At first I thought this sounded a little funny, then I thought, “that’s brilliant”!  The single biggest issue new students struggle with is getting to know their own bodies.  They often have no idea what their left hand is doing in relation to their right hand, let alone whether or not their shoulders are actually lined up over their hips, and forget about whether their shoulders are tense or relaxed.  The students who have the greatest difficulty seem to spend too much time in their heads, and not enough time paying attention to their bodies.

Believe it or not this simple little exercise could teach you a lot about tai chi.  Not because it will teach you how to move, but because it will teach you to pay attention to your body.  In tai chi knowing your body is everything.

Give this simple little exercise a try and be mindful of all the sensations you notice in your body.  At first you’ll probably find it a little difficult to pay attention to a lot of that’s going on.  Over time though I’ll bet you’ll find you’re aware of, in the background, what your left hand is doing and how it feels while you’re paying attention to your right hand.

I have to admit, I haven’t tried this myself.  You can be sure I will though.  ;-)  Your thoughts?

John

I was looking through some older posts about moving and came across Tai Chi For Stupid People.  I thought to myself, “Self, you don’t seem all that smart right now, so maybe tai chi really is for stupid people.”  Then I came to my senses and promptly lost them again while reading another old post and thought, “If everything in life has a purpose, then how can you change anything?”  Maybe I’m just tired, but it made a lot of sense at that particular moment. 

Today I’ll leave you with another older post titled “Everything Has A Reason For Being There”.  Thinking about change in this way helps maintain my sanity during this time of change.  By the way, not all change is disorienting… or is that all that is disorienting is not bad… or is it, all that’s good is disorienting?  I think I’m just making stuff up now; who knows?   All I can say now is that I’m very happy to be moving with, where, and when I am.  I’m just really looking forward to being settled in again.  I hope you enjoy this post from the past.

Everything Has a Reason For Being There

Everything we do in tai chi has a purpose.  To the untrained eye, the forms simply appear peaceful and graceful; the drills look like some type of calisthenics.  A while ago I read about the representations hidden in a simple deck of playing cards.  Like just about everything else I read or hear it got me thinking about tai chi, and this time what most people miss.  Let me tell you what I mean about tai chi and I’ll come back to the playing cards in a bit.

Every drill we do in class while warming up has two purposes.  While kicking we’re holding our bodies upright in alignment as the leg and foot move somewhat independently, then as we step into the next kick we’re practicing shifting our alignment smoothly from one foot to the other.  There are several exercises done on our toes that are intended to build up the calf muscles while working on balance.

Each form has multiple applications.  While performing one form you can easily demonstrate, with the help of a partner, how you are pulling your opponent off balance while striking them on the forehead, or how you are striking one opponent under the chin with the back of your wrist before connecting with another opponent’s collar bone.  These are just two simple applications for the single whip posture.

I’m talking about this here, not so much to educate you on about specific applications, but to get you looking at how every single thing you do in class, or on a video, has a purpose.  Whether you’re warming up or practicing a set of forms, everything is there for a reason.  Look at what you’re doing and see if you can figure out what the purpose is.  This will help you get your energy moving better and your forms will begin to take on a greater sense of purpose and gracefulness.

So then, back to the playing cards.  There are two very specific meanings, or representations designed into every deck of playing cards.  The fifty-two playing cards in each deck represent the 52 weeks in the calendar year, and the four suits, they represent the four seasons.  Bet you didn’t know that.   If you already did please just play along, it will make me feel ever so much better. 

Your thoughts?

John

Since most people think of tai chi as an exercise they’re usually surprised when shown the martial application for a form they’re learning.  If you don’t know what you’re looking at it can be hard to pick out particular applications in the faster, external arts.  When slowed down, the applications become even harder to spot. You could even say they’re disguised.

Like most martial arts, tai chi uses misdirection and the hands are often intentionally hidden from an opponents view so they have less time to react.  Although high kicks are often practiced during class, primarily low kicks are used for application.  The opponent has less time to react and they are more difficult to block.

If you’ve read my blog for even a little while you’ve probably gotten to know my mind works in some strange ways.  If you’re wondering how a popular movie with a disguised sound could possibly get me thinking about tai chi, don’t even try.  The movie was Twister.  The sound was that of a camel’s moan slowed down so it was hard to recognize, kind of like the applications in tai chi forms practice at your local YMCA.  In the movie the sound of a camel’s moan was slowed down and used as the sound of the twister.

I was wondering if they use the camel’s moan in the Disney ride.  Your thoughts?

John

First of all is the ability to laugh at yourself.  Tai chi is simple but not easy (that’s why it’s hard).  If you don’t take yourself too seriously tai chi will give you the opportunity to laugh at yourself… a lot.  If you can learn to lighten during practice, this will turn out to be a very valuable life skill that’s makes the rest of your life more fun.  Being around someone with this personality trait is infectious and worth every minute.

A trait that goes along with being able to laugh at yourself is playfulness.  When we’re playful we’re not as stubbornly competitive as we are when we’re being serious.  It’s doesn’t mean we’re not in a state of competition, only that the competition comes second to having fun.  Competing against someone who’s having fun is competition at it’s best, and if you find yourself squarely beaten while having fun, you’ll be able to learn a lot about how they beat you.  You can use this new-found knowledge against them later. 

I would have to say inquisitiveness is right up there too.  A good teacher can show a student many things, but unless the student is curious and always looking for new insights, the student won’t advance as far as they otherwise could and they won’t become a very good teacher.  Tai chi teaches us so much about ourselves.  If you’re curious enough to listen, you’ll reap the rewards.  Someone with this trait can be a lot of fun to be around.  At times they’ll have a child-like enthusiasm that’s both delightful and infectious.

The next helpful trait I think is decisiveness, but without being overly stubborn.  Tai chi, like anything worthwhile, requires a level of commitment.  When practicing it helps to adopt ideas about how things work so you can test them out completely.  I’ve found it’s helpful to test things as if they’re fact.  If they don’t work out, you then need to be able to let go of them and move on.  There is one person I know in particular who makes decisions very quickly and holds on to them only long enough to see if the decision’s a good fit.  If not… next.  Because of this particular trait it can sometimes be a little difficult to be around someone with a good tai chi personality, but it’s always interesting and ultimately rewarding.

There are probably a couple of other traits that make a good tai chi player, so if you can think of any please feel free to chime in.  As a side note related to life, if you can find someone who embodies these traits, spend some time with them.  I think you’ll find they’ll be exceptionally good company, and maybe even a bit more.  Good training partners are worth a lot, and sometimes they turn into more than you ever thought they would.

Your thoughts?

John

I found this off-beat inspiration from an old “News of the Weird“:

David Winkelman, 48, was arrested in Davenport, Iowa, in September on a misdemeanor warrant, still sporting “The Tattoo.” In late 2000, Winkelman, reacting to a radio “contest,” had his forehead inked with the logo of radio station KORB, “93 Rock,” because he had heard on-air personalities “offer” $100,000 to anyone who would do it. Winkelman had the tattoo done before checking, however, and the disk jockeys later informed him that the “contest” was a joke. (Winkelman filed a lawsuit against the station, but it was dismissed. Ten years later, the “93 Rock” format has expired, but Winkelman’s forehead remains busily tattooed.)

Your thoughts?

John

P.S.  I found this photo of tattoo enthusiast Liu Ming here:  http://www.abc.net.au/news/photos/2008/07/11/2300888.htm

Just about everyone I’ve ever talked to about martial arts says they don’t like to fight.  Why is it they we are so gung-ho about arguing with each other about who’s style is the best, the most pure, the most correct?  I see examples of this through out tai chi and other martial arts; hell I see examples of this everywhere.

To me tai chi is about knowing your opponent: knowing where they are and where they are going.  What I’d really like to know is how you can do this when you’re busy defending your own vantage point.  It’s hard to focus on where you are and where someone else is at the same time.  If, on the other hand, you can accept your opponents point of view as valid wouldn’t that allow some insight into their position?

Each of has our own unique blending of life experiences.  From this unique blend we make assumptions that are often validated through more experiences.  What I find interesting is that we tend to notice things that validate our perspectives and ignore things that don’t.  Isn’t that an interesting insight?  Think about how you could use that against a bull headed opponent.

Let’s take this to the next level.  If each of us forms valid conclusions that solidify our opinions and beliefs, what does that mean when viewed from a distance?  It means each of us is completely justified in our contradictory opinions.  Given a specific set of experiences and thoughts we’re all correct in our assumptions.  Chew on that one for a while.

No matter how sure someone is about their perspective, there is always someone just as sure of the opposite.  Both people have experiential, practical, knowledge that supports their perspectives and yet each came to different, opposing, view points.  Which of them is right?  Most likely, they both are.

If most of us are at least somewhat rational and we each have a slightly different set of opinions and beliefs, based on our experiences, is it  likely that any of us will be easily swayed from our opinions?  Not very likely is it?

What happens when you attack someone?  They defend themselves.  When attacked we dig in for the fight.  So given this vantage point, what good is arguing; what value does it hold?

Your thoughts?

John

P.S.  This is a re-posting of “Like a Good Argument” from March of 2009.

I’ve spent so much time over the last few years preaching about practice.  Me thinks it might be best to just shut my mouth… at least for this week.  Better sometimes to be a lamb than a bore. 

“An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.” Mahatma Gandhi

P.S.  I found this wee New Zealand Lamb here:  http://www.johnharveyphoto.com/NewZealand/LambStand.html

Tai chi isn’t necessarily what you think it is.  It’s probably more like what you’d least expect it to be.  I’ve discovered this from those students who’ve said, “I’m so happy to be here.  I’ve always wanted to take tai chi”… and then I never see them again.  I have the pleasure of crediting Douglas Adams with this particular insight. 

“Flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”  ~  Douglas Adams

Your thoughts?

John

P.S.  Don’t  think me too cynical.  I understand life is what happens when we’re busy making other plans.  By the way, I found this quote here:  http://www.coolfunnyquotes.com/funnyquotes2.shtml … and who knew there was even a World Towel Day?

I was just surfing the net and came across a page of tai chi quotes I hadn’t seen before.  As usual there were those by Lao Tzu, Confucius, and even the occasional off the wall quote such as, “A man can live happy with a women as long as he doesn’t love her.”  That last one was by Anon; whoever he is.  He was quite prolific though wasn’t he?

We Baby Boomers were known as the “Now Generation”, because we wanted everything ‘right now’.   A lot of us took this concept a bit further by following spiritual practices, despite the fact it took time to hone our skills.  We were somehow willing to wait for “Now”.   This will make sense to you in a minute.  If it doesn’t, it only means you’ll have to wait to “get it”. 

Eckhart Tolle took this to the extreme by becoming a vagrant so he could figure out how to hone his spiritual skills, and because it felt really really good.  Later he was able to parlay his newfound enlightenment into a big pile of cash while helping others along their spiritual paths.  As I see it, he lived in the now so he could grow his own life in a state of utter bliss.  Wow, that sounds like tai chi doesn’t it?  Well OK, a little like tai chi anyway.  (For the purpose of this post I’m making this assertion so just go with it.)

Many of us feel stress because we look at what’s happening now and use it as an excuse to worry about what’s already happened or what will happen later.  We spend a fraction of our time right here in “The Now” and the rest of our time fretting over what’s already happened, that we can do little or nothing about, or worrying about what might happen, that we don’t want to happen, but just might.  This is where the tai chi part comes in.

People sign up to learn tai chi because they believe it will help relieve stress, and it does… just not always right away.  Those students who stick with it spend their time enjoying the movement.  In other words being in the Eternal Now.  Those who don’t stick with it seem to spend too much time worrying whether or not they’re going to be any good at it.  They want it now, but they don’t really seem to want “The Now”.  Which type of student are you?

Today I leave you with the profound wisdom of Tolle.

“Time isn’t precious at all, because it is an illusion.  What you perceive as precious is not time, but the one point that is out of time: the Now.  That is precious indeed. The more you are focused on time - past and future - the more you miss the Now, the most precious thing there is!” ~ Eckhart Tolle

Your thoughts?

John

P.S.  I found this great Eckhart Tolle quote here:  http://www.taichi4all.com/quotes.php

This is another of those little paradoxes.  As a kid, whenever something needed real effort, I always remember hearing, “Put your shoulder into it.”  I was a small kid, so not wanting to be thought of as weak I ended up putting my shoulder into just about everything.

Now when I practice tai chi I still sometimes find my shoulders creeping up just a bit, although it’s much easier than it used to be.  When I look around a class I’m teaching or taking, I see I’m not alone.  So far I haven’t seen a new student who didn’t “Put their shoulders into it.”  Maybe we really are all alike in some ways.

Play along with me for a second.  Lift your hand straight out in front of you so it’s even with your shoulder and your arm is almost straight.  Now look at your shoulders.  Can you lower them some?  Probably so.

Now put your hand at your side and lift your arm again.  This time put your focus on your hand and let your elbow lag behind just a tiny bit so your arm is almost, but not quite straight.  Now is your shoulder down?  If your focus really is on your hand it probably is, and you’ve just learned a critical point of tai chi.

Sounds too simple doesn’t it?  Well it is and it isn’t.  Tai chi is relatively simple; it’s just not easy.  It takes practice, and a lot of it.  When you watch an advanced player practicing it looks almost effortless.  When you’re first learning though, it requires an amazing amount of energy and focus.  If you can stick with it, it gets easier.

As a side note, how many times have you had a difficult time taking the lid off a jar?  Next time you’re having trouble try this little trick.  Hold the jar in one hand the lid in the other about even with your stomach.  As you twist, lower the jar slightly and keep your elbows just a tiny bit out to your sides.  If the lid isn’t completely stuck, and you can keep the lid from spinning in your hand, it should open.

This little exercise demonstrates two principles.  One is body mechanics: you’re using your body the way it’s designed to work.  The other is when your shoulders are down and your elbows are just slightly out to the side, your body’s vital energy can more easily flow down your arms, giving you more strength.

This may take a little practice.  If you’re not used to allowing your body’s natural energy to flow, you’ve probably been blocking it.  If so, you’ll need to retrain and realign your body before it can flow easily.

Don’t focus on the energy all that much though.  This could actually cause you to end up blocking it.  Just focus on your alignment and where you want the energy to be.  It’s better to focus on moving your body correctly and to let your energy flow naturally.  You don’t have to think about it.  When the energy really starts to flow, you’ll feel it.  Then you can start learning to control it.

Your thoughts?

John

P.S.  I found this pic here:  http://www.tensionnot.com/Cute504.html