Resolutions
by Sifu Anthony Korahais

I first learned from my teacher in 1997 in San Francisco.  At the time, I was beginning to slide into the grips of clinical depression.  Flowing Zen was exactly what I needed to stop the slide.

If I had practiced, I would have avoided the worst of my depression. But I didn't practice. For almost 2 years, I was a terrible student. I practiced irregularly. Most importantly, the quality of my practice was very low.

So what changed?  How did I turn my life around? How did I change from a bad student into a star student?

I did it with a simple decision: A few days before January 1st, 2000, I resolved to practice “Lifting The Sky” every day, no matter what.  I decided there was no good reason not to practice for at least a few minutes a day.  

It was time to commit.

It wasn't easy. Despite the difficulties, I stuck with my resolution. Of course, the longer I stuck with it, the more momentum I built, and the easier things got.

Today, it's easy for me to practice because it has become an enjoyable habit. But back then, it was difficult. The practice session itself was never that hard, but convincing my mind to BEGIN the session was torture. And whenever I missed a session, the guilt would roll in.

Bit by bit, however, I crawled out of my depression. Soon, I got a better job. Then I found a better apartment with a room dedicated to practicing chi kung and kung fu. By the end of 2000, I had saved enough money for a trip to Malaysia to see my teacher.

For over 7 years, I kept the momentum of that resolution going. I did not miss a single day of Lifting The Sky. To this day, I have not missed a single day of practice, although I do not always practice Lifting The Sky. Sometimes, I just practice for a few minutes, but I make the effort to practice every single day, no matter what.

By committing to this one simple decision, I was able to build enough strength to make other, life-changing resolutions down the road, like quitting smoking, quitting my job, and pursuing my life's passion. That resolution was like the key that unlocked all of my life's potential.

Here are some tips for keeping your practice healthy.

1. Buy a ZENpass

The best way to stay in practice is to stay in class. Over and over, my experience as a teacher has shown this to be true. This is an option that I myself did not have. My teacher was on the other side of the world. He still is!

I am offering more and more classes these days. Maybe you've never thought of trying Tai Chi, or Zen Meditation, or Kung Fu. Don't just think about it. Come to class. Variety is the spice of life, and we are lucky to have a wide variety of regular classes.

Money is an exchange of energy. When you buy a ZENpass, you make a commitment. You invest in yourself. The beautiful thing about Flowing Zen is that even a small investment can pay off huge dividends.

2. Make a commitment, and stick with it.

You can commit to anything you like. For example, you can commit to practicing for 30 days in a row. Or you might commit to a goal, like ending your back pain. Or you can commit to taking my classes for a year. If you'd like to make your commitment more official, then I encourage you to share it with your spouse, a friend, or with me.

Here's a example. Write this on a piece of paper, and put it someplace where you'll see it every day:

"This year, I am going to commit to practicing the 2-Minute Drill every day, no matter what happens. No matter what!"

For those of you who have not learned the 2-minute drill, you can click here to learn about it.

3. Practice with family and friends.

As you may have noticed, hundreds of people in Florida have learned from me. Unfortunately, some of those people have fallen out of practice. Chances are, you know someone who has learned Flowing Zen and wants to get back into practice. Setting up a "practice date" can be a great way for both of you to keep your practice regular. People go to the gym, to the park, and to dancing classes with friends. Why should Flowing Zen be any different?

4. Read my teacher's books.

Many of you already own a few of my teacher's books. Even after 11 years of reading and rereading them, I still find them to be a source of inspiration. After reading a few pages of my teacher's books, I invariably want to run outside and practice. I think many of you will agree.

5. Don’t be too hard on yourself. 

Don't be too hard on yourself, but don’t be too soft on yourself either.  The key is to find the happy medium.  A quote might help:

“If the sitar string is too loose, it will not play a song.  If the string is too tight, it will break.”  --Buddha

The goal is to find the happy medium where the string will play a song because it is “neither too tight nor too loose”. If you set your goal too high, then you are setting yourself up for failure. 

For example, if you resolve to practice 15 minutes twice every day without fail, you will likely miss a session or a day.  And then what?  Missing a day is no big deal if you resume practicing the following day.  But if you are so frustrated with your failure that you just give up, then a missed day can turn into a missed month, or a missed year.

Looking back, it’s easy for me to kick myself.  If only I had practiced from the beginning!  I would be so much healthier today if I had!  And so on.

But let’s look at the flip side.  It’s true that I wasted 2 years, but it’s also true that I could have wasted many more.  Rather than become frustrated and give up, I got back up on the horse and tried again. 

Everyone wrestles with these issues sooner or later.

Those of you who have read my article about depression know that I sincerely feel that Cosmos Chi Kung saved my life.  During my depression, I went through phases where suicide seemed like a real solution. In retrospect, I can’t really complain about those 2 missed years.  I'm alive.  More than alive.  I’m happy and vibrantly healthy.  And I owe it all to that decision I made in January, 2000.

6. Enjoy your practice.

No really. Enjoy yourself! These arts are simply amazing, and they should enrich our lives on a daily basis. Some gentle discipline is needed, but the process is truly enjoyable. The more you enjoy your practice, the more "addicted" you'll become.

As we enter the new year, I want to encourage all of my students, new and old, active and inactive, to enjoy your practice. For those of you who are not yet my students -- I want to encourage you to get started!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, and HAPPY PRACTICING!

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