Remember that silly ditty that said, “Don’t worry, be happy”? It was hard to tell if it meant what it said, or if it was sort pulling your leg. Had we entered a zombie land where the American landscape was so brain dead that this was the best we could do? It was a razor sharp moment in American Pop Culture. Just like “we all live in a yellow submarine” in the 60’s with the Beatles’ hit tune, we all sang along, either “in” on the joke or thinking we had discovered a way to be happy!
As the title to my blog here states, I would say with Tai Chi, the song would be “Don’t worry, be open”. To be open is one of the prime goals in tai chi. You learn a great deal by just practicing being open with your physical body, to have the body feel relaxed and open on the inside so that forces on the outside have less impact. You have internal space, physical as well as mental, to absorb pressure and then respond. While responding is another level to this art, the prerequisite is to be open.
What does it mean to be open? Physically, you relate to the ground, the air, and the “heavens” (what is above you) in such a way as if you are exchanging some sort of gentle energy. Your feet, hands, top of your head and all of your pores in your skin are entry points for this energy. Putting aside whether this is “real” or imagined, I would say that if you assume this is true, you feel different than if you don’t feel this is true. It creates a mind that seems to relate to space in an open manner and your body feels differently as a result of this sense of openness. So from my perspective, it doesn’t matter if it is “real” or not because the result is real. You will experience a change. The mind and the body fuse in being open to the environment. In being open, you have to relax. In relaxing, you become more open. Inside, it is as if you are spacious and full.
But “don’t worry”? There is a relationship to being open and not worrying. While worrying is a mental game generally not worth overdosing on, being open could and should reduce your worrying thoughts. I, for one, do worry needlessly at times over the seemingly insolvable problems in my life. A general cognitive method to reduce this is to assume the worst and make a plan should the worst actually happen. And if there is no plan to be found, then decide to deal with the worst should it occur. While this is not optimal, often the context of the situation will determine the right action and you can’t necessarily predict the context of the situation. You won’t know what to do until the moment arrives. Sharing your concern with others can open doors that you may not have access to. In other words, a friend may have information or experience that can be of help. That is a cognitive approach.
Being physically and mentally open – tai chi goals – can also help. It’s as if the organism is connected to the outside world directly to all that it has to offer. After all, an open mind is more likely to see, appreciate, absorb and incorporate some piece of information than a closed worrying mind. A worrying mind is generally a closed loop. It keeps knocking on the same door again and again and again. The open mind trusts that the outside world is there and has solutions. It only has to be open to receive it. Being physically relaxed and open allows you to not be tense, tight, rigid and inflexible. You are supple and can bend with various pressures as they arise.
The tongue outlasts the teeth. Grass bends when the wind blows and remains rooted and flexible. It doesn’t break and die.
This is something worth working on.
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