Ignore the Noise

We are constantly bombarded with information that causes us worry, anxiety, and stress. It can be hard to decide what to do. Here's a simple tip. Everything you see, hear, touch, taste, smell, or think can be placed into one of four categories.

1. Things that are not important and you have no control over them.

2. Things that are not important and you have control over them.

3. Things that are important and you have no control over them.

4. Things that are important and you have control over them.

I bet you just skimmed over those categories. It is important that you understand them. Go back and read them again.

Categories 1 and 2 are not important. Ignore them and don't worry. Don't waste any time on them.

Category 3 is important, but you can't do anything. It will look good or it won't. It will sound good or it won't. It will feel good or it won't. It will taste good or it won't. It will smell good or it won't. Your thoughts will be pleasant or they won't. Ignore them all. You can't do anything so don't worry.

Category 4 is important. That deserves your attention. Everything else is a waste of time.

Some people cannot tell the difference between important and not important. That causes endless stress because they react to everything that happens. Here is a simple decision path to help you decide what is important or not important:

1. Will anyone be hurt if you ignore it? If yes, it is important. Do something about it. If no, go to step 2.

2. Will anyone care about the topic in a week? If yes, it may be important. Think carefully about before you do anything. If no, go to step 3.

3. It is not important. Go find something important to work on. Practice your tai chi.

At times, the noise from categories 1, 2, and 3 can get overwhelming. It can be hard to ignore, but you can do it. Just keep it simple and ignore the noise.

© 2013 Eric Borreson

NOTE: I realize that this is oversimplified. It's more about the thought process than the details.

Your Brain on Tai Chi

I read a journal article recently where the researchers compared the brains of people that were long-term tai chi practitioners to the brains of a control group. It's not too surprising that differences were found. The researchers said, " These findings indicate that long-term tai chi chuan practice could induce regional structural change and also suggest tai chi chuan might share similar patterns of neural correlates with meditation and aerobic exercise."

Looking a little deeper at what they say, tai chi practice was associated with significantly thicker cortex in several areas of the brain. A thicker cortex means that part of the brain is being used more and is probably more effective. Since I am not a medical professional, I had to look these areas up. A sulcus is an inward fold on the surface of the brain. A gyrus is an outward fold on the surface of the brain.

The medial occipitotemporal sulcus and the lingual sulcus are related to spatial navigation - knowing where your body is in space (Read more about this topic here.) The insula sulcus is related to anxiety sensitivity, peacefulness, and relaxation. The middle frontal sulcus is responsible for motor planning - in other words it is related to organizing and executing movement. It also helps with integrating emotion and cognition in a way very similar to meditation. It is also similar to changes seen related to exercise by the elderly.

The precentral gyrus is part of the primary motor cortex. It is the area responsible for controlling voluntary muscle movement. This seems to explain why tai chi helps reduce falls. The superior temporal gyrus is the area that has the primary auditory cortex. It is the area responsible for processing sounds and understanding language. It is part of social cognition. The authors used a lot of medical terms to explain that they didn't know how this part of the brain relates to tai chi.

To summarize, brain changes are noted in tai chi practitioners. These changes are similar to changes seen in the brains of people who meditate and those who get regular aerobic exercise. In addition, changes are seen in the parts of the brain related to voluntary muscle movement (preventing falls). This is not seen in meditators or those that get regular exercise. Therefore, tai chi shows indications of helping us develop peacefulness and relaxation, control movement, and understand how our body moves through space.

The entire article can be read here.

 

© 2013 Eric Borreson

Begin As You Mean to Continue

I recently came across the term, "Begin as you mean to continue". I have never heard it said stated that way before. I have only just noticed how true this is with my tai chi (I must be a slow learner).

Some days, I am in a hurry. I am careless about how I start my tai chi forms. It becomes very difficult to change my intention when I am moving through my forms. Therefore, I am still careless when I finish my forms. That means that I wasted an opportunity to learn.

Some days, I take time to focus my mind. When I start, I pay attention to one principle. I practice all my forms slowly and mindfully. When I finish my forms, I am still moving slowly and mindfully. I gave my mind and body an opportunity to learn.

It seems too simple, but it's true. Your intention determines the results of your practice. Try it and see what happens.

© 2013 Eric Borreson