury and fixing mishaps of sparring or grappling, which we'll explore below.

The result of mixing Massage and martial arts is fearlessness and strength!

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I tell this to all my martial arts and massage students alike. Martial art practice takes the fear out of massage, and massage takes the fear out of martial arts.

Martial arts takes the fear out of massage in the sense that by truly knowing and feeling exactly how to enact damage on another person, i.e. breaking bones, dislocating a joint or striking, we deeply come to understand a person's limits. In Martial art practice we learn this very quickly through repeating drills in a safe and controlled manner. Contrast this experience to that of a massage therapist, we have to kind of tip toe the edges until we develop the sensitivity to effectively feel this limit. This takes much more time and can be very detrimental to yourself and the client because you're not enacting enough change to their body and slowing their healing.

Another way martial arts takes the fear out of massage is by allowing us to correctly align and feel our structure. I have a saying, which you have probably heard me say before, "If you can hit with it you can massage with it." This helps massage therapists do their work safer and with way less effort and injury because structure places power into the technique not the other way around. These are the two reasons i say martial art practice takes the fear out of massage, lets move on to how massage takes the fear out of martial arts.
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Massage takes the fear out of martial arts because while receiving massage you can truthfully examine your limits. Healthy muscle tissue should be able to be compressed right down to the bone, whereas if it is unhealthy this pressure will be very painful. If a person were to strike you in this tense, rigid and painful area your muscle could spasm and leave  you wide open for more punishment. In this way massage becomes a great safe place for you to get rid of vulnerabilities while improving your overall muscular health.

The other way massage assists in martial art practice is by increasing your flexibility and rehabilitation from all the training. When you train excessively in "harder styles" of martial arts (Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Jujutsu, Shaolin, Boxing, Mui Thai, etc.) you accumulate a lot of tension. This tension compounded with striking and grappling is a recipe for injury. Regular stretching can go a long way as a safeguard, but having someone else do it for you will greatly speed up your progress and capabilities. So next time you have a match coming up get some massage before and after your bout!

Massage Therapists find a martial art to hone your skills, and martial artists find a massage therapist to help you get stronger, faster, and feel better!

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