The Value of Practice & Teachers’ Conference

Recently, I spent a week in Albuquerque during which time I visited the T’ai Chi Chih Center. (Every Tuesday they have a group practice at 9:30 a.m.) It was wonderful to join the group. What happened next was totally unexpected. Gently, I was made consciously aware that I was not bending my knees enough. My first reaction was, “Who me? No, it can’t be! I’m the one who is constantly reminding my students to bend those knees!” We owe it to ourselves, to our students, and to T’ai Chi Chih (TCC) to root out any non-TCC movements and nuances that we have inadvertently attached to our TCC practice.

I am very grateful that this was brought to my conscious awareness. I thought of how fortunate the Albuquerque teachers are to have Justin, the originator of T’ai Chi Chih, with them. They have the opportunity to do TCC together, working on the nuances of each movement that will bring about better results. Being at the Center was like attending a session at the TCC Teachers’ Conference. There, we are surrounded by loving, conscientious teachers committed to serving the Universe by teaching TCC for the good of the world and humankind. Since we are not all so fortunate to live in Albuquerque and attend weekly practice with Justin and our dedicated peers, we must commit to do the next best thing. If possible, we must faithfully attend our yearly TCC Teachers’ Conference. (This year it is in Orange, California from July 25th to 27th.) The conference provides us an opportunity to work with Justin, Ed, and one another to improve our practice. If we continue our practice with an open heart, we will continue to be worthy of the responsibility we share as teachers of TCC.