Embark with me, Jeffrey Mort, on an invigorating quest to harness the ancient secrets of Tai Chi for entrepreneurial prowess—just as the world honors the practice on World Tai Chi Day - the last Saturday every April. Imagine if the very essence of this time-honored art could be the catalyst that propels you toward business triumph and personal well-being. This episode is your gateway to discovering how the principles of Tai Chi can fine-tune your focus, amplify resilience, and elevate the energy required to succeed in the competitive world of entrepreneurship.
Our latest installment shines a spotlight on collective practice and the power of the one breath concept, which unifies Tai Chi practitioners globally in a synchronized celebration of positive energy. As we navigate the concept of the rhythmic flow and meditative calm of Tai Chi, you'll learn how these practices are not just exercises in mindfulness, but strategic tools for creativity and decision-making that even the brightest minds at Harvard Medical School are advocating. Prepare to be inspired, for as you integrate the wisdom of Tai Chi into your entrepreneurial journey, the path to breaking boundaries and achieving sustainable success becomes clearer with every breath.
Looking for daily support for your wellness, weight-loss and longevity questions? If you're the kind of entrepreneur that values your health as your greatest asset, naturally you’ll want to join, and invite your friends, family and colleagues to our thriving community where you’ll feel loved, supported, seen and heard! JOIN HERE!
Embark with me, Jeffrey Mort, on an invigorating quest to harness the ancient secrets of Tai Chi for entrepreneurial prowess—just as the world honors the practice on World Tai Chi Day - the last Saturday every April. Imagine if the very essence of this time-honored art could be the catalyst that propels you toward business triumph and personal well-being. This episode is your gateway to discovering how the principles of Tai Chi can fine-tune your focus, amplify resilience, and elevate the energy required to succeed in the competitive world of entrepreneurship.
Our latest installment shines a spotlight on collective practice and the power of the one breath concept, which unifies Tai Chi practitioners globally in a synchronized celebration of positive energy. As we navigate the concept of the rhythmic flow and meditative calm of Tai Chi, you'll learn how these practices are not just exercises in mindfulness, but strategic tools for creativity and decision-making that even the brightest minds at Harvard Medical School are advocating. Prepare to be inspired, for as you integrate the wisdom of Tai Chi into your entrepreneurial journey, the path to breaking boundaries and achieving sustainable success becomes clearer with every breath.
Looking for daily support for your wellness, weight-loss and longevity questions? If you're the kind of entrepreneur that values your health as your greatest asset, naturally you’ll want to join, and invite your friends, family and colleagues to our thriving community where you’ll feel loved, supported, seen and heard! JOIN HERE!
Welcome entrepreneurs and wellness seekers to another electrifying episode of Breaking Boundaries for Entrepreneurs, where we explore innovative strategies for success in business and in life through integrative health. I'm your host, jeffrey Mort, and today we're diving into one of my favorite topics the transformative power of Tai Chi and its implications for entrepreneurial success. And this comes in timely celebration of World Tai Chi and its implications for entrepreneurial success. And this comes in timely celebration of World Tai Chi Day. Stay tuned. Hello, I'm Jeffrey Mort. If you're like most entrepreneurs, you're busy taking care of business, yet who's taking care of you? If you're ready to take your energy and performance to the next level in your life and your business, then this podcast is for you, because today you're going to start breaking boundaries of your mind, body and business with integrative health, and when you do that, your possibilities are limitless. I'm grateful you're here. Yes, always grateful for you joining us today on the Breaking Boundaries for Entrepreneurs podcast. And, you know, for a different perspective on this very same topic, you can check out the blog post that goes along with this podcast and we'll link that up in the show notes, but you can always find that at loveenergywellnesscom slash learn. That's our learning center. Over there All kinds of information for you to dive deep into how integrative health can help you reach your health goals. So today's topic is in celebration of World Tai Chi Day, and Tai Chi isn't just a martial art. It's a holistic practice that cultivates balance, resilience and well-being. As we commemorate World Tai Chi Day, we're going to explore how integrating Tai Chi into your routine can help you break through boundaries, avoid failure and achieve that sustainable success in your entrepreneurial journey. So World Tai Chi Day. It's held annually on the last saturday of april, which is coming up in just a few days, if you're listening to this in um upon its release, and it's a global celebration of this ancient practice. I'm not quite sure when this began, but one of its unique features is the synchronized practice at 10 am, local time in each time zone, emphasizing unity and interconnectedness. So it's what's called the one breath concept and it underscores the unity as practitioners breathe and move as one, creating a powerful ripple effect of positive energy across the globe. So if you can just visualize that, let's say in the United States Eastern Time, 10 am. That's when I'll be joining my Tai Chi group in our annual Tai Chi Day in a local city park here in central Massachusetts, and it's going to be a beautiful day it really is. And so at 10 am, from about 10 to noon, 10 am to noon time we will be practicing Tai Chi and we will be emitting a an energetic presence with the breathing and the movements and the mindset of Tai Chi. Now, if we're doing that from 10 till noon, then at 10 am Central Time those practitioners will begin practicing their Tai Chi and celebrating World Tai Chi Day, and so there's an overlap between our energy and the Central Time Zone energy, and then that will carry over to Mountain Standard Time and then Pacific Time, and this happens all around the globe for all the practitioners that choose to join in with World Tai Chi Day. Now, of course, tai Chi is part of traditional Chinese medicine and it's rooted in ancient China, and of course it's practiced all around the world. And it's absolutely amazing and not just Tai Chi, but Qigong as well.
Speaker 1:
And so, how can Tai Chi? You might be wondering. How can Tai Chi help entrepreneurs thrive in today's competitive landscape? Well, first and foremost, tai Chi promotes holistic well-being, helping you manage things like stress, enhance focus and cultivate resilience by incorporating Tai Chi into your daily routine. What can that do for you well. It can boost your mental clarity and creativity, enabling you to make strategic decisions with confidence and clarity.
Speaker 1:
Now it's interesting I get emails. I'm on the Harvard Medical School email list and I get emails all the time from them and at least a few times a year I get an email that says do try this at home. Studies show that Tai Chi actually works. It's funny how modern science eventually catches up with ancient wisdom, because Tai Chi is nothing new. Tai Chi is thousands and thousands of years old, and qigong is even older than that. So for somebody like harvard medical school or I shouldn't say somebody, but I guess it's a, it's a body of people, um, you know, and it's such such an esteemed uh, school would recognize tai chi and I'm grateful they do. Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not knocking that, but it's. It's funny to me that the emails come through like it's something new that, hey, this, this ancient practice that's thousands of years old, doesn't actually have health benefits, what do you know? And so it's absolutely amazing. And they go deep into, um, all the things that can help with with cardiovascular disease and all kinds of issues.
Speaker 1:
Now, of course, I'm not claiming to treat, diagnose or cure any disease. I'm not providing any medical advice, but what I do as I share my experiences and you may know this about me if you've been listening to the program for a while that Tai Chi and Qigong were actually my lead domino into the wellness space back in 2015, when I decided I made the conscious choice to take control of my own health and average senior center Tai Chi class this is our instructor comes from an athletic background in track and field and boxing and all kinds of things, and has been a Tai Chi practitioner and teacher for, I think, like 35 years now, and so he trains us as athletes. He calls us Tai Chi athletes and that's the type of training that he does. So it's a really different picture, but it's what transformed my life and as I remained committed, so it wasn't just one class and oh, I feel great and I did. I felt great.
Speaker 1:
Well, actually, after the first couple of classes, I felt like I got hit by a truck, but the more that I did it and I stuck with it because I made the commitment to myself, and I made the commitment not subconsciously but quietly, to myself, to my family, because I wasn't able to keep up with my kids. I wasn't my best self when I got home from work every day. I was junk on the weekends because my body was worn out from the construction industry that I was in at the time and I was absolutely on a downward spiral and I corrected I course corrected that downward spiral and started to elevate myself and a lot of these chronic health issues the joint pain, the diseases, the asthma, the all kinds of issues, brain fog and you know, stamina, low libido, all kinds of things started falling by the wayside and I said what else is possible? And, of course, long story short, that's what led me to the Integrative Health Practitioner Institute to get the certifications that you see here behind me as you're watching on video. And so it was absolutely transformative and that's why I love talking about Tai Chi and Qigong and I still practice to this day day, and I'm looking forward to World Tai Chi Day on this coming Saturday, which is the last Saturday of April.
Speaker 1:
So let's talk a little bit more about how Tai Chi teaches valuable lessons in things like adaptability and flow, essential qualities for navigating uncertainty and change, especially in business. You know, when I was, when I started practicing Tai Chi, I was in a leadership position in the construction industry and it absolutely made me a better leader, made me more empathetic to the crews that I led. It made me more adaptable to the changes. You know I was less triggered by other things I was. I was more of an athlete on the job site, meaning like I had better stability, better strength, better balance, all kinds of things, more confidence in corporate settings and meetings and things like that. You know I had confidence prior to becoming a Tai Chi athlete, but it absolutely boosted it to a new level that I had no idea what was possible and it helped me to learn to embrace, change and pivot whenever necessary, turning those obstacles into opportunities for growth and especially innovation.
Speaker 1:
So Tai Chi also fosters a mindset. It's really it starts with a mindset, and that's what our instructor taught us is that it first starts in the mind the movements that you're going to make. You know you don't just make a movement in a sequence, in a flow. You first have the intent of the movement and then you make the movement, and then you have the outcome for the movement, whether that's a martial art or for health benefits or whatever the case may be. So it starts with it intent, which is a mindset of balance and harmony. There's six harmonies to tai chi. I'm not going to get into that. That would actually make a great podcast episode, uh in the future.
Speaker 1:
But that balance and harmony, it's crucial for maintaining a healthy work-life integration and as entrepreneurs, it's so easy to get caught up in the hustle and the grind, neglecting our wellbeing. That's the position that I was in. I was 100% neglecting my wellbeing. I was doing absolutely nothing for my health until I started doing this. And you know, in that process, it's important to be able to start giving back to ourselves, because, you know, you've heard the saying that it's difficult to pour from an empty cup. Well, nothing could be further from the truth. It is absolutely. Well, I shouldn't say that that is the truth. It's difficult to pour from an empty cup, but it's cliche, is, I guess, what I meant there. And by prioritizing self-care and mindfulness through practices like Tai Chi, we can sustain our energy and our creativity and our passion for our work.
Speaker 1:
Now my passion actually changed from the work that I was doing, which I didn't feel so passionate about it anymore, but I realized what I was passionate about, and that was health and wellness, and all of my conversations started turning towards. You know I wouldn't just go take the Tai Chi conversation and start throwing that at people that weren't interested, but when they could see, like how do you have so much energy all day long? And when they could see the transformation with the things that I was going through, like mood and weight loss and complexion and all kinds of things like that, you know they would ask and then I would share with them and it was absolutely amazing and I knew that that was leading to my greater long-term success, whether it was in that industry or now being a certified integrative health practitioner, a certified high-performance health coach, you know, getting into the mindset of National Guild, certified consulting hypnotist, all of the things that I would never have ended up going through all of those processes of education so that I could help other people if it was not for Tai Chi and Qi Gong. Now you might be wondering how can you start integrating Tai Chi into your busy schedule as an entrepreneur. Well, the good news is you don't need hours of practice to experience the benefits. Even just a few minutes of Tai Chi each day can make a significant difference. A significant difference in your well-being and productivity, and whether it's in a morning routine to set the tone for the day, or a quick midday break to recharge your energy. Find what works for you and commit to it consistently.
Speaker 1:
I started with one day a week. I started going to that one day a week class. I told you I felt like I'd get hit by a truck, took me a couple days to recover. Then I would start going for the second day. So our routine was Tuesday night, thursday night, sunday morning, and so I started with one class. Then I started doing two classes a week and then you know what else is possible. How would I feel if I went to three classes a week? And I'll tell you, those night classes, those nighttime classes, had a different energy and a different vibe than that Sunday morning class and I really enjoyed that Sunday morning class to start my day off right that way.
Speaker 1:
So, as we wrap up today's episode here, I encourage you to take action towards incorporating Tai Chi into your life and in your business and remember it's those small, consistent steps that can lead to profound transformation over time. And if you are ready to take your well-being to the next level, as always, I invite you to schedule your complimentary health consultation over at Love Energy Wellness. You can visit our website loveenergywellnesscom to book your completely free 20-minute health consultation today, and what I will do is I will link up. So, although my Tai Chi group that I belong to does not do virtual classes it's always in person I will link up another one that I absolutely. I have no affiliation with them, it's just one that I absolutely love. Lee Holden is the instructor. He has a complete online program for that, where you can learn so much about.
Speaker 1:
It's actually Qigong, but they are celebrating World Tai Chi Day as well. They're going to do some Tai Chi at 10 am Pacific time on Saturday, the what would that be? That would be the Saturday, the 27th of April 2024. And even if you're listening to this podcast after that date, you can still click on the link or look up Lee Holden or Holden Qigong. It's spelled Q-I-G-O-N-G. I don't know why I stumbled on that. I've spelled it a million times. Holden Qigong. You can find them on all the social media platforms, but itauk Chia is one of the great teachers of Qigong from the traditional Chinese practice, and his teachings are absolutely amazing as well. So thank you for tuning in to Breaking Boundaries for Entrepreneurs and until next time. Keep breaking those boundaries, stay resilient and embrace the flow of success. I appreciate you listening. We'll see you next time. Bye-bye.