I grew up in an environment where traditional Chinese medicine was prevalent, but have spent the past 50 years under the care of "modern" western medicine. I know that each of these medical disciplines has its advantages and neither is perfect, but the fact that they are based on totally different philosophy makes it difficult for a future that can see the combination of the good of both sides and the elimination of their shortcomings. In a previous posting I have briefly discussed the rationale behind Chinese medicine. I still don't quite understand it and I am still skeptical about it.
Recently I have the opportunity to see some unusual Chinese medical practice in action. In October, I helped arrange for two very reputable Chinese doctors from Shanghai and Beijing, who were in the States for private matters, to informally demonstrate their skills by treating people at a local college. One of the doctors, a sport medicine expert, treated about 20 people with complaints of neck, shoulder, back, knee and foot problems. Most of these problems were resolved with a few minutes of physical treatment using one of more of these five methods: acupuncture, acupressure, stretching of the muscles (la jin), bone setting, and skin scraping. Since I don't have any medical training of any kind, I may not be describing these treatments accurately. One very heavy-set woman came in on a cane, accompanied by her husband, was able to walk out without the cane after about half and hour of treatment. No equipment was used unless one counts the acupuncture needle as equipment, and no medication was required.
Last week, by chance I met another "miracle doctor" in New Jersey and read a book written by him detailing how he abandoned his Wall Street job and spent two years wandering around China visiting Tao and Buddhist temples seeking out some good traditional Chinese medicine doctors and learn their trade, sleeping at temples and farm houses, and at the same time practice what he learned by actually treating people in some of China's poorest areas. In Tibet he treated about a thousand people with all kinds of illnesses including diabetes, blindness and disabilities caused by strokes. He never charged anything of his patients. At a friend's house, I and several other people were treated by him for some rather minor discomfort. More importantly, I was able to learn about how the treatment works and some exercise that helps keep myself healthy. I am now still somewhat skeptical about these Chinese treatment, but less so than before. I want to know more.
According to this financier-turned-healer, the human body has an inherent ability to ward off all kinds of illnesses, including cancer, diabetes, heart diseases, etc. Only when some imbalances occur within the body or some blockage of the circulation of the vital "chi" occurs would these illnesses be able to rear their ugly head and cause all kind of troubles. So the way to keep oneself healthy is to keep everything in balance. Obviously I am oversimplifying things here and I apologize.
I am particularly interested in the "la jin" (stretching of the muscles) treatment that this doctor taught me. He put me lying on a bench against and perpendicular to a wall with my right leg stretched up against the wall and try to put my leg at a 90% angle to my torso. There is no way I can do that. My knee could not be straight and my bottom could not come close to the wall. He said that is because my tendons and muscles have contracted thereby obstructing the circulation of "chi" in my body. He then diagnosed that my kidneys are weak and told me that by practicing "la jin" I will be able to relief my kidney problem.
There are two way to practice "la jin": one is as described above by stretching both legs (one at a time) until they can be straightened. The other is by standing at a doorway with both arms holding either sides of the door frame, while both legs straddling the door way with the front leg bend and the rear leg straight. Stay that way for five minutes and then change position of the legs for another five minutes. Practice this twice a day.
I am going to try his "la jin" method and will report my progress, if any, on my blog in the months ahead. I may even be able to put a video in here. Stay tuned.
Nov 12, 2008
Jul 9, 2008
Growing Old is Glorious
The following is a short presentation I made as part of a Sunday service at my church, the Morristown (NJ) Unitarian Fellowship, honoring our seniors:
Good morning. How many of you plan to grow old and enjoy old age, can I have a show of hands? OK. Good. After all, as I said before, it beats the alternative, doesn't it?
I grew up in a Chinese community and didn’t come to this country until age 28. So I did have a chance to experience both cultures. There are certainly many differences between the Chinese and the American cultures. One of the most striking aspects has to do with people’s attitude towards age. Now, I am talking about the overall picture. There are always lots of exceptions in real life. Also, I am expressing my own views.
In the Chinese culture, people treasure children because they are young and helpless, but even more so because children represent the continuation of their families and themselves in both space and time. As such, they make sure their children are well educated and become good, useful members of society. They also respect their elders for elders represent the source of their own existence and a source of wisdom. Older people also have made their contributions to their families and society. They deserve to be honored and cared for. At the back of their mind, they are also thinking: When I get old, I want to be respected and cared for too.
In the American culture as I have observed, people don’t just treasure their children, they overprotect and overindulge them. That's my opinion. Many people worship the very idea of youth to such an extreme that by comparison they see getting old as a losing proposition. They are afraid to get old. They are reluctant to disclose their age; they feel ashamed of their old age, some even mutilate their body to become superficially younger; they envy the more active life of younger people. No wonder we need so many psychiatrists.
The last time I checked, everyone of us can only get older; no one can get any younger as each day passes. So this negative view on old age is totally self-defeating. If you despise old age, you can only become a loser because you can never win.
Let me suggest that we all, regardless of age, start a revolution to turn this negative perspective on age all the way around. We have to glorify old age. We should be proud to be old. Being old means we have overcome the test of time; it means we have made our contribution to our family and our society; it means we have learned life’s lessons that younger people have yet to encounter. Younger people have their important role in our society; so do the older people, and so do the very old people. This way we'll all be winners.
Good morning. How many of you plan to grow old and enjoy old age, can I have a show of hands? OK. Good. After all, as I said before, it beats the alternative, doesn't it?
I grew up in a Chinese community and didn’t come to this country until age 28. So I did have a chance to experience both cultures. There are certainly many differences between the Chinese and the American cultures. One of the most striking aspects has to do with people’s attitude towards age. Now, I am talking about the overall picture. There are always lots of exceptions in real life. Also, I am expressing my own views.
In the Chinese culture, people treasure children because they are young and helpless, but even more so because children represent the continuation of their families and themselves in both space and time. As such, they make sure their children are well educated and become good, useful members of society. They also respect their elders for elders represent the source of their own existence and a source of wisdom. Older people also have made their contributions to their families and society. They deserve to be honored and cared for. At the back of their mind, they are also thinking: When I get old, I want to be respected and cared for too.
In the American culture as I have observed, people don’t just treasure their children, they overprotect and overindulge them. That's my opinion. Many people worship the very idea of youth to such an extreme that by comparison they see getting old as a losing proposition. They are afraid to get old. They are reluctant to disclose their age; they feel ashamed of their old age, some even mutilate their body to become superficially younger; they envy the more active life of younger people. No wonder we need so many psychiatrists.
The last time I checked, everyone of us can only get older; no one can get any younger as each day passes. So this negative view on old age is totally self-defeating. If you despise old age, you can only become a loser because you can never win.
Let me suggest that we all, regardless of age, start a revolution to turn this negative perspective on age all the way around. We have to glorify old age. We should be proud to be old. Being old means we have overcome the test of time; it means we have made our contribution to our family and our society; it means we have learned life’s lessons that younger people have yet to encounter. Younger people have their important role in our society; so do the older people, and so do the very old people. This way we'll all be winners.
Jun 9, 2008
What is Taichi Light: Part 7
Movement Sixteen: The Flywheel
The Transition: At the end of the last movement, remain crouching, bend down from your waist. Put your arms hanging in front of you.
The Movement: Turn your torso to the left, begin to inhale, stand up, raise your arms up follow by your torso until they reach the 12 O’clock position. Begin to exhale, turn your torso to the right, keep your arms parallel and move them in parallel clockwise in front of you, stretching them as much as you can, until they are back in the six o’clock position. As you make the circle, leave your waist loose so that your torso would turn left and right in natural harmony with your arms’ movement. This is one movement cycle. Do three cycles clockwise, followed by three cycles counterclockwise.
The Breathing: Inhale when your arms are moving upward; exhale when they are moving downward.
The Imagery: Imagine you were just a little kid, loitering in the backyard with nothing much to do but trying to do something anyway.
Movement Seventeen: Playing with the Ball
The Movement: Stand straight with your feet about a foot apart and your arms hanging on your sides. Begin to inhale. Concurrently raise your right hand (with palm facing down) and your left knee in front of you, and make your right leg stand on its toes. Lower your right hand and your left leg and assume a crouching position. Begin to exhale, raise your left hand and right leg and do the same movement. This is one movement cycle. Do this six times.
The Breathing: Inhale when raising right hand and left leg; exhale when raising left hand and right leg.
The Imagery: Imagine you were a little kid playing with the ball.
Remark: When rising up, the upward momentum of the knee helps the body rise up. Practice will allow you to gain good balance and to make the movement not jerky but graceful.
Movement Eighteen: Calming Down
The Movement: Assume a crouching position (torso straight up not leaning forward) with arms hanging in front and with palms facing up and fingertips of both hands touching slightly. Begin to inhale very slowly and move your hands up your front (fingers touching) until they reach the eye level. Then turn your palms facing down, begin to exhale and, while your hands slowly go down your front, lower your body to the crouching position with your hands by your thighs. This is one movement cycle. Do this six times.
The Breathing: Inhale when hands moving up; exhale when hands moving down.
The Imagery: At this time, you should be mentally peaceful and emotionally calm, without no grudge against anybody nor remorse for any bad deed. This is a good place to start your day (or sleep).
Remark: As you raise your hands, imagine your body is being filled with clean, life nourishing air as your hands move up. Feel that air “filling up” your abdomen before it reaches your chest.
A Closing Meditation
After you have finished the 18 movements and before you leave this peaceful state of mind, remain standing and relax your whole body, close your eyes and do a few deep breathing in a meditation pose. Use this minute to capture the feeling that you have your feet firmly in the ground and are ready to start your day with the utmost self confidence. If you are doing the exercise at night, feel the freedom from all the worries and problems of the day.
So here you have a description of the entire Body-Mind Exercise, or Taichi Light. A DVD presenting the entire exercise plus a talk about the key points in learning and practicing this exercise is available at www.taichilight.com.
The Transition: At the end of the last movement, remain crouching, bend down from your waist. Put your arms hanging in front of you.
The Movement: Turn your torso to the left, begin to inhale, stand up, raise your arms up follow by your torso until they reach the 12 O’clock position. Begin to exhale, turn your torso to the right, keep your arms parallel and move them in parallel clockwise in front of you, stretching them as much as you can, until they are back in the six o’clock position. As you make the circle, leave your waist loose so that your torso would turn left and right in natural harmony with your arms’ movement. This is one movement cycle. Do three cycles clockwise, followed by three cycles counterclockwise.
The Breathing: Inhale when your arms are moving upward; exhale when they are moving downward.
The Imagery: Imagine you were just a little kid, loitering in the backyard with nothing much to do but trying to do something anyway.
Movement Seventeen: Playing with the Ball
The Movement: Stand straight with your feet about a foot apart and your arms hanging on your sides. Begin to inhale. Concurrently raise your right hand (with palm facing down) and your left knee in front of you, and make your right leg stand on its toes. Lower your right hand and your left leg and assume a crouching position. Begin to exhale, raise your left hand and right leg and do the same movement. This is one movement cycle. Do this six times.
The Breathing: Inhale when raising right hand and left leg; exhale when raising left hand and right leg.
The Imagery: Imagine you were a little kid playing with the ball.
Remark: When rising up, the upward momentum of the knee helps the body rise up. Practice will allow you to gain good balance and to make the movement not jerky but graceful.
Movement Eighteen: Calming Down
The Movement: Assume a crouching position (torso straight up not leaning forward) with arms hanging in front and with palms facing up and fingertips of both hands touching slightly. Begin to inhale very slowly and move your hands up your front (fingers touching) until they reach the eye level. Then turn your palms facing down, begin to exhale and, while your hands slowly go down your front, lower your body to the crouching position with your hands by your thighs. This is one movement cycle. Do this six times.
The Breathing: Inhale when hands moving up; exhale when hands moving down.
The Imagery: At this time, you should be mentally peaceful and emotionally calm, without no grudge against anybody nor remorse for any bad deed. This is a good place to start your day (or sleep).
Remark: As you raise your hands, imagine your body is being filled with clean, life nourishing air as your hands move up. Feel that air “filling up” your abdomen before it reaches your chest.
A Closing Meditation
After you have finished the 18 movements and before you leave this peaceful state of mind, remain standing and relax your whole body, close your eyes and do a few deep breathing in a meditation pose. Use this minute to capture the feeling that you have your feet firmly in the ground and are ready to start your day with the utmost self confidence. If you are doing the exercise at night, feel the freedom from all the worries and problems of the day.
So here you have a description of the entire Body-Mind Exercise, or Taichi Light. A DVD presenting the entire exercise plus a talk about the key points in learning and practicing this exercise is available at www.taichilight.com.
May 20, 2008
Alternative Medicine
I have no training in any kind of medicine, but I have been a recipient of both today's conventional (or mainstream) and and certain alternative health solutions for quite a while so I do know a little bit about them from the receiving end. there are many types of alternative (or complementary) health solutions, but I am mainly talking about Chinese traditional medicine (sometimes inaccurately called "herb" medicine.) Here I want to express my opinion on how these two medical disciplines ought to respect each other and benefit from each other.
What we now consider as the "conventional" or "mainstream" medicine, i.e. one based on modern scientific methodology and delivered by highly-trained professionals in myriad of ever narrowing specialties, mostly chemical-based pharmaceuticals and increasingly sophisticated diagnostic and treatment equipment, has its roots in Ancient Greece but has been in its current form for, depending on how you define it, possibly no more than 100 years. It has produced many medical wonders along the way, but is by no means perfect. It is also becoming more and more prohibitively expensive and un-affordable for many people. Meanwhile, the requisite drugs and equipment to support this medical discipline has become a huge industry.
What are now considered "alternative" (meaning non-standard or quasi-legitimate at best) medicine, however, dated back to our hunter-gatherer time. Every culture of the world has its own traditional medicine that works, or that culture would not be around today. In western societies especially in Europe and North America, they are considered illegitimate if not woo-doo medicine and shunned by the mainstream medical establishment, although some reluctant exceptions have been made in recent years (e.g. acupuncture.)
Chinese medicine can be traced back all the way to about 2000 B.C.E. While it hasn't been helped by sophisticated scientific instruments, it anchors on thousands of years of empirical data handed down, often by words of mouth, from generation to generation and through trials and errors. Many health problems can be treated and even cured with Chinese medicine, but there are many things that it cannot do also. Another shortcoming is that the onus of diagnosis is all on the doctor. There isn't much in the way of diagnostic equipment. Diagnosis is based on looking listening, asking questions, and taking the pulse. Experienced doctors are hard to come by. The good part is it is very inexpensive. Nevertheless, if Chinese medicine has been treating this most populous nation on earth, it must have been doing something right, whether or not today's western medical establishment is able to understand.
To sum up, modern medicine is precise, can train many doctors and technicians to do exactly the same procedures, but is very expensive. Chinese traditional medicine is very inexpensive, but one has to rely on an experienced doctor and such a doctor is becoming rarer and rarer.
A few years ago I have come upon a book written in Chinese and published in Taiwan, in which the author examine the fundamental difference in philosophy between Chinese medicine of today's Western medicine. In several future postings, I would like to talk about some of the major points of this book. The name of the book is "A Manual for the Human Body."
What we now consider as the "conventional" or "mainstream" medicine, i.e. one based on modern scientific methodology and delivered by highly-trained professionals in myriad of ever narrowing specialties, mostly chemical-based pharmaceuticals and increasingly sophisticated diagnostic and treatment equipment, has its roots in Ancient Greece but has been in its current form for, depending on how you define it, possibly no more than 100 years. It has produced many medical wonders along the way, but is by no means perfect. It is also becoming more and more prohibitively expensive and un-affordable for many people. Meanwhile, the requisite drugs and equipment to support this medical discipline has become a huge industry.
What are now considered "alternative" (meaning non-standard or quasi-legitimate at best) medicine, however, dated back to our hunter-gatherer time. Every culture of the world has its own traditional medicine that works, or that culture would not be around today. In western societies especially in Europe and North America, they are considered illegitimate if not woo-doo medicine and shunned by the mainstream medical establishment, although some reluctant exceptions have been made in recent years (e.g. acupuncture.)
Chinese medicine can be traced back all the way to about 2000 B.C.E. While it hasn't been helped by sophisticated scientific instruments, it anchors on thousands of years of empirical data handed down, often by words of mouth, from generation to generation and through trials and errors. Many health problems can be treated and even cured with Chinese medicine, but there are many things that it cannot do also. Another shortcoming is that the onus of diagnosis is all on the doctor. There isn't much in the way of diagnostic equipment. Diagnosis is based on looking listening, asking questions, and taking the pulse. Experienced doctors are hard to come by. The good part is it is very inexpensive. Nevertheless, if Chinese medicine has been treating this most populous nation on earth, it must have been doing something right, whether or not today's western medical establishment is able to understand.
To sum up, modern medicine is precise, can train many doctors and technicians to do exactly the same procedures, but is very expensive. Chinese traditional medicine is very inexpensive, but one has to rely on an experienced doctor and such a doctor is becoming rarer and rarer.
A few years ago I have come upon a book written in Chinese and published in Taiwan, in which the author examine the fundamental difference in philosophy between Chinese medicine of today's Western medicine. In several future postings, I would like to talk about some of the major points of this book. The name of the book is "A Manual for the Human Body."
May 19, 2008
Growing Up and Growing Old: A Lesson from Rose
A while ago, a thoughtful friend sent me the following story which I find very spiritual. I would like to share it with my visitors. I don't know the author of this story. If you like this story, pass it along to your friends:
THE ROSE
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.
I turned round to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.
She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?"
I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze.
"Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked.
She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids..."
"No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
"I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.
After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.
We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months, we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me. Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went.
She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us.
She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.
Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.
As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it! There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets."
She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose." She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.
At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.
One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.
Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.
When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they'll really enjoy it!
These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.
REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.
THE ROSE
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.
I turned round to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.
She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?"
I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze.
"Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked.
She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids..."
"No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
"I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.
After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.
We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months, we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me. Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went.
She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us.
She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.
Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.
As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it! There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets."
She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose." She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.
At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.
One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.
Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.
When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they'll really enjoy it!
These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.
REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.
May 14, 2008
Internal Conflict in Retirement
I always say that since I am retired and don't answer to a boss, I only do things that I enjoy doing and do them at the pace I please. Now I realize that this attitude has put me into a nasty internal conflict. There are so many things I enjoy doing and I continue to find more things that I like to do. At the same time, I want to do things at a more leisurely pace rather "multi-tasking" as I did before and facing impossible deadlines. Results: my to-do list grows longer and longer,and I am not accomplishing anything because I have lost the strict discipline that used to help me get things done.
I have two choices: Either drastically cut down my to-do list, or forget about the leisurely pace and set up a strict, and mostly hectic schedule for myself, or both, or part of each.
I am going to have to definitely cut off some of the items on the list, set up a priority list for the rest, and better organize my time so that I can get more done. Most importantly, I have to get back to a work discipline that forces me to get certain items done at certain time.
Of the to-do items, some are one-time, short term in nature, such as changing my computer and have it set up to meet my needs, or organize my video files. Others are more long-term in nature, such as writing my autobiography or putting together the book on Chinese wisdoms. Yet others are seasonal, such as taking care of the garden. My involvement in teaching the Taichi Light exercise and promoting my Taichi Light DVD is an on-going project.
I guess I have just added one more item on my to-do list.
I have two choices: Either drastically cut down my to-do list, or forget about the leisurely pace and set up a strict, and mostly hectic schedule for myself, or both, or part of each.
I am going to have to definitely cut off some of the items on the list, set up a priority list for the rest, and better organize my time so that I can get more done. Most importantly, I have to get back to a work discipline that forces me to get certain items done at certain time.
Of the to-do items, some are one-time, short term in nature, such as changing my computer and have it set up to meet my needs, or organize my video files. Others are more long-term in nature, such as writing my autobiography or putting together the book on Chinese wisdoms. Yet others are seasonal, such as taking care of the garden. My involvement in teaching the Taichi Light exercise and promoting my Taichi Light DVD is an on-going project.
I guess I have just added one more item on my to-do list.
May 4, 2008
What is Taichi Light: Part 6
Movement Thirteen: Big Bird Flipping its Wings
The Movement: At the end of the last movement, while leaning forward with your arms outstretched, flip your hands to a horizontal position with your fingertips almost touching. Begin to inhale, rock back to resting on your right foot while opening your arms all the way. Then, begin to exhale and close your arms until your fingertips are almost touching. Keep your hands loosely hinged on your forearms and let them swing as your arms move. This is one movement cycle. Do 12 cycles.
The Breathing: Inhale when opening your arms; exhale when closing your arms.
The Imagery: Imagine you were a huge bird, cruising high up in the sky, looking down on the human race with all its foibles. You are miles away from that mess and without a scintilla of worry.
Movement Fourteen: The Kung-Fu Horseback Pose
The Transition: At the end of the last movement, move your hands to your waist and make the upward facing fists. Move your left foot back and crouch down slightly.
The Movement: Inhale fully. Raise your right fist to the chest level, turn it upside down and, as you exhale, slowly thrust it forward as far as it can go as if you were hitting an imaginary object. Then inhale and retrieve your fist and return it to its starting position. This is one movement cycle. Do this six times, alternating right and left. (Do not thrust your fists fast. Move slowly and decisively. Like a tank. It moves slowly but it can’t be stopped.
The Breathing: Inhale when retrieving your fist; exhale when thrusting your fist.
The Imagery: Imagine you were a kung-fu master living a solitary life in the wilderness, practicing your kung-fu skill every morning.
Movement Fifteen: A Giant Crane Taking Off
The Transition: At the end of the last movement, hold the crouching position and let your arms hang on your sides.
The Movement: Begin to inhale, stand up and raise your outstretched arms as if they were your wings until they are 12 O’clock high and your are standing on your toes. Then, exhale and lower yourself down all the way to the crouching position with your arms flipping slowly down. This is one movement cycle. Do this six times.
The Breathing: Inhale when standing up; exhale when crouching down.
The Imagery: Imagine you were a big crane trying to take off after a heavy meal.
The Movement: At the end of the last movement, while leaning forward with your arms outstretched, flip your hands to a horizontal position with your fingertips almost touching. Begin to inhale, rock back to resting on your right foot while opening your arms all the way. Then, begin to exhale and close your arms until your fingertips are almost touching. Keep your hands loosely hinged on your forearms and let them swing as your arms move. This is one movement cycle. Do 12 cycles.
The Breathing: Inhale when opening your arms; exhale when closing your arms.
The Imagery: Imagine you were a huge bird, cruising high up in the sky, looking down on the human race with all its foibles. You are miles away from that mess and without a scintilla of worry.
Movement Fourteen: The Kung-Fu Horseback Pose
The Transition: At the end of the last movement, move your hands to your waist and make the upward facing fists. Move your left foot back and crouch down slightly.
The Movement: Inhale fully. Raise your right fist to the chest level, turn it upside down and, as you exhale, slowly thrust it forward as far as it can go as if you were hitting an imaginary object. Then inhale and retrieve your fist and return it to its starting position. This is one movement cycle. Do this six times, alternating right and left. (Do not thrust your fists fast. Move slowly and decisively. Like a tank. It moves slowly but it can’t be stopped.
The Breathing: Inhale when retrieving your fist; exhale when thrusting your fist.
The Imagery: Imagine you were a kung-fu master living a solitary life in the wilderness, practicing your kung-fu skill every morning.
Movement Fifteen: A Giant Crane Taking Off
The Transition: At the end of the last movement, hold the crouching position and let your arms hang on your sides.
The Movement: Begin to inhale, stand up and raise your outstretched arms as if they were your wings until they are 12 O’clock high and your are standing on your toes. Then, exhale and lower yourself down all the way to the crouching position with your arms flipping slowly down. This is one movement cycle. Do this six times.
The Breathing: Inhale when standing up; exhale when crouching down.
The Imagery: Imagine you were a big crane trying to take off after a heavy meal.
Apr 24, 2008
World Tai Chi & Qigong Day
This coming Saturday, April 26, is the annual World Tai Chi and Qigong Day, and this year is the 10th anniversary of the international event to promote Tai Chi's health maintenance values. According to Angela and Bill Douglas, co-founder of the event, this year the event will be celebrated in more than 60 countries of the world and all 50 American states. Celebration will begin at 10 AM local time, beginning in New Zealand, as thousands and thousands of Tai chi practitioners perform group exercise to commemorate this Day. As a Taichi practitioner, I admire the Douglases for their efforts and enthusiasm and faith in promoting this very beneficial exercise, and I wish them further success.
Already in many Asian cities, groups of people of all ages practicing Tai Chi in unison is a common scene. Visitors to China especially can always see people practicing Taichi in parks or in their own yards.
In the Western society, I have noticed that in many people's mind, Taichi is still a somewhat mysterious activity with a violent bend. Whereas Taichi might have been practiced in the ancient time in China for self-defense purpose, that would have been only for people who lived in the wild unprotected by the civilized community. By far more people practiced it for health purposes or as a performing martial art. In China, Taichi has been a very popular health maintenance exercise for the past century and no one think it has anything to do with self-defense.
Another misconception about Taichi is that it is an exercise for women and the very old. In the Western society, there is a mindset especially among males that glorifies speed and physical strength. Since Taichi exercise appears gentle and slow, it is "un-masculine" and therefore not something for a self-respecting male. While pursuing speed is sometime necessary, the body also needs to relax in order to rejuvenate itself. The value of "inner strength" in a person, something that Taichi exercise helps cultivate, is often missed by those who has only a superficial perception.
Yet another misconception of Taichi is that it is too complicated. To some extent this is true. Not only there are several different "family" styles, there are exercises with different numbers of movements. I myself did attempt to learn Taichi about 20 years ago, but gave up after a few weeks. Now I practice a simplified form of Taichi /Qigong exercise which I call The Body-Mind Exercise, or Taichi Light. This exercise take 18 basic Taichi movements and repeat each one six times, thus it is easier to learn and to practice. I thought if people are discouraged from learning Taichi because it is too difficult, then this simplified form may encourage more people to learn. After all half a loaf is better than none. However, simplified or not, to really benefit from Taichi still requires persistence and consistent practice for a period of time.
In promoting the value of Taichi exercise around the world, there is a need to emphasize its benefits for people of all ages and for both genders. Having practiced Taichi for only 8 years, I have observed significant health improvement for myself. I only wish I had started practicing years ago. I can only imagine what our new generation will benefit health-wise if we make it a routine for elementary schools to have all school children do 15 minutes of Taichi each school day.
Already in many Asian cities, groups of people of all ages practicing Tai Chi in unison is a common scene. Visitors to China especially can always see people practicing Taichi in parks or in their own yards.
In the Western society, I have noticed that in many people's mind, Taichi is still a somewhat mysterious activity with a violent bend. Whereas Taichi might have been practiced in the ancient time in China for self-defense purpose, that would have been only for people who lived in the wild unprotected by the civilized community. By far more people practiced it for health purposes or as a performing martial art. In China, Taichi has been a very popular health maintenance exercise for the past century and no one think it has anything to do with self-defense.
Another misconception about Taichi is that it is an exercise for women and the very old. In the Western society, there is a mindset especially among males that glorifies speed and physical strength. Since Taichi exercise appears gentle and slow, it is "un-masculine" and therefore not something for a self-respecting male. While pursuing speed is sometime necessary, the body also needs to relax in order to rejuvenate itself. The value of "inner strength" in a person, something that Taichi exercise helps cultivate, is often missed by those who has only a superficial perception.
Yet another misconception of Taichi is that it is too complicated. To some extent this is true. Not only there are several different "family" styles, there are exercises with different numbers of movements. I myself did attempt to learn Taichi about 20 years ago, but gave up after a few weeks. Now I practice a simplified form of Taichi /Qigong exercise which I call The Body-Mind Exercise, or Taichi Light. This exercise take 18 basic Taichi movements and repeat each one six times, thus it is easier to learn and to practice. I thought if people are discouraged from learning Taichi because it is too difficult, then this simplified form may encourage more people to learn. After all half a loaf is better than none. However, simplified or not, to really benefit from Taichi still requires persistence and consistent practice for a period of time.
In promoting the value of Taichi exercise around the world, there is a need to emphasize its benefits for people of all ages and for both genders. Having practiced Taichi for only 8 years, I have observed significant health improvement for myself. I only wish I had started practicing years ago. I can only imagine what our new generation will benefit health-wise if we make it a routine for elementary schools to have all school children do 15 minutes of Taichi each school day.
Apr 16, 2008
What is Taichi Light: Part 5
Movement Ten: The Swiveling Mirror (or The Lighthouse)
The Transition: At the end of the last movement, move your left arm to eye level with the palm facing you at about a foot or so from your face. Extend your right arm while keeping your right elbow at your side as if you were hugging someone. Turn your upper torso all the way to the right.
The Movement: Begin to inhale and turn your torso slowly to the left as far as you can go (do not turn your lower body) while locking your gaze on your left palm as if it were a mirror. At the end of the turn, change the positions of the two arms by rotating them clockwise; begin to exhale and turn your torso all the way to the right. When rotating your arms at the end of a turn, take care to do it gracefully. This is one movement cycle. Do this six times.
The Breathing: Inhale when turning to the left. Exhale when turning to the right.
The Imagery: Imagine you were holding a mirror and looking at your face. Since the mirror is always on the move, you must follow it.
Movement Eleven: Casting the Big Fishnet
The Transition: At the end of the last movement, continue to exhale and take a step forward with your left leg; bend forward and cross your forearms in front of you knees.
The Movement: From the transition position, begin to inhale, raise your arms (right arm clockwise, left arm counterclockwise) in upward curves while raising your body to a backward leaning position, as if you were pulling up a huge fishnet. Then, begin to exhale, continue your arms’ trajectory downward while lowering your body to a forward leaning position, so that your arms would return to the starting position in front of your knees.
The Breathing: Inhale when you rise up and lean backward; exhale when you bend over forward.
The Imagery: Imagine you were a fisherman, casting a big net to bring in the catch.
Movement Twelve: Pushing the Waves
The Movement: From the leaning forward position at the end of the last movement, keep your left leg forward, move your body forward with your arms outstretched, palms facing down. Begin to inhale and, while slowly moving your body backward, draw your hands to your waist, using your fingers to make an undulating movement. At the same time, shift your weight to your right feet and rest your left foot on its heel as you lean back. Then, begin to exhale, extend your arms and move your body forward, again in an undulating movement as if you were playfully pushing the waves. At this point, you weight would rest on your left foot and your right foot would rest on its toes. This is one movement cycle. Do this 12 times.
The Breathing: Inhale when pulling back; exhale when pushing forward.
The Imagery: Imagine you were playing at a Hawaiian beach knee-deep in the warm and glistening water, helping wave after wave of that foaming liquid going back to the ocean.
Remark: The key is to use your hands and figers to imitate the undulating waves and put your body in a graceful rocking motion back and forth.
(To acquire a DVD video of Taichi Light, go to www.Taichilight.com)
The Transition: At the end of the last movement, move your left arm to eye level with the palm facing you at about a foot or so from your face. Extend your right arm while keeping your right elbow at your side as if you were hugging someone. Turn your upper torso all the way to the right.
The Movement: Begin to inhale and turn your torso slowly to the left as far as you can go (do not turn your lower body) while locking your gaze on your left palm as if it were a mirror. At the end of the turn, change the positions of the two arms by rotating them clockwise; begin to exhale and turn your torso all the way to the right. When rotating your arms at the end of a turn, take care to do it gracefully. This is one movement cycle. Do this six times.
The Breathing: Inhale when turning to the left. Exhale when turning to the right.
The Imagery: Imagine you were holding a mirror and looking at your face. Since the mirror is always on the move, you must follow it.
Movement Eleven: Casting the Big Fishnet
The Transition: At the end of the last movement, continue to exhale and take a step forward with your left leg; bend forward and cross your forearms in front of you knees.
The Movement: From the transition position, begin to inhale, raise your arms (right arm clockwise, left arm counterclockwise) in upward curves while raising your body to a backward leaning position, as if you were pulling up a huge fishnet. Then, begin to exhale, continue your arms’ trajectory downward while lowering your body to a forward leaning position, so that your arms would return to the starting position in front of your knees.
The Breathing: Inhale when you rise up and lean backward; exhale when you bend over forward.
The Imagery: Imagine you were a fisherman, casting a big net to bring in the catch.
Movement Twelve: Pushing the Waves
The Movement: From the leaning forward position at the end of the last movement, keep your left leg forward, move your body forward with your arms outstretched, palms facing down. Begin to inhale and, while slowly moving your body backward, draw your hands to your waist, using your fingers to make an undulating movement. At the same time, shift your weight to your right feet and rest your left foot on its heel as you lean back. Then, begin to exhale, extend your arms and move your body forward, again in an undulating movement as if you were playfully pushing the waves. At this point, you weight would rest on your left foot and your right foot would rest on its toes. This is one movement cycle. Do this 12 times.
The Breathing: Inhale when pulling back; exhale when pushing forward.
The Imagery: Imagine you were playing at a Hawaiian beach knee-deep in the warm and glistening water, helping wave after wave of that foaming liquid going back to the ocean.
Remark: The key is to use your hands and figers to imitate the undulating waves and put your body in a graceful rocking motion back and forth.
(To acquire a DVD video of Taichi Light, go to www.Taichilight.com)
Mar 31, 2008
Retirement Myths
If you follow articles about retirement in newspapers and magazines, you will find that most of them are about "planning" for retirement. Very few are about how people actually manage their retirement life. And almost without exception, these articles are written either by financial planners of one kind or another or writers who interview these planners for their articles. Also almost without exceptions, these planners would tell you that you will need x percent of your pre-retirement income to maintain your "life style" in retirement.
I don't know how many of these planners and writers have been through the actual retirement process, or have thoroughly looked into the lives of those who have, to really understand the issues faced by retirees. The fact is, by the time one seriously considers retirement, one either has enough financial assets to meet that "x percent" requirement, or it's too late to do anything to meet that requirement. In real life, what the retiree must consider is how much income he or she can count on in retirement and how much he/she has to live on and still able to maintain that income level (through investment, for instance)year after year for the rest of his life. In other words, this is a bottom up approach.
There is no such thing as a typical or average retiree. Each retiree has a unique set of circumstances: how much pension income, if any; how much from Social Security; how much investable assets generating how much income; possibility for extra income via part time work; financial liability such as mortgage, car loan or credit card balance; cost of caring for elderly parents or children; health care cost beyond Medicare coverage; etc. Once you have all these basic incomes and expenses counted, you know how much you can count on to live and to play.
"Life style" is a very interesting concept, one that I never thought about all these years. I believe it means what kind of house you have, car you drive and clothes you wear; how often you go to shows and eat out and at what kind of restaurants; how often you take a cruise or a trip to Italy or France; what kind (read: price) of Christmas and birthday presents you give to your kids; these kinds of things. If so, then "life style" not only varies from person to person, it also varies through the life cycle of a person. Your life style changes from the time you are single to when you have a young family, when your kids go to college and when they fly away from the nest. During the same period, you income mostly likely changes, hopefully increases.
When you retire, unless you are a corporate CEO or someone with a golden parachute, your income is like to decrease substantially but then your expenses are likely to decrease as well. On top of that, the "contents" of your life change too: you no longer have to commute to work and climb the ladder; you no longer need to keeping up with the Jones; you (hopefully) no longer need to support your offsprings; you social life becomes more personal and informal. By the same token, you have more time on your hand; you may not be as energetic as you used to be; you are likely to have new activities that you enjoy, and which may even be income-producing. There is no question your way of life will change upon or soon after retirement, especially if you have always look forward to retirement as a chance to turn to a new page in your life. So the question is whether you want to maintain the same life style in your retirement as at the height of your career even if you can afford to.
I am sure some financial planners are equipped to help you grow your nest eggs and make it last as long as possible. But to pre-determine a certain percentage and to assume that you want to maintain the same life style is just not real.
I don't know how many of these planners and writers have been through the actual retirement process, or have thoroughly looked into the lives of those who have, to really understand the issues faced by retirees. The fact is, by the time one seriously considers retirement, one either has enough financial assets to meet that "x percent" requirement, or it's too late to do anything to meet that requirement. In real life, what the retiree must consider is how much income he or she can count on in retirement and how much he/she has to live on and still able to maintain that income level (through investment, for instance)year after year for the rest of his life. In other words, this is a bottom up approach.
There is no such thing as a typical or average retiree. Each retiree has a unique set of circumstances: how much pension income, if any; how much from Social Security; how much investable assets generating how much income; possibility for extra income via part time work; financial liability such as mortgage, car loan or credit card balance; cost of caring for elderly parents or children; health care cost beyond Medicare coverage; etc. Once you have all these basic incomes and expenses counted, you know how much you can count on to live and to play.
"Life style" is a very interesting concept, one that I never thought about all these years. I believe it means what kind of house you have, car you drive and clothes you wear; how often you go to shows and eat out and at what kind of restaurants; how often you take a cruise or a trip to Italy or France; what kind (read: price) of Christmas and birthday presents you give to your kids; these kinds of things. If so, then "life style" not only varies from person to person, it also varies through the life cycle of a person. Your life style changes from the time you are single to when you have a young family, when your kids go to college and when they fly away from the nest. During the same period, you income mostly likely changes, hopefully increases.
When you retire, unless you are a corporate CEO or someone with a golden parachute, your income is like to decrease substantially but then your expenses are likely to decrease as well. On top of that, the "contents" of your life change too: you no longer have to commute to work and climb the ladder; you no longer need to keeping up with the Jones; you (hopefully) no longer need to support your offsprings; you social life becomes more personal and informal. By the same token, you have more time on your hand; you may not be as energetic as you used to be; you are likely to have new activities that you enjoy, and which may even be income-producing. There is no question your way of life will change upon or soon after retirement, especially if you have always look forward to retirement as a chance to turn to a new page in your life. So the question is whether you want to maintain the same life style in your retirement as at the height of your career even if you can afford to.
I am sure some financial planners are equipped to help you grow your nest eggs and make it last as long as possible. But to pre-determine a certain percentage and to assume that you want to maintain the same life style is just not real.
Mar 28, 2008
What is Taichi Light: Part 4
Movement Seven: Salute to the Sun
The Movement: At the end of the last movement, as you are in a crouching position, begin to inhale, stand up and turn your torso slightly to the left and raise your right arm, palm facing up until it reaches over your eye level. Lift your right heel slightly so your can stretch higher. Follow your rising hand with your eyes. Keep your left elbow bend and your left hand at the waist with palm facing up. Then, begin to exhale as you lower your right arm and heel, crouching down and turning your torso to facing the front. Do six times alternating left and right.
The Breathing: Inhale when raising your arm. Exhale when lowering your arm.
The Imagery: Imagine you are alone in a beautiful beach just as the sun is rising.
Movement Eight: Turning Around to Watch the Stars
Transition: At the end of the last movement, while still in the crouching position, move your arms to form a circle in front of you as if you were holding a large ball.
The Movement: Begin to inhale. Slowly stand up while turning your torso to the left and back, and gently throwing your arms up in one continuous movement, so that your right hand would end up on top of your left shoulder and your left arm outstretched upwards. At the same time, turn your head to follow your left hand. Begin to exhale, turn your torso back and swing your arms slowly back and return to the crouching position. Take care to keep your arms and body moving in unison. This is one movement cycle. Do this six times alternating left and right.
The Breathing: Inhale when rising up; exhale when lowering down.
The Imagery: Imagine you are strolling on a prairie at night, playfully catching fireflies, and are surprised by some mysterious music coming from the sky. You turn around and look up to find some bright stars smiling at you.
Movement Nine: The Perfect handshake
Transition: At the end of the last movement, stand up, put your hands at your waist with palms facing up.
The Movement: Inhale fully. Then, as you turn your torso half way to the left, exhale and slowly extend your right hand with palm facing halfway left. Then, inhale as you retrieve your hand back to your side and turn to facing the front. This is one movement cycle. Do this six times, alternating left and right.
The Breathing: Inhale when retrieving a hand; exhale when extending a hand.
The Imagery: Imagine you were practicing that perfect handshake, even though you may not be a politician.
(To acquire a DVD video of the Taichi Light exercise, go to www.taichilight.com)
The Movement: At the end of the last movement, as you are in a crouching position, begin to inhale, stand up and turn your torso slightly to the left and raise your right arm, palm facing up until it reaches over your eye level. Lift your right heel slightly so your can stretch higher. Follow your rising hand with your eyes. Keep your left elbow bend and your left hand at the waist with palm facing up. Then, begin to exhale as you lower your right arm and heel, crouching down and turning your torso to facing the front. Do six times alternating left and right.
The Breathing: Inhale when raising your arm. Exhale when lowering your arm.
The Imagery: Imagine you are alone in a beautiful beach just as the sun is rising.
Movement Eight: Turning Around to Watch the Stars
Transition: At the end of the last movement, while still in the crouching position, move your arms to form a circle in front of you as if you were holding a large ball.
The Movement: Begin to inhale. Slowly stand up while turning your torso to the left and back, and gently throwing your arms up in one continuous movement, so that your right hand would end up on top of your left shoulder and your left arm outstretched upwards. At the same time, turn your head to follow your left hand. Begin to exhale, turn your torso back and swing your arms slowly back and return to the crouching position. Take care to keep your arms and body moving in unison. This is one movement cycle. Do this six times alternating left and right.
The Breathing: Inhale when rising up; exhale when lowering down.
The Imagery: Imagine you are strolling on a prairie at night, playfully catching fireflies, and are surprised by some mysterious music coming from the sky. You turn around and look up to find some bright stars smiling at you.
Movement Nine: The Perfect handshake
Transition: At the end of the last movement, stand up, put your hands at your waist with palms facing up.
The Movement: Inhale fully. Then, as you turn your torso half way to the left, exhale and slowly extend your right hand with palm facing halfway left. Then, inhale as you retrieve your hand back to your side and turn to facing the front. This is one movement cycle. Do this six times, alternating left and right.
The Breathing: Inhale when retrieving a hand; exhale when extending a hand.
The Imagery: Imagine you were practicing that perfect handshake, even though you may not be a politician.
(To acquire a DVD video of the Taichi Light exercise, go to www.taichilight.com)
Mar 24, 2008
Retirement considerations
Many factors influence the shape of your retirement life because they either expand or limit your options.
First of all, your health status determine the kinds of activities you can engage in and how much you can do. By the same token, with retirement you are likely to have more time to spend on strengthening your health by getting more rest and having time to exercise. Your financial health is also very important. It determines the kinds of things you can or cannot afford to do. In fact, you may decide that you have to find some gainful activities to supplement your income. Your family environment is another factor. Whether your spouse (if you do have one) is still working and your relationship in daily life determine to a large extent what you can and cannot afford to do on account of money and time. If you have dependent children, or if you have grandchildren, that will also be a big factor. Your education and carrier background will also help lead you to your decision. These are but a few of the more major and obvious factors; there are many others.
However, the one key factor that should shape your retirement life is you yourself. First you have to decide the kind of life you want in retirement, i.e. whether you just want to fade away quietly or have a long-awaited second life, or something in between. Once you make this decision, all the other factors that we mentioned earlier will just follow. For instance, if you want your retirement to be your second chance on life, then regardless of your health, financial or family situation, there is always a way to work out something out. It's just a matter of choosing the activities that your physical strength, your income or your available time permit.
Retirement is a good time to relive your childhood or your young adulthood. Remember when you were deeply involved in stamp collection? or when you got your first model air plane kit? or when you built your doll houses? Due to school work and then the work work, and then the family, you have totally forgotten about them. Now is the time to go back to the hobby you loved or to engage in new ones.
On the other end of the scale, there are many new things you may want to explore: the computer is obviously a big area. Many people are familiar with using the computer. But even if you are a complete computer illiterate, it is not to difficult to learn. The Internet has opened up a whole new world for everyone regardless of technical skill or financial status. With a computer connected to the Internet, there are enough things you can do to keep you busy all day especially if you are intellectually curious. If you love to travel but don't have enough money or physical strength to do so, Internet would be the next best thing to see the world. On the Internet, you could even learn a new language, and find online friends to practice it. On the Internet, you can read books, watch movies, listen to music, tour museums, all for next to no cost. With some many social networking going on on the Internet, you can also build a new social circle while sitting by your computer. I could go on and on.
But, if with all these opportunities around, you still choose to sit on your rocking chair and rock your way to senility, then that is your choice. That is why I said the key factor in shaping your retirement life is you yourself.
First of all, your health status determine the kinds of activities you can engage in and how much you can do. By the same token, with retirement you are likely to have more time to spend on strengthening your health by getting more rest and having time to exercise. Your financial health is also very important. It determines the kinds of things you can or cannot afford to do. In fact, you may decide that you have to find some gainful activities to supplement your income. Your family environment is another factor. Whether your spouse (if you do have one) is still working and your relationship in daily life determine to a large extent what you can and cannot afford to do on account of money and time. If you have dependent children, or if you have grandchildren, that will also be a big factor. Your education and carrier background will also help lead you to your decision. These are but a few of the more major and obvious factors; there are many others.
However, the one key factor that should shape your retirement life is you yourself. First you have to decide the kind of life you want in retirement, i.e. whether you just want to fade away quietly or have a long-awaited second life, or something in between. Once you make this decision, all the other factors that we mentioned earlier will just follow. For instance, if you want your retirement to be your second chance on life, then regardless of your health, financial or family situation, there is always a way to work out something out. It's just a matter of choosing the activities that your physical strength, your income or your available time permit.
Retirement is a good time to relive your childhood or your young adulthood. Remember when you were deeply involved in stamp collection? or when you got your first model air plane kit? or when you built your doll houses? Due to school work and then the work work, and then the family, you have totally forgotten about them. Now is the time to go back to the hobby you loved or to engage in new ones.
On the other end of the scale, there are many new things you may want to explore: the computer is obviously a big area. Many people are familiar with using the computer. But even if you are a complete computer illiterate, it is not to difficult to learn. The Internet has opened up a whole new world for everyone regardless of technical skill or financial status. With a computer connected to the Internet, there are enough things you can do to keep you busy all day especially if you are intellectually curious. If you love to travel but don't have enough money or physical strength to do so, Internet would be the next best thing to see the world. On the Internet, you could even learn a new language, and find online friends to practice it. On the Internet, you can read books, watch movies, listen to music, tour museums, all for next to no cost. With some many social networking going on on the Internet, you can also build a new social circle while sitting by your computer. I could go on and on.
But, if with all these opportunities around, you still choose to sit on your rocking chair and rock your way to senility, then that is your choice. That is why I said the key factor in shaping your retirement life is you yourself.
Mar 19, 2008
What is Taichi Light: Part 3
Movement Four: Parting the Cloud
The Transition: At the end of the last movement, crouch down (keeping your back straight) and cross your arms in front of your knees (right arm in front.)
The Movement: Begin to inhale. Stand up while drawing large circles with your arms, right arm clockwise and left arm counter-clockwise, until they reach the 12 o’clock position. Then begin to exhale and, while crouching down, complete the circles by moving your arms downward until they cross in front of your knees again. This is one movement cycle. Do this six times.
The Breathing: Inhale while arms going up; exhale while arms coming down.
The Imagery: Imagine you were floating in mid air feeling absolutely free but with giant chunks of cloud float in front of you. To gain a better view you must use your arms to disperse the cloud.
Movement Five: Playing with a Toy Train
The Transition: At the end of the last movement, instead of moving your arms downward, movement them to the chest level and in an outstretched position in front of you, palm facing up.
The Movement: Begin to inhale, slowly draw your right hand down your right side in a large counter-clockwise circle and follow your hand with your eyes until it reach the highest point over your head. Begin to exhale, use your right hand to imitate a car coming down a roller coaster track until it slowly slip to stop when your arm becomes outstretched in front. Flip your hand upwards as you stop. This is one movement cycle. Do six cycles alternating left and right.
The Breathing: Inhale when moving the hand up; exhale when coming down.
The Imagery: Imagine you are a little child playing with your new toy train by running it over an imaginary roller coaster.
Movement Six: Back Stroke Swim
The Transition: At the end of the last movement, with your arms outstretched in front, continue to exhale, flip your palms downward and lower both arms to your sides while crouching down (keep your torso straight always).
The Movement: Begin to inhale as you draw your arms back, drawing two large arcs on your sides, ending up with both arms fully extending upward. At the same time, straighten your knees and stand up. Then, begin to exhale and continue to draw the circles by moving your arms downward while crouching down. In effect, your arms would be drawing two large circles on either side of you. Do this six times.
The Imagery: Imagine you were doing the back stroke swim on dry land. Who needs a swimming pool anyway?
(To acquire a DVD video of the Taichi Light exercise, go to www.taichilight.com)
The Transition: At the end of the last movement, crouch down (keeping your back straight) and cross your arms in front of your knees (right arm in front.)
The Movement: Begin to inhale. Stand up while drawing large circles with your arms, right arm clockwise and left arm counter-clockwise, until they reach the 12 o’clock position. Then begin to exhale and, while crouching down, complete the circles by moving your arms downward until they cross in front of your knees again. This is one movement cycle. Do this six times.
The Breathing: Inhale while arms going up; exhale while arms coming down.
The Imagery: Imagine you were floating in mid air feeling absolutely free but with giant chunks of cloud float in front of you. To gain a better view you must use your arms to disperse the cloud.
Movement Five: Playing with a Toy Train
The Transition: At the end of the last movement, instead of moving your arms downward, movement them to the chest level and in an outstretched position in front of you, palm facing up.
The Movement: Begin to inhale, slowly draw your right hand down your right side in a large counter-clockwise circle and follow your hand with your eyes until it reach the highest point over your head. Begin to exhale, use your right hand to imitate a car coming down a roller coaster track until it slowly slip to stop when your arm becomes outstretched in front. Flip your hand upwards as you stop. This is one movement cycle. Do six cycles alternating left and right.
The Breathing: Inhale when moving the hand up; exhale when coming down.
The Imagery: Imagine you are a little child playing with your new toy train by running it over an imaginary roller coaster.
Movement Six: Back Stroke Swim
The Transition: At the end of the last movement, with your arms outstretched in front, continue to exhale, flip your palms downward and lower both arms to your sides while crouching down (keep your torso straight always).
The Movement: Begin to inhale as you draw your arms back, drawing two large arcs on your sides, ending up with both arms fully extending upward. At the same time, straighten your knees and stand up. Then, begin to exhale and continue to draw the circles by moving your arms downward while crouching down. In effect, your arms would be drawing two large circles on either side of you. Do this six times.
The Imagery: Imagine you were doing the back stroke swim on dry land. Who needs a swimming pool anyway?
(To acquire a DVD video of the Taichi Light exercise, go to www.taichilight.com)
Mar 16, 2008
What is Taichi Light? Part 2
In this post, I will give you the general instructions about the exercise, and describe the first three movements. Once I learn how to put my video on my computer and section it, I will insert it in my posts. Since there are 18 movements in all, it will take several postings to give you the entire description of the exercise. Please be patient. I know it is difficult to learn the movements by reading a written description (that was how I learned it, though) I will not forget about putting the video here in the near future. In the meantime, if you want to go ahead, you may want to print out this posting for easy reference.
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
The Basic Tai Chi-Qi Gong Exercise has three elements:
• The physical body movement,
• The continuous deep breathing, and
• The mental imagery.
These three elements occur concurrently during the exercise: while you move your body and limbs to perform each movement, you continue your breathing with one inhaling and exhaling for each movement cycle. At the same time, you mentally visualize the imagery that each movement is related to. While the physical pose and the mental imagery change from movement to movement, your deep breathing should flow smoothly, uninterrupted, throughout the entire exercise period.
There are 18 movements in the exercise; each one is repeated six times (each time is called a movement cycle) except for movements 12 and 13 which are repeated 12 times, making a total of 120 movement cycles. In other words, during this exercise you will be doing a total of 120 deep breaths continuously. Because some movements are longer than others, it is necessary to adjust the length of your breathing accordingly.
All the movements should be performed in slow motion and in a relaxed fashion. The purpose of this exercise is not to strengthen your muscles, but rather to calm your mind and clear your internal “chi” channels. In the beginning you may be tempted to move too fast and wind up finishing the exercise in 10 minutes or less. With practice, you will be able to settle into a relaxed mood and stretch the time to 15 to 20 minutes.
Although the movements are relatively simple compared to those in many other Tai Chi exercises, still the intricate stretching and turning of the arms and hands require some getting used to. Allow yourself a week or two (assuming you practice at least five times a week) to memorize all the poses and the transition from one movement to the next, until you can smoothly go through all the movements without peeking at the photos or the written description. Once you achieve that, you will be able to concentrate on the exercise and enjoy the relaxation and peace of mind it brings. Have patience. You are not in a competition.
You may do this exercise once or twice a day, or any time you need to calm down. The best times are early in the morning after you get up and before breakfast, and in the evening shortly before you retire. Try to find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed by family members or pets. Try not to let the telephone interrupt you. If weather permits, an outdoor spot facing trees and shrubbery such as a backyard or a park would be the best. Do not practice outdoor when it’s cold, windy or dark. Otherwise an indoor location with a window, preferably one overlooking some greenery, would be fine. Remember this exercise helps connect you to nature. If you live in a high rise apartment, then looking at the sky and a distant skyline would help.
Wear loose clothing, such as pajamas or jogging suit, so that your stretching and breathing are not restrained. Wear soft shoes or be bare-footed. A little soft music would help, but total silence is also appropriate. Try to immerse yourself totally in the exercise for the duration and concentrate on your mental imagery. When practicing in the morning, do a little stretching before you start.
A word about deep breathing: normally we breathe without being conscious of doing it. We only empty part of our lungs when we exhale, and take in perhaps half a lungful of air when we inhale. The benefit of deep breathing is that every time you breathe, you use almost the full capacity of your lungs and thus exercise all parts of your lungs and your diaphragm. While doing this exercise, try to empty your lungs as much as possible when you exhale, and fill them up as much as you can when you inhale, without straining yourself. Breathe through your nose only. Imagine your torso is a large bag and you are filling that bag with fresh air from the bottom up. Do not puff your chest. Coordinate your breathing with the speed of your movement.
There is an ancient Chinese breathing method practiced by kung fu masters and monks called “Tu Nar.” Instead of using your nose muscle to suck in air as we normally do, try to gently puff up your abdomen so that air is automatically sucked in through your nostrils. In the beginning, you may find it difficult to keep your nose from jumping in and help. With practice, you will be able to use your abdomen muscles more effectively to pull the air in, and feel the cold air rushing in through your nostrils.
Caution: several movements require half crouching. When doing so, be sure to bend your knees without exceeding your comfort level. For persons in normal health, such crouching will strengthen the knees over time. For those who have weak knees or any knee problem, skip the crouching and consult with your doctors. This same caution applies to when you are required to bend your back. Also, pregnant women should consult their doctors before engaging in this exercise. Children over 10 years old should be able to practice this exercise.
Before you begin, stand up straight but relaxed for a minute and begin your deep breathing. Maintain a straight but not rigid posture throughout the exercise. This is not about physical strength. Keep your arms and hands supple and even limp. There is no need to strain your muscles. Relax, relax, and relax.
If you are lucky enough to have a big tree in sight, try to start your mental imagery by looking at it and feeling how strong and firmly that tree is rooted in the ground. Then, imagine that you yourself are also very firmly planted to the ground. Once you get into the movements, try to form the mental image that each movement is associated with. Some of these images may seem unfamiliar or even childish, but they are parts of the exercise designed to give your mind some nourishment.
Movement One: A Good Beginning
The Movement: Stand up straight with your feet apart at shoulder width, your arms hung loosely on your sides and your eyes looking straight ahead. Relax your body. Start your deep breathing and, when you are ready, inhale and slowly raise both arms in front to shoulder height, palms facing down. Pull your hands in towards your shoulders. Start exhaling as you continue to move the hands down to the waist level and at the same time crouch down slightly while keeping your torso straight (do not lean forward and stick your buttock out). If you have weak knees, do not over bend them. This is one movement cycle. Do this six times.
The Breathing: Inhale when you raise your arms and body; exhale when you lower your hands and body.
The Imagery: Keep all unrelated thoughts and concerns off your mind and immerse yourself in the exercise. Imagine you are a geyser in a remote, pristine mountain, bobbing gracefully up and down while you are breathing in clean and fresh air.
Movement Two: Open Your Heart and Mind
The Movement: As you conclude the last movement, straighten up, start inhaling and continue to raise your arms in front, palms facing down (keep your hands limp). When your hands are at shoulder level, flip them so that the fingers form a gate in front of you. In the same motion, open your arms sideway as far as you can go. Then, exhale and move your arms horizontally back to the front until they are a few inches apart, at which point move your hands downward in a graceful curve until they are at your waist. As you lower your hands, crouch down as in the last movement. This is one movement cycle. Do this six times.
The Breathing: Inhale when you raise and open your arms; exhale when you close and lower your arms.
The Imagery: Imagine you are standing on top of a high mountain with the whole world under your feet. You are opening your heart and mind to the world. You have nothing to hide, just love to share.
Movement Three: The Rainbow Dance
The Movement: Continuing from the last movement, as you stand up and started to inhale, raise your right arm in a clock-wise movement to form a curve over your head and move your left arm to an outstretched position. Keep your arms relaxed and your hands limp, your head facing left and your weight on your right foot. Smile. Then, begin to exhale and move your weight to your left foot with your body leaning slightly to the left while swapping the position of the two arms by slowly swing the curved right arms to the right until it is outstretched and the left arms curved over your head. Turn your face to the right. This is one movement cycle. Do this six times.
The Breathing: Inhale when facing left; exhale when facing right.
The Imagery: Imagine you were performing the Chinese rainbow (or ribbon) dance and your arms were the ribbons. Coordinate your body’s swinging with the movement of your arms. Smile to your audience.
(To acquire a DVD video of Taichi Light, go to www.taichilight.com)
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
The Basic Tai Chi-Qi Gong Exercise has three elements:
• The physical body movement,
• The continuous deep breathing, and
• The mental imagery.
These three elements occur concurrently during the exercise: while you move your body and limbs to perform each movement, you continue your breathing with one inhaling and exhaling for each movement cycle. At the same time, you mentally visualize the imagery that each movement is related to. While the physical pose and the mental imagery change from movement to movement, your deep breathing should flow smoothly, uninterrupted, throughout the entire exercise period.
There are 18 movements in the exercise; each one is repeated six times (each time is called a movement cycle) except for movements 12 and 13 which are repeated 12 times, making a total of 120 movement cycles. In other words, during this exercise you will be doing a total of 120 deep breaths continuously. Because some movements are longer than others, it is necessary to adjust the length of your breathing accordingly.
All the movements should be performed in slow motion and in a relaxed fashion. The purpose of this exercise is not to strengthen your muscles, but rather to calm your mind and clear your internal “chi” channels. In the beginning you may be tempted to move too fast and wind up finishing the exercise in 10 minutes or less. With practice, you will be able to settle into a relaxed mood and stretch the time to 15 to 20 minutes.
Although the movements are relatively simple compared to those in many other Tai Chi exercises, still the intricate stretching and turning of the arms and hands require some getting used to. Allow yourself a week or two (assuming you practice at least five times a week) to memorize all the poses and the transition from one movement to the next, until you can smoothly go through all the movements without peeking at the photos or the written description. Once you achieve that, you will be able to concentrate on the exercise and enjoy the relaxation and peace of mind it brings. Have patience. You are not in a competition.
You may do this exercise once or twice a day, or any time you need to calm down. The best times are early in the morning after you get up and before breakfast, and in the evening shortly before you retire. Try to find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed by family members or pets. Try not to let the telephone interrupt you. If weather permits, an outdoor spot facing trees and shrubbery such as a backyard or a park would be the best. Do not practice outdoor when it’s cold, windy or dark. Otherwise an indoor location with a window, preferably one overlooking some greenery, would be fine. Remember this exercise helps connect you to nature. If you live in a high rise apartment, then looking at the sky and a distant skyline would help.
Wear loose clothing, such as pajamas or jogging suit, so that your stretching and breathing are not restrained. Wear soft shoes or be bare-footed. A little soft music would help, but total silence is also appropriate. Try to immerse yourself totally in the exercise for the duration and concentrate on your mental imagery. When practicing in the morning, do a little stretching before you start.
A word about deep breathing: normally we breathe without being conscious of doing it. We only empty part of our lungs when we exhale, and take in perhaps half a lungful of air when we inhale. The benefit of deep breathing is that every time you breathe, you use almost the full capacity of your lungs and thus exercise all parts of your lungs and your diaphragm. While doing this exercise, try to empty your lungs as much as possible when you exhale, and fill them up as much as you can when you inhale, without straining yourself. Breathe through your nose only. Imagine your torso is a large bag and you are filling that bag with fresh air from the bottom up. Do not puff your chest. Coordinate your breathing with the speed of your movement.
There is an ancient Chinese breathing method practiced by kung fu masters and monks called “Tu Nar.” Instead of using your nose muscle to suck in air as we normally do, try to gently puff up your abdomen so that air is automatically sucked in through your nostrils. In the beginning, you may find it difficult to keep your nose from jumping in and help. With practice, you will be able to use your abdomen muscles more effectively to pull the air in, and feel the cold air rushing in through your nostrils.
Caution: several movements require half crouching. When doing so, be sure to bend your knees without exceeding your comfort level. For persons in normal health, such crouching will strengthen the knees over time. For those who have weak knees or any knee problem, skip the crouching and consult with your doctors. This same caution applies to when you are required to bend your back. Also, pregnant women should consult their doctors before engaging in this exercise. Children over 10 years old should be able to practice this exercise.
Before you begin, stand up straight but relaxed for a minute and begin your deep breathing. Maintain a straight but not rigid posture throughout the exercise. This is not about physical strength. Keep your arms and hands supple and even limp. There is no need to strain your muscles. Relax, relax, and relax.
If you are lucky enough to have a big tree in sight, try to start your mental imagery by looking at it and feeling how strong and firmly that tree is rooted in the ground. Then, imagine that you yourself are also very firmly planted to the ground. Once you get into the movements, try to form the mental image that each movement is associated with. Some of these images may seem unfamiliar or even childish, but they are parts of the exercise designed to give your mind some nourishment.
Movement One: A Good Beginning
The Movement: Stand up straight with your feet apart at shoulder width, your arms hung loosely on your sides and your eyes looking straight ahead. Relax your body. Start your deep breathing and, when you are ready, inhale and slowly raise both arms in front to shoulder height, palms facing down. Pull your hands in towards your shoulders. Start exhaling as you continue to move the hands down to the waist level and at the same time crouch down slightly while keeping your torso straight (do not lean forward and stick your buttock out). If you have weak knees, do not over bend them. This is one movement cycle. Do this six times.
The Breathing: Inhale when you raise your arms and body; exhale when you lower your hands and body.
The Imagery: Keep all unrelated thoughts and concerns off your mind and immerse yourself in the exercise. Imagine you are a geyser in a remote, pristine mountain, bobbing gracefully up and down while you are breathing in clean and fresh air.
Movement Two: Open Your Heart and Mind
The Movement: As you conclude the last movement, straighten up, start inhaling and continue to raise your arms in front, palms facing down (keep your hands limp). When your hands are at shoulder level, flip them so that the fingers form a gate in front of you. In the same motion, open your arms sideway as far as you can go. Then, exhale and move your arms horizontally back to the front until they are a few inches apart, at which point move your hands downward in a graceful curve until they are at your waist. As you lower your hands, crouch down as in the last movement. This is one movement cycle. Do this six times.
The Breathing: Inhale when you raise and open your arms; exhale when you close and lower your arms.
The Imagery: Imagine you are standing on top of a high mountain with the whole world under your feet. You are opening your heart and mind to the world. You have nothing to hide, just love to share.
Movement Three: The Rainbow Dance
The Movement: Continuing from the last movement, as you stand up and started to inhale, raise your right arm in a clock-wise movement to form a curve over your head and move your left arm to an outstretched position. Keep your arms relaxed and your hands limp, your head facing left and your weight on your right foot. Smile. Then, begin to exhale and move your weight to your left foot with your body leaning slightly to the left while swapping the position of the two arms by slowly swing the curved right arms to the right until it is outstretched and the left arms curved over your head. Turn your face to the right. This is one movement cycle. Do this six times.
The Breathing: Inhale when facing left; exhale when facing right.
The Imagery: Imagine you were performing the Chinese rainbow (or ribbon) dance and your arms were the ribbons. Coordinate your body’s swinging with the movement of your arms. Smile to your audience.
(To acquire a DVD video of Taichi Light, go to www.taichilight.com)
Mar 9, 2008
Life after Death
While I am on the matter of old age, I might as well get right to the crux of the matter: the big D, and get it out of my chest.
When we are young, life seems limitless. Even when we are at middle age, we are preoccupied with making a living, climbing the corporate ladder, growing a family, building a personal wealth, or whatever else we were busy doing; the matter of growing old is at best a distant glimpse of irrelevance. It's something too far away to worry about. But as time passes, that shadow of old age looms larger every year; and behind that shadow, another, a more ominous one, also appears.
Each individual will have to develop his or her own way to deal with the issue, of course. I just want to lay out my own way to look at it. By so doing, I don't pretend to tell anyone how he/she should treat the matter. Also, discussing the big D inevitably touches on the matter of religious belief, or the lack of it. Again, my religious view has a lot to do with how I deal with the big D, but I don't pretend to influence anyone into adopting my own belief.
Each of today's major religions in the world claims it has THE only real maker of the Universe, and provides some form of life or continued existence after the end of the life on Earth. Christianity provides for Heaven and Hell. Basically the good people go to Heaven and the bad people go to Hell; but those who follow God will be forgiven of their sins and will go to Heaven. (I must admit I am no Bible scholar and this is just a layman's understanding of the matter.) Islam also provides for a life in God's Kingdom after the end of life on Earth. In fact, in Islam life on Earth is but a trial period for the real, eternal life afterwards, when a just God rewards those who believed in him and served him well, and punish those who didn't.
Buddhism doesn't provide an all-mighty maker, but provides for a system of ever-evolving reincarnation, in which a life is "recycled" eternally so there is always life after "death" as the way Nature works. The catch is this: If a person is good by Buddhism standards in this life, he/she will be reincarnated into a good life, most likely in human form, the next time around; if a person is bad by Buddhism standards, he would be recycled into a hard life in human form, or a lower form a life, such as a pig or a mouse or even a single-cell amoeba. The above, obviously, is but a gross oversimplification of the matter.
I do believe that the idea of life after death in Christianity and Islam and the reincarnation system in Buddhism do have a salutary effect on this world; and I believe that that is why they were invented to begin with. They serve to persuade people in this world to behave well and to get along with one another harmoniously. So I think the promise of a good life after death is good if it can achieve that goal. In other words, that is a good trick, but a well-intentioned one.
Now what do I believe? I am not a Christian; I am not a Muslim; I am not a Buddhist, although I do subscribe to a lot of its precepts. I am a Unitarian-Universalist because this is the only spiritual school that I feel comfortable associating with. In terms of the G issue, I consider myself an agnostic: Nothing has persuaded me so far that there is a God; but I am not sure that there can't be some kind of omnipotent force that is responsible for creating and maintaining this world, either. Further, I don't believe we can know the answer for sure in this life; and I don't want to waste my time looking for it.
Is there life after death? I will find out when I die. If there is, I will have to face it whatever it is like. If there isn't, I wouldn't know the difference anyway.
The biggest problem is, of course, the anxiety one has before it comes. How long am I going to live? In what way am I going to die? etc. I don't believe I can possibly know, and I don't want to know. As long as I am healthy and continue to enjoy life, I wish to live forever. But I do accept the fact that life is limited and will end somehow. Whenever life ceases to be enjoyable, there is no point in prolonging it. Government rules notwithstanding.
There are obviously many other aspects of this issue, which I can't possibly address totally at one sitting. I do want to hear others ways to look at the issue. Please comment by talking about your way to look at it.
When we are young, life seems limitless. Even when we are at middle age, we are preoccupied with making a living, climbing the corporate ladder, growing a family, building a personal wealth, or whatever else we were busy doing; the matter of growing old is at best a distant glimpse of irrelevance. It's something too far away to worry about. But as time passes, that shadow of old age looms larger every year; and behind that shadow, another, a more ominous one, also appears.
Each individual will have to develop his or her own way to deal with the issue, of course. I just want to lay out my own way to look at it. By so doing, I don't pretend to tell anyone how he/she should treat the matter. Also, discussing the big D inevitably touches on the matter of religious belief, or the lack of it. Again, my religious view has a lot to do with how I deal with the big D, but I don't pretend to influence anyone into adopting my own belief.
Each of today's major religions in the world claims it has THE only real maker of the Universe, and provides some form of life or continued existence after the end of the life on Earth. Christianity provides for Heaven and Hell. Basically the good people go to Heaven and the bad people go to Hell; but those who follow God will be forgiven of their sins and will go to Heaven. (I must admit I am no Bible scholar and this is just a layman's understanding of the matter.) Islam also provides for a life in God's Kingdom after the end of life on Earth. In fact, in Islam life on Earth is but a trial period for the real, eternal life afterwards, when a just God rewards those who believed in him and served him well, and punish those who didn't.
Buddhism doesn't provide an all-mighty maker, but provides for a system of ever-evolving reincarnation, in which a life is "recycled" eternally so there is always life after "death" as the way Nature works. The catch is this: If a person is good by Buddhism standards in this life, he/she will be reincarnated into a good life, most likely in human form, the next time around; if a person is bad by Buddhism standards, he would be recycled into a hard life in human form, or a lower form a life, such as a pig or a mouse or even a single-cell amoeba. The above, obviously, is but a gross oversimplification of the matter.
I do believe that the idea of life after death in Christianity and Islam and the reincarnation system in Buddhism do have a salutary effect on this world; and I believe that that is why they were invented to begin with. They serve to persuade people in this world to behave well and to get along with one another harmoniously. So I think the promise of a good life after death is good if it can achieve that goal. In other words, that is a good trick, but a well-intentioned one.
Now what do I believe? I am not a Christian; I am not a Muslim; I am not a Buddhist, although I do subscribe to a lot of its precepts. I am a Unitarian-Universalist because this is the only spiritual school that I feel comfortable associating with. In terms of the G issue, I consider myself an agnostic: Nothing has persuaded me so far that there is a God; but I am not sure that there can't be some kind of omnipotent force that is responsible for creating and maintaining this world, either. Further, I don't believe we can know the answer for sure in this life; and I don't want to waste my time looking for it.
Is there life after death? I will find out when I die. If there is, I will have to face it whatever it is like. If there isn't, I wouldn't know the difference anyway.
The biggest problem is, of course, the anxiety one has before it comes. How long am I going to live? In what way am I going to die? etc. I don't believe I can possibly know, and I don't want to know. As long as I am healthy and continue to enjoy life, I wish to live forever. But I do accept the fact that life is limited and will end somehow. Whenever life ceases to be enjoyable, there is no point in prolonging it. Government rules notwithstanding.
There are obviously many other aspects of this issue, which I can't possibly address totally at one sitting. I do want to hear others ways to look at the issue. Please comment by talking about your way to look at it.
Feb 29, 2008
How do I approach old age
Talking about old age is a social taboo. There seems to be a general sentiment that old age is a terrible place to be in; old age is an embarrassment and nobody wants to be embarrassed. But if you privately ask the "old" people how do they feel about being old, I am willing to bet that many feel proud of being able to get where they are. And I am one of these folks. I am a couple months from reaching 73; not really that "old." I know quite a few people who are in their 80's and 90's. So if you are approaching your 60's and are apprehensive about what's coming, listen to what I have to say.
Everyone understands, at least intellectually, that there is something called the "life cycle," that as we were born, we are going to grow up and get old and die someday. No surprise there. But emotionally we general dread it and culturally we have been conditioned to want more and expect more out of life. If life is good, we want more. If live is bad, we want to wait for it to change to the better. We just don't want it to end. To get old is to be getting close to the end of the line. I went through this process during my 50's.
More as a self defense scheme, i.e. to make myself feel better despite the inevitability of reaching death, I gradually devised a rationale and talked myself into believing it.
A little understanding of Buddhism helps too. It is a basic tenet of Buddhism that everything is continuously in a changing state and nothing is permanent: not the tree, not the mountain, not the ocean, certainly not human life. Not only life is not permanent, it is also continuously changing, literary split second by split second. The present YOU is not exactly the same YOU a year ago, or even a split second ago. In fact, every single muscle fiber or drop of blood in your body is continuously changing. I know this concept is a little hard to swallow unless you are willing to do some serious thinking about it. (You may also want to talk to a particle physicist.)
But if you are willing and able to accept this concept, that beginning with the moment you were born you have been on a journey that will end at some point no matter what, then instead of dreading old age and its inevitable end, you could get on the business of enjoying life as long as you have it. How to do that is of course dependent on your individual circumstances. It depends on your family environment, your social environment, your financial situation, your health situation, your personal interests, etc. A nice family, good health, a fat bank account and good friends will certainly help. But above all, it depends on how you decide to approach the coming of old age: welcome it or fight it.
A wealthy retiree who has a loving family, good friends and good health could feel miserable if he or she is constantly concerned that the good life on the golf course may come to an end soon. On the other hand, a bedridden poor man could feel blessed when he wakes up every morning knowing that he is a day closer to his daughter's college graduation.
For me, not only I welcome the coming of old age, I see it as a liberation. I see this as a time when I am free from many of life's obligations and be able to explore many of life's treasures which I could not before. I don't have a lot of money, but I am blessed with a good family and a fairly good health. The Internet age allows me to plunge into the world of knowledge and learn whatever I want to, not to make a living off it, but just for the joy of learning. Google is certainly a big help. Now that I don't have to report to work every morning, I also have time to exercise, to read four newspapers a day, to call up a friend to go to lunch, to tinker with small projects.. What a life.
I don't know how long this good life will last. I set an arbitrary target at 89, but I know I could go tomorrow, as people of any age could too. If I did, I wouldn't know the difference anyway. On the other hand, if 89 comes and goes and I am still alive and kicking, I will set another target. Who knows.
Everyone understands, at least intellectually, that there is something called the "life cycle," that as we were born, we are going to grow up and get old and die someday. No surprise there. But emotionally we general dread it and culturally we have been conditioned to want more and expect more out of life. If life is good, we want more. If live is bad, we want to wait for it to change to the better. We just don't want it to end. To get old is to be getting close to the end of the line. I went through this process during my 50's.
More as a self defense scheme, i.e. to make myself feel better despite the inevitability of reaching death, I gradually devised a rationale and talked myself into believing it.
A little understanding of Buddhism helps too. It is a basic tenet of Buddhism that everything is continuously in a changing state and nothing is permanent: not the tree, not the mountain, not the ocean, certainly not human life. Not only life is not permanent, it is also continuously changing, literary split second by split second. The present YOU is not exactly the same YOU a year ago, or even a split second ago. In fact, every single muscle fiber or drop of blood in your body is continuously changing. I know this concept is a little hard to swallow unless you are willing to do some serious thinking about it. (You may also want to talk to a particle physicist.)
But if you are willing and able to accept this concept, that beginning with the moment you were born you have been on a journey that will end at some point no matter what, then instead of dreading old age and its inevitable end, you could get on the business of enjoying life as long as you have it. How to do that is of course dependent on your individual circumstances. It depends on your family environment, your social environment, your financial situation, your health situation, your personal interests, etc. A nice family, good health, a fat bank account and good friends will certainly help. But above all, it depends on how you decide to approach the coming of old age: welcome it or fight it.
A wealthy retiree who has a loving family, good friends and good health could feel miserable if he or she is constantly concerned that the good life on the golf course may come to an end soon. On the other hand, a bedridden poor man could feel blessed when he wakes up every morning knowing that he is a day closer to his daughter's college graduation.
For me, not only I welcome the coming of old age, I see it as a liberation. I see this as a time when I am free from many of life's obligations and be able to explore many of life's treasures which I could not before. I don't have a lot of money, but I am blessed with a good family and a fairly good health. The Internet age allows me to plunge into the world of knowledge and learn whatever I want to, not to make a living off it, but just for the joy of learning. Google is certainly a big help. Now that I don't have to report to work every morning, I also have time to exercise, to read four newspapers a day, to call up a friend to go to lunch, to tinker with small projects.. What a life.
I don't know how long this good life will last. I set an arbitrary target at 89, but I know I could go tomorrow, as people of any age could too. If I did, I wouldn't know the difference anyway. On the other hand, if 89 comes and goes and I am still alive and kicking, I will set another target. Who knows.
Feb 20, 2008
Alternative Health Maintenance
The Western world has developed a very successful medical system that allows us to maintain good health and to treat diseases when they occur. Over time, a gigantic international medical establishment has evolved into a major component of the worldwide economy. This establishment includes the various medical professionals such as doctors, surgeons, specialists, nurses, hospitals and their administrations, physical therapists, pharmaceutical companies, manufacturers of health supplements, manufacturers of medical equipment and accessories, etc., etc. Off hand I don't know the size of the total annual revenue of this establishment but it must be in the trillions of dollars.
I grew up in an Asian country at a time when the traditional Chinese "herb" medicine and doctors were the norm. The only time I remember going to a "Western doctor" at the age of about 10 was when I had my tonsil taken out. So even though I have been under the exclusive care of "Western doctors" for the past 60 years, I still remembers the time when I have to swallow some very, very bitter and strong smelling herbal medicine every time I got sick. Today, many people in China have accepted the "Western doctor" but many others are still sticking to the traditional "herbal" medicine as much as possible. I often wonder which one of these two medical regimes is better. After all, if the Chinese medicine has been used for thousands of years and there are still so many Chinese living and kicking, it can't be that bad.
I don't have any medical training, Chinese or otherwise, so my medical knowledge is no better than that of a somewhat knowledgeable layman. I do read a lot about medical science though. And I realize that today, in this country, health care is becoming an ever heavier burden for the individual and the government. Many people can't even afford medical insurance. There might something wrong with this picture. I want to use these pages to express my feeling and thinking and to invite comments in an effort to find out whether we might need to modify the direction that our medical system is heading. Perhaps we should look at some alternatives.
I also want to make it clear that what I say in these pages is based on my understanding and make not be always correct or complete. In that case I am only too happy to be corrected by those who know better.
One major difference I have noticed between traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine is that Western medicine is based on scientific research and emphasizes the use of chemical processes to produce medication that treat specific illnesses in specific parts of the body, i.e. if there is something wrong with the toe, treat the toe with medication; if there is something wrong with the ear, treat the ear with medication. In Chinese medicine, the belief is that the human body has a powerful defense system for warding off illnesses, and that illnesses are often caused by malfunctioning of this defense system. Therefore, it is more important to rectify the defense system than introducing some foreign matter to the body. To me, Chinese medicine seems to be based on empirical evidence than "scientific" evidence.
I recently read a book that makes a very interesting point about why Chinese medicine and Western medicine look at treating illnesses in different ways. It says that in the ancient time, Western scientists (must be in ancient Greece)created alchemy in an effort to create gold out of dirt. This launched the Western world in the direction of using chemical processes to find treatment for illnesses. Whereas in China, the emperors were always looking for ways to live forever. They dispatched their best medical talents to go to all over the country look for plants and other natural materials that produce a magic "xian dan" (magic pill) that will keep their bodies young. Hence the use of a variety of herbal ingredients in Chinese medicine. (Actually the term "herbal" is misleading because Chinese medicine uses not just herbs but also other plants, minerals, insects, animal parts...all that can be found in nature.)
In Chinese legends, before there was recorded history, there were four tribal leaders called Sui Ren, Sheng Nong, Fu Xi and You Chao. From the meaning of these Chinese names, it appears that Sui Ren (the firestone man) is the one who taught people to use fire; Fu Xi (the tamer)taught people to domesticate animals, You Chao (the Nest man) taught people to build shelter, and Sheng Nong (the divine farmer)is the one who taught people agriculture. Legends have it that Sheng Nong "tasted a hundred herbs," meaning that he tested all kinds of plant materials for their practical uses by his people. Sheng Nong therefore set off the desire of future Chinese emperors to try the "herbal" route for longevity, and would be the originator of Chinese medicine.
In the ensuing four thousand years or so, a lot of people must have gotten sick or die from taking the wrong plants for the wrong illnesses until the "doctors" figure out what medicine is right for what illness and in what dose, and what medicines can be combined to do some other jobs. Four thousand years is a lot of time to do these live experiments. Chinese doctors cannot use chemical formulas to show why certain herbs can do a certain job, although I believe a lot of work is being done in China today to find "scientific" explanation for the efficacy of many Chinese medicines. My question is: Why can't the best medical minds in the Western world also make an effort to help with this search?
I will continue with this monologue in future postings. I do hope that this posting can generate some discussions in the meantime.
I grew up in an Asian country at a time when the traditional Chinese "herb" medicine and doctors were the norm. The only time I remember going to a "Western doctor" at the age of about 10 was when I had my tonsil taken out. So even though I have been under the exclusive care of "Western doctors" for the past 60 years, I still remembers the time when I have to swallow some very, very bitter and strong smelling herbal medicine every time I got sick. Today, many people in China have accepted the "Western doctor" but many others are still sticking to the traditional "herbal" medicine as much as possible. I often wonder which one of these two medical regimes is better. After all, if the Chinese medicine has been used for thousands of years and there are still so many Chinese living and kicking, it can't be that bad.
I don't have any medical training, Chinese or otherwise, so my medical knowledge is no better than that of a somewhat knowledgeable layman. I do read a lot about medical science though. And I realize that today, in this country, health care is becoming an ever heavier burden for the individual and the government. Many people can't even afford medical insurance. There might something wrong with this picture. I want to use these pages to express my feeling and thinking and to invite comments in an effort to find out whether we might need to modify the direction that our medical system is heading. Perhaps we should look at some alternatives.
I also want to make it clear that what I say in these pages is based on my understanding and make not be always correct or complete. In that case I am only too happy to be corrected by those who know better.
One major difference I have noticed between traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine is that Western medicine is based on scientific research and emphasizes the use of chemical processes to produce medication that treat specific illnesses in specific parts of the body, i.e. if there is something wrong with the toe, treat the toe with medication; if there is something wrong with the ear, treat the ear with medication. In Chinese medicine, the belief is that the human body has a powerful defense system for warding off illnesses, and that illnesses are often caused by malfunctioning of this defense system. Therefore, it is more important to rectify the defense system than introducing some foreign matter to the body. To me, Chinese medicine seems to be based on empirical evidence than "scientific" evidence.
I recently read a book that makes a very interesting point about why Chinese medicine and Western medicine look at treating illnesses in different ways. It says that in the ancient time, Western scientists (must be in ancient Greece)created alchemy in an effort to create gold out of dirt. This launched the Western world in the direction of using chemical processes to find treatment for illnesses. Whereas in China, the emperors were always looking for ways to live forever. They dispatched their best medical talents to go to all over the country look for plants and other natural materials that produce a magic "xian dan" (magic pill) that will keep their bodies young. Hence the use of a variety of herbal ingredients in Chinese medicine. (Actually the term "herbal" is misleading because Chinese medicine uses not just herbs but also other plants, minerals, insects, animal parts...all that can be found in nature.)
In Chinese legends, before there was recorded history, there were four tribal leaders called Sui Ren, Sheng Nong, Fu Xi and You Chao. From the meaning of these Chinese names, it appears that Sui Ren (the firestone man) is the one who taught people to use fire; Fu Xi (the tamer)taught people to domesticate animals, You Chao (the Nest man) taught people to build shelter, and Sheng Nong (the divine farmer)is the one who taught people agriculture. Legends have it that Sheng Nong "tasted a hundred herbs," meaning that he tested all kinds of plant materials for their practical uses by his people. Sheng Nong therefore set off the desire of future Chinese emperors to try the "herbal" route for longevity, and would be the originator of Chinese medicine.
In the ensuing four thousand years or so, a lot of people must have gotten sick or die from taking the wrong plants for the wrong illnesses until the "doctors" figure out what medicine is right for what illness and in what dose, and what medicines can be combined to do some other jobs. Four thousand years is a lot of time to do these live experiments. Chinese doctors cannot use chemical formulas to show why certain herbs can do a certain job, although I believe a lot of work is being done in China today to find "scientific" explanation for the efficacy of many Chinese medicines. My question is: Why can't the best medical minds in the Western world also make an effort to help with this search?
I will continue with this monologue in future postings. I do hope that this posting can generate some discussions in the meantime.
Feb 11, 2008
What is Taichi Light? Part 1
The official name is The Body-Mind Exercise (BME); Taichi Light is just a nickname. But since Taichi Light is a lot more catchy, I tend to use it instead. This is a combination Taichi and Qi-Gong exercise because it incorporates the physical movements of Taichi and the breathing and mental imagery of Qi-Gong. (Strictly speaking, Taichi is a form of Qi-Gong.)
There are dozens of varieties of Taichi (or Tai Chi) exercises, and more are being developed every year. They are all based on the same 60 or so basic movements (or poses, or forms)that were invented centuries ago. Some exercises consist of 88 moves or longer whereas others only 24 or 18. So what "jia" (or "shi", meaning family or school)of Taichi you study, or how many moves in the exercise, is not that important. What's important is that you get the "spirit" of it and you practice it consistently.
The Taichi Light exercise I am introducing here is not a sophisticated one. It is a very simple one. You may say it is not for the "serious-minded" or high-level Taichi exercisers. But it is ideal for the beginner and the physically-challenged people like some senior citizens because it is easier to learn and doesn't require a lot of physical strength. Having said that, I would also suggest that this exercise is good for the middle-aged or even younger people who don't have a lot of time to exercise but do need to exercise, such as the busy executives and professionals.
There are three aspects of this exercise: The physical movements which include 18 different movements each repeated six times according to a specific sequence; the deep breathing which accompanies each repetition of a movement; and the mental imagery that accompanies each movement. A beginner would first learn each of the 18 movements until he/she is able to go through the entire exercise (about 15 minutes)continuously breathing normally. He/she then begins to slow down and lengthen the breathing to coincide with the physical movements. Finally, the purpose of the mental imagery is to take the exerciser's mind out of his/her immediately environment and into a meditative mode so that the mind can be totally relaxed.
The 18 movements, as I mentioned earlier, are taken from the basic movements in traditional Taichi exercise. I have, however, changed their names from the rather arcane Chinese names into something more modern sounding. I have also modified the movements somewhat by building transitions between them so that one movement can flow smoothly into the next, making the entire exercise like a continuous dance. The movements are:
Movement 1: A good beginning
Movement 2: Open your heart and mind
Movement 3: The ribbon dance
Movement 4: Parting the cloud
Movement 5: The roller-coaster
Movement 6: The butterfly stroke
Movement 7: Saluting the sun
Movement 8: Throwing the water melon
Movement 9: The perfect handshake
Movement 10: The Light House
Movement 11: Casting the big fish net
Movement 12: Playing with the waves
Movement 13: Big bird cruising the sky
Movement 14: The Kung Fu Pose
Movement 15: The do-do bird
Movement 16: The fly wheel
Movement 17: The bouncing ball
Movement 18: The closing
Each round of Taichi Light exercise would include a one-minute meditation in the beginning and another minute at the end. Between them the exerciser would perform each movement six times, totaling 108 movement/time, and doing 108 deep breathings, in about 15 minutes. A beginner would tend to work rather fast and finish the exercise in 10 or 12 minutes; but after a while, serenity will take over the he/she will be able to complete the exercise in 15 or even 18 minutes. The exercise is not about speed or strength; it is about serenity, gracefulness, introspection and relaxation.
I will describe each of the movements in future postings.
(To acquire a DVD video of the Taichi Light exercise, go to www.taichilight.com)
There are dozens of varieties of Taichi (or Tai Chi) exercises, and more are being developed every year. They are all based on the same 60 or so basic movements (or poses, or forms)that were invented centuries ago. Some exercises consist of 88 moves or longer whereas others only 24 or 18. So what "jia" (or "shi", meaning family or school)of Taichi you study, or how many moves in the exercise, is not that important. What's important is that you get the "spirit" of it and you practice it consistently.
The Taichi Light exercise I am introducing here is not a sophisticated one. It is a very simple one. You may say it is not for the "serious-minded" or high-level Taichi exercisers. But it is ideal for the beginner and the physically-challenged people like some senior citizens because it is easier to learn and doesn't require a lot of physical strength. Having said that, I would also suggest that this exercise is good for the middle-aged or even younger people who don't have a lot of time to exercise but do need to exercise, such as the busy executives and professionals.
There are three aspects of this exercise: The physical movements which include 18 different movements each repeated six times according to a specific sequence; the deep breathing which accompanies each repetition of a movement; and the mental imagery that accompanies each movement. A beginner would first learn each of the 18 movements until he/she is able to go through the entire exercise (about 15 minutes)continuously breathing normally. He/she then begins to slow down and lengthen the breathing to coincide with the physical movements. Finally, the purpose of the mental imagery is to take the exerciser's mind out of his/her immediately environment and into a meditative mode so that the mind can be totally relaxed.
The 18 movements, as I mentioned earlier, are taken from the basic movements in traditional Taichi exercise. I have, however, changed their names from the rather arcane Chinese names into something more modern sounding. I have also modified the movements somewhat by building transitions between them so that one movement can flow smoothly into the next, making the entire exercise like a continuous dance. The movements are:
Movement 1: A good beginning
Movement 2: Open your heart and mind
Movement 3: The ribbon dance
Movement 4: Parting the cloud
Movement 5: The roller-coaster
Movement 6: The butterfly stroke
Movement 7: Saluting the sun
Movement 8: Throwing the water melon
Movement 9: The perfect handshake
Movement 10: The Light House
Movement 11: Casting the big fish net
Movement 12: Playing with the waves
Movement 13: Big bird cruising the sky
Movement 14: The Kung Fu Pose
Movement 15: The do-do bird
Movement 16: The fly wheel
Movement 17: The bouncing ball
Movement 18: The closing
Each round of Taichi Light exercise would include a one-minute meditation in the beginning and another minute at the end. Between them the exerciser would perform each movement six times, totaling 108 movement/time, and doing 108 deep breathings, in about 15 minutes. A beginner would tend to work rather fast and finish the exercise in 10 or 12 minutes; but after a while, serenity will take over the he/she will be able to complete the exercise in 15 or even 18 minutes. The exercise is not about speed or strength; it is about serenity, gracefulness, introspection and relaxation.
I will describe each of the movements in future postings.
(To acquire a DVD video of the Taichi Light exercise, go to www.taichilight.com)
Feb 6, 2008
My take on Retirement
Retirement seems to be a rather recent phenomenon. In the old days, there was no such thing as retirement. In a farming community, one works all his/her life until one is too old and weak to do even some light chores. In the city, one works until one loses the job or until one is too old and weak to trot on. Then one would have to depend on children or relatives for support and care. Of course I am talking about the common man. If you are rich with lands and gold and other assets, then you never had to work and there is no retirement either.
More recently, retirement generally means the end of one's lifelong career. After working for a company or the government for 20 or 30 years, one got to a certain age and is allowed to stop working and receive a pension or other type of benefits.
Today, retirement means different thing to different people. For some, it is the "hallelujah" moment when one is liberated from that daily grind of the past 40 years and time to sit on the proverbial rocking chair on the front porch and watch the world go by. For others, it is the long-awaited moment when one is able to devote time on one's favorite hobbies day and night or to play with grand children. For yet others, it is a long-awaited opportunity to start a second career and fulfill one's lifelong ambition. Which path does one follow depend on one's personality, health condition, financial status, family situation and life's other circumstances.
For those who spend their lifetime on the same job or same kind of work without outside interests, or those whose line of work limit their contact with the outside world, retirement can be a ticket to another world unless they have a very supportive family or can quickly change their mindset and develop some activities that make their life meaningful. Even an interest in reading and to acquire some new line of knowledge can make one feel fulfilled. As our life expectancy increases, how to make our retirement life enjoyable becomes all the more important.
I retired 12 years ago at the age of 61, none too early since I found my career was heading to a dead end and the company was willing to give me a quite generous package. Except for a short period of doing some free-lance writing for the company, I never look back. The last 12 years have been the most enjoyable years of my life and I am looking forward to many many more such years to come. My definition of retirement is "the time when one can do whatever he wants to do, rather than what he has to do."
Not everyone is so lucky though. I have seen some people, including friends of mine, who retired, sit back to "enjoy life," found life pretty meaningless without work, and promptly passed away.
My advice to the would-be retirees is this: If you have a choice, don't retire unless and until you know what you want to do in retirement, something that make you find some meaning in life. If you have dreams of doing something all along but were unable to because you didn't have the time, whether it be a hobby, a volunteer opportunity, a new career or business, and if you can financially afford to, then by all means take the plunge. The more "dreams" you have the better. You may be wondering what has taken you so long to make the move.
I would like to share my retirement experience with others in my future postings. I welcome your feedback.
More recently, retirement generally means the end of one's lifelong career. After working for a company or the government for 20 or 30 years, one got to a certain age and is allowed to stop working and receive a pension or other type of benefits.
Today, retirement means different thing to different people. For some, it is the "hallelujah" moment when one is liberated from that daily grind of the past 40 years and time to sit on the proverbial rocking chair on the front porch and watch the world go by. For others, it is the long-awaited moment when one is able to devote time on one's favorite hobbies day and night or to play with grand children. For yet others, it is a long-awaited opportunity to start a second career and fulfill one's lifelong ambition. Which path does one follow depend on one's personality, health condition, financial status, family situation and life's other circumstances.
For those who spend their lifetime on the same job or same kind of work without outside interests, or those whose line of work limit their contact with the outside world, retirement can be a ticket to another world unless they have a very supportive family or can quickly change their mindset and develop some activities that make their life meaningful. Even an interest in reading and to acquire some new line of knowledge can make one feel fulfilled. As our life expectancy increases, how to make our retirement life enjoyable becomes all the more important.
I retired 12 years ago at the age of 61, none too early since I found my career was heading to a dead end and the company was willing to give me a quite generous package. Except for a short period of doing some free-lance writing for the company, I never look back. The last 12 years have been the most enjoyable years of my life and I am looking forward to many many more such years to come. My definition of retirement is "the time when one can do whatever he wants to do, rather than what he has to do."
Not everyone is so lucky though. I have seen some people, including friends of mine, who retired, sit back to "enjoy life," found life pretty meaningless without work, and promptly passed away.
My advice to the would-be retirees is this: If you have a choice, don't retire unless and until you know what you want to do in retirement, something that make you find some meaning in life. If you have dreams of doing something all along but were unable to because you didn't have the time, whether it be a hobby, a volunteer opportunity, a new career or business, and if you can financially afford to, then by all means take the plunge. The more "dreams" you have the better. You may be wondering what has taken you so long to make the move.
I would like to share my retirement experience with others in my future postings. I welcome your feedback.
Feb 3, 2008
On Growing Old
I grew up in a culture where age is traditionally venerated but at a time when youth was beginning to be touted as the future of the world. I remember at age of 8 or 10 singing songs in school about children being the future of the country and the world. So while I appreciate the value and function of youth in society, I never discount the value and dignity of older (than me, that is) people, not even for those who are rather dilapidated physically and/or mentally. I especially admire older people who are still active and full of rigor.
Since I came to the U.S. 40 years ago, I have no problem accepting the youth-worshiping in this culture, although at times I feel it is overly exaggerated for its own good. I do have problem with the age-sensitiveness in this culture, especially many young people's negative attitude towards old age. It is interesting to find out how today's babyboomers, who during the 60's claimed that if you are 30 you are over the hill, think of themselves. I think this phenomenon stems from the fact that this is still a very young nation that still have a lot of growing up to do.
Actually, taking a dim view of the old age is self-defeating because that is a place where everyone will hope to be eventually, but only some lucky ones can get there.
Growing old is like climbing a hill. The older you get the higher you will be on the hill and the broader a vista you are able to observe and, hopefully, the wiser you become. To be sure not all older people are wiser. Age only gives you the opportunity to accumulate knowledge and experience and not everyone who gets old take advantage of this opportunity.
By now it should be obvious that I am rather old, at least by the general standard of this society. But being "old" is really a relative term. To a four-year-old, a 20 something is pretty old; ; but to that "old" 20 something, "old" means someone who is in his/her 40's. In my 70's, I feel like a youngster among people who are in their 80's. Also, being "old" is a subjective thing. While some 40 something may feel they are at the end of their rope, some 80-year-olds are still eagerly learning new things.
I think what I want to say is that we should not use the chronological age to define or evaluate a person. A person at any age can be better defined by many other ways; age is not one of them.
Since I came to the U.S. 40 years ago, I have no problem accepting the youth-worshiping in this culture, although at times I feel it is overly exaggerated for its own good. I do have problem with the age-sensitiveness in this culture, especially many young people's negative attitude towards old age. It is interesting to find out how today's babyboomers, who during the 60's claimed that if you are 30 you are over the hill, think of themselves. I think this phenomenon stems from the fact that this is still a very young nation that still have a lot of growing up to do.
Actually, taking a dim view of the old age is self-defeating because that is a place where everyone will hope to be eventually, but only some lucky ones can get there.
Growing old is like climbing a hill. The older you get the higher you will be on the hill and the broader a vista you are able to observe and, hopefully, the wiser you become. To be sure not all older people are wiser. Age only gives you the opportunity to accumulate knowledge and experience and not everyone who gets old take advantage of this opportunity.
By now it should be obvious that I am rather old, at least by the general standard of this society. But being "old" is really a relative term. To a four-year-old, a 20 something is pretty old; ; but to that "old" 20 something, "old" means someone who is in his/her 40's. In my 70's, I feel like a youngster among people who are in their 80's. Also, being "old" is a subjective thing. While some 40 something may feel they are at the end of their rope, some 80-year-olds are still eagerly learning new things.
I think what I want to say is that we should not use the chronological age to define or evaluate a person. A person at any age can be better defined by many other ways; age is not one of them.
Feb 1, 2008
Why Taichi Light?
The reasons why I am so fascinated with this new, simplified Taichi exercise are these: I had always known the health benefits of Taichi and Qigong exercises. In fact about 30 years ago I had taking some classes but I felt at the time that, as a go-go young man with a family to care for, it took too much time to learn and to practice. Now that I am retired and have more time and even a greater urgency to maintain good health, it's time to seriously going for it.
Secondly, this exercise is very simple compared to the traditional exercises. It has 18 movements, each repeated six times, and can be completed in 15 minutes. It is also much less strenuous. This is something I can learn to do at home instead of going to a studio somewhere to take lessons. This is a god-sent to older peoples. In any case, right there reading the booklet on the plane, I decided to learn it myself as soon as I got home. Since the booklet is in Chinese, I was also thinking about all the people who can't read Chinese. In the next several months, I rewrote the booklet in English and rewrote it several times as I learned the movements. In the process, I also slightly changed some of the movements and fashion the transition from one movement to next so that the entire exercise flows smoothly from beginning to end.
Every time I practiced in the morning, I try to imagine how other people could follow my writing and learn the movements correctly since I had a lot of trouble learning them myself. The more I thought about it, the more I felt that it would take a very determined and disciplined person to learn from written descriptions. So I came up with the idea of producing a DVD or VHS tape for the exercise, and I plunged into the work of writing the script. Being a major in radio/television reporting from a journalism school, this is a natural for me and a lot of fun to do. I hired a production company in Metuchen, NJ to do the job and have the DVD done in 2006. I name the exercise "Body-Mind Exercise" and nickname it "Taichi Light."
In the next posting, I will describe Taichi Light in details.
Secondly, this exercise is very simple compared to the traditional exercises. It has 18 movements, each repeated six times, and can be completed in 15 minutes. It is also much less strenuous. This is something I can learn to do at home instead of going to a studio somewhere to take lessons. This is a god-sent to older peoples. In any case, right there reading the booklet on the plane, I decided to learn it myself as soon as I got home. Since the booklet is in Chinese, I was also thinking about all the people who can't read Chinese. In the next several months, I rewrote the booklet in English and rewrote it several times as I learned the movements. In the process, I also slightly changed some of the movements and fashion the transition from one movement to next so that the entire exercise flows smoothly from beginning to end.
Every time I practiced in the morning, I try to imagine how other people could follow my writing and learn the movements correctly since I had a lot of trouble learning them myself. The more I thought about it, the more I felt that it would take a very determined and disciplined person to learn from written descriptions. So I came up with the idea of producing a DVD or VHS tape for the exercise, and I plunged into the work of writing the script. Being a major in radio/television reporting from a journalism school, this is a natural for me and a lot of fun to do. I hired a production company in Metuchen, NJ to do the job and have the DVD done in 2006. I name the exercise "Body-Mind Exercise" and nickname it "Taichi Light."
In the next posting, I will describe Taichi Light in details.
Jan 30, 2008
Have You Heard of Tai Chi Light?
Just as I stumbled into practicing meditation, I became a Taichi/Qigong practitioner quite by accident. Almost 30 years ago, I did joint a taichi practicing group for a while, but was discouraged by its complexity and slow pace. Plus I had a quite busy job at that time and had very little time to spare. About 8 years ago, on a business trip to Shanghai, my brother asked me to look for a book about an exercise call "Taichi/Qigong in 18 forms." With some difficulty I did find this out-of-print booklet. As I read it on my flight back, I was fascinated by the simplicity of this form of taichi exercise. I thought it really makes sense.
Unlike the traditional Taichi and Qigong exercises which involve anywhere from 24 to 98 or even more consecutive moves that need to be memorized, this one has 18 rather simple moves to be performed six times each. I thought I could do that and reap similar benefit as from traditional taichi. In fact, I thought this form of taichi exercise would be perfect for the very busy people or people of advanced age since it is easy to learn, easy on the body, and takes only 15 minutes to practice.
Being a writer, I then spent a month or so to have the Chinese text rewritten into English while changing some of the archaic terms into more modern terms. With much difficulty, I followed the written description of the moves and learn the exercise. In the process, I also streamlined some of the moves and created transitions from one move to the next so the entire exercise flows fluently. I have been practicing this exercise regularly ever since. Two years ago, after numerous rewriting and incorporating my insight from my personal experience, I produced an instructional DVD for the exercise, which I call "Body-Mind Exercise" (BME) and nickname "Taichi Light."
In a future post I will describe the benefits of this exercise.
Unlike the traditional Taichi and Qigong exercises which involve anywhere from 24 to 98 or even more consecutive moves that need to be memorized, this one has 18 rather simple moves to be performed six times each. I thought I could do that and reap similar benefit as from traditional taichi. In fact, I thought this form of taichi exercise would be perfect for the very busy people or people of advanced age since it is easy to learn, easy on the body, and takes only 15 minutes to practice.
Being a writer, I then spent a month or so to have the Chinese text rewritten into English while changing some of the archaic terms into more modern terms. With much difficulty, I followed the written description of the moves and learn the exercise. In the process, I also streamlined some of the moves and created transitions from one move to the next so the entire exercise flows fluently. I have been practicing this exercise regularly ever since. Two years ago, after numerous rewriting and incorporating my insight from my personal experience, I produced an instructional DVD for the exercise, which I call "Body-Mind Exercise" (BME) and nickname "Taichi Light."
In a future post I will describe the benefits of this exercise.
Jan 28, 2008
Strumbling into Meditation
As a meditator, I am a very new and almost accidental one. Up until four years ago, meditation to me conjured up the image of an old monk sitting cross-legged on a dirt floor in an old and dilapidated temple with his hands put together and mumbling something monotonous. Meditation was totally irrelevant to me. Then a close friend of mine told me he had spent 10 days in a meditation retreat during which everyone had to keep absolute silence. I thought that was weird and impossible to do for any sensible person. But the picture stuck in my mind.
A while later, on a chance trip to a Barnes & Noble store for a book I needed for a discussion group, which I didn't find, I came upon a book entitled "Vipassana Meditation" by William Hart. I read the book and became curouser. One day I told my son about the book and he told me he had been to that meditation center in Massachusetts twice. The next day I went on-line and signed up for a 10-day retreat. That was a rare, impulsive decision on my part, but that's how I stumbled into meditation.
I drove 300-plus miles to the Center's location in northwestern Massachusetts on a freezing Spring day in 2005 and almost killed myself when my car spinned around several times on the icy road on the approach of I-90 from I-81. Luckily the trailer truck that was behind me was able to stop in time and a kind hearted truck driver got out to stop the traffic so that I could turn my car around.
I arrived at the Vipassana Meditation Center in a rural area to find out that I must surrender my pen, phone, PDA, books, magazines, and all other electronic stuffs because there will be no writing, reading, listening to music, talking to others and even eye contact. Men and women were strictly separated at all time except during group meditation when all men were on the left side of the room and women on the right side. I thought to myself if a couple were to attend the retreat together they wouldn't be able to even say to each other "not tonight my dear."
More about my adventure into the meditationdom later.
A while later, on a chance trip to a Barnes & Noble store for a book I needed for a discussion group, which I didn't find, I came upon a book entitled "Vipassana Meditation" by William Hart. I read the book and became curouser. One day I told my son about the book and he told me he had been to that meditation center in Massachusetts twice. The next day I went on-line and signed up for a 10-day retreat. That was a rare, impulsive decision on my part, but that's how I stumbled into meditation.
I drove 300-plus miles to the Center's location in northwestern Massachusetts on a freezing Spring day in 2005 and almost killed myself when my car spinned around several times on the icy road on the approach of I-90 from I-81. Luckily the trailer truck that was behind me was able to stop in time and a kind hearted truck driver got out to stop the traffic so that I could turn my car around.
I arrived at the Vipassana Meditation Center in a rural area to find out that I must surrender my pen, phone, PDA, books, magazines, and all other electronic stuffs because there will be no writing, reading, listening to music, talking to others and even eye contact. Men and women were strictly separated at all time except during group meditation when all men were on the left side of the room and women on the right side. I thought to myself if a couple were to attend the retreat together they wouldn't be able to even say to each other "not tonight my dear."
More about my adventure into the meditationdom later.
Jan 26, 2008
Finally I am Here
Blogger's records show that I first registered for this blog back in 2004. Indeed I have done that but for a long time, I hesitated to start. On the one hand, I have a lot of things I wanted to share; but by the same token I was afraid I didn't have enough time to polish my writing and make it presentable. I picked the name "Alchuatlarge" because I wanted to use this space to talk about anything and everything. But I was afraid I was not knowledgeable enough about a lot of things.... You get the picture of a procrastinator.
Well, on the bus back from an off-Broadway show this afternoon, I finally decided to go ahead restart this blog and limit my posting to five areas that are dear to my heart. They are: meditation, taichi/qigong, retirement life, growing old, and alternative health maintenance. I have done a lot of reading and thinking about these subject matters and I do want to share what I have to offer but more importantly I want to use my postings to draw in others' ideas, insights and experience plus critiques on these subject matters too. So I welcome everybody's constructive comments.
Well, on the bus back from an off-Broadway show this afternoon, I finally decided to go ahead restart this blog and limit my posting to five areas that are dear to my heart. They are: meditation, taichi/qigong, retirement life, growing old, and alternative health maintenance. I have done a lot of reading and thinking about these subject matters and I do want to share what I have to offer but more importantly I want to use my postings to draw in others' ideas, insights and experience plus critiques on these subject matters too. So I welcome everybody's constructive comments.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)