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The Force is what gives a (martial artist) his/her power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together. - Obi Wan Kenobi
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Tai Chi for Gardeners
Enlightenment in the Tai Chi Garden
Cramped up and entangled with project timelines, my garden began to wither from lack of attention during these hot months of August. Remembering, then stepping back, into my ‘sacred space’ I tended my garden with conscious attention for a couple of days.
Refreshed, my creativity is ripe for the picking. And once again, I’m reminded that “Enlightenment” is like a light switch: I have to turn it on to see the Light.
“Sacred space and sacred time and something joyous to do is all we need. Almost anything then becomes a continuous and increasing joy.” — Joseph Campbell
Tai Chi Garden High
I’ve always enjoyed the relaxing, ‘endorphic’ effect of physical exercise. Along my way I’ve immersed myself in different aspects of physical culture: ranging from traditional sports in my youth, and as a young adult, aerobic running, swimming, and cycling; along with intense practice of the martial art of Aikido, which gradually mellowed into the smooth, buoyant dance of Tai Chi Chuan.
Tai Chi for Gardeners grows a healthy body, mind, and spirit.
Now, at the ‘mid-century mark of my life, I marvel at the evolutionary flow that carried me along the continuum from body-centered, to body-mind awareness, to a consciousness of body-mind-spirit. And as a Master Gardener friend keeps reminding, “It just keeps getting better”: For me it’s the personal discovery of a more expansive body-mind-spirit experience that I call ‘Tai Ch for Gardeners.”
A Unique Way to Relieve Stress & Tension
When I used to run, swim, and cycle, I always felt calm and relaxed when I was done, but as I waded back into the ‘daily grind,’ stress and tension muscled their way back into my body and mind, which over time had a dis-spiriting effect. And as new stress and tension began to replace the batch I had just ‘worked out,’ all I had was the memory of knowing that I could get relief by ‘working it out’ it again.
Tai Chi for Gardeners is unique in that after the euphoric feeling that comes from grounding excess mental activity, and loosening tension-wound knots in my body, I have so much more than what the conventional ‘work out’ offers: I have a beautiful garden that continues to lift my spirit and inspires me to come back for more.
Contact Michael — (206) 842-6936 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) — to find out how Tai Chi for Gardeners can benefit you.
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Good Morning Garden
It was a beautiful cool-in-the-shade, warm-in-the-sun day; I gathered in the Chi and began the Tai Chi gardening process called ‘grounding’: working in the soil of Life — rolling and crushing Autumn leaves between my palms — Winter blanket/Summer mulch — greeting elders from seasons prior and their new growth.
It was a good morning after all, thanks to my good morning garden.
Several hours of Tai Chi gardening later I felt that soothing, ‘worked-out’ feeling that comes after culling and composting the work-week’s stress from body and mind. And that night, pleasantly fatigued, I went to sleep. But just as freshly loosened soil is good for the plants growing in it, it may not be so good for the creatures who are now more easily gotten to by birds looking for an easy meal. Sometimes my unintentional thoughts behave like those birds.
Before drifting into sleep I thought I’d have pleasant dreams, but that wasn’t the case; I woke up the next morning feeling uneasy. “Oh well ...” I said to myself with resignation as I stepped outside on my way to work, but then ... in an instant! I felt it: the freshness of the garden air on my face, the coolness of its ‘Chi’ in my lungs, and the mellifluous chirping of the birds ... and all of a sudden! I felt good: It was a ‘good morning’ after all, thanks to my ‘good morning’ garden.
Gathering in the Chi is a refreshing Chi Kung exercise that connects the body, mind, and breath in way that let’s you feel the subtle energy that keeps you alive.
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