Great Vibes? Easy Peasy?

You know when you walk into a room, and it just feels good to be there? You know when you meet someone, and they just make you smile with a warm feeling? That’s what my weekend was like. I attended the T’ai Chi Chih (TCC) 2022 Teacher Conference, Friday through Sunday, with more than 150 of what now feel like my closest friends, and guess what? It was virtual!

It was easy to be there. It required little effort, and the experience made me smile, over and over again. The fee to attend was nominal; I didn’t think twice. The emails to help us prepare were informative but not too detailed, lengthy, or frequent. (I actually read them all.) Sessions were on time, and I never felt pressure to come out of my TCC bliss bubble to talk. Although there were plenty of breakout rooms in which to share, I shared when I felt like it was pertinent. 

At one point, I was tired of sitting at my desk and lay down on the floor next to my computer to rest my back. As I listened, drifting in and out of the voice on the screen, I trusted that what I needed to learn was filtering in. 

And it worked. I remembered the salient points which my students will now benefit from, and I didn’t have to take copious notes. Such a relief. 

That’s the thing. When we think we have to show up, pay attention, and get something done — especially when it involves learning — we can put so much effort into it that the opposite happens. 

What I experienced during conference, when I adjusted my attitude and relaxed into more non-doing, was more enjoyment. As a result, more information made it into my memory when I let go of the extra effort. I actually learned a lot. 

TCC is a practice of “the effort, no effort” and that feeling has stayed with me. So, my intention this month is to bring a sense of freedom from over-efforting into my life, relationships, and all my yoga and TCC classes. 

I invite you to do the same. Let’s create more ease and enjoyment this month. Freedom from doing doesn’t necessarily mean no action. When I reflect on those actions in my life that seemed necessary and important at the time, I realized about half of them could have been accomplished with a bit more ease and perspective. And of course, the attitude I brought to those actions was all important. 

It’s much like what Patty Stupka emphasized in her beautiful talk about the attitude of gratitude and approaching our practice and our life actions from the empty cup. We all have the choice. So, enjoy. Stay cool and undo the effort. See you next time.