Daily Practice

When I first began my Tai Chi practice I was 21 and had no trouble maintaining a vigorous personal practice outside of class.  I was very enthusiastic about learning Tai chi and possessed that obsessive focus that young adults often have for a new and somewhat exotic pursuit.
 I was good at making myself work hard, particularly holding posture and standing meditation, for all of my formative years.  The transition to teaching was seamless.   I also know that teaching gave my personal practice enormous support, i.e., teaching kept my personal practice on track along with periodic workshops and camps with my teacher.  Since I live far away from my teacher, I don't have the option for regular class attendance.  I bring all of this up because a comment to a previous post talked about the difficulty of maintaining a consistent practice outside of class.

There is no doubt that class is crucial for most everyone's practice.  If Center States Tai Chi had a mission statement, it would be, in addition to teaching people the form, to support their ongoing practice and progress in Tai chi.  But what about cultivating a consistent practice outside of class?  A few thoughts:

• Have a designated practice space that you can enter and start to practice without delay
• Try to make it part of your daily routine like brushing your teeth.  Ben Lo used to say: "When your eyes open in the morning, practice Tai Chi."
• If you are having a motivation problem, just do the first section of the form.  Sometimes if you just get started, you will end up finishing the form or even doing a second.
• Try to develop a practice routine, i.e., organize your practice - some flow, some quiet standing.  The first half hour of the form review classes can act as a model.
• If, by any chance, you develop a strong connection with a classmate and live close by, get together for a little Tai Chi practice and social rapport.
• Recognize that what you are doing is engaging in a contemplative practice that is extremely important in giving balance and stability to your life.  It deserves high priority.

If anyone has other helpful advice on personal practice, please feel free to share this as a blog comment or at class.