Diverse benefits in diverse settings
T’ai Chi Chih is a mindfulness-moving meditation practice that’s easy to learn. The series of 19 movements and one pose helps circulate the Vital Energy, the Chi. Practitioners experience peace, improved health, and many more benefits. Our free monthly e-newsletter offers inspiration between issues of the TCC quarterly journal, The Vital Force, in which teachers and students tell stories about ways they’ve benefited from the practice.
Energy and Wisdom are just different words. – Justin F. Stone, TCC Originator
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From the recent issue of The Vital Force:
Inspiring: “The May issue of The Vital Force contains dispatches from teachers making an impact in Belize, Costa Rica, the UK, the Netherlands, and Canada. It’s inspiring to read about the growth of TCC around the world — it’s a testimony to the power of the practice and sincerity. The Cape Cod, MA community also shares a blueprint for how they’re growing a regional presence. Through each gentle movement, we’re creating ripples of peace that transcend borders, showing that the human spirit’s quest for balance and harmony knows no boundaries.” – SK, Carmichael, CA
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Editor’s Note: Learn more from TCC teachers with more than 25 years of experience in the February issue of The Vital Force.
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Grounding: “In the UK, some primary schools are facing a crisis of wellbeing — and TCC could be part of the solution. Many British teachers and students are under intense strain. Educators are burning out from growing expectations and over-stretched resources. Many students are experiencing increasing behavioural challenges and falling attention spans… Over the past year in Banbury, Oxfordshire, we’ve shared TCC to help restore balance to the school day. With its gentle, flowing movements and emphasis on inner stillness, TCC is perfect. Even short sessions bring fun and improved focus, mood, and self-regulation for children. For teachers, it’s a practical, embodied way to reduce stress and model grounded presence.” – AL, Banbury, Oxfordshire, UK
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Adapting: “Teaching TCC to a group of brain injury survivors has deepened my appreciation for the adaptability of this gentle practice. In my seated class, when teaching side-to-side weight shifting — as in Carry the Ball to the Side, Passing Clouds, and Pulling Taffy, Variation #3 (Perpetual Motion) — I emphasize feeling the shift through the sit bones rather than the feet. This seated practice creates an inclusive space — those in wheelchairs can participate right alongside others. It also has deepened my understanding of the movements.” – SH, Greenville, SC
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Receiving: I like Paul Reps’ idea of sitting quietly for five minutes (better to make it ten) each day and just allowing yourself to ‘receive.’ No thinking, no technique, no mantra repetition, no watching the breath, but just sitting quietly in a chair. In Japan this would be known as shikantaza or just sitting. The great artisans of the past often did this before starting on some work, such as making a tea bowl or a Samurai sword…. It is my feeling that ten minutes of quiet and receiving, plus T’ai Chi Chih practice, may be enough. It is so easy to relax and do nothing. You may receive more than you bargained for. – Justin F. Stone
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Where in the World have you been doing T’ai Chi Chih? Share your images for our gallery.
Want more inspiration? Want a connection with the global TCC community? Want tips for better practice? Join us:
Subscribe to The Vital Force. Our quarterly journal offers engaging stories, hints, and insights from TCC teachers and students. We also highlight wisdom by, and photos rarely seen of, originator Justin Stone.
