What does it mean to ‘practice’?

My passion in life is practice.

Maybe this sounds a little ridiculous?

But…here’s the simple truth.

When we do something occasionally, not much changes.

When we do something consistently, it becomes a part of who we are.

We are all trapped in our habit-energy. All the things we do that make up our days.

Are we all doing what we love and what brings us joy?

I doubt it.

Some days I don’t even have any clarity about what exactly it is that might bring me joy!

So…if like me, you are curious to explore what a new ‘practice’ might be, you are in the right place.

Thus far, my journey has taken me to many trainings in things like yoga, qigong, tai chi, meditation, myofascial release, breathwork, pilates, traditional Thai massage, zenthai shiatsu, Taoism, Zen, Buddhism and more.

I have slowly learnt some new things.

My habit energy has moved into a practice energy.

My hunger to learn new things seems to get deeper the more I learn and change.

At some point on my practice journey, I starting writing things down…all the ancient wisdom that helped me find clarity.

This blog will connect all those jumbled notes.

There are no original thoughts of mine here – these are simply tried and tested ideas about how-to-live, handed down from generation to generation.

If they didn’t work, they would have long been forgotten after all. 

This ‘Not-Doing’ practice blog aims to be a guide map for anyone wanting to also explore their journey inwards. 

We’ll mostly explore three key elements, Taoism, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Qigong.

Taoist philosophy is the best self-help advice you could ever hear.  The five thousand words of Tao Te Ching explain the complexity of the world more clearly than anything else I have ever read. 

The ideas of Traditional Chinese Medicine will help you take charge of your health and happiness, exploring cause of illness rather than just a short term ‘cure’ that doesn’t change the pattern of imbalance longer term.

Qigong practice is a way to regularly explore our deepest self and reset, restore and connect to our body’s inner healing capacity.

Scientific studies of Qigong and Tai chi have proven results across a wide range of elements including…

Lowered blood pressure - Improved balance - Increased bone density - Relief of anxiety and depression - Improved quality of sleep - Relief of chronic pain - Improved cognitive performance - Relief of arthritis - Better heart health - Reduced inflammation - Stronger immune system - Better quality of life

This blog is best used prior to a daily practice – just dip in and read a little at a time. 

Build an embodied practice one-day-at-a-time.

A word of warning though!

Bingeing and filling yourself with all the wisdom in one go, will inevitably only lead to confusion and overwhelm. 

Take your time. 

Sit with each idea. 

Be curious and explore each concept.

Many of the key ideas will be repeated. Everything is connected!

Slowly allow your practice, and your life, to expand and consolidate each change through repetition, patience and perseverance.

I will attempt to honour the essence of each of Qigong practice, Taoism and Traditional Chinese Medicine, but also keep everything simple and accessible to all ages and levels.

Where possible I have omitted jargon that might alienate the beginner, although I humbly hope I have also honoured the ancient wisdom that makes these teachings universal unchanging truths.

I encourage you to continue your learning and explore the amazing original texts I will recommend along the way.

I hope this will inspire a lifelong journey of curiosity and the first step in the journey of 1000 miles!