The way of tea

In the spirit of changing personalities (see previous post), I thought I highlight this beautiful account of the Way of Tea.

This person has described tea as moving meditation (not unlike tai ji at all!). She has also described how her behaviour has changed by following the Way of Tea, by having a "tea mind" in everything she does.

The philosophy behind having a simple cup of tea following the Way of Tea has much in common with the philosophy of Tai Ji. Have a read and I hope it's something you find interesting as well.

Chi running

I've done Tai Chi. I've done running. And when I knew I could combine them both, I just couldn't resist to buy that book. And today was the first day I tried out Chi Running, and I have to say... I'm really impressed with the results!

Posture is important in Tai Chi. The alignment from head to toe is important to achieve the "connection" with the ground so that strength can be channelled properly throughout the body. To get proper alignment, I've relied on my own eyes, other people's eyes, my teacher's eyes, and ultimately, my own feeling.

This is exactly what Chi Running is trying to achieve, to use proper alignment to optimise the body structure such that it is most suitable for running. Skeptical? So was I, I just couldn't resist trying it out though. I ran for only 20 minutes, when I normally would have been exhausted, but surprised I wasn't panting. I wasn't even breathing hard. I didn't feel any strain on the leg muscles. No strain on the knees. And I felt energised to go on and on! I had to go because of other commitments, but I'll definitely try it again.

The marketing material says:

• low injury rate


• requires less effort


• requires little or no recovery time after the run


• feel energised

I say: if you forgot what it was like to run like a kid, when you don't even think about running but just have the abundance of energy a kid has, try Chi Running.

p/s: It's actually less intensive compared to my normal Tai Chi routine because of the smaller range of motion! So in a way, it's a good introduction to Tai Chi.