Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Inner Exercise

Justin Stone and the T'ai Chi Chih teacher trainers often talk about the fact that TCC practice exercises the body's internal organs. I admit, I've never actually understood exactly what that means

Today, though, I was wearing my heart monitor watch during my TCC practice. Since March, when a cardiologist told me to get my heart rate up to 120-140 for 20 minutes at least three times a week, I've paid more attention to the pitter-patter of my heart than I ever imagined I would (typically while I'm out walking).

So, what the heck, I thought, I'll check my heart rate a few times during my TCC practice. During several checks my monitor read: 108, 113, 116. Huh, I always assumed that the relaxed slow motion movements slowed my heart rate down just as I expected that seated meditation or a nap might do.

It was fairly windy during my deck practice. Did the wind provide more resistance than normal? I'll have to remember to wear the heart monitor during some future practices to see what I find.

I do recall reading an article in The Vital Force that told of several t'ai chi chih practitioners who hiked up a mountain with relative ease compared to their hiking companions. Could it be that TCC was at least partially responsible for my extended time on the treadmill during my February stress test even though the test also revealed that I had heart disease?

I can see that I still have a tremendous amount to learn about this T'ai Chi Chih moving meditation form that I've been practicing for 14 years....

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