Sung & Satyagraha

One of the most difficult concepts to explain and comprehend in Tai chi is sung or what is generally translated as 'relax'.

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.

Without involvement you can research spiritual practice to your death and achieve nothing but increasing bewilderment.

A long time ago I copied the above sentence to my Tai Chi notebook.  It is a powerful truth about spiritual practice and one of the most important reasons why I practice Tai Chi - emphasis on the word ‘practice’. 

I remember a cartoon I saw many years ago.  There were two doors: in front of one door there is a line of many people waiting to enter.  The sign on the door reads: Tai Chi Lecture.  In front of the other door there is only one person waiting to get in.  The sign on that door reads: Tai Chi Practice.

The message is clear.  It is easy to listen to conversation, even serious academic discussion, about spiritual practice and imagine that you understand it.  It is quite another to involve yourself in actual practice.  You can sit in a class and take copious notes on body mechanics and principles of movement, but if you never hold a posture or move through a series of them with presence, you are clueless.

Ben Lo's Wisconsin Workshop

I tried to remember how many Ben Lo camps and workshops I've attended.  I lost count after 40.  At 84 he is still a powerful teacher of Tai Chi.

Is Longer Better?

There are many length Tai Chi forms.  24 postures to more than 100.  Even though our form has been called “the short form” it is really of medium length.  When you count the repetitions, which you should for accurate comparison, we have 65-70 depending upon how many Repulse Monkeys and Cloud Hands you do.  It should be pointed out that Tai Chi originally had only 13 postures so these forms are much longer.  Quality matters more than quantity.  I learned the “long form” first and, while I go through it every now and then, I think our form is completely adequate.  The one advantage that the long form might have is that it is . . . . longer, i.e., it keeps you practicing for a longer period of time.  So, do ours twice.

Kim

The New York Times Crossword & Dojo

In one of last week’s New York Times crossword puzzles one clue read: Dojo discipline.  Since dojo is the Japanese word for a martial arts training hall (it literally mean place of the Tao or way), I was running through the various Japanese martial arts that I know of such as: karate, judo, jujitsu, etc.  Nothing seemed to fit.  Finally, I realized that the answer was TAICHICHUAN.

Ch'i kung and Tai Chi

In class this week I talked about ch’i-kung (also spelled qigong) and Tai Chi.