Snowballs

This January we had a six-to-eight-inch snowstorm, and it was wet. The schools had a snow day, so as I was practicing T’ai Chi Chih (TCC) in my living room, I spotted the neighbor kids rolling snowballs to form the base of a snowman. Imagine those circular balls.

Soon I was completing my practice with images of large or medium snowballs for my circular movements and nice tidy snowballs with every ball of energy held between my hands. Even when passing my palms over each other during “The Taffies” I was celebrating the formation of so many snowballs. I haven’t counted the total yet but think of it: Around the Platter Variation, Carry the Ball to the Side, all four taffy variations produce enough snowballs to build an igloo.

The next day during a seniors class I shared these images and pretended Working the Pulley was launching snowballs into the room. An older man with a sly smile was quick to wipe the snow that hit him off his face. Sometimes it’s fun to have fun with TCC.

Teaching Without Words

Linda Braga of Castro Valley, California, shared this story during the Sandy’s Saturday morning class (see page 8).

While teaching T’ai Chi Chih (TCC) in a community center in South Hayward, California, I had a class of about 20 beginners and continuing students. Ten were Chinese and spoke no English. We welcomed them with smiles and gestures and began the class. A few weeks later, some continuing students came to me after class. “The Chinese students are making so much progress, we wonder if you are giving them private lessons.” I replied, “No, nor do any know the Chinese form of T’ai Chi Ch’uan.” They pressed, “How are they learning so fast when they don’t understand a word you say?” I replied that, “They are very observant of the way I move and they self-correct. They are vigilant observers of their teacher, and they are absorbing the soft quality of the Chi around them.”