How Well Behaved Are Your Dogs?

Have you ever walked well-behaved dogs? They simply walk right alongside of you without pulling, yanking, or straying. At a corner, everyone stops and waits until the coast is clear. When the dog walker says, “Let’s go” we all go together. Simple joy and ease.

After dog sitting several different breeds for several families, I began to notice the difference between walking well-behaved dogs and walking dogs not trained (or who had a mind of their own). Walking one group was joyful and effortless. The other group was fraught with effort, arm wrestling, and less joy and ease; it was much more of a workout.

What does this have to do with T’ai Chi Chih, you ask? Consider the tan t’ien as the dog walker and the arms as the dogs. Ideally, the tan t’ien (dog walker) is the boss and the arms (dogs) flow right along with that. When the tan t’ien flows forward, the arms flow forward. When the tan t’ien flows back, the arms flow back. Simple, right?

After having watched two very rambunctious and leashed Siberian huskies, I introduced this idea to my classes. I explained the dog walking analogy and we played with several movements. I asked the class to “let the dogs” (aka arms) lead the movement and notice how that felt. People responded with answers like “I felt rushed” or “I felt ungrounded” or “top heavy” or “wobbly.”

I then had the students focus on the dogs/arms being mindful and waiting until the dog walker/tan t’ien began to flow. When the students did this, the upper and lower body flowed together effortlessly and the surprised look on their faces indicated that they had surely felt a difference. They reported feeling much more grounded, connected, and at ease while doing the movements.

Prior to this explanation, many students had done Daughter on the Mountaintop with their arms halfway up the mountain or more before the tan t’ien even moved. I told them that the dogs were running up the mountain and the tan t’ien hadn’t even put its coat on yet. They got it.

We played with this for side-to-side and up-and-down movements as well. The following week, I simply reminded them that “the dogs” are not in charge, the tan t’ien is. Comments like, “watch those dogs” or “wait for the dog walker to begin” instantly brought them back. They flowed through each movement with much more presence and awareness. It was a proud moment for all. Now, who wants a treat?