Roger Taylor Thoughts – Qigong West Kirby

Exercise classes are ten a penny so why come to us?

Well, we do not simply put you through ‘a routine’. The aim of our training is to improve health and well-being by correcting long-established bad habits of breathing, relaxation, posture and balance. The movements we use are simple, undemanding and suitable for all ages. They come from aikido, systema, tai chi, yoga, and many years of serious thought.

So, who/what are you?

We have 10¹³ cells (10¹³ millimetres is twelve round trips to the moon!) and we carry perhaps as many microbes. Eighty or so organs are carried on about 200 bones, held together by some 600 muscles and a mass of lubricated tendons, ligaments, and connective tissue all with variable elasticity and shape. The whole is a massive network of barely understood chemical and electrical activity ordered into countless elaborate feedback systems. And you thought you were smart!

Consider then the four habits mentioned above:

Breathing – without correct breathing, you cannot relax properly.

The most important thing in our lives is oxygen – a few minutes without it and we die. Our cells have evolved to deal with any interference to the oxygen supply by stopping their normal work and preparing for emergency action – we become stressed. This is a vital and very ancient safety mechanism but we overuse it by habitually stopping breathing when we do not need to – that grunt/sigh when you sit down, stand up, bend over etc gives it away. Continually subjecting ourselves to such needless, albeit low-level stress, radically reduces our efficiency and wears us out/kills us, prematurely.

Relaxation – without complete relaxation you cannot move properly.

You cannot be too relaxed – every least part of you, all the time. Tension tires and slows us and impairs awareness, intuition and response.

Movement – without correct movement you cannot achieve correct posture.

A rigid object transmits impact throughout itself. You need to respond like a tree in the wind not a steel stanchion! Whatever the impact – mental or physical – relax and check your breathing (see below).

Posture – your posture should be such that you use the least effort to perform any task.

Standing, walking, fighting, putting the kettle on – softness in all things, all the time.

Also, and not commonly known, but very important, the older we get, the more we need to keep moving. In this class we focus on correct movement as it is the least generally understood and is the only way to deal with our several hundred small muscles. For the bigger groups – legs, core, arms etc – take advice from gym professionals and work out practical regimes of aerobic and resistance exercises for these that suit your lifestyle – make it another habit. No great effort or expenditure of time is needed but do it now – you’re talking about the quality of the rest of your life.

Fortunately, no grim lifestyle changes are needed to deal with any of the above – just a few simple movements and a little thoughtfulness now and then. That said, their value cannot be over-emphasized! Unlike aerobic and resistance exercises, habit-changing movements do not need chunks of time, just the odd moment when you remember – and they can be done almost anywhere. That said, remember you are changing bad habits for good – be patient with yourself – they soon become natural as your body recognizes their worth. Moving becomes softer – more efficient – less fatigue, and wear and tear, so your immune system has less avoidable damage to repair and can get on with its job of looking after you.

However, two small ‘health’ warnings:

‘Do or do not, there is no trying’ – set no ‘goals’ or ‘targets’. Just do it and do it now! Little and often built the planet (and us), and it is a powerful way to learn. If you persist with something you will improve and if you persist with doing nothing, you will deteriorate! There is no halfway house – no status quo – only change – and ‘use it or lose it’ is frighteningly true.
Do not confuse small with trivial. Just because something does not involve mighty effort does not mean it is unimportant. In any sphere, attention to ever smaller details separates the merely average from the truly great – ALWAYS work to raise your game!

Improving breathing – except during special exercises, breathing should always be relaxed, continuous and independent of your body movement. Whenever you remember, just check that you are,

Breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth, using your diaphragm not your chest.
Not taking deep breaths or emptying your lungs – both these stop steady breathing
Relaxing everything as you breathe out.

(Strength exercises – squats, press-ups, leg raises, sit-ups etc – can be used to develop steady breathing by doing them very slowly and keeping everything relaxed – very good but not easy.)

Improving relaxation – stiffness in our small muscles is usually far below our perception but it still impairs us. These movements carry relaxation through the whole body. Do them whenever you remember.

Wiggle your toes, flex your ankles, knees, hips, shoulders, neck (gently), elbows, wrists, fingers. Rotating, lifting and dropping the shoulders, and letting the arms swing free so that the hands feel heavy helps shake everything loose. Wiggling your toes is particularly important as it sends blood and nutrients to them and improves their flexibility. This is important because they are the furthest part of the body from the heart and also have to pass all our body movements through to the ground. Although we do not normally notice this, our stability and mobility depend on it, and the softer and more flexible our toes and feet are, the more stable and responsive we become.
Tense any part of your body then relax it. (Work out a way of going through your entire body – start with the toes, say, then the soles of the feet, inside edge of foot, top of foot etc and move up. You’ll find it takes less than a couple of minutes to do the whole body and it can be done anytime, anywhere.)
Imagine ‘breathing’ – sending oxygen – to any part of your body and breathing out through another. (Obviously there are no ‘airways’ joining all parts of the body, but the vascular system does carry oxygen to every cell.)
Stand on the bottom step of the stairs with one leg dangling over the edge. Flick your hip back and let the leg swing loose – like a piece of rope. Do not‘wave’ it using your leg muscles. This is a very important exercise for loosening the hips but not easy to do correctly for all its simplicity – observe yourself very honestly. It can be done free-standing once you have the idea.

Improving movement and posture

Soft walking. Feet parallel, knees unlocked and slightly bent (to straighten the back), shoulders and arms loose (hands heavy), chin withdrawn, head drawn upwards, eyes forward. Lift one foot off the floor, then place it back with no weight on it about half a pace in front of you. Slowly move all your weight onto this foot and repeat with the other one. As with 4 above, this is a very important exercise but not easy to do correctly – again, observe yourself very honestly. Coupled with more relaxed feet and hips, and better balance, this gradually stabilizes and softens your normal walking.
When about to do something undemanding – pick up a cup, turn on a light etc – pause, check your breathing, relax everything as you breathe out, and do it very softly. Nature does only what it needs to. We don’t – we usually do too much – but then we can be daft, though that, at least, is curable!

Aging – some thoughts

Evolution has played no part in what happens to us after about 40 and while aging can’t be avoided, turning into an old person – shuffling, shambling, slouching, grunting, giving up etc – is voluntary. Whether you go backward or forward is entirely up to you. Always work to raise your game. There is no status quo – you get good at what you do and if you do nothing you will get very good at it and you will deteriorate. Don’t forget that at any time in your life, the many futures ahead of you range from your being dead in five minutes to still being alive at a hundred.

Be wary of social expectations about ‘what old folk do’ and also your own conservatism. If you feel you are wilting, remember that you never know what useful things you might yet be called on to do. And even if you’re 90, what else are you going to do for the next ten years? Gawp in a corner?

If, despite keeping mentally and physically fit, you get unlucky and illness lays you low, remember that while this is (probably) not your fault, it is your responsibility – like a flat tyre, you have to fix it. Medics give advice about treatment, but you’re still in charge. The habit of continuous improvement – always moving forward – will help you deal with anything, physically, mentally and emotionally.

SELF-DEFENCE

violence

violence is utterly foul, always life changing and always life threatening. Generally speaking, avoid it if possible – swallow your stupid ego, walk away, run away, stand your ground, smile, don’t smile, shout, stay quiet, whatever – it’s your judgement – there are no rules.
We have evolved to be capable of extreme violence – we don’t use it much for obvious reasons, but it is an inherent part of being human. Accept this and be glad of it, it might save your life one day.
Each violent act is unique – it never happened before and won’t happen again so there’s no list of ‘techniques’ for dealing with them. And if there were, violence is so rare you wouldn’t remember it.
There are however certain principles that can be used in almost every circumstance: Relax, respond immediately, get off the line of the attack, attack the attacker’s centre.

when should you fight?

Right away if your personal space is invaded, or if you are attacked.
When told to move, be it a single step or a car journey. The predator is saying ‘I can’t do what I want here – I’m not in charge’. If you move – obey him – you put him in charge and things will get worse.
If a ‘maybe’ threat approaches, stand straight, extend your hand – palm forward – make eye contact and say, without any emotion, ‘far enough’. Mentally, look for targets, think about what you might do. If they still come on, say, ‘I will hurt you,’ – again with no emotion – it is a statement not a threat. If they come on again – hurt them.
Given no choice, you must damage a predator as much and as quickly as possible, while avoiding damage to yourself. He’s not human, he’s a malfunctioning meat robot and you have to turn him off. Waste no effort in defence, attack immediately and do not stop until you are safe.
Don’t waste time looking for one, but there may be weapons to hand – a chair, a biro, your keys, your cup of tea, your attacker’s glasses etc
Be aware of some evolved reflex responses that can cause hesitation:
Our first impulse is to run away.
We defend – typically our hands go up to protect our most important asset, our brain.
As pack animals we communicate – our first word when attacked will probably be ‘What . . .?’
Do not be afraid to be afraid. Fear releases your body’s automatic ‘flight or fight’ response – a very old and powerful physiological mechanism that makes you stronger and more resistance to damage. It’s not pleasant and you may feel bad afterwards but it’s in your best interests. However, because it is much older than we are as humans it radically reduces our ability to think rationally. We revert – become more ancient – stupider and clumsier. Correct breathing and relaxation help reduce this regression and your modern mind can then use its knowledge.
Develop the habit of situational awareness. Are you in control here? If you aren’t, someone else is. Where are the exits? How can I get back to my car? Come to that, where is it? Are there any possible weapons to hand? And get your head out of that damn phone! etc etc

punching etc

Weapons – edge of fist, heel of palm, palm, fist, knees, feet, elbows, head, shoulders, backside, tips of fingers, grip, teeth, voice. Be wary of the fist – do not clench it tightly, but as though holding a fly you want to restrain but not crush. And use it only against soft parts of the body. The hand is fragile, and difficult to repair – it is also amazing and very precious – do not risk permanently damaging it by smashing it on some idiot’s head.

Relax everything – stiffness transmits the force of an impact back into your body. Your hands should feel like a heavy weight on the end of a rope

Targets – eyes, ears, throat, groin, knees, ankles – anywhere near to a weapon. Select it and send your weapon directly to it in a straight line without any prior tensing as this will warn the predator.

escape

Escape as soon as you can, but head for safety, not just away from danger. If the predator is down but liable to follow, stamp on his knees or ankles, and/or kick him in the groin, but waste no time in this. In the extreme, stamp or drop with your full weight on your knees on his chest or throat.

more than one attacker

If possible, attack both at once.

knocked to the ground by a single attacker

Roll onto your back and keep your feet pointed at him to kick shins, knees or groin. To get up, roll onto your stomach and scramble up on all fours, moving away from the attacker. Undignified but effective – the worst you’ll get is a kick up the behind. Move towards him and you’ll get a knee in your face!

knocked on the ground by more than one attacker

Roll over until you bump into someone’s feet then keep rolling, reach up, grab anything and literally climb up them. If your hands are occupied when you get to your feet, use your teeth or head.

Note – two attackers are very dangerous as they have more space – just get up as quickly as you can!

attacked by a weapon

We only touch on this as it is very rare. Generally, against a firearm, keep moving and make distance. Contrary to your Hollywood training, not every shot hits its target, and hits, usually, are not fatal. If you happen to have hold of the weapon, hang on tight, keep it pointed away from you, and attack wherever you can with your feet (knees) and your free hand (eyes and throat).

Against a knife – far and away the most dangerous close quarter weapon – do NOT engage – the least cut in the wrong place can kill you. Make distance.

SAFETY

Our training is relaxed and unforced and you should work at a pace that is comfortable for you. Do nothing you do not want to and feel free to ask any questions. However, as with any physical activity, there is some risk of injury. To minimize this, and also to learn movements more quickly by allowing your mind to take control of your body, you should practice slowly and softly-notsloppily or daintily, but with proper breathing and posture and clearly focused. Inappropriate fast practice is dangerous and can instil bad habits which are very hard to unlearn.

You are always responsible for your partner. If you are throwing them, make sure there is somewhere safe to land, and only throw them in a manner appropriate to their ability to breakfall. Release any locks immediately if you see your partner is distressed or if they tap.

Wear whatever is comfortable but do not wear jewellery, watches, heavy belts etc and make sure that your nails are trimmed. It is also a point of courtesy to be clean.

We will show you how to fall safely not only for obvious safety reasons, but because it also helps you become more sensitive to your movements.