Experiencing
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.
TCC must be done softly and without effort. – Justin F. Stone, TCC Originator
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From the recent issue of The Vital Force:
Quieting: “It was well past midnight in the hospital after knee-replacement surgery last year, and I couldn’t sleep. The sleep-stealing culprit was muscle spasms firing every few minutes in my leg above my new knee, the result of a tourniquet clutching my thigh during surgery. I tried meditative deep breathing, visualizing (and other approaches). Then I remembered a conversation with my TCC teacher about someone who had found solace in the hospital by doing mental TCC. So, at 3 a.m. I started Rocking Motion, not just thinking the motions but moving my arms up and back while lying flat on my hospital bed…. My spasms continued, but my brain moved to a quieter place.” – WW, Roseville, MN
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Editor’s Note: Learn more from TCC teachers with more than 25 years of experience in the November issue of The Vital Force.
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Grounding: “I always strongly felt Justin’s presence at conference. The deepest memory I have of him is when he shared the importance of grounding when doing the ‘Taffies.’ He emphasized when moving to the left in Pulling Taffy that the right hand pulls diagonally across the body and ends parallel to the ground, thus giving the grounding needed. (And vice versa, with the right hand when moving to the left.) I’ve always used that explanation in my classes (although it’s clearer to demonstrate). And I always have the picture in my mind of Justin’s demonstration.” – KS, Auburn, CA
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Learning: “I must confess I went into the conference this year with my ego saying, ‘After 24 years of practicing there is nothing more I can possibly learn about body mechanics.’ Ha! Not so! I took away many gems, including the fun way of focusing on shifting the weight to the front ‘dimes’ in the soles of the feet in Bird Flaps Its Wings to make the sinking of the knees and the rising of the heels effortless…. Taking more time to rest between movements is making me feel more grounded…. I’m delighted to have learned some new body mechanics, but the spiritual aspects of the conference were what I appreciated most and I hope we focus more on the spiritual aspects of our practice going forward.” – LJ, Minneapolis, MN
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Concentrating: The tan t’ien, the spot two inches below the navel, is the all-important place Chi is stored. It is the seed of intuition and the most important spot from (a Chinese perspective). The Tu Mu meridian channel that comes down the front, goes through the tan t’ien and reaches the soles of the feet, called the Chu or bubbling spring. Therefore, by concentrating in the soles of the feet, we serve the same purpose – bringing the Chi down to the tan t’ien by bringing it down to the soles of the feet. – Justin F. Stone
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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.
