Teaching Students With Neuropathy

PULL QUOTE: Justin said it is okay to do Rocking Motion so the feet are flat and then to raise the toes slightly

It has taken me years to understand that I am not a visual learner when it comes to T’ai Chi Chih and other movement. That may be one reason I was drawn to TCC in the first place. Just allowing myself to feel my feet on the floor was like being in heaven. Justin always emphasized that the “internal environment is far more vast than the external.” It’s interesting that my other practice, the Realization Process, also focuses on that. At the same time, doing the Realization Processhas revealed just how important it is to be seen, especially when teaching TCC. And I have changed.

Having the privilege to teach TCC at a Mt. Sinai cancer center, I have met several students who have foot neuropathy as a result of chemotherapy. Because foot neuropathy creates such disconnect from the feet to the brain, it can be an obstacle to learning TCC. People with neuropathy can have numb feet, pained feet, weak feet, etc. Though I’ve never been diagnosed with this, I have had my share of foot pain. I wanted to “do no harm” teaching these people.

The Realization Process strategy encourages people with neuropathy to move. First, I teach them how to mentally embody their feet while seated so that they become the internal space of them. It seems we can go deeper than our nerves and inhabit our feetwith our minds despite our medical diagnosis. Eventually, I ask students to find thecenters of the soles of their heels. They then often report back that they feel a buzz or resonance at the heel centers. This feedback coming from inside is very confirming. I ask them to balance these two points; mentally find them at the same time.Then, they can let their mind rest there.

Now I ask them to come forward from the heel centers to the bubbling spring (a.k.a. the Kidney 1 points) just before the metatarsals. When they find these points (also referred to as “hsuesh” points), they get more confirmation via the sensation they feel there. I ask them to find both Kidney 1 points simultaneously, and rest there. Let the mind rest there.

How is this listening inside the feet related being seen or not? If someone has been going through a hard time, like with chemo for cancer, they have probably been stressed to the max. Then add being stressed while moving to the mix; it’s very challenging. There’s no Chiflow. It’s no fun.

Using Realization Process really jumpstarts them doing Rocking Motion, a preliminary movement of TCC. No wonder Justin referred to Kidney 1 as the fountain of youth.

When teaching Rocking Motion to people with neuropathy, it is important to focus on when the feet are flat, especially the transition from the most forward, expansive part (belly leads) of the movement, just at that moment when we start to move backwards (bottom leads), the contraction part. To linger in the foot’s full contact with the floor so we are in the whole foot (touching the ground) as our body now moves backwards (and our legs straighten) is very stabilizing.

For students with foot issues and balance issues, slowing down is essential. I have found myself instructing the students to keep your feet flat at that moment before they start to shift back. Recall that Justin said it is okay to do Rocking Motion so the feet are flat and then to raise toes slightly. This allows for a steady Rocking Motion. Balance is jeopardized when the feet aren’t functioning at their best.

Many of us have come a long way from where we were when first introduced to TCC.The experience of stillness while moving is one of the great benefits of practicing TCC. It is challenging for people with neuropathy to access that experience because they cannot feel their feet, even when seated. Realization Processtools have helped me make TCC accessible to everyone; we can all improve and feel better. Justin called the hsueh (bubbling spring) the fountain of youth for a good reason. In TCC we can experience a deep appreciation for our inner landscape and work from there.