Rejuvenation and Longevity

John J. Barbour, Bullhead City, AZ

In a recent note from Master Steve Ridley, the sentence, “you are teaching physical prayer”, stimulated these thoughts which I will share with you.

The original intent of the creators of T’ai Chi Chih and other similar forms of physical movement, was to give to us, a process that could stimulate both rejuvenation and longevity. Often we feel the need to commune with nature and do so by going out on the porch, into the hills or mountains, or simply into our garden among the trees, the birds and the flowers. This communing is actually a form of prayer. At the word, “prayer,” if you are an agnostic, you might sneer and that’s fine–go ahead and sneer. Prayer in the West is defined as “a communication in which we hopefully plead with a Supreme Being for our needs.” In the East, it can be defined as “communication with THAT or the process of becoming one with THAT”, the eastern concept of our Supreme Being.

Imitation is the best form of compliment, sincere compliment is the best form of communication. In the movements of T’ai Chi Chih we are communicating with Nature, the function of Chi, by imitating It’s movements. We fly with the birds, our feet like the roots of the tree are grounded in the earth and we sway gracefully back and forth in the breeze; carrying the ball and pulling taffy we are children at play and through the other movements, we unite ourselves within the eternal dance of Cosmic Energy. Cosmic Energy, the Chi is timeless and so is our communication with this Timelessness, we can gradually embody it, and so attain longevity. This Cosmic Energy, the Chi, is also perfect health and function, therefore in our daily commune with it on this level, we can again, embody it’s perfect nature and function and therefore achieve rejuvenation.

In effect then, T’ai Chi Chih is a beautiful physical prayer, a continuous bodily harmony and joining with Life and it’s laws and since our body, mind and emotional functions are actually one, this harmonizing of our body affects our minds and emotions and can eventually result in serenity, peace and an in-depth perception of the essential perfection of life, and therefore, ultimately, a grateful, enduring love for all things great and small.