I have decided that my goal is to get my energy back, even with the lingering, burning muscle pain in my back. It occurred to me that my next step should be to find a gentle, regular exercise that I can do each day. I have been so sedentary even with my semi-regular walks. The heat in the San Fernando Valley has stayed in the triple digits for most of the summer, so I have to take my walks at night, and sometimes I am just too tired. Tired only brings more tired. I have to change this.
The plan is to try Tai Chi. I bought two DVDs from Amazon: Tai Chi for Beginners (with master Chris Pei) and Discover Tai Chi for Back Care with Scott Cole. I started with Tai Chi for beginners, thoroughly enjoying the 10 minute warm up. It got me to breath deeply and had me move muscles that I usually ignore, such as my neck and shoulder muscles. The warm up felt great. And I could actually do it! Hooray!
After the warm up, I began the first lesson: The Opening, and Parting the Horses Mane. Master Pei has you stand still and breath for what feels like a lifetime before going into the Opening, and then does it three times. Standing still in one place hurt like hell. My lower back burned. I tried very hard to make it through the lesson, but almost as soon as it had begun, I had to stop.
The next day, I considered just doing the warm up, but couldn’t give myself permission for only that. I felt that I should at least try to learn how to do Tai Chi! It is only Tai Chi for crying out loud! But again, I could not stand still for more than a minute (after the warm up). It was so disappointing, but on the bright side the warm up really energized me, which was my goal in the first place. So, I may not have learned Tai Chi, but I am feeling better!
I am not giving up on the Tai Chi idea. Tomorrow I will try the other DVD. I will let you know how it goes!
Self on the Shelf 
That’s awesome that you are ready to try some gentle exercises! I also purchased some DVDs from Amazon a while back and I also got ones that were Tai Chi for beginners and Qi Gong for beginners. I watched both DVDs first so I had an idea of what to expect, and I ended up starting with the Qi Gong DVD. I can’t twist or bend, so I will have to work up to doing Tai Chi movements. But I’m here to say that you might like the Qi Gong movements as well. Believe it or not, they are even more gentle than the Tai Chi movements. You can even take a look on YouTube for some ideas and lessons on Qi Gong (The 8 pieces of the brocade was included in the DVD I have). So great to hear you’re enjoying the new exercises and you’re starting where you’re able to start. 🙂
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Thank you so much! Your comment and support are so appreciated and made me really happy this morning. I will look into Qi Gong. What a great idea! 🤗
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