Obey My Blog

Okay. So apparently I cannot punch. At least, not in class. My giddy excitement over being able to properly punch was squashed by a (typical) case of self-consciousness in front of the teacher. Damnit! How is that possible? I was all punchin’ and shit and then – nothing? What the…??

So I’m back to square one, practicing punches at home in the morning. Over and over. If you’ve never practiced drills, let me just tell you that you can work up a sweat pretty quickly. Which is why I usually stop after just a minute or two (Hey, I don’t want to be sweaty before I go into work. That’s just gross man.).

But I mean, what is that about?

Yesterday, I spent the evening at the Austin Zen Center cooking. Our resident cook at the moment, Koji, was kind enough to teach me how to cook Panang Tofu Curry (DOOD – peanut butter and coconut milk – uh, yes please!).

During this cooking session I learned how to properly chop with a knife. Which, strangely enough, is a lot like Tai Chi. Instead of cutting down into the vegetable, you slide the knife down and across, back and forth, allowing the blade to make a whooshing sound each time. You pretty much move your hand in a circle (Like Tai Chi! See I told you there was a connection.).

I’m far from perfecting this. It’s completely different then how I usually chop. Which is, of course, all wrong, but it has become familiar and comfortable.

But I did eventually start to get it. I gained a little knife confidence.

And then Koji would look over and I’d suddenly start second guessing myself.

Which is so silly, right?

I mean, I’m just cutting vegetables for Christ’s sake!

Same with Tai Chi. It’s JUST Tai Chi. It’s JUST punching. Practice long enough and you’ll eventually get it.

But there’s this part of me that thinks I should just KNOW. Yes. I should instinctively know how to throw a punch in Tai Chi. I should also instinctively know how to chop vegetables properly, because, that is what every baby born in this country should know the minute they pop out of the womb. Obviously.

So, it appears my expectations are just a wee bit high.

And that’s okay. But if I really want to enjoy what I’m doing, perhaps I should just chill the hell out and relax a little.

And by relaxing, maybe I’ll get my punch back.

This year I became a pescetarian.

I know, a what?

I usually just tell people I’m a vegetarian since pescetarian sounds kind of pretentious (and fishetarian just sounds gross). Which is silly really. I usually end up having to explain it anyway. Regular folks  just look at me in bewilderment and vegans nibble on their quinoa and silently judge me.

I don’t feel it’s necessary to identify with my diet though. I’m not interested in wrapping my whole identity around being a crunchy granola person. Really, all I’m trying to do is be conscious of what I eat and conscious and appreciative of where that food comes from.

Just as I try to maintain awareness of my body while doing Tai Chi, I try to be aware of what I put into it. It’s all about balance and that differs a little for everyone.

There are all kinds of diets out there – the Yin and Yang diet or macrobiotic diet being the most talked about among martial artists it seems. But are these really necessary? Do they make a difference?

According to the macrobiotic diet (or the Yin and Yang diet),

“…people living near the freezing North Pole (Yin) eat mostly animal foods (Yang) to stay warm and ‘contracted’. If someone is living in a hot (Yang) climate and they eat a lot of animal protein (Yang) they might find themselves too ‘contracted’ and uptight (Yang).”

Which kind of makes sense when you think about the very obvious relationship between you, your food and your environment, but I have to agree with William C. Phillips over at Patience Tai Chi, when he suggests that it’s probably best not to be too dogmatic about diet, since everyone’s needs are different.

Personally, I find that simply eating more natural food makes me feel better in general (they make me feel like a natural woman, hahaha).

And it also seems pretty obvious to me that I wouldn’t last very long in my Tai Chi class if I gorged on pizza and sweets every day (mmm…pizza).

It’s not just that though. I care about where my food comes from. Your food becomes you – literally. So to me, it’s worth giving some thought to… Not only has Tai Chi made me aware of my own body, but it has made me more aware of what’s going on around me. The food on my plate and the fact that it was once alive (unless you’re eating canned cheese) would be one of those things.

So, I try to be conscious of the foods that I eat. Whether they are yin or yang, I don’t know. But I do know that certain foods make me feel more balanced and healthy, not to mention, by being aware of the food in front of me I actually enjoy eating it that much more. And that to me is enough.

I’m all full of giddiness and excitement for the new year. I’ve made all kinds of resolutions – something I never do. One of my resolutions is to improve my health. Okay, simple enough, but it’s starting to dawn on me what this really entails. Today, I bought Superfood and Cod Liver Oil. Dear God, I am turning into my parents… But I’m hoping that taking these on a daily basis will help balance my energy (I have a tendency to burn bright and then peeter out).  And who knows, it might just help me with my Qigong practice.

Beloved Bread

As part of this healthy lifestyle, I have to eliminate sugar. Okay, I don’t drink sodas very often, so that’s a huge chunk right there already taken care of. Alcohol will be a bit more difficult, but maybe I can just start limiting my alcohol consumption to the weekends. But bread. I love bread. I don’t have to eliminate bread completely, but the best kind of bread is really the worst for you. Damnit. Okay, maybe I’ll gradually reduce my bad bread consumption.  Or maybe it will be my one vice. Oh wait, I already have one of those and it’s called the social smoke. Hmmm, moderation is key right? I mean, I can keep a few vices as long as I don’t overdo it? Right? Right?

Here’s to a healthy 2009!