Opportunity

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. 

If there’s tension, the Chi will not flow freely. – Justin F. Stone, TCC Originator

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From the recent issue of The Vital Force:

Stillness: “A few simple principles define the practice. Movements are done softly and slowly. Arms are moved by weight shifting from the front foot to the back foot. Each movement is done continuously and then pauses for a moment of stillness so the energy can settle. Attention is placed on the soles of the feet. Don’t let the simplicity fool you. The ancient underpinnings of the practice give it a power that can be transformative. The physical benefits have been researched: improved balance, increased energy and stamina, a sense of calmness. The spiritual benefits are left to each person to experience — over the course of a few weeks or the course of a lifetime.” – SK, Carmichael, CA

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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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Inspiration: “The 2023 Teacher Conference inspired me to deepen my practice; to appreciate teachers across the world sincerely promoting our practice; to remember the importance and beauty of community; to be grateful for the talent and wisdom of so many TCC teachers; to know so many more are out there could not attend but have as many gifts; to appreciate the value of technology that allows us to be together. I very much look forward to coming together again – in Albuquerque in July 2024. The energy experienced during an in-person conference is palpable and a source of inspiration and encouragement in my practice.” – CF, Mount Prospect, IL

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Service: “I was accredited in 2018 – the process dismantled my practice and built it back up. On the plane home, a teacher’s words echoed that opportunities would unfold. The next day, buzzing, I helped with an event to demonstrate TCC to local businesses and organizations. An hour after I arrived a woman said, ‘You’re just what I need. Call me.’ She represented a group of colleges that offered classes to community groups and my reach then grew very quickly. I’ve taught able-bodied students, those in wheelchairs, people with mental health challenges, children, people up to age 94, and a group in a local mosque. Every instance taught me something different.” – LM, Culworth, Northamptonshire, England

 

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Movement: There must be an effortless effort. If one imagines he is swimming through very heavy air, or that he is moving slow motion in a dream, he or she will get the idea. It is actually more important to know how to move than to know what moves to make. – 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.