Where Are You On Your Tai Chi Journey?
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?
Chi Never Sleeps
When I wake up in the morning, I try and do Qi Gong and Tai Chi first thing…
Chi is of course is always there and in the morning I find that I am very receptive to it.
I try not to get into a big “prep” thing – Just do it.
Breath, balance, focus, movement.
The Chi is waiting for you – it hasent gone anywhere – Maybe you have, but it hasn’t …
Until next time.
Practice often and with sincerity.
Rick
Look for the Extraordinary in Your Ordinary Tai Chi Practice
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.
Easier said than done…
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Walking Through My Day – The Tai Chi Way
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
Until next time… Rick
Add Tai Chi to Your MMA Workout – Your Secret Weappon
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 …
Rock ON
Rick
Don’t Hold Your Breath… or Your Chi
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…
Be mindful of it and then let it go…
Walking the Tai Chi Walk
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…
Until next time.
Rick
Tai Chi – The Martial Art for Grown Ups
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…
Tai Chi is for grown ups (of any age).
Tao and the Watercourse Way
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.
You are welcome to come along for the ride…
