Chi Relationships

For me, T’ai Chi Chih (TCC) is all about relationships. Relationships through movement. Relationships in the Chi.

There is the relationship with myself, plain and unadorned. The practice of TCC, stripped to its essence, teaches me to be all that I can be but no more. To be myself and only myself. As I age, the practice allows me — indeed it invites me — to make appropriate adjustments so that the Chi can continue to flow without extra tension or judgment. Sometimes that means doing a seated practice or making the movements smaller or doing a shorter practice.

There are the relationships we form with one another as we practice together. We invite newcomers to join us, being patient as they learn the movements, trusting that they will begin to relax into the Chi and flow naturally with us. Moving together creates a sense of trust which often leads to a deepening of our relationships with one another. We form friendships that often are deep and lasting. And we come to know people different from ourselves.

Sometimes we do the practice in a sacred space, blending the Chi of the sacred and the Chi of the practice. In the Sacramento area, a local parish offers a Taize service every Wednesday evening. The repetitive singing and the repetitive movements create an energy space that is powerfully healing. Several of us do TCC in the back of the church during Taize, creating a different relationship with all that is sacred.

In our practice we find a relationship with our surroundings, be they a park, a community room, our living room. Or maybe a noisy place or a busy place. TCC is practiced with the eyes open, inviting us to relate to our surroundings without being controlled or disturbed by them. As we go about our daily activities, this detached relationship allows us to experience a presence with all that is part of our world.

At other times the practice is offered to people struggling — with mental illness, addiction, limited income. TCC Teacher George Manning offers a class at HOPE Cooperative. It is not unusual for a person to watch George as he does the practice, notice his calmness, and then want to experience that same calmness. That person forms a relationship with George through the movements and eventually develops a personal relationship with the Chi. The fact that George is also a client helps students believe that the healing power of the practice can be theirs, too. A couple of long-time students are often there as sources of support and encouragement.

Over time, each of us can establish a relationship with the cosmic Chi, the energy that moves all living beings on this planet. We begin to understand that we are meant to flow with the cosmic Chi, to trust its wisdom, to share its healing power. And, like any relationship, it flourishes when we give it attention and when we invite others to join us.

Yes, TCC is all about relationships. With ourselves, with others, with the sacred, with all that is. I can’t imagine life without it.

From Sheryl Adair, Atlanta, Georgia: I was thinking about the upcoming conference and everyone gathering in person again in Albuquerque:

grand
moment
track stopper
memories made
heart warmer
bubbles
joy

heal
thy self
all that ails
recovery
possible
focus
now