Reflections on Conference & Group versus Individual Practice

Sincere gratitude to the dedicated teachers involved in bringing the teacher conference into being. It takes a lot of attention to detail to bring it together so smoothly. Well done!

Pacing during T’ai Chi Chih (TCC) practice has always varied by practitioner. Individual practice duration may also depend on the amount of time available or allotted. Justin suggested practicing every day but also allowed us to not do all 20 movements each time. When we practiced with Justin at the Albuquerque TCC Center, we consistently completed it in forty minutes. This included 36 rocking motions and two “jings” before Six Healing Sounds. Each teacher led a movement as we went around the circle — so individual pacing tended to average out — though I was often called out by Justin to “slow it down!”

Group TCC practice is fun because of group Chi. Focusing on synchronicity, there is a unique vibe created and sensed. When the synchronicity is not there, as I learned in Patty Stupca’s insightful presentation, judgment can creep in. This may be why Justin emphasized that the leader state the name of the movement and planned number of repetitions, and then to call out “last one.” During the conference, there were significant variations in the duration of the completed movements during group practices. Internet bandwidth had some effect on the synchronicity, but I did find myself becoming frustrated because the practice pace varied.

One should sense, and adjust, between too fast and too slow — always looking for the “just right” Goldilocks pace. I suggest doing a rough check of your individual practice against the 40-minute mark. Are you way short of this? Why? Are you way longer? Why? My pace is a bit fast, usually in the 35-to-37-minute range. Luxuriate, don’t stress.

Both types of practice have special qualities. I enjoy both, with no particular preference. The beauty of TCC practice is that each practice is unique and enough!