The Chi as Teacher

Caroline Guilott, Lake Charles, Louisiana

Feeling the underlying movement principles takes time, sometimes a long time, very likely a whole lifetime of tuning in. While learning the T’ai Chi Chih movements is not so difficult, it takes diligence to arrive at the essence of their simplicity. It is not just about a movement itself, of where to place the feet and hands. And yet that is precisely what brings each of us to the subtleties of each movement.

There is no need to change or add anything. Justin gifted us a discipline of simple, natural movements so that we can find what is already inside of us all – by going in. Mindfully done, it gives way to the bigger realization of the internal power it carries.

Practicing TCC over the years has been a journey of discovery on many levels. At first, this discovery happened in the movements themselves, on where and how to place the hands and feet, on how to stand aligned, mindful of the principles while keeping the hands and feet synchronized with the tan t’ien to eventually arrive at an effortless flow.

How well I remember those bursts of energy through the body, the sporadic shaking inside, the intense heat crawling up from the feet, the hot, the cold, the tingling in the fingers… I also remember feeling and then not feeling. I know now the glimpses of the Chi moving inside me were not balanced. I also realize that I didn’t know how to ground properly. I was more in my head although I thought I was very much in my feet. One thing I knew: I wanted more! I wanted to feel this surge, not just at one point in the movement, but all the time. 

That thirst led me on another journey, the journey of listening from the inside. I would observe my movements in the mirror and would check for clues. The minute I felt this flow, I would again check to see what I had done differently. And then I realized it had to do with releasing tension. So the Chi and I started to play a great game of hide and seek. I learned to soften enough so it could manifest itself in a flutter. The movements remained the same on the outside, although an incredible transformation was happening inside of my being. I liked it.

Once you have felt energy flow throughout the body, you want this again and again. We have to welcome it from the very beginning, take our stand and take the first step, paying close attention so that another door may open and more learning may begin.

Can you soften and let go of control while being strong enough to welcome this enigmatic Chi? Can you let the Chi express itself without holding back? Can you let go of tension in your shoulders? And what about those wrists? Can you let the Chi reveal itself all the way to the fingertips? Justin called this flickering of the fingers one of the confirming signs of the Chi moving in the body. You become very conscious of your own body and how this Chi affects the unfolding of the movement. Although the energy is flowing anyway, it will show you another way of how to be in harmony with it. 

The body stands tall like a strand of pearls, light and alert. It is ready to engage with this revealing Chi inside. The knees soften and the tan t’ien leads. Feel its anchor, its power. You are ready to let go of the effort. You are now soft and powerful all at the same time releasing the flow all the way to the fingertips. The wrists are pliable against the heavy air. You feel strong in each foot while moving and when stepping back into a graceful conclusion.

Once again, you open yourself to the possibility of the moment, you open yourself to the “same movements” and once again you listen. Do you hear? Do you feel the music inside? Let yourself become an instrument of the manifested Chi. Embrace it, and in that instant become love. Who wants to join in the play?