The Chattering Mind

Quick Q & A

Q: From practicing Tai Chi / Meditation will I be able to stop my mind from thinking?

A: Your mind will always be thinking / following a thought process. However the practice of Tai Chi / Meditation will help you move your thought process from being in the head to being in the body and the environment that surrounds you. This enables you to experience the "now", the present moment, and with practice, this will naturally develop over a period of time.

Q: Surely using your mind to plan and analyse are essential to living and functioning well in society.

A: Definitely. However, in society today with our electronic devices to over stimulate us we are more susceptible of over using the mind and are constantly caught up in analysing and planning modes. The mind is like any other tool. Once you've used it for a specific function you should put it down. Ask yourself, how many times during the day do you paused and experienced your surroundings? Do you have times when you can sit still in an environment that feels natural and use your sensors to experience the present moment?
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I have written this piece "The chattering mind" in response from recent questions from Tai Chi students, friends and general conversions with people and will give some insights from my own experiences and a method of practice.
 
Whether practicing static meditation; standing or sitting, or moving meditation; Qi Gong or Taiqiquan, with the guidance of a good teacher and practice, anyone should be able to develop being mindfully present and spend less time on thoughts in their head.

Having studied standing meditation, Zen sitting meditation, nei gong and Taoist exercises, all systems have complemented my study of Tai Chi Chuan. Out of those systems I would have to say, that in the beginning, I found it easier to develop mindfulness in practicing Tai Chi Chuan. In Tai Chi Chuan you are continually placing the mind into the body as you have to mechanically synchronise your movements in the body as well as being aware of your surroundings, foot placement for balance on the earth etc. Whereas if you are standing or sitting in meditation it becomes easier for the mind to wander off into thought land. Interestingly though,  after a few years of practicing Tai Chi Chuan I naturally felt the urge to pursue standing meditation and sitting meditation. I was also very fortunate to be shown under the guidance of Sifu John Hartley, internal taoist nei gong exercises which continue to development energetic flow / movement.

So how can Taiqiquan help the mind be more present? 

Below is brief example of my experiences from studying a series of mindful walking exercises that my teacher Sifu John Hartley developed from his love of taiqiquan and his compassion for helping people achieve a more contented and healthy lifestyle. This will help you get a better image of how your mind can be more present in the body and surroundings. I would also like to add here that the mindful walking method is not a new form or someone's desire to create a new brand of taiqiquan. It's about developing the fundamental principles of the Art in 3 walking movements (brush knee, repulse monkey and cloud hands). These 3 walking movements are recognised in any taiqiquan form, regardless of the taiqiquan system that is being studied. E.G: Yang, Wu, or Sun. So it's accessible for any taiqiquan practitioner as you can assimulate the method into your taiqiquan form practice as well as help develop the mind to be more present in the body and surroundings. For someone who has never studied a taiqiquan form, it also good news, as you can assimilate the method in less time as you won’t have to learn a 24, 37, 58 or 108 movements (depending on the taiqiquan form system) that takes months to 2 years just to memorise the sequence.
One of the core aspects of the mindful walking system essentially revolve around the development of achieving the inner listening abilities of movement and then energy flow in brush knee, repulse monkey and cloud hands. My journey began after I learnt the coordination of legs, waist and upper body movements working in unison while sinking and rotating around my central axis line while walking forwards, backwards or sidewards. Then as my mind / body began relaxing into these rhythmic movements I was naturally able to keep focused for longer in the body. The next level of development came through further practice when I began feeling / experiencing internal signals that came about from sinking and rotating around my centre axis line. From there I gained the ability to the listen to the very subtle internal gestures within the body that signalled when to move. I found this euphoric as I was naturally experiencing the present and was moving with less effort and greater balance. I gained an insight into the saying "seeking the stillness in the movement". I then slowly increased my practice as it was becoming more internally focus for longer periods of time by listening to and feeling these internal gestures that propagated my movements. From the constant practice of aligning the skeletal body around the central axis line and listening to these subtle internal gestures that propagated movement, my body began to naturally feel the subtle sinking and rising of energy flow "chi" in the body. The feeling of moving energy is a visceral experience in the body that sinks and rises and is not a feeling that you can get straight away or in a short period of time. 

Also be careful when learning Tai Chi Chuan and / or meditation. Make sure you keep a discerning attitude (see the article "how to find a teacher"). It is very easy for your conditioned mind to take over and think you are learning and feeling the "chi" but in fact you can be just imagining it all in your head. I have met many tai chi practitioners who have fallen into this unfortunate trap. Make sure you are genuinely feeling and experiencing what you are practicing in your body by following correct body alignments and listening to the internal gestures that propagate movement. Don’t jump steps in your method of practice trying to feel "chi" otherwise you Tai Chi will be head / thought orientated.

Now back to chattering mind.

The human mind is a very useful tool but we humans over use the thinking mind spending more time in our mind, analysing, planning, fantasying, dramatising, instead of experiencing the present moment with our sensors. At times we may feel overwhelm by this continue conversing or “chattering mind”. That is why we find it hard when adopting a practice that pushes you in the direction of being present in the now. Our mind/ bodies are not use to it and resist and you may find your mind wandering off into “chattering” more so in the beginning rather than focusing on the practice.

Method: Try this:

1. Do not judge yourself harshly. Remember you have been spending so much time in your head over the years that it will take time to be more present and experience the now. So have patience. This is all part of the learning process.
2. Practice your Tai Chi every day for a good 10 minutes each day in the morning and at night and only increase the practice time when you are ready. It’s like brushing your teeth before bed and before you leave for work in the mornings. You give time for those hygiene practices so why not incorporate your Tai Chi practice into your routine. The more you make your Tai Chi practise apart of your daily routine the more you will be able to be present in the now naturally without forceful effort.
3. Take something out of your life so you can do the practice. Please don’t make the mistake of over filling your tea cup and adding. YOU NEED TO SUBTRACT something from your life’s routine. (See the Zen Tea Story below). I do not watch as much television or spend as much time on the internet. I’ve also go into a routine of making myself a cup of tea and just look around my backyard and when I’m settled I then begin my practice.
4. There are still times of course when our minds will wander we will focus on the thoughts in our heads and not in our bodies and the surrounding environment. When I recognise this, I just gently bring my mind back to dantian and focus on my breath and experience what I am doing.  Over a period of time I have been able to focus in a more relaxed non forceful manner that naturally experiences movement and energy in the "now" from the continual practice of Tai Chi Chuan. Just have faith and practice.
5. Keep checking at times in your life that you are not adding more in your life and sacrificing your Tai Chi practice. You'll soon know you are in this mode when you start feeling you don't have time for anything anymore. When this happens either you have taken on too much and or you are in some sort of stressful situation. Also be careful when you start feeling more relaxed and less stressed that you do not take on too much again. It's easy to accidentally fall back into old habits, start another new thing, and over fill their cup and stop your Tai Chi practice. Remember your Tai Chi practice helps ward off dis-ease so don't stop taking this preventative medicine when you feel better too.

In closing my Father has been amazed over the years how I have stuck to practicing Taiqiquan. When I was a teenager I would continually have the habit of starting one sport and then after a year or two, give it up for another. I was constantly doing this until the age of 26. Then I started studying Taiqiquan and have keep up the study and practice since. I cannot say enough of the benefits and how Taiqiquan has help me in making my life more contented.

If after reading this, something has come up and you wish to ask a question please email me at [email protected]
Sincerely Darren

Below: James in standing meditation Ronnie Creek, Cradle Mt, TASMANIA Sept 2017