Tag: accepting

Distracted- or embracing…

Ai Chi mpierce

I was well into my Ai Chi practice at our local YMCA, when I heard someone clear their throat on the deck nearby. “I’m going to use this lane in 10 minutes,” she said. “I’ve reserved it for a private swimming lesson.” I had signed up for an hour and had felt lucky to nab one of the 2 lanes that were not shared with another swimmer, (a practice established when COVID began). I sighed and moved to another lane to begin my practice again. This time I was next to a lap swimmer who did a lot of splashing. Our carefully devised plans do not always work out, and while both positive and negative life events can raise stress levels, it is the unexpected changes that are the most difficult and stressful~ the changes we didn’t count on.

As I began my practice again next to the splasher, my mind turned to a conversation I had during a Zoom meditation session a few weeks earlier. After sitting in silence with our group for 30 minutes, our leader asked about our experience. I happened to have an “ear worm” during the whole session~ a song stuck in my head that played relentlessly, over and over. I asked if the participants had any advice for getting rid of distractions like that, and the leader asked why I needed to have it gone. My immediate response was that it was too distracting to enjoy the peace of meditation, but I mulled over his reply later. There will always be distractions in our lives and we can choose to allow them to make us feel stressed, or we can accept that they are there and go with the flow. I could have made that song a part of my meditation rather than an annoyance. I could let the sound and feeling of the splashes become a positive part of my Ai Chi practice. We always have a choice.

Ai Chi is practiced all over the world. The most peaceful place that I have done Ai Chi was in an indoor hotel pool in Stockholm. The pool was dimly lit by 2 pots of fire, and only one other person (a silent Swede) was in the pool. It was easy to find calm in this beautiful space. My blog statistics show views from across the globe and I am curious about the Ai Chi experiences of practitioners in other places. Please share a snapshot of your Ai Chi practice (either a picture or a brief written summary) in the comment section.

And if you are interested in sharing your cultural experiences with the larger Ai Chi community, the Ai Chi Newsletter is interested in highlighting Ai Chi from around the world. Please contact Julie at [email protected] to share. Photos need to be in high resolution (original photo files are the best option). They also need a contributor name and email contact, plus a brief description (photo caption) of what/where the photo shares, and permission (technically from anyone recognizable in the photo) to publish.

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Ai Chi walking

Ai Chi steps Teaching Ai Chi mpierce

Ai Chi is an amazing practice in its pure form. But Jun Konno’s mantra that “however it turns out is how it is meant to be” opens the door to infinite possibilities for variations. It may feel right to prolong doing a particular step. You may develop your own “holding pattern” step to settle and reorganize in the midst of doing Ai Chi. One Ai Chi master has developed flowing ballet steps in her Ai Chi practice, while another has doubled the tempo to adapt to colder water temperatures. There are partnered versions of Ai Chi for those who are fearful of the water, with advanced mobility issues and for children.

“Warm water walking” is commonly recommended for post-injury and post-rehab patients who are not able to participate in other exercise classes. I like to include a walking variation of Ai Chi at the conclusion of my GaitWay to Mobility water walking classes. In the class we typically begin with a mindful walking experience, then ramp up to walking activities at higher exertion levels. Ai Chi walking provides a great way to cool down from higher level exertion, as it prevents blood pooling in the legs and lessens the likelihood of post-exercise blood pressure drops, lightheadedness, fainting and cardiac arrhythmias. Plus doing Ai Chi at the end of class leaves participants feeling relaxed and refreshed!

I often refer to the first 5 steps as the “core Ai Chi steps”, because they are performed in a planted posture that challenges the core muscles of the spine and trunk. They set the foundation for mindful movement and focused attention, and I like to do them in their traditional form. But variations on the middle steps are a great way to incorporate locomotion in Ai Chi practice. The Ai Chi steps can be a bit challenging until participants have practiced enough to be able to move without cues, so look to the movement needs and degree of attention engagement of your participants as you make decisions about introducing more complex variations.

An easy foray into Ai Chi walking is with the moving steps. Flowing is already a walking variation~ it is basically “braiding” or a “grapevine step.” Reflecting and Suspending transition to Ai Chi walking by moving in a prescribed direction~ alternating between left arm and leg over right and turning 180 degrees, with right arm and leg over left and turning 180 degrees. These movements can be done straight across the pool or in a circle.

The balancing steps are also prime walking steps, but require more cuing. I’ve included diagrams below outlining these movements.

In Accepting, shift back, arms back, front toes lift as usual, but as you shift forward onto the front foot and arms come forward, take a step forward with the back leg bringing weight forward, and repeat the cycle.

Accepting with grace follows the same pattern with a front leg lift in place of front toe lift and stepping forward with the back leg as the front leg comes down, weight shifts forward and arms come forward.

In Rounding the back leg comes forward toward extending arms, then lowers straight down to a forward position as the arms move back, rather than returning to its original position. The opposite leg is now to the back, and becomes the next leg to move forward toward extending arms.

Doing Balancing as a walking exercise is a great intermediate step for those who struggle with an extended single leg stance time in traditional Ai Chi. Lean into the forward leg with arms extending forward and back leg lifting behind. Then swing the back leg forward, arms and trunk extending back before setting the moving leg down in front of you. This leg now becomes the forward, stance leg as you repeat the cycle.

Not challenging enough? Do these movements going forward across the pool for several steps, then try them in reverse, moving backwards across the pool. Not only are you challenging different muscle groups, but your mind is working in new ways as well.

Music tempo sets the pace for water walking, and this is another adaptable variable to consider in your planning. I like to use a few tracks from Katrien Lemahieu’s Ai Chi in 3 music for a 10 minute Ai Chi walking cooldown.

Are you interested in learning more about GaitWay to Mobility? I will be teaching a pool workshop at the ATRI 2019 Fall National Aquatic Therapy conference in Chicago, November 7-10. For more information, visit the ATRI website.

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However it turns out is how it was meant to be

mindfulness Uncategorized mpierce

Doing Ai Chi affects each of us in a unique and individual way every time we do it. We come to this practice from different life experiences~ from interactions with others at home or en route to the pool, after hearing a breaking news broadcast or listening to relaxing music. We have different backgrounds, health issues, emotional experiences, support systems, coping mechanisms and internal resources. Some come to Ai Chi with a goal~ to improve balance, mobility, core strength, or breathing, to reduce stress, find pain relief or simply to feel more centered… Ai Chi can bring all of these things. It is a tool for strengthening and healing.

But there can be roadblocks to being in the frame of mind to fully enjoy Ai Chi practice in the moment. Perhaps the water temperature is not quite right or the noise level is high. Perhaps you had a distracting encounter or something is weighing on your mind. What can you do?

The structure of Ai Chi is there to help you. The introductory steps invite grounding, with a stable posture. Turn your attention away from the commotion around you to your breath, to the sensation of the buoyancy and support of the water and to the fractal patterns in the ripples as you move. Acknowledge your concerns, and leave them behind for a little while~ you can get back to them later. Accept the presence of distractions, but let them be. They may persist, but you are involved in something else for the moment. If you find yourself inhaling during an exhalation movement, know that it was because you needed it. Don’t let stress creep in if you omit a step or move left when you normally would have moved right~ the structured patterns of Ai Chi are a framework for you to build your own experience. Jun Kono reminds us through his words and through his own practice adaptations that however it turns out is how it was meant to be.

In the 1930’s, a chef at the Toll House Inn in Massachusetts named Ruth Wakefield wanted to serve her guests a new variation of cookies and ice cream. As she started her baking project, she was tight on time and realized that her supply of easy-melting Baker’s sweet chocolate was depleted. The only chocolate available was a semi-sweet chocolate bar, which she chopped up and put on top of the cookie batter, hoping it would melt to create a chocolate cookie. Instead, the beloved chocolate chip cookie was born~ comfort food that was meant to be.

Ruth Sova recently shared these timely words from Henry Ford: Even a mistake may turn out to be the one thing necessary to a worthwhile achievement.

Sometimes what we perceive as “mistakes” are really how it was meant to be.

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Stretch your limits!

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Ai Chi touches many beneficial areas for good health~ decreasing stress, improving balance, core strengthening, enhancing breathing, increasing joint mobility… but don’t limit your exercise to just Ai Chi! The secret to successful aging is staying active, and it is important to make exercise a part of your everyday life. Choose enjoyable activities that improve large muscle strength, heart health and targeted stretching of tight muscles. I like bike riding, walking, horseback riding, water aerobics and kayaking, so those are fun ways for me to meet some of those needs. I ride my bike instead of driving when I can, and I tend to go for a more distant parking place when I drive. It’s fun to track the number of steps with an activity tracker, and you can even inspire friends by sharing your numbers through technology. I also keep a 10-12# weight and water bar bells nearby for daily use.

Exercise theories have changed a lot over the years. It’s not necessary to spend lots of time dedicated to working out~ the secret to results lies in how you spend your time. Studies show only a 2% gain in muscle strength in doing more than 10-12 repetitions of a strengthening exercise, if you are exercising at a somewhat hard to hard exercise level~ so I typically do 12 curls with my hand weight, which is somewhat hard when I start and hard by the final repetition. If the weight is too light or resistance cords are too stretchy, I lose out on the strengthening benefit. If they are too heavy and I am struggling against the resistance, I risk muscle strain and injury.

What if you want to improve endurance? Decrease your weight to fairly light to somewhat hard and do 23-25 repetitions. By adjusting resistance based on your perceived level of exertion you can work to achieve your personal goals in an efficient and effective way. The Borg Scale of Perceived Exertion is a handy visual chart for determining effort.

What about mobility? In the old days Jane Fonda modeled bouncing at the end of joint ranges to get more mobility. Studies now show that a quick stretch to muscles actually causes a reflex contraction of the muscle~ the opposite of what we want to achieve! But if you hold a stretch for 30 to 60 seconds, you achieve a muscle relaxation effect. So if you want to stretch a muscle, gently move to the end of its range where you feel some tension, hold it there to a count of 30 to 60, then gently release it. I often do this with my hamstrings before doing Ai Chi to enhance the mobility benefits during Accepting with Grace, Rounding and Balancing.

Finally, if you have discomfort after any exercise, use your best method of calming things down~ ice, mild heat, anti-inflammatory medications~ and if pain persists more than 2 hours following exercise, you have done too much. The next time you exercise, pace yourself and decrease the resistance, excursion, range of motion or number of repetitions. Don’t give up exercising if you meet some challenges, but mindfully adapt your approach.

 

Accepting

Ai Chi steps mpierce

Now we move to accepting. Accepting challenges balance a bit. You’re moving more~ shifting your point of stability. Accepting yourself for where you are, here and now. Feeling the gentle caress of the water around you as you move through it. Sensing the surface beneath your feet as you shift backward and forward. This is mindfulness~ giving direct attention to body and breath, focusing on the moment while calmly accepting one’s feelings, thoughts and sensations.

Accepting: Breathe in as you step back and shift your weight onto your right foot, at the same time reaching both arms behind you with slightly bent elbows. Blow out through pursed lips as you shift your weight to your left foot and bring your hands together in front of you. Complete all of the repetitions before pivoting 180 degrees and repeating to the other side.

Ai Chi founder Jun Konno demonstrates the first 10 steps in this video to the soothing sounds of Ai Chi Synchrony: