Small Change, Big Result

I am once again inspired by Kay Rydeen of Rochester, Minnesota, to share something with the T’ai Chi Chih (TCC) community. The first time it happened was for my presentation, “What Is an Empty Cup in TCC Practice?” for the 2022 conference. This time by Kay’s November 2022 Vital Force article entitled “Curiosity Captured the Cat.”

Kay shared a visual aid that she uses with students to help them “appreciate the holistic essence of a movement and to minimize their focus on individual details.” After reading Kay’s article I decided to do the same but was inspired to change some letters.

Please have paper and a pen nearby to be used in exercises as you continue reading this article. What two words do you see in the following visual aid? Write them down.

You probably wrote “DOG SHOWS.” We get the same message that Kay shared about appreciating the essence of a movement and minimizing the details.

Now change the letters around in the first word, “DOG.” What do you see? Write the new word followed by “SHOWS” below the first two words you wrote. You probably wrote “GOD SHOWS.” We can appreciate what can happen with a small change, i.e., “DOG” to “GOD” is a small change with a completely different meaning. This “small change, big result” can also happen in our TCC practice. How many times have you made a mechanical change that resulted in feeling energy in a new profound way?

Now look at the visual aid. Use all the letters and make two words. You probably saw “GOOD SHOWS.” Write these two words below “GOD SHOWS.” Wait, you say. “‘GOOD SHOWS” has three O’s. There are only two O’s in the visual aid.” But I suggest what about the big O that encircles all the letters? This shows us there are experiences and understandings when doing TCC that we are not even aware are possible. How often do we think, “What more is there for me to experience?” All we must do is stop trying to figure it out, and the Chi will show us.

Lastly, look back at the lines you wrote and contemplate: Is the first word a noun or an adjective? Is the second word a noun or a verb? Again, small change, big result. “GOOD SHOWS” changes from “shows that are good” to the “GOOD in you that shows,” the GOOD that is our essence, the GOOD that shows through when we do TCC, the GOOD that continues to show through in our life as the result of practicing TCC.

Take a moment and consider where you are and where your students are in your TCC practice. Are you practicing at the level of only seeing the letters, where you focus on the details? Are you practicing at the flow level of “DOG SHOWS,” where we feel the essence of the movement? Are you practicing at the level of “GOD SHOWS,” where a small change can make a profound difference? Are you practicing at the level of “GOOD SHOWS,” where you allow the Chi to introduce and show you something that you were not even aware of?

Realize that we practice all these levels at different times depending on the day or the movement. Realize every level is still TCC.