Start Fresh

What is your first thought each day as you wake up? Do you wonder what day of the week it is? Are you thinking that the moment you move, your animals are going to pounce or demand your attention? Do you listen to hear what the weather is doing outside? Do you wonder what time is it, or consider what is the first thing you are going to do when you get out of bed?

Sometimes we have the luxury of lying in bed for a while organizing our thoughts and plans for the day. We may even have a ritual to set the tone for the day – some positive affirmation or prayer. On the days that we rush to get out the door for an appointment or job, it is easy to forget something or to feel unsettled. When we rise and meander aimlessly through our morning, we later tend to feel we have not accomplished what we could have that day. In both cases, we may not have taken the time to mentally prepare for the day ahead. We may have been acting out of habit or not really focusing on the moment at hand, not thinking ahead or not thinking at all.

Before we begin our T’ai Chi Chih practice what do we do to prepare? Usually we set the stage by setting aside a certain amount of uninterrupted time. We find a place that is as quiet as possible and we may use music.

But what do we do to prepare our mind and body? I’m sure many practitioners have their own rituals. For me it’s to stand still for a few minutes with eyes closed or lowered and become aware of my body in its immediate space. I feel a letting go of muscles and an awareness of my breath. I feel the weight of my body settling downward into my feet and the weight of my feet settling into the ground. If I am in a building I imagine the earth below and sense that I am rooted in the soil. I bring my attention to the present moment in time, aware of being, and moving my awareness outward with a radiating sense that we are all connected, that I am part of a web of humanity. Being inwardly focused, deeply rooted, and feeling an overall sense of spaciousness, I am ready to begin moving.

As I move through the practice it may be hard to maintain my focus. My mind skitters here and there. In awareness, I bring it back to feeling rather than thinking. I notice that if I have taken time preparing before starting I am better able to maintain my focus during.

Gratefully I have a chance to start fresh again with each set of repetitions and with each new movement, just like starting a new day. The stillness between movements is a lovely opportunity to start fresh again. I can refocus, take a deep breath, and with the exhalation my whole body sinks internally. Muscles let go and the mind settles and my attention is brought down.

I can let go of any self-criticisms over whether I am having a “good” practice (i.e., I could be softer, was that circle really round, I’m not moving smoothly, etc.) That is all past and I can let it go, continuing to the next movement with renewed focus. With each new movement I can start fresh. Even saying the word fresh has an uplifting feel to it – a feel of openness, lightness and joy.

Begin to cultivate that feeling of a fresh start with each new movement, with each new set of repetitions. Let the feeling of fresh bubble up even as it brings you down to earth. It is much like the practice of TCC: it is energizing and calming at the same time. Who doesn’t want a fresh start.