Since April 2012, I’ve been learning Tai Chi in the Abbey Hall in Clane.
Tai Chi has not only improved my overall health significantly – plus my dodgy left ankle and knee are dodgy no more! – but it has also done wonders for my skin and hair. Goodbye cellulite, hello ‘inner glow’. A colleague even called me ‘sleek’ on Friday. I’m still smiling.
I believe this is because of the simple, but powerful benefits: improved circulation, deep relaxation, greater flexibility and balance, and ability to focus. A few deep breaths, head as if suspended from above, hollow the chest, sink the energy down … stress-busting, in an instant. And that’s before you’ve taken a single step.
What has this to do with writing, you ask? Everything! Imagine being able to become relaxed and focused, within seconds. Your mind pushes out the stresses of the day, and in the words of productivity guru David Allen, you achieve a state of ‘mind like water’. Just think what that will do for your concentration and creativity.
So, there’s no chance that any script I write will ever (again) go like this:
EXT: STREETSCAPE. NIGHT.
The SWAT team signals to the helicopter pilot that they are ready to storm the building.
The SERGEANT suddenly raises his hand, and halts the assault.
SERGEANT
(frantically)
Oh no, I forgot to buy toilet paper. And
the cat has just walked across the keyboard.
Yes, focus is everything when you’re writing!
My instructor, Brian Bergin, is opening a NEW Beginners Tai Chi Class starting in January just up the road from me in the bustling university town of Maynooth, Co Kildare.
Classes begin on Thursday evening, 9th January 2014, in The Leinster Clinic, on the Kilcock Road. Suitable for complete beginners, and those with some previous experience, these classes offer traditional Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan and Chi Kung in comfortable surroundings with free parking. Classes last for an hour and a half, and a course of seven weeks costs €90.
Places are limited, so contact Brian Bergin on 087 2157231, or e-mail him at bpbergin@gmail.com for details and to book your place.
There is also a Tuesday class in Kilcock, but that’s full already.
Why not find out more about the academy on the Tai Chi Kildare website, or find the club on Facebook at Master Ding Academy North Kildare, for news, articles and Tai Chi videos from around the world.
