Rediscovering Seijaku Again, For The First Time

Isn’t it amazing how the T’ai Chi Chih journey never ends. Back in the 1970’s I saw a bumper sticker that stated: “The longest journey is the journey inward.” My first journey to Albuquerque was back in latter part of January, 1994, to attend a Seijaku training led by Justin. My preparation for this course was having practiced and taught T’ai Chi Chih for three years. I really don’t remember much about that training, other than being excited about meeting Justin, having heard so much about him and read his articles in The Vital Force. There may have been 25 to 30 in attendance which stirred up a great flow of Chi. One thing that did impress me was feeling very grounded after the final practice and finding it difficult to put one foot in front of the other as we left the practice space.

Once home, Seijaku became my daily practice. I didn’t remember hearing any cautions although Justin did say that a great deal of energy would be experienced from Seijaku practice. Little did I know that it would be sexual energy. With my lifestyle, I didn’t need such an abundance. Being a Spiritual Director, and knowing full well that the spiritual, creative and sexual energies are the same, I was nevertheless overwhelmed by the power of the practice and decided to stop Seijaku altogether and return to daily TCC practice.

Moving forward a mere 17 years to the July 2011 Seijaku training following the Ohio conference, I once again decided to renew this practice. Even though I was not practicing Seijaku all those years, I do believe in the gift that Justin intended to give to the teachers, and wanted to see Seijaku presented during the past few conferences. These presentations would invite those in attendance to have a renewed opportunity to experience and receive this gift. Justin was behind it one hundred percent. So, did I have any other choice than to attend? The previous year Ann Rutherford was sharing her insights with me about the practice and how her experience of it was evolving. In learning it back in 1994, we were imaging moving through the resistance, which was described as a brick wall. I was experiencing more physical force than necessary, or that was even good for my body. As Ann explained in her conference talk this year, the resistance she is focusing on in her Seijaku practice is the resistance that is finds in daily life.

This new insight is the change that made me want to audit the Seijaku training. It is only natural for me/us to resist that which I/we resist the most in life. But to acknowledge resistance, to focus on what that resistance is, to hold it, to carry it, to move through it, and come out the other side gives me/us the ability to face it, and most importantly, to release it. And let’s face it, we all hold resistance. Anyone who doesn’t acknowledge resistance in life is not honest.

There were so many insights during this training. I learned that Seijaku can easily be integrated into a regular TCC practice. I experienced the importance of both feet being flat during the weight shift forward while holding and moving through the resistance. This is truly a very grounding experience. How else could this process take place without being grounded in the soles of the feet. As the back heel rises in the forward shift, one breaks through the resistance, which is the moment of release. Holding fast and letting go is the essence of the form – repetition after repetition, movement after movement. Practicing Seijaku in this way has opened up a deeper awareness of honesty, facing resistance and being willing to release it into gently letting it go. This in no way diminishes one’s ego, rather allows one to release all that is false.

I am most grateful to Justin for creating Seijaku as his gift to teachers. You are invited to receive this gift, open it and discover for yourself how it will transform your practice and your life. We do not know how much longer Justin will be with us as his health continues to diminish. One thing that will live on is his encouragement to practice, practice, practice TCC, and to learn and practice Seijaku, the advanced form of TCC.

It is only in the last few years that Justin has changed his directive on how one learns Seijaku from only by attending a training, to learning it from any accredited Seijaku teacher. Once learned and practiced for six months, the Seijaku training will be the rich experience Justin intended it to be. It my hope that many teachers will be open to experience the gift of Seijaku practice. Peace and all good.