The Art of Meditation and Kicking Ass [Thursday, November6, 2014]
Anakin was in soft pants and his tunic today as he stood in front of the class. "Today we are going to combine meditation and ass kickng," he said, "in a Chinese technique known as t'ai chi ch'uan. Now, if you've heard of t'ai chi before, you might have a mental imgae of little old Asian people performing it in a park, and it is a technique that has been shown to increase longevity and has moves that are supposed to be performed very slowly, but it's not just Zumba at three-quarters speed."
Yes, Anakin knew about Zumba. Shut up.
"The study of t'ai chi primarily involves three aspects," Anakin continued. "Health: An unhealthy or otherwise uncomfortable person may find it difficult to meditate to a state of calmness or to use t'ai chi as a martial art. T'ai chi's health training concentrates on relieving the physical effects of stress on the body and mind. For those focused on t'ai chi ch'uan's martial application, good physical fitness is an important step towards effective self-defense. Meditation: The focus and calmness cultivated by the meditative aspect of t'ai chi is seen as necessary in the stress release aspects of this art. Finally, as a martial art: The ability to use t'ai chi as a form of self-defense in combat is the test of a student's understanding of the art. T'ai chi is the study of appropriate change in response to outside forces, the study of yielding and "sticking" to an incoming attack rather than attempting to meet it with opposing force, which is very different from the other techniques we've studied so far."
He gestured to the students. "All right. Breathe in, focus, and follow along with the nice Chinese holoprojection."
Yes, Anakin knew about Zumba. Shut up.
"The study of t'ai chi primarily involves three aspects," Anakin continued. "Health: An unhealthy or otherwise uncomfortable person may find it difficult to meditate to a state of calmness or to use t'ai chi as a martial art. T'ai chi's health training concentrates on relieving the physical effects of stress on the body and mind. For those focused on t'ai chi ch'uan's martial application, good physical fitness is an important step towards effective self-defense. Meditation: The focus and calmness cultivated by the meditative aspect of t'ai chi is seen as necessary in the stress release aspects of this art. Finally, as a martial art: The ability to use t'ai chi as a form of self-defense in combat is the test of a student's understanding of the art. T'ai chi is the study of appropriate change in response to outside forces, the study of yielding and "sticking" to an incoming attack rather than attempting to meet it with opposing force, which is very different from the other techniques we've studied so far."
He gestured to the students. "All right. Breathe in, focus, and follow along with the nice Chinese holoprojection."