Here is a post from my ExerciseSlow site. Before starting the 18 slow movements of Shibashi qigong (Chi-Kung) I do a few of these warming and loosening exercises. Those of us who are well into middle age need to keep flexible and maintain our balance. (By the way, you don’t need to wear pants that are three sizes too big.)
[If the video below is not working, you can see it here.]
Please be careful when starting these exercises. Find some flat ground, at least flatter than I have in the video. It is important not to overdo it. For example, the leg-swinging exercises require a fair amount of balance. Start by doing each exercise well within your capability. I don’t believe in no pain no gain. Gentle and easy is the way to go. There is no competition here and you can do a little as you feel you want to. But it is through time and regular practice that one feels the benefit.The slower you do these exercises, the more demanding they can be. Go gently, go easy.
I just found this video review of SlowDownNow.org on the Business News Network website. Apparently this came out in January so it’s only fitting that a civilized amount of time has elapsed before my discovering it.
In those far-off times, before we invented language, this is how we communicated.
This short film is a project by students at the Central St. Martins school in London.
If you’d like to read more there is a link on the blogroll to villainous.biz. Tea drinking really is a performance, whether it is the quick gulp, or the a leisurely and absent-minded stirring.
Our performance not only attracted many passers-by but also generated in us mixed feelings – though we felt that our actions were forcibly too slow, we felt as if we were practicing yoga: our breathing calmed down, our heart rate appeared to beat slower. Those who stopped to watch us were informed of our project and ask to contribute comments which we audio recorded. It is interesting to note that most people were pleased to watch us and almost observed us with envy, and when asked about what they thought with regards to ‘slow’ living, most responded that it was an unobtainable dream, that though they too wanted to slow down they felt that it was not possible. Few people said that they have recently made changes to their lifestyles, so as to include more quiet time or thinking time, by themselves or with their companions, but all stated that they were not yet satisfied with their quality of life. Most of those who responded positively to our questions were nevertheless in their mid-40s and they tended to stress the fact that their decision to change their lifestyles derived from years of fast-paced living.
If I understand correctly, Jeffrey (of villainous.biz) is 28, so kudos to him for doing a project about slow. In an essay on education, Bertrand Russell, said, “To endure uncertainty is difficult, but so are most of the other virtues.” I think slow is a virtue; and to come by it is not easy. Slow isn’t the same as laziness, or collapse. It’s a way of being in the world. It’s the ground of creativity. Jeffery makes a good observation about a connection between midlife and an appreciation for slow. Maybe you have to suffer from speed to appreciate slow?