5 Steps to Maximize Learning

by Sifu Anthony Korahais

FlowingZen.com By S Anthony K Anthony Korahais 1 ifu orahais

Maybe you are already learning Tai Chi, Qigong, Kung Fu, or Meditation, or maybe you want to learn. Either way, you can maximize your learning and save a lot of time if you follow these 5 Steps.

Step #1 Get a Map

If you don't know where you're going, you might not get there. -Yogi Berra

The first step is to get a map. With arts like Tai Chi, Qigong, Kung Fu, and Meditation, knowledge is your map. Knowledge will give you birds-eye view of the territory that you are trying to cross. What is the difference between Tai Chi and Qigong (also spelled Chi Kung)? What are the benefits of Meditation? Is Kung Fu similar to Karate? If you cant answer questions like these, then you need to do more research. You need a map. Without a map, you will wander around aimlessly, and waste precious time. Many students tell me that they want to learn Tai Chi. But when I ask them why they want to learn Tai Chi, they dont have an answer. The truth is that some students actually want to learn Qigong, not Tai Chi. If these students had a better

understanding of the differences between the two arts, then they wouldnt spend time, energy, and money learning Tai Chi. They would just learn Qigong. For example, if you are interested in promoting health and vitality, getting out of pain, and getting your internal energy flowing, but you are not interested in partner drills, FlowingZen.com Anthony Korahais 2

strength and flexibility exercises, or self defense, then it would be unwise for you to pursue Tai Chi or Kung Fu both of which are martial arts. So where can you find a map? Where can you gain the knowledge that you need? There is a lot of information out there. Unfortunately, lots of it is also confusing or misleading. When I was searching for my own map years ago, I read hundreds of books before I found the information that I was looking for. I also wasted years practicing arts that werent a good fit for me. My mission is to share quality information about Tai Chi, Qigong, Kung Fu, and Meditation. My website is a great place to start. For example, if you havent already read my eBook Secrets of Healing from Within, then I hope you will check it out. I think youll find it to be informative. You can download it for free here: http://flowingzen.com/secrets I also highly recommend my teachers books. I think they are the best available on the subjects of Tai Chi, Qigong, Kung Fu, and Meditation. You can find links to his books on my website. (Please note that my teacher uses the spelling Chi Kung instead of Qigong. Both words are pronounced the same and use the same Chinese

characters. Qigong has become the standardized spelling, so I choose to use it. ) http://flowingzen.com/books Im not saying that you shouldnt read books by other masters; Im saying read my teachers books first. You wont be disappointed. His books are amazing. If you think Im just praising his books because hes my teacher, then youve got it backwards. Hes my teacher because his books are so awesome. Years ago, I found my map, and it has served me well for decades. Go find your map. Youll be glad you did.

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Step #2 Set Goals

Man is a goal-seeking animal. His life only has meaning if he is reaching out and striving for his goals. -Aristotle

The next step is to set goals. One big reason why some students progress faster than others is because they are clearer about their goals. Getting clearer about your goals is important. Really important. Did I mention that this is important? Too often, people enter into arts like Tai Chi without clear goals. If you ask them why they want to learn, they dont have an answer. A common answer I hear is I want to relax. Thats a noble goal, but its too vague. All four arts that I teach Tai Chi, Qigong, Kung Fu, and Meditation will help you to relax. In fact, relaxation is a basic requirement for practicing these arts. So if you just want to learn to relax, then why learn a martial art like Tai Chi? So how do we set good goals? The simplest way is to use the SMART goal-setting method. All of your goals should be: Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant Timed

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First, make your goals specific. For example, aiming to lose weight is not specific. Instead, aim to lose 2 inches off your waist. Aiming to have more energy is too vague. Instead, aim to have enough energy to play with the kids after work. Second, your goals should be measurable. If you cant measure it, you cant manage it. Adjust your goals so that you can measure and track progress, even if that measurement is subjective. For example, instead of just aiming to be pain free, track your pain levels over the course of a few months. Are they decreasing? Are you on the right track even if your pain isnt 100% gone yet? Third, every goal should also be attainable. Dont shoot too low, but if you shoot too high, then you are setting yourself up for failure. A good compromise is to work towards long-term goals by using shorter, attainable goals as stepping stones. For example, instead of aiming to cure your depression, aim for a depression-free day. Once you attain that, aim for a depression-free week, and then a depression-free month. When you hit a depression-free year, then you can safely say that you are pretty well cured of your depression. Fourth, your goals should be relevant. In other words, they should be meaningful to you. Dont set a goal to get flexible unless you truly WANT to get flexible. If youre not motivated by a goal, then its better to put it off until later. Start with other goals first, and gradually build up your confidence. On the other hand, you need to meditate deeply on what you want, not just in the short term, but in the long run. For example, diabetics may not particularly want to cut out white flour and sugar, but when they weigh this against long-term wants, they will realize that they really do want to cut out flour and sugar. The discipline to make short-term sacrifices comes from remembering what you want in the long run. Fifth, all goals should be timed. There should be a due date. For example, instead of aiming to just improve your digestion, you should aim to have decreased bloating FlowingZen.com Anthony Korahais 5

after meals within 30 days. Instead of aiming to just get healthy, aim to see noticeable changes in your blood work within 3 months. In my experience, its best to time goals in periods of 30 days, 3 months, or 3 years. I call this The Rule of Three. (Yes, I realize that 30 isnt exactly a 3, but it starts with a 3, which is close enough for jazz!) When you think of a goal, you should ask yourself, Can I do this in 30 days, 3 months, or is it a long-term, 3-year goal? Pick the one that is most appropriate for your goal. For example, aiming to have more energy for work and play might be a 30-day goal, aiming to be free of your back pain might take 3 months, and aiming to be able to defend yourself against a skilled boxer might take 3 years. Why not 6 months or 12 months for certain goals? Because if youre not knocking off short-term goals, youre likely to lose focus and motivation. So really, 3-year goals should be hit by knocking off lots of 30-day and 3-month goals. This simplifies things even further because most of your goals will be reassessed in 30 days or 3 months. Easy. Remember that even if you dont accomplish your goal on time you should still be able to see progress -- if youre following the SMART method. For example, lets say that you set a goal to lose 2 inches from your waist in 30 days. After 30 days, you measure your waist, and youve only lost 1.5 inches. Does this mean youve failed? Or should you keep going a little further? On the other hand, if you set a goal to lose 2 inches in 30 days, but by the end of the time period youve actually gained 1 inch, then youre doing something wrong. Now that you know that youre doing something wrong, you can get back on track! Keep reading to find out how to get back on track.

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Step #3 Find a Teacher

When the pupil is ready to learn, a teacher will appear. -Zen Proverb

You need a teacher. You need a living, breathing, flesh-and-blood teacher who you can learn from face to face. This may not be what you want to hear, but its the simple truth. The information age has made us lazy. We press a few buttons, and like magic, we receive information on just about anything. But we often confuse information with skill. You can read several books on heart surgery, and maybe even find a few DVDs, but youre never going to learn it from behind your keyboard. At least I hope not! Gathering information is important for Step #1 (Get a Map), but its not enough. There is no substitute for learning directly from a living master. Let me say that again. There is no substitute for learning directly from a living master. Heres a little secret: three hours with a great teacher is worth three years with a mediocre teacher. This is difficult for beginners to believe. It doesnt seem possible, but Im not exaggerating!

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Heres why.

Teaching these arts involves a transmission of energy, not just a

transmission of information. In ancient China, this was known as the "Heart-to-Heart Transmission". Modern studies have shown that when two people are in the same room, the electromagnetic signals generated by one person can influence the other person's brain rhythms. This is exactly what happens with arts like Tai Chi, Qigong, Kung Fu, and Meditation. The teachers energy influences the brain rhythms of students in the room. Dont get me wrong. Im a big fan of modern technology, and I obviously use it. In fact, I created an audio lesson to take advantage of modern technology. The audio lesson is absolutely not the same as the heart-to-heart transmission, but hopefully it will give you a taste. You can download it for free here: http://flowingzen.com/audio My mission is to spread quality information about these arts, and in order to do that, I need to highlight the importance of finding a teacher. I created the audio lesson to inspire you to find a teacher, not to act as a substitute. Be prepared to travel to learn from a good teacher. We'd all love to have a master in our own town, but that's about as likely as winning the lottery. If you do happen to have a good teacher in your town, then cherish him or her. Good teachers are a rare treasure. Luckily, these arts are 80% practice, and 20% learning. This works in your favor. This means that it is possible to learn from a teacher who lives far away. Im a living example of this. My teacher lives in Malaysia. Throughout most of my training, I saw him only once or twice a year. Since I met him in 1997, I have never spent more than a month with him at one time. So how did I become a master? FlowingZen.com Anthony Korahais 8

Practice. I took what I learned and practiced it diligently at home. By the time I went back to see my teacher, I was ready for more. Many students have used the same method to learn from me, including some of my best students! And of course, Im not the only one who learned from my teacher this way. So take heart. You may have to travel to find a good teacher, but you can still get great results. All you have to do is practice on your own. Which brings us to the next step

Step #4 Practice, Practice, Practice

Be soft in your practice. Think of the method as a fine silvery stream, not a raging waterfall. Follow the stream, have faith in its course. It will go its own way, meandering here, trickling there. It will find the grooves, the cracks, the crevices. Just follow it. -Zen Master Sheng Yen

I do a lot for my students. I work hard to make these arts accessible, to translate them into the Western mindset. But theres one thing that I cant do for them. No matter what I do, I simply cant practice for them. The two most common reasons students fail to reach their goals are: 1. They dont practice often enough. 2. The dont practice well enough. Practicing regularly is essential. You need to practice every day, or pretty close to it. This is something that beginners often struggle with.

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In my studio, the basic routine only takes 10-15 minutes. This is doable. Very few people have the discipline to do 1 hour a day. They may do it for a while, but they cant maintain it for the long run. Another reason we keep the basic routine short is because it keeps the quality higher. Focusing for 15 minutes is doable; focusing for 30 minutes is much harder. By keeping the length of the session shorter, we keep the quality higher, and the results shoot up dramatically. Actually, I even teach a 2-Minute session for when students dont have time for the basic 15-minute routine. The 2-Minute session also works great as a quick stress relief tool. I encourage my new students to set the following goal: Aim to practice every day for 30 days. Even if they only do the 2-minute drill, they have to do something every day. No excuses. If you miss a day, then start counting again from zero. The 2-minute drill isnt powerful enough to cure depression or hypertension, but thats not the point. The point is to establish your daily practice. Without this, youll never achieve any of your other goals with these arts. Different teachers have different methods. If your teacher wants you to practice an hour a day, consider asking him if there is a shorter version that you can start with to help you build up discipline. If the answer is no (traditional teachers can be very strict), if he demands that you do an hour a day and you arent doing it, then stop wasting his time. You need to find an art that you can commit to practicing daily. Of course, if you do find an art that is a better fit, then you still need to practice!

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Step #5 Identify Problems

Its not that Im so smart; its just that I stay with problems longer. -Albert Einstein

Even if youve followed Steps #1-4 perfectly, you may still run into problems. Its natural. To illustrate this, lets pretend that you want to learn how to speak Spanish. In this case, Steps #1-4 would look like this: Step #1 Get a Map: You learn more about Spanish as a 2nd language by reading some good books and websites. This gives you a map of the territory. Step #2 Set Goals: You set a simple goal to be able to have a simple conversation with your friend, who speaks Spanish fluently, within 3 months. Step #3 Find a Teacher: You find a local instructor and sign up for classes. Step #4 Practice: You study and practice what you learn in class.

So far so good. But what if, after 3 months, you still cant speak Spanish well enough to have a conversation with your friend? What then? This actually happens all the time in the world of Tai Chi, Qigong, Kung Fu, and Meditation. I cant tell you how many people Ive met who have been practicing for years without getting results. All of these people would benefit from Step #5.

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If you are not getting results, then you need to identify the problem. Once you identify the problem, then you can fix it. And once the problem is fixed, youll start getting results. In the above scenario about learning Spanish, there are 4 possible problems. Lets continue with this example to figure out why you still cant speak Spanish after 3 months of effort. There are 4 areas to look at: 1. The teacher. 2. The student. 3. The method. 4. The goal.

Problem #1 The Teacher: Either the teacher doesnt speak Spanish well enough, or he/she doesnt know how to teach it. Both problems trace back to the teacher. The solution is simples -- find another teacher. A Spanish teacher should be fluent in Spanish. Similarly, a Tai Chi or Kung Fu teacher should be able to defend him or herself; a Qigong teacher should be healthy and happy; and a Meditation teacher should have mental clarity and spiritual joy. If not, then its time to find another teacher. Some people are competent in their art, but are lousy teachers. Excellent violinists, for example, dont always make excellent teachers. This situation is acceptable for

advanced students, but not for beginners. A beginner would do better with someone less skillful (but still competent) who is also a good teacher. Problem #2 The Student: Weve already covered this in Step #4 (Practice). Obviously, if youre not practicing, then youre not following the 5 Steps, and the problem is easy to identify. It may not be easy to fix, but at least you know what the problem is! Practice! FlowingZen.com Anthony Korahais 12

I mentioned earlier that this is the most common point of failure. The good news is that students who fail at first can still succeed later. Many students pick themselves up, try again, and this time, they succeed. If youve failed to practice sufficiently, theres still hope. Try again! Problem #3 The Method: This is where it gets confusing, especially with arts like Tai Chi. The example of learning Spanish will help. There are many different methods for learning languages. Some methods focus on grammar, some focus on listening, some focus on speaking, etc. The truth is that some methods are much more successful than others. Good teachers sometimes use bad methods. For example, in high school, I had a

great Spanish teacher. Unfortunately, I didnt learn any Spanish. The teacher was outstanding, but the method that she was forced to use (following an outdated textbook) was terrible. Its important to recognize that Tai Chi, Qigong, Kung Fu, and Meditation are not methods; they are more like languages. Like languages, there are many ways to teach these arts, and some methods are better than others. How can you tell if its the method thats at fault? Its not easy, especially if the teacher is likeable. Talk to other students and find out if they are getting results. Is the method working for them? If not, then youve probably got a method problem. Problem #4 The Goal: If your goal is to learn to speak Spanish fluently in 6 days, then its not a realistic goal. Its not fair to blame the teacher or the method if your goal is unrealistic. In real life, its often a combination of problems. Perhaps the student isnt practicing enough and the teacher is also mediocre. The good news is that if you fix one of the

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problems, other things often fall into place. For example, if you find a better teacher, you may be more inspired to practice.

Conclusion
Do yourself a favor and follow these 5 Steps. Whether youre a fresh beginner, or youve been practicing for years, you can maximize the learning process by taking an honest look at each of these 5 Steps. Ive gotten amazing results from Tai Chi, Qigong, Kung Fu, and Meditation, and so have my friends, my family, and my students. I hope that by following these 5 Steps youll get the results that you deserve!

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