The opening month is finally here after a long time of preparation. I want to thank everyone who sent encouraging feedback from last month‘s article. This month I will write about the first two activities that will be taking place at Laingholm Eleven.
Tai Chi – Wednesday Evenings
I see Tai Chi as three things: Firstly, Tai Chi is a gentle exercise that promotes health and balance. Secondly, Tai Chi is a moving meditation that cultivates calmness and sensitivity. Thirdly, Tai Chi is a martial art that relies on accuracy rather than strength. These three aspects are interconnected, which makes Tai Chi a very unique and beneficial practice.
Practicing Tai Chi is different from most other forms of exercise and martial art. Tai Chi movements are done slowly and consciously. Movements are slow to accommodate mental focus, develop accuracy and relax the muscles and joints. Staying within the comfort zone and moving with minimum effort makes Tai Chi the complete opposite of a work-out. New students actually find this difficult because many other forms of exercise are about pushing past the limits and training to exhaustion.
Bringing the mind and body together and harmonizing them is a central theme of Tai Chi practice. Many people have a habit of separation between their body and mind. When doing mental work, they barely sense their body unless it is in pain. When doing physical work or exercise, they think about something else, or put headphones on and tune out. In Tai Chi, the mind actively directs the body and listens to the body‘s signals. There is no room to think about dinner or work. This is the meditation aspect and achieving it can have profound effects.
I have been learning Tai Chi for 12 years, and taught it for over 6 years. I used to be quite uncoordinated and practicing Tai Chi has completely changed this over the years. Tai Chi also played a big part in improving my posture as I used to have the “typical computer user” posture. I feel that Tai Chi even had an impact on my personality by making me calmer and improving my attention to detail as well as sensitivity to myself and others. And it just feels great to do. Mastery takes many years in Tai Chi, and I do not consider myself to be a master, however I really enjoy sharing what I know.
Tai Chi classes will run on Wednesday evenings starting on 17th of October. The class will begin with a relaxing meditation technique and focus on twelve Tai Chi exercises. Once learned, these exercises are great for a daily routine at home. Participants are welcome to stay for a cup of tea after the class.
Sunset Meditation – Friday Evenings
The Sunset Meditation, also called Kundalini Meditation, was created by an Indian mystic named Osho. Osho observed that many modern people have busy minds and tense bodies which prevent them from experiencing the tranquility of silent meditation. He thus devised active meditation techniques that help to release stresses from the mind and tensions from the body, taking the person naturally to the tranquil state of meditation.
Active meditation techniques actively involve the body in the process of meditation instead of leaving it passive. This makes them more fun and easier to get into for many people, because not everyone can do an hour of sitting silent meditation. This particular meditation can even be done by people who don’t know what meditation is. Here’s what it looks life:
The Sunset Meditation is done to the music and begins with 15 minutes of shaking that allows participants to physically release the accumulated stress of the day. Second phase is 15 minutes of dancing which is basically moving in whatever way the body wishes to move – this helps to bring mind and body in better sync. Third phase is sitting and listening to music for 15 minutes, being aware of what is happening both inside and outside. And the final phase is lying down in silence for 15 minutes and experiencing the inner stillness which will occur naturally following the earlier stages. Some people fall asleep during the fourth part – that is not a problem, usually it is due to accumulated tiredness. Sound of gong completes the meditation (also waking up those who dozed off!)
This meditation is an individual experience and can be done with closed eyes. The lighting is dim to help participants tune inward. Everyone focuses on their own experience and doesn’t care about what others are doing. In a way, everyone is doing their own thing.
We will come together after the meditation to talk about our experiences and get questions answered. Participants can stay for a cup of tea before leaving.
Sunset Meditation sessions will run on Friday evenings starting on 19th of October.
Directions
See www.laingholm11.co.nz for driving directions and additional information about these sessions. Attendance is free of charge. You can make an optional donation when leaving (wooden box by the exit). If you wish to attend a session, it would be great if you could send me a quick message (Contact page on web site) – it will help to know how many guests to expect. Looking forward to it!
PUBLISHED IN OCT 2012 ISSUE OF LAINGHOLM ROUNDABOUT.