Observations

“Yes, they look happy because of their wealth. You do not know, however, what is on their mind,” SNS told me with gravity one day. There is no doubt it is all about our mind, however you want to define it. I believe it is our thinking process with all the biases we bring along as we mature. The trick is to remove the biases and keep our mind free to roam.

For many years, every day, I have been practicing qigong’s (pronounced: shee-gong) slow and fluid movements (even slower than tai-chi) -- 20 minutes in the evening before going to bed and 55 minutes in the morning including stretching exercises. Following the closing of the markets I jog for at least 50 minutes. These drills make me achieve the mental balance I need to face every day the whims of the markets and the responsibilities of money management.

In the evening I try to use movements and mind interaction to achieve peace and harmony. It is very difficult, but you know when you get it. There is an enormous serenity and calm in and around you. Your body loses its physical features as it tries to absorb your mind. As I breathe slowly with my stomach moving my hands or my arms, I let myself go places difficult to describe. I feel in animated suspension.

My mind explores all the parts of my body until I do not feel my body anymore. It lasts a few seconds, but it is really worth trying. The Taoists say this is the time when you find Tao (however you define it). In the morning I do the same exercises, but I add more physical routines. One of them is to place the tip of your toes against the wall and slowly bend your legs to touch the knees with your hands. Then, slowly go up. I do it 20 times. At the end you feel light and ready to jump.

The objective of qigong is to relax and rebalance your mental and energy levels. The Taoist philosophers and qigong practitioners maintain that achieving this mind-body balance in harmony with anything around you is the necessary step to preserving healthy physical conditions.

(This Observations appeared in the 6-12-2006 issue of The Peter Dag Portfolio ).

George Dagnino, PhD Editor,
The Peter Dag Portfolio.
Since 1977
2009 Market Timer of the Year by Timer Digest
Portfolio manager

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