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Greetings Friends,
Welcome to the 9th Green Mountain Tai chi Newsletter.
Expertvillage.com has now posted 5 of the 8 video series that I filmed back in the end of March. You can click on the links below to check them out. I will certainly let you know when the rest of the series are posted.
Expert village Tai chi movements
Expert village Tai chi stretching
Expert village Tai chi for seniors
Expert village martial applications
Expert village Tai chi movements 2
We hear the terms sustainable and renewable often these days, mostly in the context of the environment. Personally I feel the more we hear and apply these terms the better off we all will be. Lately, in all dealings I am involved with and all actions I perform I ask myself, is this sustainable and renewable? That even includes writing this newsletter. I feel it is or you wouldn't be reading this right now.
I am finding one of the positive results in this is that I am less self-centered in my actions and consciously think of others on a new level. Something can not be sustained and renewed when only one person benefits. I am less likely to only think how will I benefit from what I am doing and now think more how can we all come out feeling great. The more we concern ourselves with all concerned in feeling great, the more we all will feel great. So I challenge you to ask yourself in your actions and dealings with others today, is what I am doing sustainable and renewable?
Peace, prayers and happiness,
Rich
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Announcements
Coping with chronic pain
Has your quality of life been compromised since the onset of chronic pain due to trauma, degeneration or illness?
In this class you will learn:
* practical techniques for coping with daily pain
* simple exercises to help you regain control of pain
* understand how pain works and how to manage your
responses
* how to deal with the physical, emotional and mental
aspects of pain
* learn what I did to overcome a debilitating injury after
doctors said nothing could be done for me
Free introduction evening:
Tuesday September 16th 6:30-7:45
Two night seminar tuition is $80
and includes the teachings, pain relieving strategies and a free guided meditation CD by Rich Marantz.
Location: Integrative Therapies, Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, Bennington VT
Dates: Tuesday, Oct 7 and 14th , 6:30pm - 8:30pm Registration with pre-payment required as space is limited.
To reserve your place please contact
Rebecca @ Integrative Therapies 802-442-1291
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Tai chi Tip
Learning to pause
One of the results we are looking for in our Tai chi form is to be fluid and smooth. I feel one of the surest ways to achieve that result is to move incrementally throughout the form. That is, to move, pause, move, pause etc. This takes real practice because it is counter-intuitive when our goal is fluidity.
To begin to practice this there are three actions where I recommend you pause. 1) upon completion of a weight shift, 2) upon completion of turning the waist 3) when you step out and touch with the foot. Along with the pause and prior to the next action, sink and settle your mud. Once you can accomplish pausing at the weight shifts, waist turns and touching at the steps you can begin to pause more often. As an example, during a weight shift you can pause half way then one quarter of the way. Eventually getting to the point of pausing every inch of movement. Then you can play with the length of the pause until the interaction of pause and movement is seamless. It is so easy and comfortable to be in movement but we are looking to be equally at ease with not being in movement, in just being and allowing the movement to naturally arise out of this stillness. Play with this and enjoy where it may take you for there are unseen wonders that Tai chi practice has to offer.
Happy practice!
Beginner and intermediate/advanced
Tai-chi classes are held each week in both Manchester and Pawlet
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Life philosophy
Setting goals
Master Chen has instructed us many times to set goals.This has always seemed contradtictory to me when we are doing our best to stay in the moment and be present. ( I have found that if something doesn't seem contradictory and confusing on the surface it isn't Taoist philosophy :)) So why is setting goals so important? This is my explanation.
As humans living in the world we have both yin and yang aspects. Our connection to the formless world is through stillness, non-doing. (stillness is the root of Tao) However our connection to the formed physical world is through doing. It is in our nature as humans to be active. It is futile trying to fight or force this. Since there is no fighting or forcing our nature, we are left with following and allowing ourselves to be active and doing.
The role that goals play are not only to achieve a particular result but more importantly to give that natural action direction and purpose. The moving toward the goal gives this active energy a positive outlet. Without this positive outlet this energy will be scattered and depleting. To borrow a saying from another tradition, idle hands are the devil's workshop. By saying it is an outlet for the energy I am suggesting there must be energy coming in. This incoming energy arises from the formless and non-doing.
The Taoist sayings Tao follows nature and return is the way of Tao can be understood in this context that we accept and follow the doing with purpose yet always return to non-doing so the activity or doing has a source of energy. Thus we act not in a way that depletes us but in a way of cultivation.
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Thoughts For The Month
"What do you have that you have not received and if you have received it how can you boast about it?"
-from the documentary Into Great Silence about the Carthusian monastery
"If you really want peace, you will choose peace"
-Eckert Tolle
"I knew if I compromised my convictions even once, then it would be easier the second and third time."
-Desmond Doss
WWII Conscientious objector, army medic and Medal of Honor recipient
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Sites worth checking out
my site, of course
Definitely worth checking out
Master Chen's site
I have never personally experienced Holotropic Breathwork, but I know Lenny and Elizabeth Gibson very well and feel confident in recommending them and their work if it resonates with you.
I know Karin and Drew and highly recommend them both. Karin is a marketing whiz. You would have to ask Drew what it is he does but I can tell you it is definitely cool and can really improve the way you approach your life.
Karin Witzig
Drew Rozell
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Richard Marantz www.GreenMountainTaiChi.com
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