TCC As A Metaphor For Living

Thanks to Justin, each of our lives is endlessly blessed through individual and collective T’ai Chi Chih practices. We could also say the blessings of TCC can be experienced at deep, deeper and deepest levels. It’s most humbling to realize that the blessings of TCC are infinite, not just as we practice the form, but also as we integrate its principles into our hearts and minds as metaphors for living.

Circularity, continuity, softness, synchronicity, polarity, yinning and yanging, focusing on the soles of the feet and the effort of no effort are more than just principles for how to move in TCC practice. They also are vehicles of great wisdom and excellent life-management tools to draw upon for guidance in everyday life. I’m learning that TCC principles often simplify what might appear to be complicated events.

Circularity

When recently experiencing an extremely challenging time in my life, it seemed as if everything I’d relied on for a sense of security was seismically shifting. The speed of external changes correlated internally with a sensation that my knees might buckle with every step. Feeling unsteady, I reached into my TCC toolbox and found a strong urge to practice Around The Platter, with a clear intention to hear what message the Chi wanted to deliver.

The home I lived in then had several large windows that offered views of a lush forest. The circular pattern our hands follow in Around the Platter reminded me of the diagrams in elementary school science books depicting seasonal cycles as circles. I was reminded that even when it appears the trees’ green leaves aren’t changing color, subtle changes are happening every moment.

While change may not be immediately perceptible, things are happening beneath the surface (just as beneath the waist in TCC weight shifts). They continually move us toward the next season/cycle/adventure. I was blessed with a better understanding that life’s seasons of joy flow into seasons of challenge that then flow into seasons of rebuilding, rebirth and renewal.

I may as well relax and embrace the mystery and blessings of each moment. Full transition happens as one waits patiently for that last quarter-inch of a weight shift.

Continuity

TCC movements are practiced in continuous motion without any stops and starts. The most important part happens below the waist in the long, slow weight shifts, the yinning and yanging. One of the best instructions I’ve received is to be patient with my weight shifts. “Feel the long, slow weight shift. Luxuriate in it.”

At times in life, movement feels thwarted or stopped. There have been times (even in the past 18 months) when I’ve felt nearly paralyzed by fear when solutions to uncomfortable circumstances didn’t match the pace of my timing or expectations. I heard Justin say, “Abandon hope,” and I understood the importance of accepting what is in the present moment.

I’m learning that when a sense of forward movement lags behind my illusion of what progress must look like, the message to luxuriate in long, slow weight shifts reminds me to embrace and allow, with gratitude, whatever changes are taking place in my habit energies within the Life Force.

Allowing with gratitude facilitates a sense of blessing as the Chi flows, restoring balance while eliminating fear and worry.

Softness

The beginning of every practice brings awareness to places where the body holds tension. I find it interesting to experience how my body comes into Rocking Motion and makes its way to a point in the weight shifts where all parts begin to yield to the tan t’ien’s lead, relaxing into softness.

With an often audible sigh, the rhythm of breathing slows down, signaling alignment of the mind, body and soul with the single intention of allowing something greater than my understanding, the Chi, to lead my experience of the practice.

Some days, however, the intention to allow meets the mind’s determination to be heard. This is where allowing with grace trumps ego and the illusion of control. Grace, a blossom of gratitude, makes it possible to set ego aside and receive the great gifts and blessings of TCC practice – and life.

Gratitude was the 2010 TCC teacher conference theme in Nebraska and, after each practice, Antonia invited us to silently sit in gratitude. My initial understanding of how to do this was to mentally give thanks for as many blessings as I could think of. With each naming, I noticed how my body softened even more. By the fourth practice, I ran out of thoughts and wondered, “Now what?” The answer: sit in the feeling of gratitude. Humility poured over me as I marveled at the blessings received, even within life’s challenges. I learned that stress and strain cannot co-exist with gratitude and joy.

Words cannot express the depth of my gratitude for Justin Stone’s life and the immeasurable gifts and influence of his life upon mine.