T’ai Chi State of Mind

Joy In Print in Florida

Diana Daffner of Siesta Key, FL periodically offers classes at Shanti Center. Here are excerpts from her article featured in their newsletter, The Shanti Connection.

“Our thought process is not separate from the world that we view. And so, applying this principle to the energy that moves within us, when we attend to that energy, when we experience it directly, we influence its presence in our life. T’ai Chi Chih is an easily learned system for recognizing and experiencing this vital energy. It is a tool that enables us to actually enter into the realm of the energy. The movements direct our attention, and as our attention becomes rooted in the movement, we perceive a shift of consciousness from an outer-involved state of mind into a more internal and ultimately expansive state.

“In this ‘T’ai Chi state of mind’, we let go of past and future, and in this letting go of past and future we let go of fear and pain. The T’ai Chi state of mind existing only in the present moment, allows the natural joy of life to surge through us, unhampered by our thoughts of limitation. Our hearts open with a smile. We are no longer lonely or afraid. We experience an unconditional happiness.

“Through T’ai Chi Chih, we sense our connection to a larger universe….T’ai Chi Chih trains us to recognize and make that joyous connection easily. And it is a powerful training that goes beyond the movements themselves, encouraging us to be mindfully and physically present in all our activities. It allows us to attain the inner happiness that we seek.”

Diana recently attended a T’ai Ji workshop in Big Sur, CA with Chungliang Al Huang. In a letter to VFJ she states: “…Although I have always allowed the TCC moves to transport me into a state of awareness that includes everything around me, I was reminded by Chungliang to actively bring the various energies of my surroundings into the moves themselves. His playful approach, how he dances with the Chi, and more importantly, how he allows the Chi to dance through him, has inspired my own practice. It has validated and confirmed my continued dedication to teaching TCC as an expression of energy presence…Life, like Chi, moves in cycles and circles.”