Reflections on Teaching the Principles and Art of T’ai Chi Ch’uan   (Part 1) 

For more than 40 years, I have been studying, practicing and teaching T’ai Chi Ch’uan (which is part of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Philosophy). I was trained to become a teacher the traditional way, was made assistant, and then years later sent off with permission and blessing to open my own school. After the initial resistance to becoming a teacher of T’ai Chi – since my twenties I have been teaching dance, theater, movement, voice & sounding, creative expression, and more – I recognized the enormous gift, and never let it go. Teaching forces us to deeply inquire in order to transmit. T’ai Chi became my main nourishment and compass, it was life-altering, and truly life-saving in my case. My approach to teaching kept growing and deepening with me over the decades. How can we integrate the principles into our approach to life, work, art, people, to anything? When in good alignment, strong below and flexible above, we can flow and harmonize with the mysterious forces bigger than us, such as gravity and breath. Perhaps also with our soul’s destiny.  

 

From inside me arose my T’ai Chi logo:  

the winged triangle within the circle  

 

Daily practice accumulates over the years and decades. For example, dedicated exploration of what Listening and Yielding mean, leads to insights, transformation and healing. New possibilities. Philosophy becomes known in the body, to the whole Body-Mind-Being we are. Experiencing one’s inner and outer body & life, the world and universe as one big spider web, where all is connected and interwoven, dependent on each other. Cultivating ever more subtle sensitivity. If one string of the web is lightly touched, all other parts of the web will respond and adjust. The importance of Balance, otherwise Yin and Yang become extreme and start wreaking havoc. We are witnessing these realities with the global climate now in a constant state of emergency, crisis and destruction. Balance is not a rigidly controlled stance but a flexible state of micro movements, we allow ourselves to be soft and ready to align with the changing bigger forces – when we stand on one leg like a bird, we let gravity hold us. The importance of Growing Roots. We practice ease, least effort, yield and connect into the root system, like trees. In the vertical our body knows how to be held by earth. Over time we peel away old habits, including armoring of the heart and rigid thinking. All this sounds easy, and yet is so difficult :)  

 

Many years ago, I developed a deceivingly simple practice I call the "cat walk" and will often say to my students, "walk with soft cat paws." Practicing this we learn how to "stalk" like a cat, very slow, alert and relaxed at the same time. Our feet become alive, sensitive creatures feeling the ground – with delight – before we shift our weight. Always in balance, soft, and yet ready to pounce :) awake! So, this new year of the water rabbit, "let us walk with soft rabbit paws." 

 

More about my approach to teaching the ancient Art of T’ai Chi Ch’uan:

Looking Back And Forward... Inhabiting the Present Moment