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).