Seijaku (May 2024)

hai

ya. hai

ya. hai ya

hai! lift the gate.

shift the weight.

let go.

flow.

There is much interest in the community right now around Seijaku. It seems to be the crowning jewel of T’ai Chi Chih (TCC), Justin Stone’s ultimate expression of gathering and circulating the Chi.

Through expansion and contraction, the concepts of soft then hard, hold fast then let go, fast track and hang time seem far beyond the foundational movements of TCC. Some of the movements such as Bird Flaps its Wings, Carrying the Ball to the Side, the Jing and even the “Joy Song” flaunt a certain technical eclecticism that advances TCC to rarified heights. Now I have discovered that “TCC is doing TCC,” I am propelled to explore the journey of Seijaku. 

After a year of exposure to and increased practice of Seijaku, I know what I don’t know. I can now formulate a question that can lead to a better understanding: “Is one supposed to hold their breath when they hold fast?” Another question: “When dancing to the ‘Joy Song’ does one alternate sides to correspond to the stanzas?” And one more, “Why are some TCC movements not done in Seijaku? Would that be due to time constraints? Or are they just not pertinent to the form of Seijaku?”

It will surely take more time to commit these technically eclectic movements of Seijaku to rote memory. But far more than rote, I look forward to Seijaku providing a more enriched practice of my beloved TCC.