I Don't Have Time to Practice

Each time I convene a class I ask if students have been practicing on their own during the past week. Unfortunately, I usually get very sketchy answers to this question. I hear, "I only remember the first few moves," or "I just practiced the warm ups." So just how much practice should one do?" you may ask.

Tai Chi masters recommend practicing the full set five times a day. This may not be possible for most of us with today's busy lifestyles that involve children, doctor appointments, work, housekeeping, etc. In order to get maximum benefits from tai chi, qigong, or meditation, however, daily practice is necessary.

Personally, I rise early to brew coffee and meditate for an hour or two before the clatter of waking dogs breaks the silence. I practice the full tai chi set twice per day, mornings before breakfast and before bed at night. The White Crane set is the easiest so I work it in several times a day and practice the Black Tiger and Red Dragon sets around noon and again in late afternoon.

Personal time, indeed, is hard to find during our busy lives, but you must find a way to carve out at least 20 minutes a day for your practice in order to realize the benefits of your training. This minimum of time may be spaced throughout the day if necessary--5 minutes here and 5 minutes there. But you owe it to yourself to find the time. To quote a popular commercial, "You are worth it."

Namaste