Daily Tai Chi Practice and Body Knowledge
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?
