T’ai Chi the Sun Up

Jo Rigg, Helena, MT

Just west of Helena, as you cross the Continental Divide, there is a little “scenic overlook” area that commands a breathtaking view of part of the Helena valley and the Rockies. I had long thought that it would be a wonderful place to “T’ai Chi the sun up” sometime. I had hoped to organize it during the summer, but soon found that summer had, once again, gotten away from me. I decided that a sunrise practice would be an appropriate way to welcome fall, rest and “re-group” and say good-bye to summer with its activity and fun. So I scheduled the “sunup” for the Sunday morning closest to the fall equinox.

It was frosty and cold the morning we drove up the mountain road. In the predawn “twilight” we passed a moose and her calf contentedly grazing in a pasture near the road. A bit further on, three elk stood in the middle of the road curiously watching us go by. With two other students, the T’ai Chi was glorious in the quiet frosty air. Just as the sun cleared the eastern mountains, a coyote burst into his own sunup song somewhere below us (It felt like everything was below us up there!) It was an exhilarating experience, one I hope to repeat several times a year.

T’ai Chi is a means of uniting with the energy of nature and the universe – a powerful experience indeed.