Teaching T’ai Chi Chih: Part 2

It’s 4:30pm on a Wednesday evening as I leave my house in Herndon, VA for a T’ai Chi Chih presentation in Washington, DC, which starts at 6:30pm. It’s rush hour and I know I have to give myself plenty of time to get there since it’s over 30 miles from my house. I like to be early so I can set up the space with music, flyers, handouts, and give myself time to do a few TCC movements before the people arrive.

Traffic is not too bad until I get on Route 66 where there seems to be an accident. Surprisingly, I stay centered and calm, focusing on my breath and T’an T’ien. It’s now 5:15 and I finally make it to the Memorial Bridge, which takes me into DC. As I drive over the bridge I can see the Washington Monument in the distance. What a wonderful sight that is. My heart starts to race and my energy increases just looking at the sights of this wonderful city. I manage to stay very centered and grounded during the most hectic traffic, including accidents on both sides of me. I roll down my windows to enjoy the sounds of the cars and people. I love the action of this town because so much is always going on…It forces me to stay balanced and calm.

Driving down Pennsylvania Avenue, I pass the White House on my left. I smile from ear to ear as I think of someday teaching classes to the President and Vice President of the United States of America. Feelings of joy fill my body as I realize that I have been blessed with a gift to help people better their lives and that I live in an area where people need what I have to offer.

The fact that I live so close to Washington, DC, the city that literally runs the country, is something I never took advantage of before I received a phone call by an artist by the name of Michael Sprouse. After doing a search on the Internet, Michael came across my web site and signed up for my weekly email newsletter. The next day I sent out the newsletter with a blurb about seeking new places to teach classes. He called me right away and told me about his art gallery in downtown Washington, DC. The next day I went to see the space which ended up being the perfect location, size, and atmosphere to teach TCC classes. Now I am teaching four classes per week at the gallery and my students include high-ranking government employees, artists, actors, musicians, lawyers, and many others.

If I still had my studio, none of this would have happened. I would have been resistant to this “flow” that the universe is bringing to me right now. Next week I will be teaching my first class at AOL (America On Line) whose headquarters of 4000 employees is three miles from my house. I never DREAMED of teaching at this level…How amazing it is to be in a position to affect so many people’s lives.