Much More Than The Sum Of Its Parts

I’ve wanted to learn T’ai Chi from the moment I saw a group practicing at sunrise at the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris. I was spending my junior year abroad and would jog in the park before breakfast. As I ran past, panting and sweating, I was intrigued by the slow movements of the group. They were silent and moved in unison. Years later I had an opportunity to take a T’ai Chi class. Imagine my surprise on the first day of class when our instructor, April Leffler, announced that this was a T’ai Chi Chih class – and it was not a martial art, but rather a moving meditation. My heart sank. Meditation? I was doomed. I had tried meditation and wound up frustrated because I couldn’t think about nothing. (It sounds easier than it is.) Judging from the looks on my classmates’ faces, they didn’t know there was more than one form of T’ai Chi either.

I decided to give it a try, and I’m so glad I did. Even though it was difficult sometimes, and I felt silly or self-conscious (the Six Healing Sounds were a real challenge), I didn’t let those feelings get in the way of practice. TCC gave me more energy at the same time that it helped me be more calm and relaxed. I now had helpful tools which I could use under stress.

TCC is much more than the sum of its parts. The Dalai Lama talks of the importance of being present, of being fully aware and appreciating each moment we experience. While I recognize the wisdom in his words, I’d always found it difficult to keep my mind focused on the suds of the dishwater. I was always thinking ahead to the next moment. TCC keeps me in the present. I may still be doing a lot of running around, but thanks to TCC I’m doing it with a sense of peace.