Creating a Home Practice

New year’s celebrations are rife with symbols for renewal and hope for the year ahead. Cultivating a practice creates consistency; consistency is about being adaptable; being adaptable allows one to change; by being able to change, you become aligned with the always-changing world. When the date changes, you’ve already changed with it.

Stretching warm-ups: Perform each for 1 minute for a total of 5 minutes. 1. 2 arms coiling forward—with breathing 2. Spinal cord breathing 3. Spinal wave 4. Spinal twist 5. Willow Tree Bends in the Wind (both directions) Balance warm-ups: Perform each for 1 minute for a total of 4 minutes. 1. Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg 2. Sweep With the Knee (or Foot) 3. Bend the Bow Shoot the Tiger 4. Separate the Foot Qigong: Practice number 1, 2, or 3 as a single practice for 5 minutes; or 1, 2, and 3 together as a set for 1 minute each; or 4 as its own set for 5 minutes. 1. Ocean Breathing 2. Gathering Heaven and Earth 3. Deep Earth Pulsing 4. The T’ai Chi Qigong sequence: • Crane Breathing • Energy Sphere: rolling side to side • Energy Sphere: rise—expand; sink— contract • White Crane Spreads Its Wings

T’ai Chi Solo Form 1. Grasp the Sparrow’s Tail in Four Directions (right side only or right and left sides) 2. T’ai Chi 5 Elements Form: (1) Beginning, (2) Cloud Hands, (3) Diagonal Flying, (4) Golden Rooster, (5) Push (with Qi ball). Repeat Beginning Posture to close the form. 3. First section only; second section only; third section only 4. The whole form. It takes 15 to 20 minutes to perform the T’ai Chi Long Form—not long when we consider daily screen time on our phones, binge-watch-ng a television series, or indulging in other distractions. The above list features short practices that take 3, 5, 10, or 20 minutes to do. Taking these short movement and energy breaks throughout the day will perfect the practices and make them easy to do and just might get you in the mood for a longer practice at home. These are just a few possibilities. Be creative and flexible, and design your own routines. You’ll be inspired and motivated to elevate your mood and season your day with energizing movement.