Introduction to Seijaku: Joyous Breath TCC Conf. Talk

When Justin first introduced Seijaku and he got to Joyous Breath, he said, “We won’t do Joyous Breath because you already know how to do it.” Joyous Breath is done Seijaku style. So, I have called Joyous Breath the Grandmother/Grandfather of Seijaku. Some people thought that it was not to be practiced when doing Seijaku; however, Justin only meant that you didn’t have to learn anything new. If you do Joyous Breath well, you will have no trouble learning Seijaku.

Review: use of strong, audible breath; use of back of the throat; dropping/relaxing the jaw; use of hands/(cupped palms) in a strong/vigorous manner (use of strength), but only in the palms of the hands, not the arms, or back.

The intention of Seijaku is to introduce the practitioner to an advanced usage of the T’ai Chi Chih movements, with slight variations to some of the movements. Justin said that each time that we practice Seijaku we evolve at the rate of 1000 years. Obviously that is a great shift to all levels of our being: mental, emotional, and physical. Even more important is the giant leap in consciousness that is made. We move from me to we.

Being good students of the Chi, we truly begin to learn what ‘chih’ in T’ai Chi Chih means. Chih is ‘Knowledge Of.’ This ‘knowledge of’, is what T’ai Chi Chih has been preparing us to know, experience, and put into action in our bodies and our life, with the full ability on all levels of our being. Seijaku was only meant to be an oral tradition, which is why Justin never wrote a book about it, and told us to pass it on orally, as he had given it to us. Passing it on orally conveys more than just where to place hands and feet, but with the breath (different than in T’ai Chi Chih – which has no special method of breathing), a new strength is conveyed and with each practice the body gains in strength and wisdom. There are several parts to the Seijaku practice. We learn to love and share the Chi.

(10)

Pyramid Poems

On The Jing, from Carmen Brocklehurst’s April 2017 TCC Retreat

push

in push

harder if

you want to gain

benefits

from this

jing

– Jerry G.

breathe

slowly

patience while

energy fills

spiraling

thrumming

in

– Lisa Stroyan

in

into

the marrow

into the depth

of the body

storing

chi

– Leya

spark

it is

creation

moving

deeply

in healing

turquoise

light

– Carmela Beck

merge

the jing

assists us

cellular notes

vibration

singing

me

breathe

deeply

wait stop it’s

suffocating

wait stop go

ahead

breathe

– Unknown

chi

push in

expand out

chi purify

bone marrow

giving

life

– Larry Sava

jing

about

pushing the

energy in

to the bone

marrow

strength

– Robert

chi

moving

being stored

scintillating

in the bones

living

joy

– Dora Wiemann

(12)

Pyramid Poems

On The Toning Sound, from Carmen Brocklehurst’s April 2017 TCC Retreat

being (life)

vibrates

the origin

from the tanden

our life force

growing

strong

– Carmela Beck

the

ever

lasting sound

neither starts nor

finishes

it just

is

– Dora Wiemann

sound

vibrates

life tendrils

murmuration

receding

and yet

new

hear

that the

sound of all

creation that

is softened

by only

time

– Jerry G.

sound

can be

deafening

silence is the

path for us

to be

still

– Robert

tones

sound like

abundance

filling the void

Resonance

lingers

true

– Lisa Stroyan

sound

essence

connecting

vibrating life

create new

we hear

life

– M.R.

sound

vibrates

from center

expand out from

tan t’ien

then back

home

– J. Veerkamp