Walking meditation and Kinhin

Walking meditation is a form of Qigong practice that incorporates slow, deliberate movements with focused breathing and mental awareness. It promotes balance, relaxation, and the flow of energy (Qi) throughout the body.

Kinhin is a form of walking meditation practiced in Zen Buddhism, usually in conjunction with seated meditation (zazen).

As a matter of fact, I started to practice Walking meditation on my own many years before I became acquainted to Zen. I had read about it in a Tai Chi book and decided to experiment with it.

In this article, we’ll explore Walking meditation and Kinhin.

 

1. Walking meditation

Walking meditation involves walking slowly and mindfully, focusing on the breath and straightening the spine.

Lots of guides to walking meditation put emphasis on mindfulness, mind control, being in the moment. And there is nothing wrong about all of this. However, this is not easy to do. So forget about it for the time being, and rather than worrying about being mindful of anything, concentrate on 2 only things :

1. Posture
2. Breathing.

 

While practicing, thoughts and distractions will arise. Just observe them and let them pass like clouds in the sky. If you get caught up in them, bring your attention back to your breathing and posture.

1. Posture: Keep your back straight, Squeeze your butt cheeks, relax your shoulders, arms either at your sides or with your hands clasped softly in front of you. Make sure your neck is vertical and your head is up.

2. Breath : Try to to coordinate your steps with your breath. For example, take a step with each inhale and another with each exhale. At the beginning of your practice use regular abdominal breathing : relax your abdominal muscles on the inhale and tighten them on the exhale.

Concentrate either on the feeling of the air in and out of your nose, or even better on the sensations you experience inside your abdomen, in your "Tanden" a little below your navel.

With practice, your mind will become more settled, and distractions will become less frequent.

2. KINHIN

Kinhin is a form of walking meditation we use in Zen.

In Soto Zen , we practice a very slow Kinhin. Kinhin was introduced in Japan by master Dogen Zenji (1200-1253 CE)

Practiced between long zazen sessions, Kinhin helps with circulation inside the legs, preventing stagnation and physical pain,
it therefore allows to cultivate a deeper awareness and insight.

Kinhin is usually practiced inside the Zendo, between sessions of Zazen. It follows a clockwise circuit.

 

Kinhin Walking is more formal than general waking meditation.

Hands : Hands are held in front of the solar plexus, The right fist around the left one, forearms horizontal.

Gaze : Keep your gaze lowered and directed toward either the ground or on the feet of the person ahead of you. Make sure, however, that your eyes only gaze down and your head stays up

Walking : In most Zendo, the walking is made by landing the heel first, then the sole and toes of the foot. I teach a different way of walking where the ball of the foot first lands on the ground and the heel follows. This is more in line with martial tradition, it helps keep a straighter spine. 

Walking is very slow.

Everything above mentioned about walking meditation applies to Kinhin.

The 2 main points, just like for general meditation, also are posture and breathing.

Practice 😃

 

 

L'Esprit du Singe

Il y a 2500 ans, le Bouddha parlait de «l'Esprit du Singe».

Il a décrit l'esprit humain comme étant une bande de singes ivres, criant, se battant, sautant de branche en branche, semant pagaille et chaos autour d’eux. 

Pour les personnes souffrant d’anxiete chronique, de problèmes de stress ou de problèmes émotionnels complexes en témoigneront : il semble que nous soyons constamment en guerre avec notre esprit. Quoique nous fassions, le singe continue de sauter de branche en branche, comme notre esprit continue de sauter de pensée en pensée.

Et comme notre monde technologiquement avancé produit beaucoup plus de distractions que les sociétés principalement agraires d'il y a 2500 ans, il devient de plus en plus difficile de se concentrer sur quoi que ce soit et d'étudier. Cette situation est aggravée par un flux constant d’informations superflues en provenance du monde entier, qui augmente inutilement le niveau d'anxiété de nombreuses personnes.

Il est donc vital d'apprendre à calmer, apprivoiser et contrôler l’esprit du singe. De nous accorder des pauses loin des distractions constantes pour identifier ce qui est importe réellement et nous concentrer sur ce que nous pouvons effectivement contrôler.

Gérer l’Esprit du Singe

• Méditation,

• Techniques de respiration

• Tai Chi

sont 3 moyens efficaces pour calmer et maîtriser le singe. 

 

Quelques minutes de Méditation ou de Tai Chi chaque matin vous donneront un bon départ pour le reste de la journée, vous aideront à développer une pratique régulière et vous permettront d’apprivoiser le singe.

Malheureusement il est difficile d'apprendre a méditer ou a pratiquer le Tai Chi par soi-même. Les librairies et Internet fourmillent de differentes methodes de meditation. Il suffit de faire une recherche sur le theme "differentes techniques de meditation" pour se rendre compte de la grande variete des dans ce domaine. Certaines de ces techniques qui ont passe l'epreuve du temps sont tout a fait valides. D'autres sont nettement plus discutables. Je reviendrais sur la question importante des differentes formes de meditation dans un article ulterieur. 

Quant au Tai Chi, meme s'il est possible d'apprendre en etudiant a partir de videos visibles sur Youtube ou d'autres sites, il vous sera difficile de choisir entre les tres nombreuses formes proposees. Une forme de Tai Chi devrait etre adaptee a la personne qui la pratique. (Voir note 4 ci-apres)

Il est heureusement beaucoup plus facile d’apprendre les techniques de respiration. 

Meme si elles ne vous permettront pas d'apprivoiser totalement le singe, elles vous aideront à le calmer, ne serait-ce que pour un moment. Et vous pourrez facilement les utiliser dans de nombreuses situations.

 

Exercice Respiratoire de base

Voici un exercice de respiration très simple que vous pouvez apprendre et pratiquer quotidiennement le matin, et à tout moment où vous sentez que vous avez besoin de contrôler votre esprit.

1. Asseyez-vous dans une position confortable et fermez les yeux.

2. Inspirez par le nez pendant 4 secondes. (Comptez mentalement jusqu'à 4)

3. Retenez votre souffle pendant 4 secondes. (Comptez mentalement jusqu'à 4)

4. Expirez pendant 10 secondes. (Comptez mentalement jusqu'à 10)

 

Repetez cet exercice 10 fois avant de reprendre un rythme respiratoire normal.

Note 1 : Vous pouvez ajuster les durées des phases respiratoires. L’aspect le plus important de cet exercice en est la régularité.

Note 2 : De nombreuses techniques de respiration parfois fort complexes ont ete développées depuis des millénaires, principalement en Inde et en Chine. Ces techniques sont souvent liées a la méditation et a des pratiques telles que Yoga et Tai Chi.

Note 3 : Plusieurs types de méditations sont devenus populaires au cours des 30 dernières années. La plupart d’entre elles sont efficaces pour calmer l’Esprit du Singe. Il faut cependant être bien conscient du fait que pour les méthodes de méditation traditionnelles, calmer l’Esprit du Singe n’est pas un but en soi mais un moyen d’arriver a d’autres fins.

Note 4 : Pour plus d'iformation ou pour apprendre  le Tai Chi et/ou la Meditation dans la tradition Zen vous pouvez me contacter au 07 83 89 72 49 pu par email a frederic.lecut@gmail.com

 

Tai Chi et Chi Gong

Ces deux disciplines ont leur origine en Chine.

CHI, TAI et GONG

CHI ou QI

Chi et Qi sont deux manieres differentes d’ecrire le terme 氣 que l’on traduit generalement par le terme “Energie” en francais. 

 

TAI

Le terme « Tai » signifie « Grand » on le retrouve dans le terme Typhon (Taifoon) : ouragan.

GONG ou KUNG

Le Terme “Gong” de Chi Gong est parfois transcrit “Kung” comme dans “Kung fu”. On peut le traduire en français par « Pratique », « Exercice » ou « Technique ».

TAI CHI

Tai Chi peut donc se traduire comme « Grande Energie »

Le Tai Chi utilise des mouvements amples et lents pour tonifier l'énergie interne et la faire circuler efficacement dans tout le corps. Généralement, ces mouvements sont des mouvements d’arts martiaux.

CHI GONG

Chi Gong, (également ecrit Qi Gong, Chi Kung, Qi Kung) peut se traduire en francais par « exercice énergétique » ou « techniques énergétiques ». C’est un ensemble de pratiques qui consistent a tonifier et a faire circuler l'énergie interne du corps. Ces pratiques incluent des

enchainements de mouvements, des étirements, des exercices respiratoires.

On pourrait a l’extreme considérer tout exercice pratiqué dans le but d'améliorer métabolisme et santé comme un Chi Gong.

En pratique, le terme Chi Gong est réservé a des pratiques basées sur les théories de la médecine traditionnelle chinoise.

Le Tai Chi est donc une forme de Chi Gong

Tai Chi et Chi Gong ont le même but : harmoniser notre métabolisme pour optimiser la création d'énergie (a partir des aliments que nous mangeons et de l’air que nous respirons) et améliorer la circulation ce cette énergie dans le corps.

Cependant, le Tai Chi se limite a utiliser des mouvements d’Arts Martiaux, sans utiliser d’autres techniques développées par le Chi Gong.

NOTES :

Le Symbole du Tai Chi : egalement connu sous le nom de Yin/Yang. Il illustre la theorie chinoise Taoiste du Yin et du Yang. Cette théorie est l’un des piliers de la Medecine traditionnelle chinoise. Elle est également appliquée dans de nombreuses formes de Tai Chi.

 

Tai Chi Chuan : Ce terme signifie « Boxe du Tai Chi ». Il s’agit d’un art martial. En pratique le Tai Chi utilise des mouvements similaires a ceux du Tai Chi Chuan, executes plus lentement. 

 

Le Tai Chi des 4 vents

Le Tai Chi que j’enseigne combine des pratiques de traditionnelles de Tai Chi, ainsi que d’autres pratiques respiratoires ou des exercices spécifiques plus du Chi Gong tels que le Yi Jin Jing. La plupart des formes que j’enseigne durant les premières années sont plus influencées par les arts martiaux traditionnels Japonais (Ju Jitsu et Karate) que par les pratiques chinoises.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                              et oui, Sayonara ! 

Tai Chi videos : First 3 forms of Four Winds Tai Chi

Vanished Tai Chi videos !

I realized 2 weeks ago that my Tai Chi videos had disappeared from the Youtube Mokurai Dojo channel.
I had shot some of them 15 years ago, when I did not have the ability to edit them properly and decided to start doing just that.

Modernized versions

During the next 2 months, I will be editing and uploading new versions of these Tai chi videos. They will be available on my Mokurai Dojo channel.

The 4 first forms of 4 Winds Tai Chi

4 Winds Tai Chi includes 8 Tai Chi forms and sets of Qi Gong and Breathing exercises from different traditions.

The first or short form includes 10 moves, counted from 1 to 10. Moves 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 are performed with the left foot forward. Moves 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 are mirror images of the previous ones.

The next 3 forms of Four Winds Tai Chi are built on the same structure as the short form, they include the same 10 moves, in the same order, and additional moves in between.

In this video from 2003 I demonstrate the 1st, 2nd and 3rd forms.



I will post additional videos of each individual forms, performed solo and in a group.

Tai Chi and good Sleep lead to better Health.

 

Sleep, Stress and Inflammation

Stress, which can be caused by lack of sleep, causes  inflammation. The stress level of insomniac people can be so high that constant inflammation occurs throughout their bodies. Such chronic condition can contribute to illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, certain cancers, and other serious medical problems.

A recent study shows that inflammation levels can be reduced within the body through both cognitive behavioral therapy and Tai Chi practice.

The study was designed around 123 older insomniac adults. They were randomly assigned one of three different types of treatment: 

• Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, 
• Tai chi movement meditation, or 
• A sleep training seminar. 

The Study showed that : 

• Those who received cognitive behavioral therapy and practice Tai Chi experienced significant reduced levels of stress and inflammation and slept better. These benefits were maintained after 16 month. 

• Those participants unlucky enough to be assigned to sleep seminar classes, there was no benefit in lowered inflammatory rates.

Researchers concluded that behavioral modifications that reduce stress are the key to better physical health, once again illustrating the link between mind and body.

Click to read the full article

You can practice Tai Chi in Dothan every Tuesday and Thursday morning from 7:30 to 8:30 AM and Thursday evenings from 6:00 to 7:30 PM

For more details, please contact Frederic Lecut 

by email at  frederic.lecut@gmail.com 

or by phone at (334) 798 1639

 

Tai Chi better than stretching.

Some self appointed specialists tend to believe - and are vocal about it - that all forms are exercises are beneficial. 

 

THEY ARE...

Some exercises can be detrimental to people; some exercises are more beneficial than others.

Since 2004 The Oregon Research Institute has been running an evidence-based fall prevention program for community-dwelling older adults. 

A study was carried out on a sample of 256 physically inactive, community-dwelling adults aged 70 to 92 recruited through a patient database in Portland, Oregon. The participants practiced either Tai Chi or a routine of Stretching exercises three-times-per-week for a period of 6 months.

At the end of the six-month program the risk for multiple falls in the Tai Chi group was 55% lower than that of the stretching control group. Compared with the stretching control participants, the Tai Chi participants showed significant improvements.

Read the Full article here.


My name is Frederic Lecut and I have been teaching Tai Chi and Iaido in Dothan, AL. since 2000.

If you would like to learn more about Tai Chi or come try it for free for one week, please contact me by email at frederic.lecut@gmail.com or by phone at (334) 798 1639.

Try tai chi to improve balance, avoid fall

Compared to the pumping intensity of Zumba, Tai Chi looks like it’s performed in slow motion. Watching the gentle, graceful movements of this ancient Chinese practice, it’s hard to imagine that it can burn off a single calorie or strengthen muscles. But Tai Chi is actually far more dynamic than it looks.

"The slowness that you see from the outside is deceptive. As an aerobic workout, Tai Chi is roughly the equivalent of a brisk walk (depending on the intensity at which you perform it). And as a resistance training routine, some studies have found it similar to more vigorous forms of weight training," says Dr. Wayne, co-author of The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi.

Tai Chi and Balance

With its integrative approach that strengthens the body while focusing the mind, Tai Chi addresses a range of physical and mental health issues—including bone strength, joint stability, cardiovascular health, immunity, and emotional well-being. Tai Chi is especially useful for improving balance and preventing falls—a major concern for older adults.

Studies have shown Tai Chi to reduce falls in seniors by up to 45%. It can also improve balance in people with neurological problems. A recent study in The New England Journal of Medicine found the program particularly effective for balance in people with Parkinson’s disease.

Tai Chi helps improve balance because it targets all the physical components needed to stay upright—leg strength, flexibility, range of motion, and reflexes — all of which tend to decline with age.

Interestingly, one of Tai Chi’s biggest benefits to stability isn’t physical—but emotional.

Anyone who’s had a fall or who has instability has what we call a ‘fear of falling. Ironically, a fear of falling is one of the biggest predictors of a fall. By making you firmer on your feet, Tai Chi takes away that fear. Tai Chi also makes you more aware of both your internal body and the external world, giving you a better sense of your position in space, so you won’t be as likely to trip and fall if you try to simultaneously talk to a friend and navigate a busy sidewalk.

Getting started with Tai Chi

One of the best things about Tai Chi is its adaptability to every age and fitness level. I have students in their late 80s. Because Tai Chi has “zero impact,” it doesn’t put too much strain on aging bones and joints. But it’s not by any means something that’s only for the elderly, and it can be quite demanding for the young.

You can start Tai Chi at most levels of health, and you can ramp up your activities to be appropriate to your level of fitness and function. 

Tai Chi is also incredibly safe—even for people who are older and have chronic diseases. 

I have been teaching Tai Chi in the Wiregrass since 2000. Interested, Curious ? Please come watch or participate in a FREE class. Call me at (334) 798 1639 or email me at frederic.lecut@gmail.com.

Practical Exercises for Zen Meditation

I am just back from a zazenkai retreat at the Atlanta Soto Zen Center.

Michael Elliston Roshi, abbot of the center and founder of the Silent Thunder (Mokurai) had invited me to teach at this event.

In my presentation of actual exercises to help the practice of Meditation I put emphasis on the 2 following aspects of Zazen:

• Focusing (Thinking of Non Thinking)
• Relaxing (to help focusing) 
  
  

I introduced to my audience a set of physical practices inspired from Traditional Oriental Martial Arts and Medicine. (Tai Chi, Chi Gong, Taoist exercises...) which I have been using  for several years in my own practice.

These exercises are designed to improve :

• Body awareness,
• Breathing,
• Balance,
• Physical Relaxation.

I addressed in particular :

1. How strength and mental energy follow Awareness and Mind. And how the Chinese concept of Chi explains this.
2. How to channel awareness and one's mind to parts or points of the body to tame one's monkey mind.
3. How to practice regular and reverse abdominal breathing to calm the mind.
4. How Tai Chi can actually remove muscular tensions and joint pains during long meditation sessions.

In the next weeks, I will get into the details of my presentation.  Stay in touch ! 

Visit Mokurai Dojo

Short home-made video of Mokurai Dojo where we train and practice in Tai Chi, Yoshukai Karate, MJER Iaijutsu and Soto Zen Buddhism.

Come train, practice or visit with us !

You can reach me at frederic.lecut@gmail.com or by phone at (334) 798 1639.

Mokurai Dojo - 610 Mitchell St, Headland, AL 36345, USA

It is never too late...

Taking up Exercise in your 60's will still help stave off major ill health and dementia, research suggests. 

A study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine followed 3,500 healthy people at or around retirement age.

Those who took up exercise were three times more likely to remain healthy over the next eight years than their sedentary peers.

Full article

People who took up exercise in their 60s were also less likely to struggle with day-to-day activities such as washing and dressing.

After eight years of follow-up, a fifth of the participants were defined as healthy - not suffering from any major chronic mental or physical illness.

In the study, those who had regularly indulged in moderate or vigorous physical activity at least once a week were three to four times more likely to be healthy agers than those who had remained inactive, even after taking into account factors such as smoking. 

 

 

Get off your butts...

Lou Reed died happy, looking at trees as he did Tai Chi.

 

Lou Reed’s widow said he died while looking at the trees in his garden as he performed tai chi.

 

After doctors treating him for liver failure told him that nothing more could be done to save him, his wife took him to their home in East Hampton, New York, where he died on Sunday morning.

In a touching obituary she writes: “To our neighbours: What a beautiful fall! Everything shimmering and golden and all that incredible soft light. Water surrounding us. Lou and I have spent a lot of time here in the past few years, and even though we’re city people this is our spiritual home.

“Last week I promised Lou to get him out of the hospital and come home to Springs. And we made it!

“Lou was a tai chi master and spent his last days here being happy and dazzled by the beauty and power and softness of nature. He died on Sunday morning looking at the trees and doing the famous 21 form of tai chi with just his musician hands moving through the air.”

Lou Reed had been studying martial arts since the 1980's. In 2002, he started studying Chen Style Tai Chi.

TAI CHI increases Brain Size, Improves memory and mental skills

An article published in June 2012 in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease reports the results of an 8-month randomized controlled trial comparing 120 Chinese seniors who practiced Tai Chi three times a week to a group who did not. The research was carried out by scientists from the University of South Florida (Florida, USA) and Fudan University (China). 

The researchers observed that the subjects who practiced Tai Chi experienced increases in brain volume and improvements on tests of memory and thinking, as compared to a control group that participated in lively discussions three times per week over the same time period.

The control group also displayed brain shrinkage over the study period, consistent with what generally has been observed for persons in their 60s and 70s. 

The study authors report that these findings “show increases in brain volume and improvements in cognition with a largely non-aerobic exercise (Tai Chi).”

View original source 

 

Tai Chi classes are offered on Tuesday and Thursday morning at Westgate Park and on Thursday Evening at the Yoshukai Karate Studio in Dothan, AL

for more information contact frederic.lecut@gmail.com

Older people with visual impairment can benefit from Tai Chi

Researchers from the Centre for East-meets-West in Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University designed and conducted a 16 week trial involving forty people aged over 70.  

 

After this trial, the Tai Chi participants showed significant improvements in knee proprioception (awareness of the position of one's limbs) and in their visual and vestibular ratios (ability to balance) compared to a control group.

 

Care home residents in the Tai Chi group were taught a modified 8-form Yang style Tai Chi routine and practiced this in 90 minute sessions, three times a week for 16 weeks. 

Participants in the control group learned to play the Djembe, a percussion instrument.

Dr. Tsang said: "... Our study shows that Tai Chi can be a suitable form of exercise for those with visual impairment and indeed assists with improving their balance control. ..."

Read the Full article

Travel to Europe

Shihan Travis Page and I will be traveling to France for 2 weeks to save the Euro Zone, as well as visiting with family and friends. We plan to train there with my Ju Jitsu instructor and friend Jean Luc Lemoine and Kendo Instructor and friend Francis Houlier of the Kendokan, and possibly meet some of my old Ju Jitsu students

While I am gone there won't be any Zen or Martial Arts activities at the Yoshukai Dojo (Beside Yoshukai Karate of course)
 

You are welcome to meet to train in Tai Chi Tuesday and Thursday mornings.  Geri's will be your instructor at Westgate. 

I plan to fly back once the Euro Zone is saved, on November 29th, that is a Tuesday, and we will resume normal classes on December 1st with Tai Chi and IaiJutsu

May all of you have a happy Thanksgiving among your loved ones.

PS : do not forget our December celebrations :

• December 10th : Zazenkai at the Jap House in Headland.
• December 17th : Iaijutsu  Seminar at 11:00 as usual at the Yoshukai Dojo, followed by a joint Budo - Zen BYOB Christmas party at the Headland Jap House.

People gain self esteem through Tai chi

Tai Chi appears to be a great way to build self esteem and encourage volunteering according to a new survey being discussed today at the Regional Conference of Gerontology and Geriatrics in Melbourne.

Already known for the significant role it plays in preventing and treating physical and psychological illnesses, Tai Chi seems to hit the mark with older people when it comes to increasing happiness and feelings of self-achievement.

 

Ruth Wei, a postgraduate student at Murdoch University, has been investigating the effects of Tai Chi on building self-esteem; through the International Taoist Tai Chi society of Western Australia, she surveyed 382 Tai chi participants between January and July 2010.

According to Ms Wei, one in five reported that their confidence and attitudes towards life had improved and they had become more confident in daily life, more compassionate and tolerant towards people and less self-absorbed.

“What emerged from the survey was that the more often people practiced Tai Chi, the more often they became involved in voluntary functions, and the more likely they were to report positive changes associated with improved self-esteem,’ said Ms Wei.

Although the underlying mechanism of how Tai chi might improve self-esteem is not clear, other findings from the study such as increased social contacts, better physical and mental functioning, effective chronic illness management, and an improved ability to relax are all likely to be related. 

full article

MAYO CLINIC RESEARCH URGES CORPORATIONS TO TAI CHI & MEDITATION

The implications of a study involving 13,108 employees - one of the largest of its kind, are significant for businesses and other organizations that offer wellness programs for employees or members. ... 

Many organizations offer wellness programs for employees or members. The programs can cut health care costs and boost productivity. However, many people drop out or decline to enroll.

 

Instead of expecting tired, stressed participants to run off pounds on the treadmill, Dr. Clark suggests organizations could offer them yoga, tai chi, meditation, stress management classes or sessions with a personal wellness coach that would help them reach overall wellness goals.

Mayo Clinic researchers surveyed 13,198 employees who joined a Mayo Clinic employee wellness center when it opened in 2008. Their study showed the biggest differences between stressed and non-stressed respondents were in fatigue levels after a regular night's sleep and in current quality of life. 

Full article available at :

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/mayo-clinic-study-suggests-one-simple-question-regarding-stress-could-help-employers-tailor-wellness-programs-and-improve-participation-2011-09-07

Tanden location

Here is an interesting video by Bill Douglas, the founder of World Tai Chi Day -  with down to earth explanation to help you localize your Dan Tien (Tan Den in Japanese).

Now this is not only important for Tai Chi or Chi Gong, it is important for ALL martial Arts (Budō 武道), as well as Zen (禪). Actually, it is also very important in other ways such as Calligraphy (shodō 書道,. 

No matter which discipline you practice, your Movement and Intention needs to begin there. 

There actually are 3 Dantien : The Lower, Middle and Higher Dantien. The Higher is located in the brain, the Middle one in the heart area, and the Lower one in the lower abdomen. Because this one is the most important, it is generally referred as the Dantien. This isthe Dantien Bill Douglas speaks about in this video.