We Can’t Lose

I once heard my first teacher Helen Brungardt Pope say, “Life is a circle, you can’t lose, but you must choose which way you will go, and that is the positive. Keep remembering that you will come back to the place from where you started.” It is comforting to know that we live in a user-friendly universe. We are meant to succeed. We don’t always help the situation with our attitudes or our beliefs, but the universe tries to help us.

Our T’ai Chi Chih movements demonstrate that this is true. We start from a yin position and move into a yang position, then change back into a yin position, and continue this until we notice that our mood has changed, our body isn’t as stiff, our attitude is different. We do not feel the same at the end of our practice as when we started. Our highs and lows have evened out, without any drama.

As TCC teachers we have the opportunity to study this way of change, in depth. All of us change daily, but many of us try not to change, which is painful. Justin often said that trying to change from a strictly mental perspective was very painful, but that if we allowed ourselves to simply do our movements, well and daily, that change would occur naturally. Every day we have the opportunity; daily practice is a kind way of changing, of growing. If life begs us to grow, perhaps we can help by making time to practice. Perhaps participating in one of the weekly free practices at the New Mexico TCC Center would be helpful.

Recently I participated in a community event with over 400 participants, where one of the offerings was an introduction to TCC. As participants gently learned four movements, I could tell that the practice was gently allowing them to change. There were the usual reminders: move with softness, stay in your feet, relax your wrists, waist and shoulders. At the end of the short session, something good was already taking place. In a gentle way we were all learning the win-win way of life. We were learning to love and share the Chi.