Advice for Class

Helpful Tips to Remember in Tai Chi
Helpful Tips to Remember in Yoga
Breathwork
Energy

Helpful Tips - Tai Chi

• The importance of moving slowly through the form cannot be overemphasized. It will improve the smoothness of your motions, which will improve the connectedness of your motions.

• Tai Chi movement is movement that is performed in a connected fashion. This means that motion starts in the spine, goes to the waist, moves down through the legs to the feet, and simultaneously up through the body to the arms, hands and fingers.
• Develop an awareness of your body.

• Make sure your shoulders are dropped to eliminate tension.

• Calm your mind and breathe slowly and deeply without holding your breath into the T’ien and then circulates throughout the whole body. Your T’ien or dan-tian/ tantien is 1 1/3 inches below your navel and is considered to be the foundation of rooted standing, breathing, and body awareness In the I Ching, this is known as the water and fire being properly adjusted. Gradually the mind acts and the chi follows so that the internal energy is developed.

• Stay curved like the river with many winding paths continually flowing.

• The head should feel as if "suspended from above".

• Keep your knees bent throughout the entire form, and don't let your height bob up and down. Except for certain points in the form, the height should be maintained at a constant level.

• The heart (Mind), the intent, and the chi are connected like a circle.

• Practicing tai chi requires patience.

• Enjoy your Tai Chi Journey


Helpful Tips - Yoga

Get Comfortable Clothes that Breathe
Make sure these clothes breath and allow you to stretch comfortably. The last thing you want is to be restricted by your clothes. If you are still stuck on what to wear for yoga class you can always get advice from your instructor or other people in the class.

Don’t Push Yourself
This goes hand in hand with not comparing yourself to others. You might be tempted to overreach in order to match the teacher or your neighbor, but listen to your body. Yoga is meant to heal the body, not harm it. Listening to your body’s current physical limitations is important in progressing through the practice in a healthy way.

Never Compare Yourself to Others
While this also serves as a great general rule in life, it is also an incredibly important rule for enjoying yoga. When you compare yourself to others, you belittle your own achievements, neglecting how far your body has come and where you can grow next.
Be kind to yourself and your body and pay attention to your own limitations. This will help you blossom into your yoga practice in a way that fits you perfectly. If there was anyone yoga tip for beginners to remember for a comfortable, holistic experience, it would be this one.

Breathe, Breathe, Breathe
One great yoga tip for beginners at home is that you remember to breathe. Breathing is also important if you are looking to maximize the benefit of a beginner yoga sequence.

Don’t Eat Before Class
If this is your first time jumping into yoga, an important yoga tip for beginners is to skip your morning meal before heading to the studio. You will want
to be fresh, ready, and not bogged down by a stomach focused on digesting.

Adjust a Pose to Fit Your Body
This goes along with not comparing yourself to others and not pushing yourself beyond your limit, but different poses look different for each individual.
When you are just starting out, it takes time and everyone starts at the beginning.

Relax, Enjoy, and Have Fun
Last but not least, just relax and slip into the wonderful practice that is yoga. This tradition has been around for centuries and has been known as one of
the most powerful, healing forms of exercise in the world. You are here to heal, both mentally and physically, from the stressors of everyday life. Try not to stress about what to wear for yoga class, or what other people are doing. Yoga should be about improving yourself and you have to resist the temptation to be self-conscious or judgmental. If you are just getting into yoga for the first time remember to enjoy yourself. Don’t push yourself, and enjoy the subtle progression as your body grows stronger and your mind grows calmer.


Breath Work
 
You want to learn to breathe deeply, and to learn to be fully conscious of each breath as you breathe in and out.

Breathing Exercise: Take a deep breath through your mouth. You will of course feel your chest expand, but your lungs are not being filled completely. Now, instead of through your mouth, take a big, deep breath through your nose. By breathing through the nose you will feel your diaphragm expand, rather than your chest and the air will be pulled more deeply into your lungs.

Feel this air as it is pulled into your lungs, and feel your lungs expanding to their full capacity. Feel the oxygen as it enters your body and deep into your lungs. Try to picture the oxygen you draw from the air as it nourishes your bloodstream and your vital organs. Hold the air in your lungs and feel it feeding your body. Then, you should exhale the air and be conscious of it as it leaves your body. The exhaled air will clear toxins from your body as well as CO2.

• For most every rising and withdrawing action you are inhaling.
• For most every sinking and pushing you are exhaling


Energy

When practiced slowly, Tai Chi is a form of energy work. The Chinese word for energy is "Qi". (Pronounced: CH-E) It’s important to realize that when we discuss Qi (Chi) within the body, we are not referring to some mystical force; Qi (Chi) is real. Life energy circulates throughout the 100 trillion cells that your body is comprised of.

This energy in our bodies is derived from the food we eat and the fat we burn, combined with the air we breathe through the metabolic process. In addition, with every breath you are inhaling air, which is a gas made of molecules, which are made of atoms, which are made of energy.

You inhale positive or negative ions all day long. We also receive some percentage of our body's energy from the sun and moon, and our body's energy is influenced by our surroundings, both natural and man-made. In fact, the human body is a living bio electromagnetic field. Alpha brain waves range between 7 – 12 Hz, which relates to deep relaxation. The Alpha range is also the base frequency of the Schumann Resonance, which is the vibrational frequency of the earth's electromagnetic field. When you are deeply relaxed, your Alpha brainwaves resonate in harmony with the earth's (natures) electromagnetic field.

Don't keep searching for your energy when you practice. Realize that you are energy.

Words of Master T.T Liang “…you will forget the rhythm, the movement, even yourself although you are proceeding as usual. … your five attributes, form, perception, consciousness, action and knowledge are empty. This is meditation in action and complete relaxation of the body.” (T’ai Chi Ch’uan: for Health and Self Defense: Master T.T Liang)