Look above at my tagline: Work Less ~ Earn More ~ Live More.
I’m fortunate to have a freelance writing niche that pays me well, and my many years of study and application of productivity and time management techniques give me a lot more free time.
And that allows me to Live More, which is my most important goal.
For me, a key part of living more is increasing my connection with my body and my mind, and exploring how my body/mind interacts with the rest of the world. And that’s why I’ve been a serious student of tai chi since 2004.
I’ve talked about how small, positive changes can make a big difference in your life. Now I’m sharing with you a large positive change I made ten years ago: my tai chi practice, which I do for at least an hour a day, and often more.
The Tai Chi System I Study
I began studying with Gene Burnett in Ashland, Oregon ten years ago. For many years it was a 75-minute drive from my house near Mount Shasta, so it required a major commitment. Fortunately, I moved to Ashland in 2012, and now it’s just a 15 minute walk. Gene was certified to teach tai chi and related arts by Seattle teacher Andy Dale who in turn was taught by tai chi master Tchoung Ta-Tchen and many other teachers.
Most people who study tai chi only learn a single slow form and some qi gong warm-up exercises. Our system is quite broad and includes:
- three qi gong sets
- a short slow form (10 minutes)
- a long slow form (60 minutes)
- martial applications of all movements
- a fast partner form with punches and kicks
- push-hands partner work
- study of bagua and hsing-i (sister arts of tai chi)
- weapons sets, both solo and partner (cane, broadsword, straight sword)
- standing meditation
Bandon, Oregon Tai Chi Workshop/Retreat
Every summer Andy Dale sets up three-day workshop where several teachers lead a variety of classes on the beach below the Sunset Motel in Bandon, Oregon. Bandon features sea stacks, tide pools, and a broad beach that stretches for miles — a perfect setting for tai chi.
How Tai Chi Benefits Me
Many scientific studies have documented various benefits of tai chi. Here’s how tai chi has helped me…
I’m Healthier
Tai chi has a strong focus on body alignment. Once I got serious about my practice, my nagging intermittent back problems disappeared. I also corrected how I walk, which has reduced stress on my ankles, knees, and hips.
In addition, I’m much more coordinated, so I’m less likely to fall, and that’s important, especially for me since I do a lot of off-trail hiking in the mountains.
Finally, tai chi emphasizes relaxation, and that’s allowed me to reduce tension throughout my body.
I’m Happier
Practicing tai chi reduces my stress and mental chatter. It gets me out of my head and my monkey mind and into my body. I also almost always practice outdoors: that puts me in touch with the natural world, which is important to me.
I’m a Better, More Efficient Freelance Writer
And here’s why:
- I have better posture when I sit, which means far fewer aches and pains
- I have a clearer mind, so I focus better on my writing projects
- I use tai chi as a break from my writing, and I usually set a goal of writing a certain number of words or for a certain amount of time before I take my tai chi break
- I feel healthier and happier, and both are crucial for high productivity
Your Take
What does Living More mean to you? What commitments have you made to improve your life? What exercise do you do to increase your health and happiness, and how has it helped your writing and other areas of your life?
My freelancing career has been a lifesaver. I honestly believe if I had continued on the high-stress corporate path I was on, I would not be here.
Living more to me means being available for my 92-year-old mother who although very healthy (thank the Lord) is 92. 😉 It also means having the freedom to get my priorities straight. My commitments include my 6-7 mile walks, my continuing participation in the 3-Day, 60-mile Walk for the Cure, and making sure I stay in touch with those who matter most. 🙂
Good for you, Cathy! It sounds like you really do have your priorities straight, and I think it’s wonderful that you are helping out with your elderly mother.
Living More means having the freedom (and, let’s face it, the budget) to do the things that make my heart sing and my brain buzz. And, not being a workaholic to have that life. For me, that’s meant more vacations and conferences — more memorable experiences and more opportunities to develop and deepen relationships. That’s what makes me happy.
On an ideal day, I walk in the morning, do a little yoga, and meditate. I listen to podcasts while I walk so I get a little education too. Years of practicing yoga and meditation have given me more awareness of my body (including, like you, my posture) and mind. I find I can focus and resist distractions better. And when I don’t, I realize that I’m making a choice to be distracted.
Since I live far from yoga studios, I belong to the online yoga website YogaGlo. Like Tai Chi, yoga helps with strength, balance, and flexibility.
Deirdre, I also focus on making sure I have a lot of time off. That’s when I’m really alive. I’m doing a lot of hiking this summer, which I count as time off even though it’s for new editions of my hiking guidebooks, and I spent 5 weeks in Costa Rica earlier this year.
I also listen to podcasts, usually when I’m doing strength training and driving.
And I do yoga for 10-15 minutes a day.
I’d love to get into tai chi! I currently do an hour of yoga a day between writing projects. It’s wonderful, and it does relax the mind and body, and make it easier to concentrate. Would you recommend taking tai chi from an instructor or are there good courses online that are just as effective?
Nida, yoga is also great.
You really need to have a good instructor to learn tai chi. You can’t learn it from a video. Check out all the local teachers and then choose the one you feel will be best for you. Many will let you take a class for free, or at least observe.
I love Tai Chi – and right now I’m doing yoga because someone has gifted me with personal instruction.
Over time I’ve found getting out doors and any exercise, even physical labor helps my writing.
Wish I could go shirtless… 😉
Anne, walking and hiking are also very important to me. I get out on my feet at least once a day, often twice a day.
Good post John. I would add that it’s not T’ai-Chi that improves our lives but T’ai-Chi practice. T’ai-Chi is a Chinese word to describe the state of balance between the firm and the soft that underlies all things. This state is said to be guided by the “Tao” or “Mysterious Way” that we Taoists try to align ourselves with.
I do it by listening to what feels most deeply right, having an eye on “forcing less and flowing more”, and by practicing things like T’ai-Chi and music. The various practices that I do are actually training games that bring up my resistance to balance and hopefully invite me to safely let it go.
I’m sure this is what you had in mind when you wrote “T’ai-Chi makes me a better writer”. I just like to emphasize that the benefits come from practice, and that practice is work and can be difficult. I don’t know anyone who’s taken up T’ai-Chi and never considered quitting. Resistance is resistance you know? It’s real and it will come up. Things like good posture, moving with efficient grace, cultivating a ready responsive state of mind and body do not magically appear because a person takes a class. There are no “training montages” in real life where the hero suddenly develops skill.
You don’t have to practice like a madman though. I’ve had students who significantly improved their balance and got many health benefits who only practiced once a week in their lesson with me. It took a longer time than if they had been practicing, but the benefits did come.
It was a lot of fun to hang out at Bandon and watch you doing partner work with Andy and gratifying as a teacher to see you and Neil able to work with my teacher and hold your own, learn, and enjoy yourselves. Also, of course, a real testament to how much you both have practiced and taken the principles of the art into your lives. I’m glad you’ve been able to let the effects of your T’ai-Chi practice ripple out into your writing life John. That’s what it’s all about, not just doing a bunch of forms correctly. Good work.
(Everyone: Gene’s my tai chi teacher that I discussed in the post.)
Gene, I’ve been working on incorporating tai chi into all aspects of my life, with greater success in some areas than in others. As you say, perseverance is important, along with the right attitude.
And as I said above, it’s very important to have a good teacher, and you definitely are. You make yourself freely available at very reasonable rates, you have videos of all the forms and exercises, and you’ve even written a book on tai chi.
Living More — to me, it’s having a life that’s enhanced by my work, not consumed by it.
I’m loving the tai chi stuff, John. In my own life, it’s been meditation. We belong to an Indian-based group, and we meditate both singularly and collectively. It’s the balance of mind, spirit, diet, and humanism that I love.
Beyond that, I exercise every weekday. I do intense circuit training (Focus T25), and it’s made a huge difference in my strength, shape, and endurance.
My commitment to myself is to find one joy per day and carry it forward, either into the day or into the next day, depending on when I find it. I have been committed to a vegetarian life, which I love. I’ve committed to harmlessness (the guru’s teachings) in all things.
All of this helps me bring focus to my writing. Because I get introspective in both meditation and in actively doing no harm, I’m able to reach into those same places in my creativity. It allows me to interview someone whose views are mirror opposite mine, and do so without judgment or argument.
Plus, my exercise regimen gives me the release I need to shake off the day’s frustrations.
Lori, I also have a meditation practice, although I don’t do it every day. There’s a lot of research showing that meditation is very beneficial both physically and mentally.
It sounds like your spiritual practice is making a major positive difference in your life, including your writing. Keep at it!
This is really a very awesome post John,
Its sometimes amazing how small changes can impact our life in positively, that is why they always say that little things always matter in life.
I’ve always loved Tai Chi, but the problem is that i don’t really know how to learn it or who will teach me. I wish i live close to you so i will become your student :).
Thanks for sharing.
There is a real struggle between the grind of work and the balance of life but as you’ve discovered working (writing) for yourself helps to free up those precious hours to do what’s important.
I haven’t tried Tai Chi but recently discovered Floor Dancing which seems to have something to do with the Feldenkrais movement. Only discovered this in the last 24 hours but it’s something a little more up my alley.
To be honest, I am not practicing any kind of sport or relaxing activity, but you make me curious to try tai chi. I will share with you my results..thansk for the idea