T’ai Chi Chih: T’ai Chi Chuan – A Comparison

Donna McElhose, Wildwood, IL

Dear Justin,

For several years I have been a student of T’ai Chi Chuan. Even though our classes at the college are the 24 movements (simplified) form, students did not stay. To make it short–I am the only student from my first class and several others, and only one person is senior to me–from all the classes before. As I watched students drop out I kept thinking there must be something else. But in a year and a half (3-4 semesters) they are not through the complete set. Very hard. No Benefits–cost too much, takes too long. I know, you know this. A friend who stayed two years with me was only receiving stress from the class. Why stay? she said. All but three guys have dropped from the older group of classes.

When I started T’ai Chi Chuan I was getting very uncontrolled jolts of energy, my hands tingled so I couldn’t sleep, I was shaking so that when it happened during the set I would get very dizzy and then the dizziness got very bad. I continued to practice and attend class as I didn’t at first connect the dizziness with T’ai Chi Chuan (lasted a year and a half). I kept the practice up hoping things would smooth out and benefits would come.

So I was always searching, searching. And then several events took place and from one person and event to another, T’ai Chi Chih found me.

Justin, in two classes of T’ai Chi Chih I felt a huge shift of energy. It spread out, grew calmer, and gently stronger–in a different way–and the dizzies went away!

The first introduction to T’ai Chi Chih was at a Healing Touch weekend. The HT instructor said we could all do T’ai Chi Chih if we came early the two next mornings. For me that was going to be hard because of the long drive. First day I barely made it on time. The second day I was early–wasn’t going to miss this for anything. I was filled with joy! Thank you, thank you, for the time you took to create T’ai Chi Chih for people. The movements were so easy and felt so good (we only did 20-30 minutes those 2 days). I wondered who did this, where did it come from, and knew I wanted to teach this in my area. I want you to know, I was then and am now (as an accredited instructor) so deeply grateful and filled with great joy that you put T’ai Chi Chih together and shared it with all of us. Through you to others — to me — to others — it will grow. (I have lots of old T’ai Chi Chuan students interested-ha)

At the teachers’ accreditation week I felt like I was washed inside and all with little twinkles of energy (the stories others shared at the presentation were dramatic testimony to the energy).

Joyously, I thank you Justin. I do hope some day to meet you and share a time of doing T’ai Chi Chih, or let T’ai Chi Chih move me.

As a new instructor–next week I have 60 elder college students–they have a week of studies on China. . .T’ai Chi Chih will be included in the course.

Thank you,

– Donna