Solo TCC, The Universe, My Dog & I

Needing a break from too many obligations, appointments, commitments, projects, and classes, I took a break last summer from all these time-eating activities, including group T’ai Chi Chih practice.

Outdoor TCC at the end of the day has always been a lovely escape and refuge for me, especially in the secluded park area where I live. My little eight-pound Maltese, Babette (Snow Leopard Cub Little White Wolf) and I are usually alone there with the late afternoon sun. It’s not just a sequestered park, it’s our special escape Universe. We walk onto the grass and enter another dimension of feeling, sensing and enlightenment. Rocking Motion.

Without the group energy, I depend on myself to remember the movements and count repetitions. Oh, I knew them, but it was so easy to follow our instructor, Lisa, and shadow the group. Relaxed, I often fell prey to daydreaming and floated off while listening to the music. Daughter on the Mountaintop.

The sunlight glistens through the leaves of the trees and showers us with shadowy gold specks; the breeze flows through my hair and touches my cheek while little Babette sits quietly nearby, nose still catching end-of-day scents, and I feel my Chi flowing into her. She is now a faithful TCC dog. Long shadows surround us. My feet are grounded but I am floating … I am aware of so many things all at once … and how do I say this? I know and feel emotions and feel so full of love that I want to leap and shout and then fall into peaceful joy. Push Pull.

Opera plays in my ear buds. I love doing TCC to the exquisite and majestically beautiful resonances of opera. The passion and intensity of the music lift my heart and hands as the movements flow into one another. I hear Lisa’s voice reminding me, “Soft hands,” “Back remains straight,” “Head/chin up,” “Heel touches first.” Pulling Taffy – Perpetual Motion.

With this solo evening practice, I gently find the TCC that has been eluding me. On my own, TCC becomes Joy Through Movement and the Vital Force I’ve been hearing and reading about, and I gratefully feel the magic Lisa talks about so often. For my little dog and me, this evening time of day is our beautiful connection to each other and all that is mysterious. For a little while, answers no longer seem so elusive. Knowledge of the supreme ultimate.

Summer to autumn. My evening TCC ritual has become a magical transference of dimensions. As the season changes, so must I. The break in all the madness has been healing and enriching. I am back in a group TCC practice and have just begun Seijaku. As the sunset moves to an earlier time, my ritual will be adjusted, but I will not give up this solo joy. Sweet and beautiful Joyous Breath!