7 Powerful Stress Busting Habits of Tai Chi

Have you ever watched a musician or performer at the top of their game and wondered how they make what they do look so easy and effortless?

I love watching inspirational performers who have mastered their craft and as a result can bring out soul inspired performances that touch us at the deepest level.

So how do they get to be so good? What is the key ingredient that makes these people so successful?

I have been fascinated by this subject my whole life.The main reason why I wanted to get to grips with it was because I wanted so much to become a professional violinist. (and between you and me I’m still working on this one!) I dreamed of travelling the world with my violin, gathering together fellow music lovers and sharing my love of music with them. Playing the violin is extremely challenging and only a few reach the very top of the profession. I soon realised that the key to becoming a successful violinist was the habit of  practice. To master the violin I had to make practice a daily event. I have to say that I loved playing the violin so I was only too happy to get my violin out every morning and run through my scales.

Without a good understanding of the ‘what and how’ of practice we’ll never have a strong base from which we can build and grow in any area of our life.

Now what’s this got to do with stress?

Well if we want to successfully manage stress in our lives and eventually become stress free then one of the most important aspects of this is knowing how & what to practise. What are the good habits to sow in order to get from stressed out to stress free?

So how can we practise stress management?

One of the best ways to deal with stress is through Tai Chi.

Tai Chi provides a fantastic framework where you can learn the necessary skills to help you deal with stress through a formal practice routine and set in place some very positive and empowering habits.

Let’s look at the main benefits of regularly practising Tai Chi and building these positive life changing habits.

1. Listening to the body develops inner connection and awareness

From day to day we lead such busy lives that leave us little time for ourselves and our own well-being. From very early on in our lives we begin to lose connection with our bodies. We spend most of the time in our heads and very little in our body.

The result over a long period of time is complete numbness to what is going on in our own body. This is a sure road to disaster!

With little or no awareness of how we feel from moment to moment we fail to pick up the many signals that the body is giving us all the time. The body literally talks to us but we so often fail to listen.

Like any good relationship listening is absolutely essential.

So it is with the relationship with our body. If we don’t listen carefully, tension and stress build up gradually without us being aware. It is often only when the tell tale signs of pain appear that we sit up and take notice.

Sometimes stress and tension can build to dangerous levels putting us at serious risk of many stress related conditions.

As worrying as all that sounds…

It needn’t be this way…

All we need to do is to choose to start listening to the body.

And Tai Chi provides the perfect method to learn to do just that.

Tai Chi practice helps develop and build a very strong inner connection and awareness of the body.

Initially we start out by learning a series of movements called a Tai Chi form. We focus on getting the legs, arms and body to work in a more co-ordinated manner.

Through this initial process we learn to bring more awareness into each part of the body so that you can experience the aliveness of your body. Not only that but we also gain increasing control over the physical body, more than you might imagine!

Through this understanding & awareness of the mind-body connection we can then start to feel where-abouts in the body there is a block or restriction.  With subsequent training we can then discover how to release these inner blocks, encouraging blood, qi energy, body fluids to flow more powerfully through our bodies.

I remember years ago when I started having driving lessons that I needed to repeat the manoeuvers over and over again in order to be proficient. It is exactly the same with Tai Chi in that we need to go over each move many times to not only understand it intellectually, but for the body also to learn the gestures.

Although at first it might seem that you are just trying to learn and memorise a movement, actually something deeper is happening.

It is in the practice that transformation begins. We first focus on getting a better posture and body alignment. This alone can totally change how you feel.

But at the same time that we are trying to work on the body this also has an impact on our minds. We are also training the mind to come back to the body.

To become Present

To encourage a stillness of the mind

And to focus on the task in hand.

Habit #1 Listen to your body

2. Awareness increases our emotional intelligence

As you become more comfortable with the movements and start to bring more awareness to the body, we start to deepen our sensitivity and encourage an opening of our awareness to the emotions.

Unfortunately many people have learned or been conditioned by their upbringing or society to suppress their emotions. If our emotions are locked in and not acknowledged and released, this can lead to challenging times ahead!

Emotions that are not processed or released build up an unhealthy internal presence which can seriously affect your health both in the short and long term.

I believe that looking after our emotions can be one of the most powerful preventative measures we can take in looking after our overall mental and physical wellbeing.

When you notice how you feel and bring awareness to those parts of the body affected by the emotional energy block, it kicks off a powerful healing process that will leave you feeling emotionally lighter and overall much happier.

Learning how to feel the emotions in the body whilst practising Tai Chi is an excellent way to then do the same thing in your everyday life. Taking the time to really focus on this aspect whilst moving slowly through the Tai Chi gestures, enables one to apply the same technique in everyday life where things go a lot faster and consequently are more easily missed.

Noticing the emotions pop up and allowing them space to be seen will allow you to choose how you respond rather than unconsciously react in many everyday situations that previously might have been ignored.

Habit #2 Become aware of how you feel. Allow your emotions the space to be acknowledged and felt.

Habit #3 Notice how you habitually react under stress and start to consciously choose how to respond with more empowering habits.

3. Inner awareness leads to letting go

As we deepen our internal awareness through Tai Chi, noticing where we are holding on either mentally or physically, feeling for any tension or restriction, we’ll gradually find it easier and easier to release and let go.

In my experience this is one of the hardest things to do. It sounds so simple and yet for many many people it is incredibly difficult.

But never the less it is possible, with understanding and practice all is possible.

In my classes I have come across some of the most stressed out and tense people who have taken their time, committed to their practice and eventually learned how to relax, much to their (and their partner’s!) delight.

It is one of the most valuable things you can do for yourself and will completely transform your life in so many extraordinary ways.

Habit #4  Notice the tension in your body and start to let go.

4. Better co-ordination brings its rewards.

Co-ordination is something we generally take for granted but for many people starting to learn Tai Chi it suddenly is at the forefront of their minds!

You will start to develop whole body co-ordination, no matter if you are naturally gifted or not in this department.

As you learn how to co-ordinate both sides of the body, for example the movement of the left leg and the right arm at the same relative speed,  you will start to notice areas where you are tighter, stiffer, weaker, blocked or restricted.

Some areas of the body might be numb to your awareness.

It might be surprising to know that very few people are symmetrical with both the left and right sides correctly balanced.

The work on the physical body is just the start of our journey towards finding balance. Later we explore co-ordinating, the breath and movement together.

More and more elements are introduced as we learn and embody a higher level of co-ordination both externally through the body and internally via the mind, breath and energy.

With this increased drive towards co-ordination and balance comes a new found inner strength & support that will enable you to keep centered through the good times and the challenging times.

Habit #5 Better co-ordination brings balance to body, mind and spirit.

6. Whole body breathing is a habit for life!

It is through the breath that we have an incredibly powerful opportunity to transform our health in so many ways. Tai Chi teaches whole body breathing and this ancient technique takes your mental and physical well-being to a whole new level.

When we combine whole body breathing with the movements of the Tai Chi form, you’ll quickly start to feel the powerful changes in your body and find an increasing vitality that lasts through the busy day. This is an extremely good habit!

Habit #6 Whole body breathing is a habit for Life!

7. Daily Tai Chi practice is like investing in your health account

Seriously…if you want to buy a house or retire one day it’s important to put money aside, into your bank account in order to save. With time the amount you save steadily accumulates.

In much the same way, by having a daily habit of practising Tai Chi, we start to invest in our own health and over time this health investment will accumulate. You will become stronger physically, emotionally and energetically.

You will develop energy reserves that will help you navigate the sometimes rocky paths we tread in life. But because you have invested wisely you will have a much stronger inner strength and resilience that will help you bounce back quicker without taking you out of the game!

Habit #7 Daily Tai Chi practise is investing in your health account.

Lets recap…

Habit #1 Listen to your body

Habit #2 Become aware of how you feel. Allow your emotions the space to be acknowledged and felt.

Habit #3 Notice how you habitually react under stress and start to consciously choose how to respond with more empowering habits.

Habit #4  Notice the tension in your body and start to let go.

Habit #5 Better co-ordination brings balance to body, mind and spirit.

Habit #6 Whole body breathing is a habit for Life!

Habit #7 Daily Tai Chi practice is investing in your health account.

All of these empowering habits I can testify actually work from my own experience.

They have worked for me and they can work for you.

Let me know what positive health habits you have and how they’ve worked for you.