TCC & COVID-19 (May 2020)

Our lives are on hold during this pandemic. I am considered a non-essential worker and will be unemployed until my governor says it’s ok for me and other non-essential workers to return. So, I find myself with time on my hands. I decided that practicing at the same time every day would make it feel like a normal day. No longer setting an alarm, I find my sleep pattern has changed, so I practice when I wake up. TCC has helped me stay grounded and present during these uncertain times.

I focus on grounding and really feeling the soles of my feet during practices. Some days I feel really grounded and connected to the earth and other days not so much. I practice without expectation and wait to see what I feel. I started noticing while yinning and yanging in the forward and backward movements, that when the weight of my body was in the substantial leg that sometimes I felt more pressure/weight toward the ball of my foot and even toes in my front foot. When my back leg became substantial, I noticed weight in my heel sometimes, but that foot felt more evenly balanced between the ball of my foot and heel than did my front foot.

I didn’t try to make adjustments at first; I wanted to focus and feel what I was noticing. Did this happen all the time? Not as grounded as I thought with my wondering mind, back to my feet. With each repetition I focused on my feet. If I softened my knees and sunk down a little more in my stance, I could feel the weight even out. It was subtle, not a big difference but enough to allow me to feel more balanced between the heel and ball of each foot. 

When I felt the weight even out, my movements felt more effortless. Coming back to rest, feeling my weight balanced between the left foot and right, the heel and ball of each foot, letting everything settle and sink beyond my feet into the earth. I thought, yes, that feels more grounded. 

TCC practice is just that, practice. I learn, observe and feel. Sometimes it’s all wonky and sometimes it’s amazing. I keep coming back because no matter what I feel at the beginning of my practice, by the time I finish I feel good. With all the seemingly endless chaos I read about and see daily, I like knowing that by practicing I will feel much better. It lasts a while, maybe not all day, but if I need a boost I can practice again.