Categories: Teacher Experiences & Reflections
T’ai Chi Chih Flowers
The Art of Teaching
Greetings to our TCC Family:
I am currently teaching TCC in two retirement communities, and one class for the general public. I enjoy teaching senior citizens because TCC is so adaptable to their needs. I encourage them to move within the range of comfort and to rest when they feel the need.
To all my classes I constantly emphasize the single most important quality of TCC, softness and continuity of motion. This is not an easy concept to grasp in a fast-paced culture that is prone to exert lots of effort and willpower. When students ask, “Do you mean relaxed?”, I respond, “are flowers relaxed?” There is usually a giggle or two.
In my own personal practice of TCC, I have seen that there remains much, much more to gain from cultivating softness and continuity of motion! Best wishes to all!
– Love, Luis Sanchez
Goleta, CA
Topics: Adapting the Practice, Personal Stories, Running a Class, Senior Communities, Softness and Continuity
Originally appeared in: March 1993
