Students Advertise For Me

I was so surprised to hear that my students’ purchases of Justin’s materials rank in the top three among our T’ai Chi Chih community. While I do play an important role as a teacher, in a nutshell, my students are perhaps my best advertisements.

The biggest seller is Justin’s 2000 DVD/video. I was privileged to meet Justin at the last Albuquerque conference, and since my students can’t go to Albuquerque, Albuquerque comes to them. I invite students “to meet Justin” via video during the second class. I primarily use his introduction, focusing on the key principles, but I also follow with a brief taste of his teaching and end with a few clips from the teacher practice. It always seems to whet appetites for more, leading many students to purchase their own copy, which I strongly encourage using for review between classes.

Once they’ve used it for a while, students generally encourage each other to purchase it. Justin’s teaching is short and succinct, allowing students to experience TCC directly with Justin – which is key. The silent teacher practice at the end supplements his teaching and facilitates learning. The DVD/video has been a daily companion for many students since the beginning; many students continue to revisit it years later.

Students find the silent teacher practice especially helpful in the beginning. It’s like having four other people in the room to practice with – on an energetic level, too, since energy transcends time and space. We usually do a brief walkthrough of some of the more obvious refinements made since the DVD was filmed, so that students can comfortably incorporate them as they follow the teachers’ lead. 

With returning students, I regularly use the KNME-TV interviews between Carmen and Justin that were collected from the PBS television show. Without exception, students repeatedly enjoy watching the interviews and listening to Justin in person. There is always something new that strikes them or something old that strikes them in a new way. Some students purchase their own copy.

Serious students tend to buy Justin’s Photo Text and Spiritual Odyssey as well, and a few purchase the CD, Justin Stone Speaks on T’ai Chi Chih. I share from all of these and refer to them in class. Sometimes I’m reading from one as students arrive, which triggers conversation. Copies of those and The Vital Force are always on my table for browsing, and students can borrow any of them. Some students are new subscribers of The Vital Force now that it is more student-friendly.

All of these primary resources allow students to get to know Justin more intimately and to have a better grasp and appreciation of the essence of TCC. What entices student’s interest initially may simply be our own fidelity to using them as teachers. That interest has assuredly been further enhanced for my students and myself when Dan, Sandy, and Antonia have done workshops here, when they see the value in deepening their TCC practice.