We have lift off!

A small group of happy Canucks flocked to Edmonton, AB the last weekend in April to join Pam Towne for Seijaku Teacher Training. Not even the sudden plunge in temperature and resulting snow flurries could dampen our determination to rev up our TCC practice through this wonderful opportunity to learn Seijaku here in Alberta. We all gathered for the same reasons—to learn the advanced TCC form and expand our knowledge and relationship with the Chi, thus reaping the benefits for our personal and teaching practices. What we came away with was unique to each of us, but collectively we soared to higher levels of attunement with the Chi and each other.

I believe we all discovered new aspects of ourselves and our relationship to our old friend “Chi”. For some there was the discovery of the difficulty in letting go. Like a bubble percolating up from the depths and breaking the surface with a bit of a “pop”, it took some by surprise. Others saw the continual process of resistance and letting go – soft followed by hard followed by soft – as a metaphor for life. Some enjoyed the tonings and massages, the Jing, and the meditations above all else. One or two reveled in the exhilaration of working with resistance and the powerful focus, both mental and physical, that this created. There were those who saw parts of themselves and their reactions to life as if for the first time, bringing both gratitude and possibly a tinge of heartache. Still others felt resistance, not only to the “inner wall” of Seijaku, but to “Joy, Joy, Joy”, preferring to sit out that component out and express their inner joy at their own time, on their own terms. Yes, we were certainly a mixed flock!

As we made our way through the weekend we shared our individual experiences of the training. Faye expressed an initial difficulty with “Bird Flaps Its Wings”, feeling it was something of a hurdle at the beginning but once managed it was smooth sailing from then on. Before long it was clear that “Bird Flaps Its Wings” had woven its way through the fabric of our experiences and right into our Seijaku training. Byron confided, “Doing “Bird Flaps Its Wings” is the best way to get to the head of a line.” Leslie admitted to her husband commenting: “Looks nice, but I don’t think you’ll get off the ground” while she practiced the movement. We shared a few good laughs at “Bird’s” expense. When the discussion turned to our vision for TCC in Canada and how we could help spread TCC across our vast land we thought of Denise Cirino in Montreal and her struggle to teach TCC without the aid of a French language video or photo text for her strictly Francophone students. Naturally this led us to speculate on what the movements would be called in French. Once again “Bird Flaps Its Wings” raised its head and “L’Oiseau qui Flappe” – our collective translation – took flight and refused to touch down.

We further explored the idea of helping more TCC students from across Canada get to teacher training and quickly and effortlessly found ourselves establishing a Canadian Teacher Training Fund by passing around a basket and collecting $180 in donations. Byron volunteered to hand-make a willow basket to hold uniquely Canadian items that could be taken to the TCC conference where they could be used in a “thank you” drawing for anyone from the greater TCC community making a donation to the fund. Our birdbrains ran in overdrive as we thought of more and more great Canadian items to add to the basket.

All too quickly our weekend drew to a close. As we prepared to make our way back to our homes and families we realized that not only had we experienced holding fast and letting go, but the joy of giving and receiving as well—giving of our time, money and energy to further the T’ai Chi Chih community across Canada, and the joy of experiencing new depths to our TCC practice by receiving the gift of Seijaku. And for my part, I can say that I truly feel that TCC has taken flight in Canada. Yes, we have lift off…. the Canada goose is soaring!