I'm a Student of Tai Chi

Not only have I been participating in a weekly Tai Chi class for one year, I'm now reading The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi by Peter M. Wayne, PhD.

I take great care in reading each page and highlight in yellow those aspects of the book that speak to me.  In the soft cover edition (page 40) I was relieved to find an answer to the frantic brain activity I have when I wake in the middle of the night.  I've compared it to having a bunch of ping pong balls in a small box and shaking them back and forth -- back and forth.  I always thought it was part of a Type A personality, or a sad symptom of my diagnosed OCD.  I now have a phrase for what I'm feeling...

IT IS MONKEY MIND and here is the author's description:

"Monkey mind is excessive distraction or focus on external, past or future events. One of the issues with monkey mind for many people is that the mind wanders and gets lost down dark alleys of thinking and endless ruminating on negative thoughts and what-ifs."

I feel more at peace knowing that I'm not crazy in the head! And Tai Chi takes me to a better place with calm thoughts and gentle continuous movement.  I love my instructor; I love the cricket music he plays; I love the socialization with baby-boomers that are looking for peace of mind and flexibility.

I'll close now and have my one-a-day banana.

Happy trails.