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The Beneficial Practice of Tai Chi and Yoga

Low-impact, stress reducing exercises such as tai chi and yoga are great ways to activate the relaxation response. Stress relief is an important part of our daily and weekly routine. Here are some suggestions for beginning with both tai chi and yoga.

  • Have patience. There is no reason to focus on an end goal with either of these practices, but rather focus on your breath and movement or position within the current moment.
  • Be open to different styles and instructors. Both yoga and tai chi have various styles of teaching. Do not give up after only one try because the style or instructor wasn’t a good fit. Try multiple different courses, studios and styles before giving up.
  • Physical movements are least important. The art of tai chi and yoga focus less on your physical movements, and more on how you develop your practice over time.
  • Breathing techniques are important. Over time you will learn to develop your breathing techniques in order to maximize the stress relieving benefits of both practices.

Do you practice any kind of moving meditation, or do you prefer to sit in stillness while meditating?  What are your tips for beginning a tai chi or yoga practice? Share with me in the comments below!

Slash Stress

Simply put: Stress interferes with the performance of our adrenal glands.

The result of excess stress is fatigue, reduced ability to handle said stress well, and a decline in your hormones.  Adrenal fatigue is one of the most common and widely missed threats to our health today. Low-impact, stress-reducing exercises include tai chi, sitting mindfully in silence and stillness (some call it meditation), and breathing exercises.  Research also shows moderate exercise like walking increases testosterone production.  It’s a myth that watching TV relaxes you.  You actually have to do something in order to relax.  You need to turn on the “relaxation response.”  These exercises are ways to do that.

Here are some suggestions for turning on your relaxation response:

Do you have any stress relieving techniques that work well? I’d love to hear them in the comments below, please share!

Meditation for Dealing with Stress

In order to use meditation to deal with stress, you should start with just 10 minutes and consider it “sitting mindfully in stillness.”  As you get the hang of meditating, you can gradually increase the length of time in which you do it. Here are a few tips to help you get started:

  • Set aside time for meditation. If you don’t schedule it in and take it as seriously as your other appointments. You’ll have a difficult time creating a daily routine.
  • Simply focus on your breathing. Bringing your attention to your breath is the first step to quieting the mind. When frustration and outside thoughts creep in, bring your attention back to your breath.
  • Dedicate a meditation space. If possible, choose one location to meditate. You want to feel at ease in this space.
  • Listen to instructional audio. One of my favorites being Holosync.

People always tell me they don’t have time to meditate.   I tell them the story of my dentist.  When I was a youngster I asked him whether I had to floss all of my teeth.  “Only the ones you want to keep,” he replied.

I also say a day without meditation is like going to bed without brushing your teeth.  The damage of the day is there.  Stress is like food left between your molars.  We must brush and floss out the stress daily to prevent cell damage. If you have questions about starting a meditation practice, leave them in the comments below. If you have a meditation practice, I’d love to hear about it. Share your tips in the comments below.

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