Love Is The Essence Of TCC By S. Becky Shinas, Fremont, California

My T’ai Chi Chih mind has finally found delightful rest, in love, so my body can teach. I have been doing the TCC way a little over a year, and what I’ve come to know is that in the beginning, in the middle and in the beginning of the end, love is the essence of all TCC movement. 

I believe love to be the essence of all life. To be loved, to be loving and to know that we are lovable is our essential and blessed learning on the planet. Yes indeed, Chi is the source and summit of all loving. Yet I find when I do my TCC movements, my mind jumps in immediately, telling me everything I’m doing mostly wrong, which does not leave me feeling the Chi, feeling the Love.

I begin to think, dang, I want my body to tell me what it needs to be and do to become my TCC movement of joy. At my core, my mind cannot (and does not want) to teach me, my body yearns to be my teacher. So I thought, okay, I need to give my mind something to do during this delightful TCC movement. I thought back. What is Chi? Love. What is the most important thing in the world? To be loved. Why are we here? To be loving. What is my essence? To be lovable. This sounded awesome since these are all the essence of TCC. My mind was on it.

I begin the TCC movements and my mind first feels the love of all those who love me. I hear my 96-year-new mom’s voice on the phone saying hello and warming my heart, filling me with joy. On heaven’s side, I feel my dad so close in my heart, laughing, guiding and still loving me. Thinking of my siblings allows me to feel their loving goodness, fun and caring. By this time I’m at Daughter on the Mountain and feeling more like a goddess of joy on the mountain, as I move Chi love back to them.

Hold this Hallmark moment while I make a little reality check. I know you have had struggles, disappointments and hurts in your life, just as I have, but invite Chi to let your mind name the good. You may be surprised how it grows into new memories of comfort. It only takes a little loving to know the truth that love is the core of each of us. No matter what anyone told or did to you, take back your power of love and live the lovelight you proudly are with dignity, grace, sincerity and integrity. That’s the ultimate power of TCC.

I then move to all my wonderful friends and pets, letting ones come to mind that want to love and support me in this present moment, as I send my love to them with joy. And then my mind extends to my fantastic teachers, coaches, guides, spiritual mentors and companions. It then goes to all the amazing authors, activists, creators, painters, singers, dancers and wisdom circles that have touched me so deeply. And I feel blessed by their loving.

Then I think of Mother Nature, our diverse and engaging global community and the many people I meet daily who I know in my heart. (Are you feeling the love, yet? I love you; it is called One Love.) They, too, know that we are each love-embodied Divine, and share the deepest common desire – to be kind and caring towards one another.

At this point I am on Light at the Top of the Head, receiving the sweet love of our intergalactic family, thanking them for balancing Chi so perfectly in our cosmic community by birthing love to us all day long. They wisely know that “felt love” is the most powerful grace bestowed on any human being, and that it is the beginning of all love shared.

As my mind is completely occupied contemplating our true nature – being loved, loving and lovable – this leaves the body free to speak and teach. And I begin to quietly hear: take a short step, soften the knees, no one will harsh your mellow, ease the thigh, let the t’an tien move you, bend the ankle, there you go, beautiful, tuck the chin, elbows in, you make me so happy, feel the feet, send roots down into the earth, ahhhh, how nice is that, no effort, lift lightly, slowly now, do you know just how awesome you are, drain the position before the transition, gosh, I adore you, let your shoulders relax, sit down in your swing with happy hips and we will fly, fluid hands, peaceful pose, you just make every cell in my body leap for joy.

All of these TCC teaching moments come spontaneously from my body. I am being sprinkled and glittered with loving tips and happy reminders of how to receive and learn the TCC way. My mind really loves TCC now because as I feel loved, my body allows me to receive all her Chi tidbits with lovable gratitude and loving joy. I have found no better reason “to be and do” TCC than that it enables me “to be love and do love” in the world with peace, praise, compassion and grace. Chi on. Love on. Live on. With joy.