Practice at the Park

The Philadelphia area T’ai Chi Chih community came together in 2020 for an in-person practice on Sunday mornings. We started in the Spring as soon as we were allowed to gather safely in groups. Connecting with live humans was exciting, and then realizing how much we’d missed and loved our TCC family brought joy.

On sunny and warm days, we practiced under a gigantic, waving flag and heard its whipping and the clank of its cord. I loved getting my feet on the earth and truly grounding. When it was really warm the bees buzzed around the clover. When it was chilly, we practiced in the sun between majestic pines. We were surrounded and held in a giant circle of energy and love.

Over the summer, we also experienced hundreds of motorcycles gatherings. Hearing the rumble is one thing, feeling it vibrate through you is another. Today we were in the middle of a political road rally. The action quieted down as we did Rocking Motion to God Bless America; having hundreds of people saying the Pledge of Allegiance at once was incredible.

Then came 25 minutes of honking horns as they took their show on the road, during which time I was laughing out loud. What a test. I practice in public often and but had never encountered anything like this. The energy was amazing, big, loud, fun, exhilarating. I lost my focus and kept coming back to the practice. Once the parade was gone, I noticed bounce houses and a track meet behind us. As they started every race with a siren, this was the craziest practice ever. It left me smiling all day.

I realized recently that I’d lost my place during Pulling in the Energy and had to ask someone where I was. I also noticed I was more grounded and focused during the second half of the practice. I will explore that. Maybe I’ll need to arrive early and ground first. It’s an interesting internal thing to notice when there is so much in-your-face external stuff to notice.

We have many teachers in this area but never gather outside of a planned event to practice as a group. I’m so happy that so many have been coming to these impromptu Sunday morning gatherings. It’s special to be with TCC family and raise our vibrations. Start gathering and they will come.