Resolutions for a Happy Twos Year

 

Resolutions for a Happy Twos Year

by Stephen Watson

 

The Yīn and Yáng is important to the Dàoist, we know that. This January, let's let the prior year be the Yīn and the coming year be the Yáng. Last year, dark - this coming year, bright. And within the new year of course, we can find another pairing of twos. Let's devote our limited energies to improving our health, our lifestyle, and our outlook with a Yīn and Yáng for the New Year - this time Stretching and Breathing. As simple as can be. No yoga mats to buy, no subscription to begin, no outfit to wear, no course to enroll in. Just a delighted and familiar Yīn and Yáng pair: Stretch and Breathe.

 

The key will be, not the style of stretching or school of breathwork, but the simple intention we set for these two familiar bodily functions now practiced in a purposeful and meaningful manner. To Stretch and to Breathe is to be marvelously alive. Let us celebrate the New Year with a celebration of life...our own lives!

 

We are simply aiming to Stretch and Breathe with a bit more regularity, a bit more attentiveness, and a bit more purpose. The Dàoist engages in all things in a contemplative, meditative, introspective, and interoceptive manner. It'll be the same for us with our new devotion to Stretching and Breathing in this new year. Let's learn a simple, sensible, and super method for Stretching and for Breathing and then aim to do them both together. You know, save some time. A bonus.

 

 

Embracing the Flow: A Dàoist Path to Mindful Movement

 

In the ancient wisdom of Dàoism, movement is not simply a physical exercise, but a profound dance of energy, breath, & consciousness. For those seeking to begin a Stretching and Breathing Practice, a Dàoist approach will offer a gentle, holistic path that transforms exercise from a mechanical routine into a meditative journey of self-discovery.

Imagine your body as a river of living energy, where all excess tension stems from blockages and stagnation in that river. What, do you have beavers gunking up the works of your Life River?!? Time to re-home those beasts. Remember, the Practice of stretching is less about achieving perfect poses and more about releasing these obstructions. A Life River free of dam works allows your Qì – your vital life energies – to flow freely and naturally.

The familiar, modern-day approach to exercise often generates tension. Modernity seems to favor an unrelenting emphasis on goal-setting and a fervent embrace of rigidity as necessary ingredients to any worthy effort. Trying hard needn’t be hard, per se. Difficult, sure. Soft, yes. Dàoism, on the other hand, invites practitioners to move with pliability, fluidity, and a deep awareness of one’s internal landscape.

 

 

Begin your Practice by cultivating stillness. Before any physical movement, sit comfortably and simply breathe. This needn’t be perfect in duration, posture, or even stillness. We’re gonna work hard like those beavers and not clutter up the works with expectations of perfection. Close your eyes and observe your natural breath process. There it is, happening all along. Rarely noticed but ever-present. A wellspring of life beneath the surface of your busy-as-a-beaver life. Next, and without forcing anything, let’s let the breath become deep and smooth. These initial moments of quiet connection help to align your body and mind. A good body and brain alignment, mediated by the breath, prepares you for gentle movement. Breathe through your nose, allowing your abdomen to expand and contract like a bellows. Nothing to force, no need for strain. Each breath drawing energy from the vast breadth of the universe into the vast depth of your core.

Now, let’s transition into stretching. We aren’t aiming to see how much range of motion we can achieve. We certainly aren’t going into stretching with reckless nostalgia and expecting to move how we did as youngin’s. Or how much? Or how many repetitions. Or how often? Rather, we’ll move with the principle of Wúwéi. Wúwéi is a Dàoist ideal whereby we first desire, second listen, third design, and lastly deploy. It is all about actions that are uncontested. Uncontesting what? Any and everything. We have our aim, which is stretching, in this case. Second, rather than clumsily pressing head-on into a stretch Practice, we pay attention to the scene. And we are part of that scene. What’s already happening? Or, as we are older, what isn’t quite happening any longer? Third, we design a plan to move us toward our aim without disrupting what is already going on. Make no waves, don’t rock the boat, etc… Lastly, and only now, do we begin to execute our compassionate and well-considered plan. This is Wúwéi, and now you are stretching. And stretching with wisdom enough to avoid many pitfalls of strain and injury.

Imagine your body as a young tree, a green tree that is simultaneously strong and flexible. Start with slow, gentle, circular movements that unwind your joints and muscles. Don’t just start slow, gentle, and circular – stick with these qualities. Rotate your shoulders around a bit – one at a time is fine, separate is fine. Next, you’ll unfurl your limbs as if awakening from a long slumber. Enjoy the unfolding, like a fern unfolding into a frond from a fiddlehead. Reach a bit if you like. Lastly, and while standing, if able, slightly twist your spine. Remember that the spine can generate different types of motion – bending and unbending, bending toward the side and then back up, and twisting. The idea here is to do only one type of movement at a time and remain attentive. Honor any signals which suggest that it may be time to stop. Each movement should feel like a conversation between your brain, body, and breath. You won’t force anything and you won’t allow any strain. In short, you’ll explore your current limitations with compassionate curiosity.

 

 

The Dàoist works to promote harmony between Yīn and Yáng – the complementary energies of softness and strength, yielding and giving. A Dàoist stretching routine will reflect this balance. One example of having held these values dear is the way a Dàoist might alternate between gentle extensions and recovery periods where the focus of the stretch is supported and still. When the Dàoist feels a deep stretch, we might expect them to breathe into the sensation. We’d see them not engaged in a fear-based fight but rather greeting any tension not as an enemy to be defeated but as a helpful messenger offering necessary information about the current condition of the system, the Being.

 

 

You might consider incorporating simple standing postures from Qìgōng, the profound Chinese Practice of energy cultivation and circulation. The Tree Stance involves breathing deeply while standing with the two feet shoulder-width apart. Both knees will be slightly bent, and the two arms will be softly held in front of the chest in a rounded shape – as if embracing a large tree. With such a Practice, you’re just slightly stretching muscles but also cultivating rootedness, drawing energy up from the Earth while remaining soft and responsive. The stretch here is beyond the musculature – and offering its challenge to the Mind, the Heart, the Spirit. Standing like a tree only looks easy to those who haven’t stood like a tree – or who aren’t actually a tree.

Breathwork is the heart of this Practice. As you move, synchronize your breath with your movements. Inhale as you expand and exhale as you contract. As you twist, exhale; as you untwist, inhale. As you do the difficult portion, exhale. As you rebound and recover to the less trying portion of an exercise, enjoy the inhalation. That’s our old friends Yīn and Yáng again. Perhaps you might imagine your breath as a gently rising tide, arriving from some far shore to wash through your body. The warm, healing waters dissolve any areas of stiffness and rejuvenate you at a cellular level. Renewed vitality with every breath. Some Dàoist practitioners actually visualize their breath as a luminous, golden, healing light quietly circulating through their entire Being. You can even come up with your own metaphor or visualization. The main thing is to breathe and breathe well. A life well breathed is a life of wellness.

 

 

Here are a few things to remember as we consider the overall theme:
Regular practice is more important than irregular practice, as consistency matters. And no one has said that the practice has to take forever. A five-minute daily Practice performed with mindful attention is far more transformative than an hour of impatient, disconnected, and forceful exercise. Intensity doesn’t overcome infrequency. Listen to your body, respecting its current capabilities and complaints while gently encouraging growth. Some days, you’ll feel rather flexible; other days, less so. Some days, your mind will feel more flexible than your body. Some days your Breath will feel powerful, but your muscles don’t agree. All states we find our Beings in are profoundly perfect and worthy of compassionate acknowledgment. Maybe read that last sentence again if you need it. Actually, here it is again, but in bold: All states in which we find our beings are profoundly perfect and worthy of compassionate acknowledgment.

As you come to the end of your Practice, take a moment (or two) to reflect. I like to ask rather than expect. I like the asking to be loving and free from expectation. Feel the subtle shifts in your body, mind, and spirit following a Stretching and Breathing Practice. Any increased circulation? Are muscles softened? What clarity of mind might there be? If my emotions were the ocean, would the seas be calmer now? You haven’t simply performed breaths and stretches. You’ve participated in an ancient, sacred dialogue between movement and stillness, body and spirit.

From a Dàoist perspective, this Practice has not been about achieving a goal, but about returning to our natural state of balanced, flowing energy. Each stretch a meditation, each breath a celebration of the human body’s innate wisdom and potential for healing.

 

 

Bio bit:

The author, Stephen Watson has created, filmed, and posted a video tutorial on the Practice outlined in this article. The free, introductory, and explanatory video, filmed just for readers of this article, can be found here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/118428975

This article is designed to support the overall strategy for health improvement outlined in the author's recent article: https://www.martialjournal.com/the-zen-path-of-intentional-transformation/

For (much, much) more content (both free and supportive) from the author, please visit SomedayFarm.org and BuyMeACoffee.com/SomedayFarm Stephen Watson will be offering many introductory sessions this year through his studio Someday Farm. Most will be available via Zoom and archived on Patreon.com/SomedayFarm. Find out more and enroll by following the links, here: https://linktr.ee/SomedayFarm