From the same NPR Morning Edition piece we referenced yesterday comes this from Kwame Alexander. It's from his collection of poems "The Playbook" and it's "Rule #45": Dribble, fake, shoot - miss. Dribble, fake, shoot - miss. Dribble, fake, shoot - miss. Dribble, fake, shoot - swish! #WordsOfWisdom #ShardsOfTruth #Failure #Success #Commitment #Dedication #TheLanguageOfLife #PowerOfWords #PowerOfPoetry #SpokenWord #NPR #MorningEdition #KwameAlexander #ThePlaybook #Rule45

We heard a reading of Mary Oliver's "The Summer Day" on NPR Morning Edition a few minutes ago and it definitely struck a struck a chord with us. These are the last two lines of the poem: "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" #WordsOfWisdom #ShardsOfTruth #TheLanguageOfLife #PowerOfWords #PowerOfPoetry #SpokenWord #NPR #MorningEdition #MaryOliver #TheSummerDay #RachelMartin #KwameAlexander

McElroy Laoshi completed another shorter personal studio check-in list last night: * We seek to maintain the “5 Vows” as proposed in “The Work that Reconnects” by Joanna Macy & Sam Mowe for "Tricycle". * We vow to ourselves & to each of you to commit ourselves daily to the healing of our world & the welfare of all beings. * We vow to ourselves & to each of you to live on earth more lightly & less violently in the food, products, & energy we consume. * We vow to ourselves & to each of you to draw strength & guidance from the living earth, the ancestors, the future beings, & our brothers & sisters of all species. * We vow to ourselves & to each of you to support others in their work for the world & to ask for help when we feel the need. * We vow to ourselves & to each of you to pursue daily spiritual practices that clarify our minds, strengthen our hearts, & support us in observing our 5 vows. #WordsOfWisdom #ShardsOfTruth #Buddhism #JoannaMacy #SamMowe #Tricycle #TricycleMagazine #FacebookCheckIns

"The Yang transmutes and the Yin preserves. The Yang and the Yin manifest as motion and rest; moving to the utmost and resting, resting to the utmost and moving. Hence in the Yin is the Yang, and in the Yang is the Yin, inseparably interwoven, and it is thus, as a unity, that they are said to be one with the Tao." - Chu Hsi. #WordsOfWisdom #ShardsOfTruth #Unity #DengMingDao #ChuHsi #SunLutang #TaiChi #TaiChiChuan #taiji #taijiquan

It's not as esoteric as the notes we shared at the end of last week, but it was an interesting exchange nonetheless: Student: Should I be more like an animal? Teacher: Um, what exactly is a human? Student: (a pause to think) An animal? Teacher: Exactly. Get out of your own way. #TaiChi #TaiChiChuan #taiji #taijiquan #PracticePoints #IntructorPoints #HumanAnimal #AnimalEssence #BeingHuman #NaturalMovement #Mindfulness #Intent #FindingTheRightWords

Over the years, we've often referred to the a 2002 TIME article that included this line: "T'ai Chi is the perfect exercise." Well, they've done it again. " ... while tai chi may look mundane - even boring to some - experts who’ve studied it say its benefits are vast and hard to oversell." http://time.com/4758683/tai-chi-exercise/ #TaiChi #TaiChiChuan #taiji #taijiquan #TimeMagazine #ThisStuffWorks #HealthBenefits #Exercise #PhysicalFitness #FitnessTraining

Continuing with the esoteric notes on the mat and in the room: "If the movement and the intent both originate from the center, how can they be separate?" #TaiChi #TaiChiChuan #taiji #taijiquan #PracticePoints #InstructorPoints #Movement #Mindfulness #Intent #FindingTheRightWords

Some of our notes on the mat and in the room can be a little esoteric: "Seemed more conscious movement of body than movement of body." #TaiChi #TaiChiChuan #taiji #taijiquan #PracticePoints #InstructorPoints #Movement #WholeBodyMovement #OrganicMovement #NaturalMovement #Mindfulness #Intent #FindingTheRightWords

There are moments when we have an imaginary ball between our hands. They arise while playing Water Tiger's floor exercises "Rails with Rotations" or in the forms when we are forming the ball, e.g., before Parting the Wild Wild Horse's Mane, Fair Lady Weaves at Shuttles, etc. The ball is always the same size - the size of our torso. This means the bottom hand is around the height of the pubic bone and the upper hand is somewhere around shoulder-height. Even though the ball is imagery, it's real. It should have substance without weight. We need to feel its reality. What does its surface feel like? Is is smooth? Rough? Soft? Hard? Cool? Hot? These details matter. They make the ball real. They will help us find and maintain the same size ball time after time after time. #TaiChi #TaiChiChuan #taiji #taijiquan #PracticePoints #SenseMemory #Mime #Mindfulness #MindfulMovement #BodyAwareness #Proprioception #Kinesthesia

There are a couple of times we hear "Beyoncify it" on the mat and in the room. One is while we're in a Wide-Leg Hamstring Stretch (Prasarita Padottanasana). Hip rotations, i.e., Beyoncification, while in the stretch can help to open up the upper hamstrings, the hip flexors, and the lower back. The second is, appropriately, the hip rotation section of "Loosen the Body Joints" from our "Awakening the Qi" set. #Laoshinary #Terminology #Stretching101 #Warmups #PracticePoints #WideLegForwardFold #PrasaritaPadottanasana ‪#Qigong #Chigong #ChiKung #Beyoncé #Beyoncify #Beyoncification #P90X3 #AgilityX #CVX #TonyHorton #Beachbody

McElroy Laoshi completed a shorter personal studio check-in list last night: * We undertake to follow Miyamoto Musashi’s Way from his “A Book of Five Rings” so that we may learn his strategy. * We seek to not think dishonestly. * We recognize the Way is in the training. * We strive to become acquainted with every art. * We endeavor to know the Ways of all professions. * We realize we must distinguish between gain & loss in worldly matter. * We work to develop intuitive judgment & understanding for everything. #WordsOfWisdom #ShardsOfTruth #MiyamotoMusashi #Musashi #MusashisWay #BookOfFiveRings #FacebookCheckIns‬

In "Do Less, Accomplish More" for "Tricycle", Marc Lesser presents five self-defeating habits that can hinder our productivity, well-being, relationship building, etc. They are based on the Buddhists five hindrances and he simplifies them into these single words: fear, assumptions, distractions, resistance, and busyness. Do you allow fear to keep you from forming collaborations, exploring new approaches, etc.? Do you allow assumptions to blind you to possible causes of and solutions to your challenges? Do you allow distractions to - oh, look a chicken. Do you allow resistance to change to hold you back from what you might actually be able to do? Do you mistake your high level of busyness for productiveness? Through attention, practice, and commitment, we can overcome these hindrances and work smarter not harder. #WordsOfWisdom #ShardsOfTruth #DoLess #AccomplishMore #Simplify #Productivity #SelfDefeatingBehaviors #Fear #Assumptions #Distractions #Resistance #Busyness #MarcLesser