Tai Chi Quan

For those of you who do not know much about the ancient Chinese martial art referred to as Tai Chi Quan, it is often described as meditation in motion, an internal martial art, a philosophy of life centered around humility, discipline, and the natural Chi energy that is present in the universe and every living organism.

Tai Chi’s slow under-water like movements are martial, artistic, and meditative. They will challenge both your mind and body, your sense of direction, and when practiced regularly will have immediately felt and long-term health benefits. The more controlled the movement and the slower it is, the more difficult it is physically. Tai Chi is low-impact, gentle, and spiritual martial art. The beginner starts by learning basic 24 form (a sequence of 24 movements) without weapons and may later advance to Tai Chi with weapons or wish to learn a fan Tai Chi form. Tai Chi has tremendous benefits, the low-impact yet challenging work-out is excellent for many. From persons with anxiety or high blood-pressure to pregnant women.

Traditionally, Tai Chi was practiced by Chinese people in the parks and the out-door spaces of China. An image of Purple Bamboo Park in Beijing floods my mind when I think of Tai Chi Quan and recall my last visit there. The photo captures the rich and ancient culture this marital art was born from and is very much embedded in.

Tai Chi Sword in the park

Tai Chi has numerous health and well-being benefits. It is not only a physical and mental practice but also a spiritual one, encompassing the body, mind, and the spiritual/energetic dimensions. I believe we are spiritual beings in psychical bodies on this life’s journey and Tai Chi honors that.

If I have learned anything from my teacher, Shoa Nian Bates, it is that no matter how advanced or proficient you become at the forms there is always another level to master (physically, mentally, & spiritually). Tai Chi is first and for most an art form. It is both structured and creative, external & internal, ying and yang. Every movement has a martial application in which if practiced with that intention would be effective for self-defense. However, in modern times, most of us practice Tai Chi for health, peace of mind, and well-being and the focus is not on self-defense. From my humble perspective, Tai Chi is a very practical and enjoyable self-development practice that I would love to share with you!

I will leave you with my favorite martial art quote from the book 365 Tao: Daily Meditations: Ming Dao-Deng

 “​To be a good martial artist requires discipline, courage, and perseverance.
A martial artist’s ultimate opponent is one’s own self. There is a wide array of demons to be conquered: fear, laziness, ignorance, selfishness, egotism, and many others.
Talk of overpowering other people is inconsequential. The true nature of victory is to actually overcome one’s own defects. It takes ferocity and determination to overcome the demons within ourselves. Only by this can you become a good martial artist.”

Benefits include but are not limited to:

 Stress reduction & relaxation

Helping to improve memory & concentration

Improving energy levels

Improving mental clarity & mood

Increasing flexibility

Toning and shaping the body

Increasing range of motion and controlled movement

Grounding and strengthening the lower body

Improving balance and coordination

About Rawan

Rawan Al Husseini is an Arabic speaking Inclusion and Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (also known as a Recreational Therapist) from Canada, Halifax, Nova Scotia. She helps enable individuals develop their over-all health and well-being and enjoy an improved quality of life. She runs inclusive summer camps for children and work-place inclusion programs for young adults with disabilities. Rawan volunteers with Fred Donaldson, Noraini Mahmood, and Soumaya El Azem in the refugee camps of Lebanon yearly and has been practicing the martial art of Tai Chi Quan since 2009.

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Sword practice

Tai Chi Quan

For those of you who do not know much about the ancient Chinese martial art referred to as Tai Chi Quan, it is often described as meditation in motion, an internal martial art, a philosophy of life centered around humility, discipline, and the natural Chi energy that is present in the universe and every living organism.

Tai Chi’s slow under-water like movements are martial, artistic, and meditative. They will challenge both your mind and body, your sense of direction, and when practiced regularly will have immediately felt and long-term health benefits. The more controlled the movement and the slower it is, the more difficult it is physically.

Traditionally, Tai Chi was practiced by Chinese people in the parks and the out-door spaces of China. An image of Purple Bamboo Park in Beijing floods my mind when I think of Tai Chi Quan and recall my last visit there. The photo captures the rich and ancient culture this marital art was born from and is very much embedded in.

Tai Chi Sword in the park

Tai Chi has numerous health and well-being benefits. It is not only a physical and mental practice but also a spiritual one, encompassing the body, mind, and the spiritual/energetic dimensions. I believe we are spiritual beings in psychical bodies on this life’s journey and Tai Chi honors that.

If I have learned anything from my teacher, Shoa Nian Bates, it is that no matter how advanced or proficient you become at the forms there is always another level to master (physically, mentally, & spiritually). Tai Chi is first and for most an art form. It is both structured and creative, external & internal, ying and yang. Every movement has a martial application in which if practiced with that intention would be effective for self-defense. However, in modern times, most of us practice Tai Chi for health, peace of mind, and well-being and the focus is not on self-defense. From my humble perspective, Tai Chi is a very practical and enjoyable self-development practice that I would love to share with you!

I will leave you with my favorite martial art quote from the book 365 Tao: Daily Meditations: Ming Dao-Deng

 “​To be a good martial artist requires discipline, courage, and perseverance.
A martial artist’s ultimate opponent is one’s own self. There is a wide array of demons to be conquered: fear, laziness, ignorance, selfishness, egotism, and many others.
Talk of overpowering other people is inconsequential. The true nature of victory is to actually overcome one’s own defects. It takes ferocity and determination to overcome the demons within ourselves. Only by this can you become a good martial artist.”

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My Story

When I first heard the news of my martial arts teacher leaving Bahrain for good I immediately booked a flight out of Dubai to the tiny island I used to call home so I could spend my last days training with her.

As I arrived in the airport, I was overcome with excitement. Shao had welcomed me to stay at the studio for the larger part of my trip. I looked forward to re-uniting with my teacher and Tai Chi mates, the daily training, the tea breaks in-between, the stories, the sharing of health tips and medicinal recipes, the dosa breakfasts, stealing the show at Gulf hotel or Pashawat with a surprise martial art performance, Friday morning beach training, new year’s/sunrise training, and last but not least Shao’s legendary dumpling parties!

Although I had a place to stay at in Bahrain, we decided that it would be best to camp at the studio, that way I would never miss the early morning training and  really lose myself in the world of Tai Chi!

To give you a sense of this magical world created by a truly humble Tai Chi master, (she hates being called master, so this shall be the last time I refer to her as that) I will share snap-shots of it all, including my last stay in the studio, other students in training, post-training meals, nights out with Tai Chi friends, sleep overs, memories from past trips, beach training etc.

Upon arrival, I went straight to the studio, where I would stay for the next ten days. My bed was a down to earth pile of gym mats that I lay my tired body on at the end of a good day’s training. The early bird classes started at 6am. Other students would arrive and a typical training session would begin with a warm up, a lovely warm cup of Chinese tea made with love and then training.

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Shao would give classes through-out the day. I would join her in the Tai Chi and Qi Gong classes. After class, we usually went to an Indian breakfast  place in Adliyah to have dosa, a lentils dish, and red tea with milk. It was a simple and delicious tradition that Shao and her husband started each Friday morning with the students after a training session.

Some days after training, I would do my own thing, like meet some friends, go out for lunch, train, or go work in a coffee shop and return in time for the evening class.

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A Note about Shao 

Shoa Nian is a remarkable martial arts teacher, business woman, friend, and an inspiration to many of us (her students) that took up one or a few of her classes in Tai Chi, Wushu, Bagua, Kungfu and Qi Gong at this hidden gem in Bahrain (Bahrain Tai Chi and Wushu Center).

Shao’s coaching and the studio have often provided a sanctuary for me during the ups and downs of my life in Bahrain. The studio always had a nurturing and aesthetically pleasing atmosphere that being physically present there took me beyond space and time (a happy blissful place where the mind does not run the show anymore and you are focused on the body, doing and learning the various steps in a form and becoming better at it each day). I have learned a great deal from her over the years and this included but was not limited to the area of martial arts. Myself and her other students enjoyed many adventures and travels together and of course you really get to know those you travel with. So many beautiful friendships and memories were created and shared.

As a person, Shao is humble, kind & big hearted, disciplined, compassionate, non-judgmental, and inspiring.  She works hard yet enjoys life to the fullest. She is an embodiment of her life’s-philosophy and demonstrates that alongside daily practice and hard work there is still time for joy, fun, beauty, and laughter.

She sees the best in people, their gifts and talents, and encourages them to never stop discovering and pursuing them. She is a living proof that age does not have to reduce your ability and that getting old is a state of mind more than anything!

Shao focuses on the process rather than the product without neglecting the quality of the product which is usually a form well-performed (a marital art sequence). Her encouraging approach of working towards an objective by focusing on the journey rather than the end goal has really inspired and motivated my learning. For those lessons and blessings, I am in deep gratitude.

Today, on the 25th of August, Shao turns 67.  I celebrate with her in spirit, her last birthday in Bahrain, from Dubai (you heard my silly sentence!:P)

Thank you for your deeply felt presence in all our lives! You will be missed and always celebrated. Happy birthday dear Shao!

Your faithful student,

Rawan

Week 2 (Jan 9-16):  

I have more time these days to feel my feelings, to look at the emptiness that I usually escape from to social media, to focus on important things, and to reflect on this experiment. Am I depressed I wondered. Depression or a generally low mood descended on me. So I sat with it. I sat with my feelings whatever they were and tried to be patient. I stayed with the boredom, sadness, irritation, and beauty of the moment without trying to escape it, capture it, post it, or share it. It all passed and I was OK with all of them, I survived. I learned a lot too because I was paying more attention and less distracted than ever before.

Was I still doing the things I loved doing? Were they still just as enjoyable even without the shares, likes, and comments? Would you still do what you do if you knew no one would ever see it? Are you doing it for yourself or for the world? Or maybe a combination of both? My gut feeling is that it’s a good idea to check up on your motivation from time to time and just be clear and honest with yourself.

One thing became clear to me, that is enjoying the attention of sharing moments of your life on social media is both externally motivated and ego-enhancing. External motivation is not a bad thing,  it can be very important and necessary to be able to function in the world we live in. However, external motivation on its own has a dark side. This dark side is fed by social media and relates to the illusion of being connected/liked/followed/popular etc.. when in-fact we are becoming more and more disconnected from our-selves, our internal life, nature, and the people and situations that are real and present in front of our eyes.

When you do things not for their own sake anymore, they lose their joy and sacredness. That may be fine if you are getting paid to finish a job or a project. Sometimes we have obligations in our life and even when difficult we need to search for the joy in fulfilling those without an external or tangible reward. However, if your fulfilling them just to please others or society it becomes a huge burden.  Getting stuck in this burdened joy-less autopilot mode day in and day out (where we do things just for appearances/payment/popularity/outer success) will suck the life right out of us!

A mother messaged me about social media being an outlet for a few moments of peace away from the hectic life of being a mom raising her young child. This to her is a positive escape, she feels that when she takes (a limited amount of) time for herself each day to do her thing on social media  and then goes back she can be more present with her life because of it. Social media can be used for many good purposes, using it like this mom or to take a break from a hectic day at work is certainly healthy. Go ahead and share and post away but ask yourself, why am I sharing this now? Know the answer.

Being motivated to do things in order to share them on social media becomes a problem when it turns into a habit, a compulsion, or a need for validation from the outside world.  Do they like me? Like me!!!! (wait that is not me that is my projected image that I have spent hours building online) Wait, I have an amazing life!!! Look!!! I can prove it! Like my image!!! Like my post!!!! like my blog!!! Sound a little coo-coo? 🙂

We are all susceptible to this trail of thoughts and it can become so habitual you do not even notice it. Social media encourages this behavior and solidifies it. Building an image of yourself for the world that may or may not really represent who you are, takes a lot of effort.

I confess that I really enjoy sharing happy memories, great articles, funny videos, jokes, photos of myself wearing nice jewelry, my Recreational Therapy work, photos with friends and family, art and music. Still, just for clarity, try it once in a while, enjoy a moment or a meal or an experience and do not share it (keep it between you and your loved one, you and God, you and your kids, you and your friends, and feel whatever feelings it brings up. is it any less special?)

As humans we need nature (brings calm), real contact (brings vulnerability and discovery of self through other), authentic conversation (brings true dialogue and sharing). Creating this kind of depth in our interactions brings the interesting mix of light and dark into relationships. This hard stuff requires a certain set of skills and like a muscle that weakens as we use it less and less so do these skills diminish and disappear. Imagine what happens when children and teenagers spend most of their time on screens? They certainly will not learn the same skills as those who  are engaged in ample family interaction, community activities, time in the out-doors, team-sports, or volunteer work. They will lack empathy, emotional intelligence, clear boundaries, and conflict resolution skills. In my practice, I keep seeing more and more children with angry tempers that verge on terrorizing their families, low self-esteem, and extremely poor problem solving skills. This may be due to many  factors and not just the overuse of  technology and social media. However, the virtual world will never be a good substitute for learning about life, for satisfying connections, or for the education that naturally arises  while  children directly interact with their environment.

Research has proven that young children need lots of interaction and physical touch to develop cognitively!!! They need it, not for social development, not for emotional development, not for overall well-being but for cognition! The human brain depends on these to grow, develop, and to thrive.

So yeah, I got a little depressed without my Facebook dosage but soon enough all that effort that was not going into Facebook started going into creative things, Like writing this post. And this is only the second week 🙂

Rawan

Week 1 (Jan 2nd-9th):

Disconnecting to connect. Going back to basics, nature, and the simple life before social media.

I am trying to remember my life before checking Facebook first thing in the morning, at lunch-time, at the office,  or last thing before bed-time.  I could not remember those days clearly and  I needed to remember.  

At first I felt instantly more peaceful but soon came the withdrawal symptoms. An emptiness that I could not ignore. How would I fill this emptiness I wondered. 

In the first week of the new-year, I  was proud of myself for doing my Tai- Chi practice and meditation early in the morning. I also enjoyed the quality time spent with family and friends without looking at my phone as often. I still used my phone but without Facebook, the frequency decreased significantly.

Back at work, I drank my morning Chai Masala (some may be familiar with the sugar filled Karak tea/which is my other addiction but I’ll save that for another post :)) and worked on my project proposal without interruptions.  I was so focused, I finished that proposal before the deadline I had set for myself. 

Weekend again, was spent with family, notification free, and more peaceful than it’s ever been. I watched a movie at home which I never had time to do as I am usually out and about or when home, on Facebook. My interaction with my environment had changed, it was quieter, deeper, and more spacious.

Through out the following weeks, I often found myself in situations like:

being in an elevator full of people

waiting for a class to start at the gym

siting in a coffee shop

and in all the above public shared spaces people were staring into their phone. I wondered what had happened to the culture of smiling and saying hello in an elevator, the courtesy of introducing yourself and meeting people attending the same classes at the gym, and the spontaneous mingling that might happen when visiting a coffee shop. It has become brave of a person to be sitting in a public space and not be occupied by their phone, laptop, or shisha (in the case of some of us here in Dubai :)).

Could we be missing out on the world before our eyes by holding onto our devices rather than, having a reflective moment alone, observing or interacting with the environment we are in. As we are choosing to interact with screens more than ever in human history, whether it is for virtual entertainment or for practical reasons, are we losing our selves and losing the richness of the present moment?

This is where the struggle lies. Do we give in to the easy, fast, and entertaining past-time/escape OR do we find other more productive avenues to pour our attention and focus into? The latter may be harder and require more searching, discipline, and rigorous honesty with ourselves (tuff stuff). A lot of times, not escaping, means we get to experience our heavier feelings to the fullest. This can be scary and uncomfortable and we want immediate comfort, immediate rewards, immediate answers and so end up losing the essential ingredients (patience and perseverance) which precede all worthy goals, relationships, and accomplishments.

Stay posted for more on facing the scary dark world of feeling our not-so-pretty feelings without running away or distracting ourselves with social media or any other form of quick fix in the next post!

Rawan

Salam folks! I am back on Facebook for the time-being. Some of you have inquired as to where my Facebook page disappeared or why, while others have not even noticed. Honestly, it is the healthiest that some of you may not care about my Facebook presence (if you can call it that), hahaha. Facebook presence is a fake presence and my intentional 4o day experiment only confirmed that.

How the Decision to Take a Break from Facebook Came About

In late 2016, I watched a you-tube talk by Simon Sinek (Millenials in the Work Place) that resonated with me on many levels. I have posted the link below for your reference. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hER0Qp6QJNU

I basically wanted to explore some of the points Sinek made that resonated the most. For your information,  I have been an avid facebook user, so this experiment may or may not change that. After reflection, the truths that hit me like a ton of bricks were:

a) how addictive social  media and constant virtual noise can be

b) how it is has rapidly changed our society and the way we humans connect or appear to connect  (failing to connect) and

c) how distracting it is from real life (the reality in front of our eyes). In addition , we have  all experienced (at least occasionally) the high (instant gratification) from receiving likes/shares/comments on content we have identified ourselves with and the low from lack of.

Even though I am not part of that generation of Millennials, I definitely got myself addicted to Facebook, the social media platform I enjoy the most out of the lot.  What do you think of the virtual world? Is on-line connection healthy? It does have numerous advantages. Do you feel the advantages are worth it? Do you need to put some limits on its access for yourself? your kids? Your partner? Your peace of mind? or is unlimited access working well for you?

Life has been teaching me, when a positive thing spins out of control and the negatives begin out-weighing the positives, it usually means it is time to to put some boundaries in place. Therefore, my 2017 boundary (I prefer that word over resolution-as resolutions have failed in the past so am trying the boundary system:)) was the following:

For 40 days, to simply deactivate my Facebook account (from January 2nd to February 12th). Simple right? Do-able? Definitely. Sustainable? Not so sure.

Little did I know, that the main theme of the whole month and ten days would turn out to be all about boundaries! Including using my power and taking it back from the external world where I willingly gave it away. When things go out of balance in your life, it could mean that you are giving up a part of your power to outside influences. What are some outer-influences you have given over your power to? It can be literally anything! An idea, a thought, a job, an emotion, all forms of addiction, a person, a boss, a group, a philosophy, a belief system, etc…

I skyped with my friend Aude about this matter shortly before making my decision . Being a more disciplined type, Aude said to me , “Rawan, it is not very clever what you are doing (spending a lot of time) on Facebook.”  Lol:)

Right on!! Merci beaucoup Aude!  Still, I do not think I can cut it out cold turkey yet, or ever, and am not making promises I can’t keep.

I do hope that the series of posts: 40 Days without Facebook at least gets you thinking about your own experiences with social media, your personal power, and the choices you make everyday as you log on-line and log off your life.

Keep checking this space for more updates on my Facebook-less experiences! 🙂

Rawan

Oct.7.2016

After breakfast , we headed to a school for Syrian refugee children in Beirut. A humble building with a 2-3 indoor classrooms and an outdoor area used for break-time and PE. In order to maximize on the limited space, the school operated in shifts.The children who came in the morning shift were different from those that came in the afternoon.They each attended school for 4 hours a day.

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Upon arriving at the school and while waiting for the admin to show us in, one  of my team  members found a children’s story book written in Arabic and asked me to translate it.  I had never seen a children’s story book like this one before. The words and illustrations were of bombs, soldiers, underground hide-outs, and power outages. The book reflected a children’s version of the Lebanese 15 year civil war .

The back-ground or so called “play ground” was set in an outdoor open space intimately surrounded by apartment buildings with small balconies so that those who lived  in the apartments could and did poke their head out to see what the commotion below was all about. Some of the old building walls surrounding the play ground were dotted with bullet holes, not an uncommon sight in Beirut.

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As the students trickled in they were disorganized, chaotic, and deaf to instructions.  I found myself turning into a policewoman, standing larger, and raising my voice.  Initially, it was impossible to play with the children as the team was basically breaking up fights instead and policing kids into order. The scene consisted of girls & boys of different ages running around hitting each other, kicking, pushing, and hair pulling . Every corner you looked some form of aggression was taking place. Boys were hitting girls, larger kids shoving the smaller ones, girls pulling each others hair and fighting with boys. When it was time to line up to go back to class, the teachers were being ignored and a lot of arguing and lingering around was flaming the fire even further. Fred said there was more aggression at this school than he had seen in a prison!

As the first group of kids left for the day and we recognized the new the kind of challenge on our hands this afternoon, I looked at Fred and thought to myself, “Where do we start?”. There was a serious behavior management issue  and the teachers had little control over the students. As if Fred heard my panicked thoughts, he used his firmest and calmest voice to tell the team to pack up the mats and leave no trace of our presence for the second group of children.

While having a short break and recharging for the next round, the team had the chance to sit with the principal and ask for some background on the kids. She said that most lived in a very confined space, sharing a small room with 5 or 6 others. Some of these children, even though older, had never done any formal schooling before. Some as young as 9 were working as car mechanics to help the family make ends meet.

One of the school bullies (in the green and white t-shirt) lived in a room with 6 other brothers and their father. The father sometimes put him out to spend the night on the street as punishment for bad behavior. He was about 11 or 12, wearing a white and a green striped t-shirt, and usually seen hitting and displaying territorial behavior around the play-ground . When it was time to play with the older boys, him and another verbally and physically aggressive boy were not listening and endlessly arguing with their teacher. One of them was shouting out curses and having a teenage temper tantrum.  Fred used his firmest and calmest voice. They could either go back to class or play according to set  boundaries. He repeated and I translated, we would not carry on until they made a decision.

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To everyone’s surprise the boy with the green and white t-shirt decided to join us at the mats. He played. He respected our rules. When it was time for the inquiry, I asked:

1. Did we hit you? (no)
2. Did we kick you? (no)
3. Did we hurt you? (no)

That is true play. We sometimes forget. Therefore, we need to remind ourselves, our friends, our parents & siblings, and our teachers that anything hurtful is not play. We must speak up for ourselves and others and say stop it!

The tough boy’s facial expression had softened and he shared with us that his father and brothers hit him and would do not listen to him.

I have to point out that he not only opened up to play but he also felt safe enough- in the play space- to express the truth of his harsh reality. After 20 minutes of Original Play, this bully had the willingness to share and be vulnerable in front of a group of strangers. He exchanged hand-shakes and manly hugs with the male members of the team. Wow, what a real transformation! I was so happy I witnessed that 🙂

I need to stress that some children who experience any kind of trauma or aggression in their daily life, may require a longer time to reach that stage of engagement, connection, and being emotionally open.

A change in facial expression. A response to a look. A loosened grip. A less guarded posture. The telling of one’s story. I understood what Fred had meant when he told us to look out for the small changes.

Rawan