“What causes stress?” my Tai Chi teacher asked in class recently. He looked at me and I answered “Thinking.” A true enough answer that he had said himself on many occasions.

Today he said, “Complexity.”

I should have known. He never says what you think he might, even if it’s the same question and answer that he’s said before. He will change it, twist it slightly and look at you like you weren’t paying attention.

Most of you have probably seen the slow, soft movements of Tai Chi Chuan in magazine articles, books, commercials or in movies. Tai Chi started in China as a martial art which uses softness to overcome hardness. It’s very much tied to the philosophy of Taoism in that it seeks to be as natural as possible.

Chi Gong are simple, similar looking exercises primarily done for health. They are designed to build your Chi or life energy - the stuff that animates all living things - and increase its flow throughout your body. Gong translates roughly as ‘ability gained through long practice’. A common phrase among practitioners is “Do you have the Gong?” or “They have the Gong.” Tai Chi also develops your Chi and both can do wonders for your physical and mental health. There are many great anecdotes of people being healed from all sorts of illness by practicing these arts.

When your life is too complex your mind becomes pulled in too many different directions and is easily overwhelmed. It’s like having too many windows opened on your computer. No matter how hard you try, you cannot work on more than one window at a time. So we need to learn how to close those other windows in our lives.

Enter Tai Chi and Chi Gong. Simple moves done mindfully giving you ‘just enough’ to focus on. I hold my hands at my side, I relax my arms and by doing so they naturally move forward, I follow that motion and raise my hands in front of me, I bring my hands back to my shoulders, elbows drop, hands drop, when my hands reach my waist I bend my knees and sink, and on and on. Just one simple move at a time while breathing naturally and deeply with nothing forced. The trick is to not space out, but to pay attention.

If you’re doing western style calisthenics or exercises like push-ups, sit-ups, treadmill, etc., it’s easy to space out and watch the gym t.v. while you think about how soon you’ll be done & what you’ll do later. Jon Kabat-Zinn would call this your “Doing” mind. With Tai Chi (Taiji) and Chi Gong (Qi gong) the point is to slow down, relax and pay attention to each moment as it unfolds - more of a “Being” mind. You want to have good body structure, relax more, stretch your body slightly and use your mind to focus on whatever the move is at that moment.

Most of us use a lot (in fact way too much) muscular energy whenever we do anything. We try to force things. We also use too much mental energy. Think of how a 1st or 2nd grader may struggle with a simple math problem. They use a lot of mental energy. That’s the black dog - even the simplest things become complex and complexity = stress. Depression is a little like driving a car with one foot on the gas and another on the brake while looking in the rear-view mirror. When our minds & bodies are tense and distracted it’s reflected in everything we do.

In Tai Chi we learn the moves first and then we focus on ‘using less’. Using less physical and mental effort in the most efficient and effective way. In Tai Chi classical literature, it’s said with the right touch you can lead a thousand pounds with just 4 ounces of strength. It is really a very sophisticated and subtle art.

Depression often has elements of anxiety/panic, along with a mind that’s jumping from thought to thought (too many windows open on our mind’s computer). Our minds are tense and that usually crosses over to our bodies and back & forth it goes in the downward spiral black dogs know so well. Mind affects the body which in turn affects the mind.

Tai Chi and Chi Gong are wonderful anti-stress exercises that have a very calming effect. Often times over this winter I have been quite cold when I start my practice but after 15 or 20 minutes I’ve noticed my hands & feet which were cold to the touch are now very warm. My muscles which were knotted up are now a little looser. My mind is always clearer and my emotions calmer.

You may want to consider adding the practice of Tai Chi, Chi Gong or other similar arts (like Yoga) to your TLC arsenal to help tame your black dog. They stress slow, easy & relaxed stretching, deep breathing, relaxation and mind/body unification. We can all benefit from that. Classes will get you out of the house into the sunshine and fresh air (it’s often taught in the park), you can socialize with other students, exercise your mind and body and, perhaps most importantly, it will give you something you can continue to do for the rest of your life.

Don’t have the Gong? Get it!

Curious? Here’s a little video that might pique your interest.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 26th, 2008 at 11:33 am and is filed under exercise.