By Kimine Mayuzumi In the Tai Chi class that I lead regularly, we always begin with a walking exercise — what I call Tai Chi walking. We walk slowly — probably slower than you might imagine. It feels almost like moving in slow motion. I learn so much from this experience, and I invite you to try this kind of slow, mindful walking one day. I’ve attached a video clip so you can get a…
By Kimine Mayuzumi Some time ago, I created an audio for guided meditation before writing, and it touched the lives of many, helping them set the right intention for their writing sessions. Recently, it was a reader’s comment on that guided meditation that inspired me to take a step further. The reader, like many of us, longed for a way to wrap up their writing sessions, to savor what they had achieved, and to…
By Kimine Mayuzumi In Part I, I discussed why it is (even more) important to be mindful, trust the process and let go of outcomes in this unique context, especially in the neoliberal culture with the pandemics (i.e., virus and social unrest) added. Then, a question I ask here is “what are the conditions and the mindset to create (or at least try to create) within ourselves so that we could more effortlessly be mindful,…
By M’Balia Thomas Aches and pains are the body’s way of getting our attention. My body has been trying to get my attention for the past five years. I have had a year-long recurring cough, unexplained aches in my joints, wonky blood pressure, and a persistent sense of dis-ease. On more than one occasion, I have spent the night in the ER with symptoms I was sure were signs of a heart attack, but ultimately were…
By Lisette E. Torres As a newly disabled Puerto Rican scholar-activist, I have been grappling with how to continue my scholarship in the academy. I have begun a process of returning to meditation and slowness after stopping due to graduate school. In this multimedia blog post, I narrate my poem that focuses on my use of Taiji as an embodied meditative practice and form of resistance through self-care. As I read my poem aloud, my…
