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The heart of our modern problem. Our daily lives are crowded, our minds are continually taken away from the here and now, constantly focusing on a problem, a thought, an emotion. Often these things are merely distractions. They aren't truly important. Certainly there are some things that are important and critical to our families and our daily lives but in this modern, crowded world it is quite often difficult to find the time to sort out the important from the unimportant. Then we come to our bodies. We find it difficult to give our bodies the attention they deserve. We eat when we find time and grab what we can. Convenience food, processed food. We do jobs which result in us sitting for long periods, often in incorrect postures. Many of us don't even walk correctly.
The solutions to all of this aren't easy. We have to make time for ourselves, time for our minds to settle and sort out the things that are important to us. Time to re-train our bodies and to think about the food we are putting into them. Time for gentle, correct exercise to re-adjust our bodies out of all those bad habits. We do have something to guide us to a more healthy place.
There are two disciplines, one mental and one physical. They have both been developed over a period of about 2500 years. One originated in India, the other in China. We have all encountered these disciplines but not many of us understand them. Our views are confused and hide their true nature. Our confusion arises from the presentation in the media, mainly in films. But we do know them, we just need to learn how to use and understand them correctly.
They are the Taoist (pronounced dow-ist) art of T'ai Chi and the Buddhist approach to meditation.
Now that the reader knows the names, all manner of preconceptions will arise. So here is your first lesson in Buddhist meditation. Try, if you can, to put these preconceptions to one side. Try to imagine you know nothing about either of these disciplines. Relax and let this article take you to somewhere new.
Clearly a magazine article can only scratch the surface of these subjects but the intention here is to give you a flavour. So that you can recognise the benefits for yourself. At least then, you can make a more reasoned choice. Whether to carry on the way you are, or set out on a new journey.
We will start with the physical. T'ai Chi. Although under the bonnet T'ai Chi is a martial art (a fighting art) but over the centuries people have discovered the benefits to be gained by studying T'ai Chi. T'ai Chi is a soft art. The form, which is a long series of moves and is a fundamental exercise of the art is typically practised slowly. The aim being to soften the movements and to keep the body and the mind flowing in harmony from beginning to end.
Don't be fooled into thinking that this is easy. T'ai Chi can be very strenuous. But strenuous in a way that is very different to say jogging or visiting the Gym. T'ai Chi exercises the body at a very deep level. Strengthening and stretching tendons and ligaments rather than the larger muscle groups. Also, muscles are exercised in a balanced, symmetrical manner ensuring balance throughout the body as fitness improves. Because of this T'ai Chi lessens the likelihood of injury and can also be a good compliment to other exercise regimes.
There are other physical benefits too. As T'ai Chi works through a series of repetitive moves it can help with the balance mechanisms of the body, even re-training the brain to work with a slightly damaged balance mechanism in the inner ear.
Postural awareness is a crucial benefit as T'ai Chi puts great emphasis on a correctly aligned spine and head.
The cardio-vascular system can also be improved through the practise of T'ai Chi. Again this is down to the study of those slow repetitive movements which over time encourage the body into a slow steady rhythm in terms of both blood flow and breathing. Over time we find that our breathing deepens, circulation improves, blood pressure lowers and heart rate drops.
There is an important message here. In this modern world people are always looking for the quick fix. Recently a friend and fellow T'ai Chi instructor developed an agreement with a GP such that the GP would refer patients who he felt would benefit from T'ai Chi. The service has now been withdrawn. The patients didn't want to wait. They wanted the pill, the quick fix. They couldn't be bothered with the practise required for T'ai Chi. They were missing the point. This article doesn't seek to undermine the value of modern medicine, but let me give you an example. If you have a spine which is out of alignment, do you practise T'ai Chi and re-align the spine in a gentle, non-invasive manner, or do you merely take a paracetomol to take away the pain in your shoulders and neck?
Finally, let's look at stress relief. Here we start to touch on the synergy with Buddhist meditation. T'ai Chi is moving meditation. Through the study of the repetitive moves we concentrate on the minutia involved. We study, feel, acknowledge the subtle changes in balance, we listen to our bodies, to the flow of energy and the very feel of the ground. When we study T'ai Chi we are completely in the here and now. It is not a hugely understood area but it may be that this meditative aspect of the art leads to the stress relief. The rhythms present in the moves force a relaxed rhythm in the mind. Certainly there are plenty of people saying that T'ai Chi relieves tension and stress but the reasons aren't obvious.
So we move to Buddhist meditation. Firstly it is important to say that many people meditate and that there are many forms of meditation. We shouldn't get hung up on the particularly label 'Buddhist'. However, Buddhist meditation has had around 2500 years to develop and mature and what has come out is a well structured approach. Let me first remove a preconception. Meditation is certainly not about learning to control your mind. If you set out to control your mind you will fail at the first fence. The mind is like a rough sea. The thoughts, ideas and emotions go crashing around on the surface. When we meditate we are striving to understand and listen to the cool calm blue waters underneath this chaotic surface.
At the heart of many forms of meditation and certainly the meditation I practise from the Theravada tradition of Buddhism are the two practices of mindfulness and insight meditation. Mindfulness starts with the simple awareness of our own minds and bodies in the here and now and in that sense is extremely similar in its feel to T'ai Chi. Buddhist meditation gives us some very interesting and simple structures and approaches to this. By simply watching the breath we slowly over the months draw our attention back into our minds and bodies. Although we aren't controlling our mind we are teaching it to concentrate. In a way it shows us that there are two parts to our minds. The part that carries out all that noisy thinking, and the other part which has the capability to quietly watch that first part at work, study it and understand it. This is all a gentle process. If we worry too much or become too exited when we learn something new our calm meditative state comes crashing down. Once we have learnt to concentrate our minds and ignore the clatter and noise going on in there we gradually calm our minds. We never control it, but we do calm it. Then we move on to Metta Bhavana. A beautiful meditation. Here we meditate on the concept of friendliness and so we study how we react and interact with others. Again, this takes time. We naturally tend to focus on the negative aspects of people. If you don't believe me, think about gossip and how that develops. How people talk about other people when they aren't in the room! This goes on in our minds as well, even if we aren't aware of it. With Metta Bhavana we break the habbit of a lifetime and focus on the positive aspects of human relationships, friendliness.
Just the same as T'ai Chi, meditation takes many years to master and in fact to truly master both, the following phrase applies. 'Keep the beginners mind'. Only with the acceptance and enthusiasm of a beginner will you keep the process of discovery going that is necessary for both disciplines.
Finally, let me give you a warning. Through this article I have kept re-stating that both disciplines require practice. Many years of practice. However, when you do reach the point where you start to experience the benefits discussed, I can almost guarantee that you will have forgotten why you set out on this journey in the first place. Like me, you will have discovered the deep joy in both the arts and you will probably not really care about the benefits they are delivering. T'ai Chi will be in your body and your soul and meditation will be changing you whole perception of the world around you and the way you work with others. So be warned, T'ai Chi and Buddhist meditation are real journeys, not to be taken lightly.
For further information about this article contact Andy Spragg, Re-Vitalise T’ai Chi.
andy.spragg@re-vitalise.co.uk or call 08000 191 635
Andy Spragg is an experienced Tai Chi instructor with 16 years of teachning experience. Andy is the owner of Re-Vitalise, a company specialising in weekend breaks and retreats in Tai Chi and meditation. These are full board retreats held in tranquil locations throughout the UK.
Andy is a Buddhist and focusses on the synergy between Tai Chi and Buddhist meditation in his teaching.
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