I talk a lot about yin and yang in the healing arts I teach. Maintaining balance in our lives is crucial to our health (mental, emotional, physical). It allows our spirit to have consistent space to thrive so we speak and act from a wise space.

I haven’t always felt so wise lately. More angry and sad.

But this symbol is a description for a way of living a flowing life so we aren’t stuck in emotions, thoughts, or attached to physical sensations. It reminds us that there is no black and white to our lives.

And yet here we are. 

We’re faced with another great divide in our country that illustrates the real dangers when the interdependence of black and white is made unstable.

When yin is overcome with yang the imbalance creates havoc whether it’s reflected in the body (health and wellness), economic structure (rich and poor), politics (left and right), or humanity (racism, xenophobia).

And when we ignore it or are distracted from it for long periods? As we have in the United Sta...

Most people have the idea in their heads that we are held upright by the bones in our structure. But without fascial tissue (the fibrous connective tissue that holds structures of the body together) we'd be a helpless heap on the floor.

Hard to do laundry that way.

 Healthy fascia has great strength and flexibility along with liquidity.

We are supported, bound together, and held upright by the tensile strength of fascia. So it's probably a good thing to take care of it.  

Caring for and strengthening the net of tissue that connects so much of our body is just starting to become a clear and important part of physical training. Practices like Taiji and Qigong, and even massage therapy and other bodywork are all great practices for creating and maintaining a strong, supple system of connective tissue in the body. Bottom line: it prevents injury by increasing elasticity in the body.

So many injuries are the result of putting too much demand on tissue that isn't prepared for...

The most effective way to get control of your emotions is to stop trying. This is the basic foundation of taiji and qigong. 

It begins by noticing our mood, our emotional state. And with the slow practice of taiji and qigong you'll get better and better at it.

Here's what noticing does: Imagine yourself in the last stressful situation you experienced. Maybe work is overwhelming, or family life is really tense. You're right in the thick of feeling overwhelmed or furious. You want to lash out to end the overwhelm.

It's like the picture below. Who knows what that picture represents? We're so deep into the pixels that it could be anything. Just like emotional situations. You're right in the details. Focused in on the tiny pixels of whirling thoughts, emotions and physical reactions. You zoom right into the crisis. The picture is about one thing: this situation. There is no room or space for anything else.

Enter the act of noticing. 

Noticing allows you to step back. Noticing ends the ...