I practice Tai Chi for its numerous beneficial effects on physical and mental health and well-being, as well as wonderful logical principles and philosophical aspects, where there is a room to explore and analyze more. I guess, according to Professor Cheng’s “13 Chapters”, “There are those who curious about, and impressed by its wonderful qualities, they are studying Tai Chi Chuan to find the meaning within its principles…”, I can be related to this group of people.
In the past few weeks of Tai Chi we continued learning the form by practicing old movements, adding new onse, seeing the applications of the form and understanding the principles behind it. The new postures that we performed last week were the single whip, lift hands, shoulder strike, play guitar, etc., where we noticed how one gives the rise to another. By performing the form, we also learned how to pay attention to rooting discipline and centering, being present and following the Qi, balancing movements (empty gets full, full gets empty) and neutralizing motions (for example, hand goes up and, then, down). We clearly see the concepts of the yin and yang, which are thought of as complementing, interconnecting and independent forces that influence all the aspects of traditional Chinese philosophy, art, medicine and life style.
When I was practicing the form out of class, I tried to focus my awareness on the postures, and correct all the slight mistakes. After every class I had a new look on the whole form because we were covering new concepts, which were very helpful in understanding the origin and purpose of every movement. Twice per week I was practicing the martial application of Tai Chi. It was easier to do so, by centering the intention on the ideas of sticking, connecting, adhering and following. When you are counteracting with the energy of a person who attacks, you are using less of your own energy and not getting tired. Explaining things to other people, helps me to learn myself, it was also the case this time.
Also, after learning a new way of meditation – the inner smile meditation, I started to practice it every day, which I find very helpful in these busiest weeks of my life. It makes me feel more relaxed, more optimistic, and reduces the risk of catching cold (I think it’s very important because when we are busy and work more than usual, we are more vulnerable, so it’s good to open new ways of body protection). In the inner smile meditation, we are also applying a concept of 5 elements and associate them with color and organ.
In addition, to the form, we also learned some new theory about the “three Fearlessness”, which are the fearlessness of taking pain, fearlessness to suffer loss, and fearlessness towards ferocity. There is a well-known proverb: “No pain - no gain”, which can relate to Tai Chi’s “must-have” skills of patience and ability to learn through pain and challenge (for example, horse stand can be quiet painful, but it brings you a lot of health benefits, burns calories, and disciplines your mind). I think these ideas apply not only to Tai Chi but also to everyday life. It is hard to adjust to any situation, when a person isn’t used to accept pain or loss. There is a story I’ve heard about a mother who was overcoming the death of her son with deep grief: “I can’t bear the pain and sorrow,” she told her sister. “My sister, did you mourn your son before he was born?” “No, of course not!” – The sad woman replied. “Then, you need not to mourn for him now. He has only returned to the same place, his original home, before he was ever born.” This story has some relevance to being prepared to loss, because nothing in this world is permanent, and there are different kinds of loss: loss to opponent, loss of a wallet, loss of a loved one.
We also had a
chance to practice reiki, which is a Japanese spiritual, vibrational healing technique
that brings balance to body and mind. You can apply such a palm-healing
practice for self-healing as well as for healing someone else; however, you
need to receive a consent from the other party, before you start penetrating
the energy field of a that person with your vibrational field, because
otherwise, you might harm yourself or that person. According to what I have
learned, you can transfer your universal energy, in the form of chi through the
palms that can help to fight a disease or pain, without even using any
medication or instruments. Also by the end of the week we learned some basic sword forms which
seem very gracious and want me to continue learning more.
Tai Chi Sword Form Practice
