Well, I said that a lot has been going on, so here is some more of it.

If you have read much of my other writing, you may already understand that I have been fascinated for a long time with the implications of martial arts in general and Tai Chi in particular, on the way we view and live our lives in general.

Now that I have recently turned 74 my conclusion so far is that developmentally and philosophically it boils down to having a clear view of reality, which requires a wide range of understanding from Buddhism and Taoism through psycology and biosciences. Perhaps the key being to seek congruence and a measure of structure in chaos.

The connection is in the chaotic and deceptive nature of power based human interactions. An understanding of Tai Chi offers insights and perspectives that are only available when a human being is fully emboddied and aware – which is what we seek. Essentially it involves creating a Tai Chi Life Balance within ourselves mentally, physically and emotionally.

It was pointed out to me that I have not posted for quite a long time – which is interesting since a lot has been going on for me in my training – but it has been moving so fast in my body/subconscious that I have not been able to sort it out intellectually and put it in writing!

So now that some at least has consolidated, let me try to put down a few thoughts.

I have aquired more flexible ankles and with them much better balance – also more relaxed groin muscles allowing easier and lower movement.

I took literally Master Chen’s direction to focus on my centre and very physically investigated how this worked. With time I managed to reduce the movement to a rolling feeling and have a much better feeling of connection.

Along with this I have had physical injuries and medical problems which have also provided opportunities to further my awarenes of body feelings, and I can now practice better than before the problems arose.

So how did I do these things, what is the secret? What I have done, and can now suggest, is to investigate your body and its feelings in movement, with awareness, noting the guidance of those that have gone before – your teacher or other masters.

And what is next? Well I am quite a way into eliminating my beginners errors from a long time ago, which came about from too slavish adherance to instruction. Also I am now working on the applications of what I have learned – for example in push hands.

It is worth mentioning as well that I am working regularly with a dance therapist on physical/emotional issues – after 74 years you can imagine that there are quite a few! I am looking forward to my next cycle of development.

Classes in Shefford and Marston Moretayne will not take place over Easter – I look forward to seeing you before then – and after – enjoy the Easter Break.

When we mention Tai Chi what do we think of? For most non practitioners I guess it has something to do with TV programs showing exercises in a park – or maybe some strenuous video shorts on social media like Youtube.

So Tai Chi can be seen in many lights – for myself it simply offers a pathway to a more balanced life – which means different things to different people at different stages in their lives. The exercises and the philosophies behind them cover the whole warf and weft of life if one only cares to explore them – weekly classes are one way to access this in a social environment.

Please see elsewhere on my website for links and articles that can inform this approach

Christmas dinner will be on Dec 12th at the usual place – 7.00 for 7.30 pm

A couple of excellent videos:

https://youtu.be/43z2RdlVfks 

In Tai Chi we find that relaxation is not “floppy” rather it is “poise”, that state rather like a rocket on the launch pad with its engine running gently and going nowhere but ready to go. It is referred to as “sung” and Chen Tai Chi as “hard/soft” in that the body is balanced between the two and can go either way instantaneously.

So we seek the lowest energy state for our bodies consistant with movement – this involves minimising tension while maximising balance. When we move this is reflected in how we move.

There is no picture for this post because it just looks like somebody quietly standing still, which is fair enough, so you could maybe envision moving from your centre in order to roll a tennis ball in your hands very slowly and work from there. Or you could meditate on the Tai Chi symbol while seeking to move in the way it implies, in three dimensions.

Much of the time, if we look at Tai Chi videos online, we see people doing large movements, generally moderately slow ( standard speed) or quite fast if they are trying to impress. If we go to a class moderate standard speed is probably the way we are taught but it is not the only way to practice Tai Chi – look a little further and we can see very fast practice, still likely to be large movements, but you are unlikely to see very small, very slow movements. It doesn’t look good on video and few students are attracted to it. I guess this practice is more akin to Chi Kung or Yiquan. Ultimately if you are interested in martial work then big movements are of little value except in training, unless you want to become a martial arts film star ( which many do of course).

Similarly for health in old age very small very soft movements are excellent practice. So please practice your forms and exercises at various speeds. In particular please do spend time on very slow and very small movements to study the feel of your body, to increase sensitivity and to aid relaxation and balance. You may well be surprised what you find. Then of course study this kind of movement in push hands if you are so inclined.

“Taking it easy” is the title of a piece in this week’s New Scientist which you can see here   the author focuses on her favourite Yoga but notes that Tai Chi has a similar effect. Worth a read.