Surrender to the Flow of the Chi

“The moment of surrender itself is easy; it happens when it’s ready. Control falls away and takes us with it… But what’s amazing is that when surrender does arrive, it’s accompanied by a great sense of ease, relief, and peace. To practice, we simply surrender into what is, right now. We drop into our direct experience, what we are sensing, feeling, living in this moment. We agree to feel life, as it is, now, without our mind adding, taking away, manipulating, or doing anything whatsoever to it.” —Psychology Today

In the practice of T’ai Chi Chih we surrender to the movement of the t’an tien… surrender to the flow of Chi… surrender our weight into the soles of the feet… surrender to the softness, the effort of no effort. When learning TCC we learn that surrender means letting go… of the need for perfection, self-judgment, and thoughts such as, “I already know that” or “I’ll never get this right.”

Letting go leads to discovery, and out of discovery comes transformation. Letting go means: listen to your body, breathe with ease, expand your field of awareness, focus within, release physical tension. Keep the mind clear and open and experience the gentle practice of TCC. Only when we surrender to the flow of Chi can we feel the balance, the calm, the centeredness, the energy, the grounding, the joy, the quiet, the stillness, and the freedom to simply be.

More on Surrender

Acquiesce (a synonym for surrender) means essentially “to comply quietly,” so it should not surprise you to learn that it is ultimately derived from the Latin verb quiescere, meaning “to be quiet.

To allow oneself to yield. — Collins English Dictionary

To give (oneself) over to something. — Merriam Webster

If you surrender to an experience or emotion, you stop trying to prevent or control it. — Cambridge Dictionary

Trust the Chi (intrinsic energy) and the Prajna (inner wisdom) on this wonderful exploration of TCC and find your peace. As the waters of the ocean yield to the changing tide… and the seabird in flight trusts the breeze to carry it… as an autumn leaf feels the freedom in its release and descends gently to the earth, trust the universal flow of energy.