David Posted October 29, 2006 Report Share Posted October 29, 2006 (edited) Well today was very interesting. I was out riding alone in town when a Chinese man approaches me and says your very good at what you do and started to talk to me about how riding required skill, concentration, calm and focus. We got talking and he told me about how he does tai chi and self defence. I found it all very intresting and he showed me quite a few moves and explained the basic priniciples. Does anyone here do tai chi?Dave Edited October 29, 2006 by David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walleee Posted October 29, 2006 Report Share Posted October 29, 2006 No but I remember seeing a bunch of people doing it once in a bandstand in a local park. Looked class.A preacher once said I was god's gift which I thought was rather cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ash-Kennard Posted October 29, 2006 Report Share Posted October 29, 2006 Well today was very interesting. I was out riding alone in town when a Chinese man approaches me and says your very good at what you do and started to talk to me about how riding required skill, concentration, calm and focus. We got talking and he told me about how he does tai chi and self defence. I found it all very intresting and he showed me quite a few moves and explained the basic priniciples. Does anyone here do tai chi?DaveI did shotokhan for 6 years, ,vagley similar, no weapons, open hand an all that shizzle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbra Posted October 29, 2006 Report Share Posted October 29, 2006 (edited) Tai Chi isn't fighting though is it? Its something about moving energy from the earth and the sky through your body, and it can create 'hard points' on your body, thats why these shaolin monks don't get killed when a sword is taken to their stomache because they use Chi to harden their stomache. Edited October 29, 2006 by Barber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Extreme_biker0 Posted October 29, 2006 Report Share Posted October 29, 2006 Tai Chi isn't fighting though is it? Its something about moving energy from the earth and the sky through your body, and it can create 'hard points' on your body, thats why these shaolin monks don't get killed when a sword is taken to their stomache because they use Chi to harden their stomache.I find mind over matter a hard concept to appreciate.We're all made of atoms and molecules which are govorned by the laws of physics. Our minds are simply a result of this, and cannot change it.For example if I were to walk on hot coals; I cannot stop the carbon in my foot-cells from combusting and forming carbon di-oxide by just thinking about it.Correct me if I'm overlooking something but that's how I see it...Although i'm not totally discrediting thi-chi, since the mental and physical benafits of meditation are actually measurable (news items exist ont t'into here and there). It's just the whole 'mind over matter' thing i'm pretty weary of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
granty Posted October 29, 2006 Report Share Posted October 29, 2006 i did judo once Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbra Posted October 29, 2006 Report Share Posted October 29, 2006 mind over matter works for me, like if i get in an absoloutely boiling bath, that i can barely put my toes in, i'll just close my eyes and tell myself its not hot, and it works. Same as if i put my hand over a lighter or any open flame. Not tried some options though, flamethrower etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paolo Posted October 30, 2006 Report Share Posted October 30, 2006 ^^ You can definitively get your mind to think what you want it to, with a bit of concentration. But the thing is, you can still get burned, so it's not really mind of matter...Anyways, tai-chi looks like a good way to get some flexebility and concentration for trials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1a2bcio8 Posted October 30, 2006 Report Share Posted October 30, 2006 I find mind over matter a hard concept to appreciate.We're all made of atoms and molecules which are govorned by the laws of physics. Our minds are simply a result of this, and cannot change it.For example if I were to walk on hot coals; I cannot stop the carbon in my foot-cells from combusting and forming carbon di-oxide by just thinking about it.Correct me if I'm overlooking something but that's how I see it...Although i'm not totally discrediting thi-chi, since the mental and physical benafits of meditation are actually measurable (news items exist ont t'into here and there). It's just the whole 'mind over matter' thing i'm pretty weary of. Well, our perception is extremely limited. We talk of physics and laws and such, but we know very little. We cannot explain or exactly place the mind. All we can really say is that it appears to have some grounding in the central nervous sytem, or more specfically, the brain. You can never cut open a brain and see a perception though.We don't really even know any laws for certain, only the ones that seem most likely at this time and have some predictive value. We don't know how many dimensions, if they do at all, might exist in the same "space" that we do and how they might affect that which we are able to register. Just take a look at quantum mechanics and it's theory of non-locality and your dearest logical perceptions get flushed down the toilet.Apparantly we visually register only a minute amount (I think like 0.001% or something silly like that) of the stimuli that surrounds us. An analogy is that we are writing a film review whilst only getting to watch a single frame of the film. We need to be careful about are judgements when we know so little.I think when someone says "mind over matter", it's best not to take the words too literally for risk of ending up with a problem of semantics. "mind over matter" might just be a crap model for an actual reality. Instead just understand that there's so many processes that we probably don't know about at the moment and may never know about. Basically, there is a seemingly infinite amount of possiblity in our existnce. There's nothing to say I can or can't learn to levitate through meditation, just that it hasn't been done yet. Who knows what processes might exist that can relate thought process to non-muscular movement or levitation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poopipe Posted October 30, 2006 Report Share Posted October 30, 2006 A couple of blokes at work do the tai-chi - one of them's supposed ot be very advanced. They say its good for developing focus and balance and other such hippy stuff, I wish I had the patience for it to be honest cos it sounds like it might chill me out a bit . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1a2bcio8 Posted October 30, 2006 Report Share Posted October 30, 2006 Hippify yourself by smoking weed on a regualr basis. Will chill you out in the first instance but will also lead you onto other things.... of a relaxed theraputic nature, like tai chi, yoga etc. That's not a given though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poopipe Posted October 30, 2006 Report Share Posted October 30, 2006 Hippify yourself by smoking weed on a regualr basis. Will chill you out in the first instance but will also lead you onto other things.... of a relaxed theraputic nature, like tai chi, yoga etc. That's not a given though that did work for the first couple of years. twelve or thirteen years down the line the psychosis got bad enough to seriously affect work, personal relationships, my grasp on reality etc.etc. - all of which made me frustrated and angry so in the end it had the reverse effect. as a result I can't recommend it as a long term solution Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1a2bcio8 Posted October 30, 2006 Report Share Posted October 30, 2006 (edited) That's always the risk. I've had many bad experiences from smoking. Especially paranoia. It's all about your approach though I guess. Every now and then under the right circumstances is nice, but like everything in life, you do it too much...I tend to smoke a couple of times a week before a swim. Superb experience.If you want a more clearheaded form of relaxation, 15 mins of meditation each morning will set you up nicely. It's basically a mental shower. I notice a whole load of difference in myself when I do it. Edited October 30, 2006 by rowly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josephine Posted October 30, 2006 Report Share Posted October 30, 2006 That's always the risk. I've had many bad experiences from smoking. Especially paranoia. It's all about your approach though I guess. Every now and then under the right circumstances is nice, but like everything in life, you do it too much...I tend to smoke a couple of times a week before a swim. Superb experience.If you want a more clearheaded form of relaxation, 15 mins of meditation each morning will set you up nicely. It's basically a mental shower. I notice a whole load of difference in myself when I do it. Word. I don't get round to it every day but I tend to sneak in the odd 3/4 of an hour here and there. Being the sceptical barsteward I am I was absolutely shocked what kind of difference it makes. I kinda view it as practicing life in a safe place. You can make all kinds of progress, though I tend to stick to focused exercises like mindfulness of breathing and stuff.Joe x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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