Yesterday, I was talking about my daily routine. How it’s gone from five minutes of stretches a day to over an hour of stretches, Taiji (solo form and weapons), and now Bagua. I was feeling a bit bored with my routine, so adding Bagua has really spiced it up. Oh, also the weight-bearing set. It’s… Continue Reading
I was writing yesterday about progress, not perfection. Specifically when it comes to working out. The American idea is to push harder, do it faster, and pay for it afterwards. Americans are weirdly proud of breaking themselves for some nebulous outcome. We see it in the jobs area, too. We’ve actually had to introduce the… Continue Reading
One thing I really appreciate about Taiji–oh, let me say this. I had a class today. It really anchors my week, and I need to add another class. Probably the Tuesday night one. My teacher is great in that she’s very casual about people making mistakes. She’ll point them out, but in a way that… Continue Reading
I am tired. My body is sore, and I’m having to be careful about working out too hard. Even though I do not espouse the ideal of giving 110%, I can become consumed by a pasison. And, I do get obsessive from time to time. That’s how I was pulled into anorexia (which included exercising… Continue Reading
As anyone who does any kind of exercise knows, there are ebbs and flows to your practice. There are times when you’re at a plateau, and there are times when you’re busting through that plateau and soaring high. In Taiji, there is a lot of plateau. Yes, there is the time of intensive learning–such as… Continue Reading
I have been trying to cut back on my meat intake for ethical reasons. But, and this has happneed in the past, when I up my exercise, I want to eat more meat. My Taiji teacher explained that it was a protein builds muscle thing (and, on a similar note, she recommended I eat an… Continue Reading
Taiji is my life. This is something people need to know about me. It’s not my life in the same way it is for my teacher, but it’s an integral part of my daily life. I get up, put the coffee on, feed Shadow, and then do my daily Taiji routine. I still marvel at… Continue Reading
I have been studying Taiji for fourteen or fifteen years. I have come so far, and I am proud of the progress I have made. I was a terrible student in the beginning because I was so resistant to everything my teacher was telling me. I apologized to her later, but she laughingly brushed it… Continue Reading
My brother was over yesterday, and we were talking about my weapons. I had mentioned that I wanted a nice new weapon because most of my weapons are practice ones. That means either wooden or dull steel. I love my sword, but the steel is dull. It’s better for practicing, of course. My brother said… Continue Reading
Yesterday, I was talking about my terrible first Taiji teacher. Honestly, he was the reason I did not find another teacher for quite some time. When I did look again, I had a few rules. One, I wannted a woman. Two, no uniforms or anything I had to buy from the studio. Three, I didn’t… Continue Reading