Flow

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. 

“’Cultivate the Chi itself.’” – Justin F. Stone, TCC Originator

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From the recent issue of The Vital Force:

Grace: “In my early 30s and physically fit, I struggled with Justin’s oft-repeated instruction to come to a “graceful conclusion” at the end of each movement. I felt anything but graceful, especially as Justin repeatedly encouraged me to bend my knees more and sink deeper. I felt like I didn’t have the strength to do what he was asking. How could a practice that was supposed to be soft require so much physical strength? … Surprise, surprise, the more I practiced, the stronger I got. And then the softer and more graceful I became. Now age 60, I’m in better physical shape than I was in my 30s. I also see students develop into their own soft strength and embrace their grace and beauty. Many share that they’d never felt graceful a day in their lives until they learned TCC.” – LO, Port Hueneme, CA

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Editor’s Note: Learn more from TCC teachers with more than 25 years of experience in the May issue of The Vital Force.

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Strength: “Six years ago, I hurt my left knee getting out of an airplane seat. X-rays revealed I’d pulled a muscle, and my doctor suggested injections to alleviate the pain. Every eight months that’s what I did but the knee still ached and sometimes woke me up at night. When I started TCC lessons in January 2022, my knee was still aching and I still received regular injections. I began by practicing a few times a week. It was fun and helped my balance. I took Justin’s saying to heart about practicing when you feel like it, and when you don’t. Recently I realized that it’s been more than a year since my last injection and my knee doesn’t hurt! I credit TCC for helping strengthen my knee muscles and keeping my balance.” – AR, Weatherby Lake, MO

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Quiet: “What is the purpose of the graceful conclusion (at the end of each movement) throughout the TCC practice? We experience flow and rhythm in the body as soon as we start moving and experience quietness, groundedness, and unity within. This happens as soon as we sink down into the resting position, bringing the Chi into a graceful conclusion.” – LL, Prairie Village, KS

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Flow: The third confirmatory sign of our success in TCC practice will come only after we have been doing TCC for a long time, to the point where the balance Chi begins to flow the moment we lift our hands. And probably flows through us most of the day while we are carrying out other activities. Then we will be surprised to learn that we can do TCC mentally. We can be sitting at a boring lecture or on a plane and, closing our eyes, begin to do the movements in our minds. The Chi then begins to flow just as if we were standing and moving. – 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.

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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.