Anywhere, Everywhere

T’ai Chi Chih practice can be done anywhere. Since no special clothes or equipment are needed, I can take T’ai Chi Chih with me wherever I go.

Recently, I was waiting for an appointment and instead of sitting in the waiting room reading a magazine meant to distract me from the fact that I was wasting time, I stood up and started to do T’ai Chi Chih. Of course, people came in and looked at me. But I just continued to do my practice. More often than not someone would comment about what I was doing. One lady said that her son does what I do, and that she really liked it because it looked so relaxing. I often hear that comment. It turned out that her husband was an ambassador for the United States.

Another benefit to doing it in these situations is that it gives me the opportunity to talk to people about T’ai Chi Chih and invite them to a class or tell them about the instructional DVD and video. One time, while on my way to teach at an annual fall retreat, a woman was watching me practice before we boarded the plane. As luck would have it she had the seat right next to me and we talked for two hours as if we were long lost friends. She made me promise to sign her up for the next retreat, and she even ordered a book and a video. (I am still in contact with her and she loves her practice.) She would never have known about T’ai Chi Chih if I had not shared the chi, by standing up in a public place and doing my practice.

You might ask, “What if I’ve already done my practice for the day?” Well, it never hurts to do a little more or do another full practice. Remember that the benefits are cumulative. And besides, you never know who is watching and waiting for the opportunity to learn about T’ai Chi Chih. I have always felt very fortunate that my first teacher, Helen Brungardt Pope, was convinced that T’ai Chi Chih had so much to offer (being as it saved her life.) I also feel as if it has saved mine. It has also allowed me to love and share the chi.