Practice
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.
“’It is necessary to practice.’” – Justin F. Stone, TCC Originator
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From the recent issue of The Vital Force:
Flowing: “The Tohono Chul Botanical Gardens in Tucson, some of the world’s great gardens, are a perfect setting for studying mindfulness through moving meditation. As always (in class), I learn something new. Today I work on correcting a movement I’ve been practicing imprecisely and am encouraged when the instructor notes that Justin said we benefit from performing even just a few of the movements each day. I feel the gentle, flowing strength of movements that cross the midline of the body, connecting both sides of the brain, melding brain, body and spirit to the earth. As I relax into the familiar routine, the soft background music merges with birdsongs.” – JS, Tucson, AZ
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Editor’s Note: Learn more from TCC teachers with more than 25 years of experience in the August 2023 issue of The Vital Force.
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Connecting: “After every one of the 19 movements, there is that moment of rest, checking in, connecting to the earth, connecting to myself. Justin called it ‘Graceful Conclusion’ and I like to think of it as “coming home.” It’s that precious short moment of mindful presence where my body feels totally at ease. Home has been a big theme in my life. A quest for a place to belong, a place to meet kindred souls and a place of community. It’s not easy to feel at home in this unsettling world. TCC creates such a home. It’s a practice for mind, body and soul.” – ML, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Creating: “I participated in the June retreat in Oceanside, CA. The passion, commitment and discipline of the participating teachers, as well as sharing our stories – creating a community – is what I’d been missing. I felt more inspired than ever. I now include TCC in my daily routine again and, as a type A personality, I look forward to the joy this moving meditation grants me. Reading a passage from Justin’s Spiritual Odyssey about the cumulative effects of regular practice has convinced me how crucial this component is for my physical, mental and emotional health.” –– FS, Richmond, VA
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Sensing: When we meet someone for the first time, we sense the state of his or her Chi, and we say the vibes are ‘good’ or ‘bad.’ Once we are within the aura of that particular stranger, the aura simply being the manifestation of the state of Chi, we are influenced by that Chi. And our first impressions are usually right. – 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.
