Total Connection in Three Hours A Week
1) Tai Chi
Tibetan #1
2) Tibetan #2
3) Tibetan #3
4) Tibetan #4
5) Tibetan #5
Tai Chi
I am constantly fiddling with my workout plan. The MINIMUM for me would be what you see above, with one break every three hours. Tai Chi morning and night, with Tibetans distributed through the day. I would "advance" them by substituting hanging leg lifts as soon as I can do 21 of #2. Then with #5, after I could do 21 Upward-downward dogs, I'd shift to Hindu Pushups.
The first Tai Chi would be my "Morning Ritual" time if I didn't have the full tai chi, I'd do 10-20 minutes of Constant bear (perhaps) or even conscious walking.
But I would definitely have some patterned motion, what I might call a "perfect template". Those are movements, exercises, where you say "If I could do that, my physical being would be at a higher level."
Discipline offers freedom. In martial arts, I remember thinking that all the brown belts in the school looked very much alike. But all the black belts moved differently--they had found their individual expression.
In writing, structure tends to be the thing most new writers lack. Easiest to teach, least likely to be taught effectively in schools, for reasons I'm not totally certain of. Once that structure (for instance, the Hero's Journey) is integrated it can be forgotten, and you can just write, only referencing structure from time to time, like checking a map. MOST of the time, you are just driving and enjoying the scenery. But if you get lost, a swift glance at structure gets you back on track.
In relationships, I create my overall goals and daily goals. As does Tananarive. Then once a day we do our "Blessing Dance" which is the structure that connects us, a vow of unity, a daily choosing of each other for the dance of life. Then we go our separate ways, and don't always re-connect until evening. We are free to do as we wish, because the structure of connection is very deep and real. We CHOOSE each other, daily.
The trick is to clarify your goals. Then ask what kind of people have achieved those goals, STARTING FROM WHERE YOU ARE. Study the structure of their behaviors, their emotions, their strategies.
From these, create a structure of constant action. What do you need to do every week to stay on the path? What do you need to do every day? Few people check once a month, let alone once a week, or daily.
I'm advising you to check FIVE TIMES A DAY, very briefly but effectively. I'll be looking more deeply into the potential benefits of the program above. Let's start with combining that with intermittent fasting. Just the Tibetans distributed through the day, walking consciously (let alone one of the more powerful possibilities), checking in five times a day will take you out of the zone of unconscious action and eating to that you can really ask:
IS THIS BEHAVIOR TAKING ME WHERE I NEED TO GO?
If so, GREAT! Keep it up! Good work!
But if not, you have in your hands the part of the equation you can control: your actions, attitudes, plans and emotions. And by controlling your emotion, you get to win every day regardless of external results. And that sense of gratitude heals fear, anger, anxiety and grief. Which allows you to enter flow state with joy, which accesses your very best creativity and focus.
Positive spiral. Considering that you could achieve this in less than two hours A WEEK, I'd call that an insane amount of bang for your buck!
(P.S.--start with no more than 3-5 Tibetans, adding no more than 1-2 per week until you reach 21 reps. NO, I don't care if you are already fit. This isn't about throwing your body around, it is about the CONNECTION between mind and body. Take your time.)
Namaste
Steve
