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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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…
Chi Lies at the Heart of All the Marital Arts
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…
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…
