When I was in my 20′s, I worked hard on my forms, but Chi did not come and frankly it really was not important to me. If it did, it was only for fleeting moments. And now that I look back on it, that recognition was a significant event.
In my 30′s I turned within and sat quietly and listened. My forms were rote and purely physical – they kept my now sedentary lifestyle from freezing my body up entirely.
In my 40′s I continued to listen within, but also tried to brute force my forms and probably injured myself more than anything else. Then someone worked with me to listen WHILE I did my forms… Chi was there all the time, I just didn’t see it.
In my 50′s the Chi came when I was willing to devote the time to my forms… In movement, in breath, in stillness – it’s there, it always was, it always will be.
How about you? Where are you on your journey? When and where do you find your center?
So you doing your form and your teacher says “go deeeep” and you do and then your knee tells you “nice try” but at this particular point, on this specific day, you HAVE GONE TOO FAR! Ouch….
Injuries happen and for me it’s usually at some spot where I have been injured before. Sometimes it comes out of nowhere and others the injury is completely understandable.
Bottom line – after an injury I usually don’t spend the time letting it heal, I start to work out again too soon and reinjure myself. In my Kung Fu days, Lee would always tell me – give it a rest Rick and you’ll heal twice as fast.
Now that my primary activity is Tai Chi, it’s a little easier to see it coming, to back off and prevent anything major
Whether you call it Chi, Ki, Prana, Kundalini or anything else, internal energy does exist…. I know that now.
Qi Gong and Tai Chi are for some unknown reason the conduit that makes this life force available to my perception of it. The masters of long ago, inspired by who knows what, developed these exercises and to them I am truely grateful.
I practice Tai Chi and Qi Gong every day (well almost everyday…) Anyway, when something becomes a habit, doing the laundry or exercising and I hate to say it, Tai Chi too, I have a tendency to just go through the motions, get done what needs to happen and move on… I don’t really pay as much attention as I should, it’s automatic.
Well, occasionally I have a breakthrough and see things that I did not previously observe…
I was watching a YouTube vid on Tai Chi Walking (link on a previous post) and what the guy was saying has really affected not only my Tai Chi, but the way I move in daily activity.
To put a foot forward (this is Qi Gong to be hard to explain, but what the heck…) To put your foot forward but keep you weight back until your front foot is fully planted, and then, and only then roll forward into the step, really keeps you grounded, more focused and balanced. Another thing, is when you roll forward, don’t extend beyond your knee. We studied this in Karate and Kung Fu, but not to this level of observable detail…
So he mentioned it, it watched this video for – well no more than 10 minutes and there you go. The extraordinary in the ordinary… I just need to pay attention – One moment at a time.
Moving in Tai Chi and moving as we go through our day, shouldn’t be different, however for me there is…
When I walk through my day, I am not MINDFUL of the movement! Not good?
Well, you might say – it’s instinct you idiot! Everybody (most everybody) knows how to walk… Well yes this is true, but in practice, to further the flow of Chi, Chi has to follow the mind, and if you’re not paying attention, who knows where it’s gonna go!
The center is below the navel – the dan tien and to move from there is different. To walk with your center in mind, you don’t over extend your movement. As in sparring; my weight is never beyond my circle, never extended past my knee when advancing; to do so would put me “off balance”. Internally Chi is “dispersing”, it’s not concentrated and focused.
So walk from the center, stay back and put your foot in front of you, not on top of it, don’t be in a hurry.
There’s a great YouTube video on this concept – seems like a together guy - Steven Hua
I know those involve in MMA work out long and hard – that comes as no surprise to me. The versatility required is huge, competition is huge and there is ALWAYS someone just a bit stronger, faster, you name it…
But how much of winning is “mind” and how much is “body”. I think that you would agree that winning is all about mind and of course skill, tone, endurance, speed.. all that stuff has to be there too!
However, when you get in the ring with another guy, the last thing you want to do is underestimate him… he has probably been working out just as hard as you have – bet on it. But mind is a different thing entirely….
For the record, I am not an MMA competitor, as a matter of fact, I just study Tai Chi now, but I studied Karate and Kung Fu for many years- I am older now and just don’t heal like I used to…
I wish I knew then what I know now!
Tai Chi will provide you with a center, a core and an energy that you might not have ever felt before. Of course the pace in Tai Chi is much slower than you are used to and that’s good, getting in touch with your balance, breath and subtle body movement can give you an edge.
Don’t take my word for it.. check it out and I would love to hear about the results …
After 48 hours of straight travel, finally arriving in LuoYang China, about 1000 miles inland from Beijing…I was looking forward to a good nights sleep…
And at first I thought that my “dreams” would come true. My host had arranged for no meetings til mid afternoon and I was alllll set…
At first I thought I was hearing things, the sound of dissonant blaring music that seemed to be outside my window,
I was disoriented to say the least… what was wrong with this picture?
Yes the the music was foreign but to a western beat… I looked at my clock … 6 AM!!
Wait a minute, it can’t be outside my window, I was on the 8th floor of the hotel!
Through this cognitive dissonance, I stumbled to the window and squinted through the curtains to see the main town square far below filled with people doing Tai Chi and Qi Gong in a myriad of forms.
I am not an impulsive person by nature, but something told me to get dressed, get down there and get in to the middle of it! I mean WHEN would I have a chance to do this again???
The Chinese are a curious and welcoming people and being one of only a few Caucasians in LouYang – a city of about 1 million people, certainly contributed to their interest. But they really paid little attention to me in the square; it was natural to them to be there early in the morning and exercise….
The music, the extreme humidity and the crowded square; the forms were intoxicating, exciting and these early mornings were some of the fondest memories of my trip… but if I never return, I will always have that experience.
Be receptive to the opportunity before you, you may never have it again…
Occasionally my teacher will quietly say …. “Don’t forget to breathe” as we practice Qi Gong or Tai Chi… Sometimes I think she’s reading my mind! I get so caught up in movement, balance etc. etc…. all the other important stuff, that I find myself holding my breath!
I think back to instances when sparring and doing the same thing, and you know, whenever I held my breath, I completely lost the flow of the moment, the follow through, the technique that would have scored the point. Worse yet, forcing the breath also leads to tension an injuries… don’t I know it!
Have you ever noticed when you are in a tense situation that you hold your breath? How about it just becoming shallow, not cleansing and kind of jagged?
In my opinion, Chi flows with the breath and the mind, so if you are holding your breath, you are really holding and blocking the mind and your natural energy from the natural course…
Years ago I had a Tai Chi instructor that taught us to walk, hands on the small of the back, moving mindfully, rolling on the heels and the balls of our feet… It was relaxing and probably did some very good things for the flow of Chi…
That was a long time ago.
Fast forward 30 years – I am walking through the town square in Luo Yang China, about 1000 miles inland from Beijing… people brush painting on the concrete, others doing sword forms others doing hand forms in unison… when all at once an older man walked by me doing my Tai Chi walk!
9000 miles and 30 years, I guess it’s just a spec on the Tai Chi time line.
While I do go on walks every day, I don’t do “the walk”, as a matter of fact, I probably would not have thought about it except for the old man in the town square.
The moral of the story, keep your eyes open, be receptive to what’s going on around you… Lessons can come at any time…
I think I will incorporate it. What the heck … balance, breathing, gaze the whole deal – Stay tuned…
Oh, if you like my posts, please be sure to tell your friends and definately subscribe to the feed…
Happy August… Sunny and hot here in the Nor Cal Valley…
Standing in a good Tai Chi posture or the Wu Chi is so easy to forget, to just relax your shoulders, sink your knees a breath naturally, relax your gaze and let your thoughts flow freely.
This simple exercise is so thearaputic when done outside, early in the morning. It’s interesting to note that from there, the form comes naturally. Sometimes I will find myself at the end of it and wonder how the heck I got there!
Over all the years that I studied various marital arts, and it was SELDOM that I was aware of the flow of chi.
I can recall at the height of my training in Sil Lum Kung Fu, the sensation of energy separate from muscle and effort, something apart of my physical training – but that came and went in one fleeting moment. The irony of that moment is that I NEVER forgot it…
Fast forward 30 years… Here I am 50+ years old, learning Tai Chi AGAIN… and there’s the sensation, there’s the energy that I felt so long ago. The huge difference is that now, it’s doesn’t just disappear. It comes back when I practice Qi Gong (Tai Chi warm ups) and Tai Chi.
Sometimes I feel it in a business meeting, or on a walk or wherever…
As I have mentioned, I am not interested right now in studying anything other than Tai Chi, but I am absolutely certain, that the Chi that I now experience was always there, always present and a driving force, but just had to be properly coaxed, had to be awakened.
It’s not hard to do, it does not take great discipline, it just takes persistence and some stillness. I am no master, I am a student and I am learning.
I really don’t care what art you are studying – Tai Chi can and will augment and enhance your training… Try it, it won’t take you long to determine whether or not I am full of it…
Has there ever been a martial arts school that did not look at all other schools as some how inferior?
A buddy of mine, nice guy, I study Tai Chi with him twice a week, have been for the past couple of years starts to take Karate on the side. Somebody cut him a deal and so he has been working out at one of the most well known studios in town.
He’s excited and has been asking me questions and what do I think about this and that. I have just encouraged him to take it a day at a time, explore and see what he thinks.
Tonight after our workout he mentions a mutual aquaintance, an accomplished black belt, one that I have studied with over the years – we will call him “Bob” … Well Bob, proceeds to tell my Tai Chi friend that the Karate school that he is going to is a “black belt mill”…
Ironically the school where Bob and I studied together for three years is no more, it folded. At the same time, the “black belt mill” is still doing fine and has been for many years. The Sensei that runs that school is internationally recognized…
I think one of the positive things that MMA has done for the marital arts community as a whole, has been to blend different arts and styles and recognize that all martial arts have there place and application in the overall scheme of things.
Put another way, in the words of Bruce Lee…”do what works best for you”.
Your practice is 80% mind…. follow Mr. Lee’s advice and move on…
When I was a teenager, learning Judo and Karate while strenuous and a cause of many a sore muscle, was not that much of a physical challenge. In my 20’s, learning Kung Fu was a muscle and wind building exercise. Speed, timing, balance and endurance were just a matter of practice...
Patience did not exist. Giving things time to heal was not in my nature.
In my 30’s I began to more easily gain weight than build muscle. I met my future wife in my first Tai Chi class…
During that time, we started having and raising children and I started to turn within… I must have read 30 versions and interpretations of the Tao Te Ching, Alan Watts, lots of Yoga, practiced meditation and continued practicing my forms.
In my 40’s my stamina waned, bones broke and sprains came more easily. Exercise at times outpaced the strength of youth, my wife wondered if a heart attack was imminent!
Turning within even more…Yoga and meditation became a very important part of my life.
At the same time, in my infinite wisdom I started to actively study Karate again on a daily basis, sparring, kata, competition. Needless to say, the speed was not there and I realized that I was NOT immortal and by the way, quite “breakable”. I now had no choice but wait to heal and healing took 3 times as long…
In my early 50′s, I started to study Tai Chi again. The presence of internal energy (chi) startled me as I had never experienced it before in any of my previous martial arts training. Unfortunately, my instructor decided to stop teaching and I was tremendously disappointed. While I continued to do forms from earlier training, Tai Chi was shelved.
Now, well into my 50’s I am studying Tai Chi again and the chi returned almost instantly. My instructor and most of the students are women and for that reason, the testosterone is thankfully at low levels.
My balance, wind, endurance, strength and focus are gradually returning. As a result of my age and being a father for over 20 years, I have patience that I once could only have dreamed of.
Tai Chi has given me a method of healing body, mind and spirit and to be honest with you many of the benefits are still beyond my grasp.
Maybe the reason why most people start studying Tai Chi later in life, is that most of us are really not ready for it… To breath deeply, relax, to move, make mistakes and laugh at them requires a maturity that until recently, I for one did not have… This is not to say that those much younger than I cannot study or benefit from it… that’s just what it took for me…
While this site is devoted to the study of Tai Chi, it as a subject does not exist in a vacuum relative to other martial arts. While I understand that some do not practice Tai Chi for it’s martial benefits, it’s origins in great part are rooted in self defense.
My Style is Better Than Your Style
More than not, most martial artists contend that their particular style or system is superior to others, I feel strongly that when looked at as a whole a well rounded set of skills or tools can help you to deal with specific and unpredictable situations in life.
Don’t Take Is So Hard
Take for instance Judo. As you probably know, or maybe not, the primary focus in Judo is in throwing, sweeping or grappling (wrestling) with your opponent – “Hands On” stuff. However the first thing that I learned when studying Judo was to fall – and when I say fall, I mean FALL HARD!
Somebody’s throwing you, you’re going down… you don’t have time to think about it… you best know how to land… right?
True Story
Here’s a tribute to this that if not told by whom it was I would have a hard time believing it happened…
I was having coffee with a good friend – Lorenzo a while back – he’s in his mid 70′s and has never studied Judo or any other martial art… However his son has been taking Aikido (Judo on steroids) for a while.
During a visit between my friend and his son, they discussed and worked the basic principals and mechanics of falling, specifically a forward roll… Now please understand that this is a special family and all in this “clan” are VERY good communicators… So the “Lesson” is taught and they go on with their lives…
A short time later, Lorenzo is walking out the back door of his sons house, slips on the step, falls forward, tucks, rolls, does a 360 and lands STANDING ON HIS FEET! One lesson that perhaps saved him from serious injury. No joke, witnesses present – it happened…
The Moral of the Story
So the moral to this story is to be open to developing other skills, whether you are studying Tai Chi, or Karate or whatever, sooner or later, you are going to lose your balance, you are going down and you are going to hit the deck. In Lorenzo’s case, his training consisted of probably a 30 minute discussion and demonstration – it really does not matter.
Be open to learning all the time; if you are trained in a “hands off” style like Karate or Kung Fu, get comfortable with sweeps, throws or at least falling. If you are into Judo or Aikido, you might want to investigate “hands on” styles… You get the idea…
Practicing Qi Gong and Tai Chi on a daily basis is to me on par with eating and drinking water. Without it, not only do I feel mentally unprepared for the day, but also my physical energy and vitality suffer as well.
I think that it’s safe to say that those that do practice regularly and daily, progress much more rapidly in the Tai Chi journey, at any martial art or other physical activity.
The physical aspect to this is what I refer to as “Body Knowledge”…
I don’t think that I have ever read about it anywhere and it’s just a lesson that I learned a long time ago that goes something like this…
When learning a form, regardless of what it is, Tai Chi, Kung Fu, whatever, at first – strive to go through motions just learned without a great deal of thought. I know this sound’s ludicrous but hear me out…
For me, the body retains the motions more readily than the mind. To watch, listen, take it “in” and SHUT the mind down, to let the body absorb the movements – each one – and one to another, is a method of retaining movement that is far superior to thinking too hard…
One night many years ago, my Kung Fu instructor – Lee Burchfield, was working with me on a technique with which I was having a great deal of difficulty. After a period of time and in exasperation, Lee recited the following to me…
“A centipede was happy quite,
Until a frog in fun
Said, “Pray, which leg comes after which?”
This raised her mind to such a pitch,
She lay distracted in the ditch
Considering how to run…” *
Lee smiled at me, and said “Guess who you are?”…. Turned and walked away…
What else could I say?
Alan Watts wrote Tao and the Watercourse Way in the early 1970′s. In that book, Watts elaborated on the Tao and the flowing nature of his life – coincidentally, in those final years of his life he took an active interest in Tai Chi…
It’s ironic, but again maybe not that at 56, I am starting to come to grips with the flow of my life, why things happened when they did and in the order in which they occurred…. the regrets are starting to dissolve.
I am a passionate person. I can get interested in just about anything at the drop of a hat… However, the earliest interest that I can recall was in the martial arts….
Over the years I have studied numerous forms , first Judo, then Sil Lum Kung Fu, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Shorin Ryu and Kajukenbo Karate, some Jujitsu… Every one had it’s place in my training and each happened for a reason when and where they came in to my life…
Now I find myself in an interesting place in that all that I have learned is blending together – naturally. Body movement, whether it be hard or soft, fast or slow and the flow of energy all seem to be merging…
Tai Chi has become an integral part of my journey on this earth – This site is devoted to sharing the trip.
