“Sōng, Sǎn, Tōng, Kòng”
About a year ago, my taichi teacher held up a sheet of paper with 4 characters on it and pronounced the words in the title of this post. She has not revisited the page again but the first word “Song” (or “Sung”) is at the core of every class. There is enough in this one …
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Startups: Stress, exercise and adrenal exhaustion
Stress is an unfortunate by-product of startup life – both for founders and teams. Picture a small team trying to match a new product to an (often unstated) customer need. Coupled with lack of funding, lack of feedback data, competition, speed of technological change and normal life demands over long periods of time – there …
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Stretching mindlessly and mindfully
Rushing has always been my nature, and choosing startups as a career only intensified my sense of time poverty, whether real or perceived. However, I’m not alone in this. We live near Manly, and every morning the park and beach are teeming with young people who have an abundance of energy to burn. They engage …
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Smile!
I read in a book by Steve Maxwell (a pretty well-known exercise and fitness hard-arse) a simple hack to counter workout intensity – smiling. Next time you see someone grunting or contorting their face (you know the type – jogging or riding a bicycle and looking like they are literally on the brink of death) …
Xingming
A local tai-chi teacher** has a wonderful statement on their website that is illustrative of embodied practice. XingMing(性命) Xing ( mind ) is psychology and Ming ( body ) is physiology. Taoism’s way of nurturing life called ” Xing Ming Shuang Xiu ” means look after both ( mind & body ). In cultivating Xing …
Ashtanga inside
I recently heard someone say that yoga wasn’t effective as a spiritual work – instantly I knew that person had not got inside yoga and was speaking purely from outside opinion. This morning’s ashtanga1 class is started by the teacher gently bringing people back to the top of the mat and reminding us that the …
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Have you heard of Super Brain Yoga?
It’s a quick and fun way to wake up both the analytic and creative sides of the brain. Face the sun with your feet parallel to your shoulders and press your tongue against the roof of your mouth. Pinch your right ear lobe with your left thumb and index finger. This activates the left side …
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Marie Kondo for the creative spirit
The sensation that is Marie Kondo has the magic of old truths that ring true being repackaged in a new and exciting antidote to a very common malaise – clutter. Thankfully the last decade has grown a number of movements attacking the very Western (primarily North American) conspicuous consumption and excess. These movements like: Minimalism, …
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Do it! Suspense writing
Don’t think. Just do. Grab your journal, a book or some paper and write. Take a mundane scene: two people sitting in a car at traffic lights a woman eating alone in a cafe young children playing on the swings at the park a young man waiting for the bus Write a paragraph or a …