Joy and Peace

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. 

Only the life based on Truth can bring Ultimate Joy. – Justin F. Stone, TCC Originator

From a recent issue of The Vital Force:

Flowing Chi: “What do we mean when we say we are whole, we are one? The more I practice and refine TCC movements, the more there is to learn. Many people think TCC is about physical movement, and certainly one cannot achieve mastery without perfecting the physical expression. But TCC is more than physical movements…. Resistance – physical, mental or emotional – blocks Chi from flowing. Old stress and fear energy must be released for Chi to flow freely. As Chi is the essence of the energy of life, we must be open and receptive to it. This week I experienced the flow of Chi in my hands, feet and entire body. Peace and oneness, focused within our synchronized movements, was sent out as a wave of love.” – FZ, Spanish Forks, UT

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Bubbling smiles: “I was diagnosed with Young-Onset Parkinson’s Disease in 2005. A decade later, I remembered watching my late mother, Toni, practicing TCC at home while recovering from surgery and seeing how much she enjoyed “the Taffies.” As my slow, shuffling walk worsened, it was increasingly difficult to stay active, so I looked for an activity to keep myself moving that didn’t require a cane or wheelchair, and I remembered my mother practicing TCC…. After practicing TCC daily for a few weeks, I experienced some unexpected benefits. In class, as we started Bass Drum, for example, a happy little smile bubbled up to my face. Joy through movement. I find myself completing tasks with more ease, less thinking, more doing…. TCC is an excellent tool to soothe an anxious mind and ease a tense body.” – RD, Atlanta, GA

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Creating comfort: “TCC  has been a part of my life for almost 20 years. When I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) in 1998, a family friend suggested I might benefit from practicing TCC. I’ve been practicing and learning TCC ever since…. This summer, when I had cervical spinal surgery because of RA-related complications, the surgery went well but afterward I had breathing issues that required intubation. I spent six days in Intensive Care, 18 days in the hospital, and couldn’t drink liquids or eat solid foods for 25 days. I practiced TCC mentally as much as I could while in the hospital. Each time I felt I couldn’t take one more minute, I kept my attention in the soles of my feet. Practicing TCC helped me be strong and find a positive place to focus my energy. It was a valuable practice for creating a place of comfort in difficult times.” – MFS, Atlanta, GA

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Being present: “Our first practice using sound is a simple one: just sit or stand where you are, take a few deep breaths, then relax and notice all the near and distant sounds of which you were unaware a few minutes ago. Make a mental note of each. The humming of a plane overhead, an ambulance in the distance, house noises, the sound of tires on the pavements, the chirping of crickets and birds, a female voice calling out to someone, a trombone playing soulfully on a radio somewhere…. All these and more may be happening, and yet you have not noticed them; your busy mind has not registered the sounds at all…. This is not easy to do; it demands strict attention. It also means we have to drop our egoistic self-centered concerns, forget our worries and memories, and just turn ourselves over to the hearing organ, registering only what we actually hear.” –  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.