Air

I used to have negative feelings towards the element of air. I used to feel strongly connected to the earth, as T’ai Chi Chih helps me feel so grounded and interconnected with all life. Air would make me think of wind, which is very hard for my body. It makes me feel dizzy, disoriented and other uncomfortable sensations. Someone once mentioned that Justin suggested not practicing TCC on a windy day outside.

Recently I have been attending a Gatha course with Melina Bondy who spent time in the Plum Village Tradition of Buddhism founded by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Zen Buddhist monk and peace activist. During this immensely deep and profound course, Melina shared a practice with air. She helped open my eyes to the air element being more than wind. Air is life! We can go without food/water for days, but we cannot go without air – it is all around us all the time, just like Chi.

Melina suggested we move very slowly and feel the air. She suggested imagining colors in the air as we slowly moved our hands through it. It felt like creating a soft painting with my fingertips. I could feel the slight resistance in the air, its delicate yet firm presence on my skin. My eyes opened to a more expansive presence, one that had always been there. My next TCC practice was even deeper; I could feel the air as I went through the movements. The resistance and softness during Seijaku felt even more palpable. In gratitude and breath:

still

is the

air, soft like

magic, I feel

the lust of

spring leaves

here