Letting Go (November 2016)

The theme of the 2016 teacher conference was Letting Go. It was a good theme as it is the most important aspect of T’ai Chi Chih. We invite it into our practice from the first movement of Rocking Motion. Our hands are relaxed and open, ready to move into the new. With each practice, we do not know what that new will be, but we do know that there will be a new understanding, feeling, or insight. This is always related not only to ourselves, but also to the bigger picture of our lives and life in general.

A student recently shared some negative thoughts he had about certain movements. I did not agree with his thinking because it took him to a negative state. Justin often said, “Don’t think about the movements; just do them.” As we work with our practice more and more, we begin to find that the quiet we experience in the body leads to a stillness of mind. This leads us to let go of negative opinions that may have popped up when we were first learning the movements.

I often tell the class not struggle with the movements, to keep in mind how unbalanced the body felt when they were learning Rocking Motion. But a short week later, after daily practice, the movement will seem like the most natural thing in the world, and later, stillness while in motion will become the experience with its many insights. Letting go of thinking is a most important base to our practice.

Justin asked us not to teach without becoming accredited, even though the movements may seem very easy to do. An accredited teacher is worth her and his weight in gold because each brings teh (inner sincerity) into the learning of TCC. Teh is sincerity and is the easy way of letting go. When we are being sincere, there is no conniving, no trying to find advantage over others by being clever like a fox. Once we start being clever, it takes more and more thinking, rather than going deeply into the stillness. Cleverness is the opposite of sincerity and letting go.

Letting go leads to knowing teh within ourselves. It is a selfless act. It teaches us to love and share the Chi. I invite teachers to plan to attend the 2017 conference.

Pyramid Poetry: Go For A Walk What Do You See

shift

aware

connected

improvement is

supported

let go

deep

– Lisa Stroyan

shift

vision

character

color me soft

azure blue

lead me

in

– Jeneth Rundle

wow

enough

of the spin

delightfully

swirling in

the mix

chi

– Robert Montes de Occ

now

seeing

things anew

the need to make

the movements

happen –

gone

– Dora Wiemann

new

listen

see the light

hearing for the

first time, now

it makes

sense

– Judy

all

things are

new in this

moment right now

precious is

the true

one

– Leya

pain

tension

melting now

softly gently

flowing through

open

gone

– Pauline

soft

rain bright

lights shining

many colors

across sky

within

all

– MW

joy

release

awareness

precious moment

tai chi chih

always

new

– Joyce Veerkamp

new

or old

which is it

how can i tell

did i think

it just

now

– Jerry G.

new

calling

hold yourself

in gentleness

like a babe

reborn

love

– Rebecca P.