Breaking a habit
by Shang Lee
Habit – a recurrent, often unconscious pattern of behavior that is acquired through frequent repetition. Note the word frequent!
I was doing Tai Ji in a public park today, when I came across a teacher telling his students to walk backwards! I was a bit amused at what teachers can come up with, and so I eavesdropped… Apparently, it’s got something to do with the spine (I couldn’t hear the full conversation).
However, it wasn’t the fact that walking backwards got me thinking. It was the message that the teacher is trying to tell them, whether the students, or the teacher realised it or not! The best training to improve is to incorporate the training into your daily life – like walking backwards in the park to get home!
A lot of the general training of Tai Ji can be incorporated into the daily life, like correct back posture. You can do that in front of the TV, standing up, walking to the toilet etc. What about at work? I knew someone who had to move parcels from one desk to the other, and he emphasised on the waist turning to move it from one to the other. What about push open the door using the waist? You get the drift…
So, try to put practice into your daily life. Remember, you’re trying to break habits your body has known for a long time. The best way to do that is to convert the training into your new habits by slotting them into your daily routine. You’re only limited by your imagination!
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Great points.. I often practice my stances when I’m washing dishes or holding my son.
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I test my stances when commuting e.g. standing in the bus without holding any support!
Haha, yeah! Me too! I do it in the train, trying to sense the direction of the force not to shifting my feet from the position i start with but instead, shifting the kua and alternating between empty(Xu) and full(shi) to maintain my balance.