Friday, November 13, 2009

Blogger's Surprise: New Book, New Video

I've had a happy, productive week, but it's been unusually busy. That's in part because I stopped by the library with my kids on Monday, and checked out an excellent book and an excellent video.

I've been interested in Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's ideas about flow, sometimes called "being in the zone," or as he refers to it, optimal experience, for a while. I'm sorry I didn't follow up sooner! His book "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience" is an outstanding book for anyone, but I particularly recommend it for anyone who struggles with weight management.

In the book, Csikszentmihaly (pronounced, according to the author, "Chicks-send-me-high") explains what flow is and how it is created. Using these ideas, it's relatively easy to create more flow in your own life.

I've been experimenting with it this week, with extremely good results. When you have more flow, you need less "nurturing" from food or other activities that keep you from following through on your weight management goals. It's also wildly empowering to plan ahead for flow -- and then experience it. That said, it can be overwhelming to find a lot of happiness all at once, so if you read the book and start creating more flow, consider pacing yourself!

I've also been interested in t'ai chi for a while. I took a t'ai chi class last year and I loved it, but I didn't continue on with t'ai chi because I couldn't find a video that supported what I learned in class.

I'm happy to say that Bill Douglas' video "T'ai Chi & QiGong: The Prescription for the Future" has me back in the groove of t'ai chi. Douglas' manner is casual and pleasant, and he explains both the hows and whys of the various exercises. My children (ages 7, 8, and 10) were able to follow his directions for the first three steps of the t'ai chi routine with very little coaching, and Douglas' tips make it easy to remember them, too. Here's a clip from the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGKfNx7e0Jk

You'll need to look for the second and third videos (which I haven't seen yet) to learn the complete routine, but the video is well worth the viewing just for the relaxation, breathing, and stretching exercises and suggestions that are provided.

If you check out the video or the book, I'd love to hear what you think of them. Let us know :)! Here's to a relaxing weekend of optimal health and happiness!

No comments:

Post a Comment