Something Said…

The moment-to-moment feedback we receive while practicing T’ai Chi Chih (TCC) with true awareness can contribute greatly to our ability to be open to the moment-to-moment feedback that we receive in our practice of life.

As Justin said about prajna, “There is within you, that which knows and that is your teacher. That is the true teacher.” This is a very simple (not necessarily easy) and profound statement that I suspect many do not believe. Yet Justin did not say, “There are only a few who Know” but rather there is within you that which knows.

My ears perk up in any conversation when I hear a person say, “Something said…” or “Something told me to…” Many times, the person will preface this phrase by saying, “This may sound weird but…” or “All of a sudden out of the blue…” and I smile internally. Because these are the telltale signs of prajna in action. Sometimes, however, prajna is occurring without our knowing until after the fact.

Case in point: While driving to my ongoing class at the YMCA this morning, something said, “Let’s focus on the ‘Taffies’ today”. (On Mondays during this class, I usually choose one thing to tweak for the first few minutes and then spend the rest of the class doing a full practice with minimal to no talking. I even ring a handheld bell to indicate “one more” movement before we come to a graceful conclusion. The idea here is the less I speak, the more folks feel.

As I was setting up music to play, fellow TCC teacher Denise Alire “just happened to” bring a box of salt water taffy that she had just been given minutes before by a pickleball friend. She was offering pieces to folks in class.

How cool is that? As students were chewing the taffy, I said to them, “Guess what occurred to me to focus on today?” It was absolutely perfect. For those who may not know, salt water taffy is very chewy. And if left in the heat, the taffy gets very gooey. What a perfect image, as they chewed, to also feel their palms pulling taffy. They understood on a whole different level today.

How does one become adept at hearing and listening to prajna? One answer is through practicing TCC. I’m not talking about automatic pilot TCC practice, but rather really staying in present time awareness while practicing. Isn’t it true that when you are doing your practice mindfully, you are present, focused, and (dare I say) even guided to feel, look at, or “remember” certain aspects of the movements while moving? It’s not a stretch to consider these nuances of awareness may be prajna finding its way into your consciousness.

Taking this a step further, if we consider the practice of TCC to be a microcosm and the practice of life a macrocosm, then practicing TCC on a consistent basis can enhance our abilities to receive the guidance of prajna throughout our practice of life. Pretty cool, huh?