New teacher has unfathomable gratitude for T’ai Chi Chih, Justin

Reprinted with permission from The New Mexico T’ai Chi Chih News, July, 2000.

Dear Justin,

Thank you for your thoughtful, inspiring letter of congratulations on my becoming an accredited T’ai Chi Chih instructor. I appreciate very much that you took the time to write it.

I have been waiting for the right time to unfold for me to write to you…a time of deep quiet…a moment in which I might be able the find the words to express and describe to you what is beyond the realm of words. My heart is full, and my spirit is quiet, glowing with the light that has softened and deepened within me as a result of the profound experience of the T’ai Chi Chih Teachers Accreditation Course week. I truly cannot adequately express the vastness and the depth of what occurred for me, under the extraordinary guidance of Ed Altman. I can only say that I know, with complete certainty, that a profound shift has occurred within my being as a result of that week, and I feel as if I have crossed over a bridge and am standing on firm ground, ready to devote my life to listening to the guidance that is within me…that “still, small voice” (Prajna)…it is from this place that I choose to live, and I dedicate my life to attuning to the flow of the Chi, and, trusting its innate wisdom, to allowing it to be my guide and teacher both in my own life and in my mission to help others to discover, through T’ai Chi Chih, their own inner teacher.

The most profound feeling I have been experiencing as a result of the T’ai Chi Chih accreditation course is learning to deeply listen, within, to the Chi…to deeply attune every second, and to be aware of even the most subtle shifts in its character, remaining vigilant at all times, noticing anything that interferes with the purity of the flow of the Chi, allowing the Chi to call me back, helping me to remain in the Cosmic Flow, experiencing the Real. And how wonderful to realize that one need not feel a sense of “failure” or self-criticism! All that is required is to be aware of the interference, and re-focus the attention back to the soles of the feet and the shifting of the weight, feeling the substantial and the insubstantial, the softness of flowing…swimming through very heavy air, effortlessly…surrendering to the Chi…As Ed Altman said, “The breeze blows, and the clouds move,” on their own. As I constantly, second-by-second, go deeper within, I find that all I need to know is right there, in the flow of the Chi, within me. And when I experience a discomfort in any form (physical, emotional, mental) I experience a deep hunger to return to Cosmic Consciousness, a longing that comes from a state of imbalance. Through doing T’ai Chi Chih that hunger is filled, effortlessly and naturally. The wonderful thing is that the wisdom of the Chi knows how to restore the balance. If I stay attuned, allowing for softness and continuity of mind, the Chi will lead me back once again, filling me with the awareness of “peace that passeth all understanding.”

The gratitude for this “Knowing” is unfathomable. As an accredited T’ai Chi Chih Teacher, may I help others to find this gift which is theirs to know. T’ai Chi Chih will show me the way. Also, as I am embodying its principles, my life is flowing more easily. I am discovering trust…for, as T’ai Chi Chih is showing me, there is an intrinsic order and balance in the universe that can be felt within, and if one lives in accord with this truth, life unfolds naturally and effortlessly. T’ai Chi Chih is the teacher; one needs only to listen and respond to the inner “dialogue,” beyond words.

Thank you, Justin, for bringing T’ai Chi Chih into the world. Your teachings are an integral part of my spiritual work. I refer to your books, tapes, and videos constantly. Your clear, straightforward teachings are both illuminating and enlightening…

It is a joy to awaken each day to do T’ai Chi Chih and feel it in my life all day long!

– Beverly Weil