The world is experiencing a major challenge these days. It’s a time where people more than ever need a way to relax and build their immune systems.
Tai Chi for me it’s a moving meditation, an open eye meditation. It’s a journey of self-mastery with an arduous process where one develops perseverance, diligence, fortitude and internal motivation which is a driving force on this journey.
I LOVE Tai Chi! It is one of the most profound art forms that exists.
For most people that don’t know what is Tai Chi here’s a simple explanation.
What is Tai Chi?
Tai Chi, short for Tai Chi Chuan is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for both its defence training and its health benefits. It is a moving meditation, a self defense training, a way of life finding your centre of balance, practice in meeting your own shadow and of course it’s a movement that enhances your awareness, coordination, intuition and clarity.
Tai Chi dates back approximately 4000 years and is influenced by several styles of martial arts. The practice is a series of defined postures that are linked together with slow, flowing movements. It is a graceful practice that looks like a dance.
Tai Chi works on three levels, the body, the mind and the soul. It balances them separately on their own and with each other. In stressful times like the ones we are facing now it’s a great way to balance within yourself as you can find balance in your community and with the world around you. It teaches you how to gather up chi (lifeforce) directly from Mother Earth and all the elements around you.
It’s a martial art that utilizes gentle flowing movements to enhance health in the body and the mind. It expands your aura and field of awareness. It can be helpful in so many ways in life, ways that you might not even consider before: being better at ‘reading’ people, knowing whether someone has positive / negative intentions more quickly, knowing danger is coming before it even arrives, more powerful speech and energy in general and more.
In order to build a strong house, you must have a strong foundation. The foundations that make the practice really come to life. In order to master Tai Chi you need to understand and incorporate the concepts and the principles into the practice:
- Columns
- Rotation
- Balance
- Substantial / Insubstantial
- Moving from the Dan Tian
- Ball of Energy / Circular Movements
- Rooted and Grounded
- Relaxation / Connectedness
- Breathing
The Spirit gathered within..
Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hang on page 102 of How to Relax wrote ‘When we leave the television set on for a long time, it become hot. Out head also gets hot from all our thinking. When we can’t stop, we may be unable to sleep well. Even if we take a sleeping pill, we continue to run, think, and worry in our dreams’.
The slow and flowing movements of tai chi can wash away our endless and worrisome thoughts. Doing just one posture can support our work day or out nightly rest. By refocusing our attention and out breath on what our bodies are doing, instead of allowing our minds to run wild, we can return to our centre or place of inner tranquillity. We can feel more present in the moment.
There are so many ways to respond to Covid -19. When facing uncertainty, anxiety, fear or a sense of powerlessness, we all choose to respond in various ways. Some of us steadily consume news and information in the hopes of protecting ourselves. Others avoid the media and place our attention on the daily tasks that we can control. A lot of us find comfort by watching our favourite TV programs, reading books, eating comfort food, going for walks or a run, sleeping more, talking to our therapists, practicing our meditation, yoga and tai chi when we are stressed.
We seek others to comfort us in our state of fear and anxiety. Perhaps we do a combination of all of these things to try to balance and calm ourselves…
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