Working With the Heart of the Universe

Justin Stone, the originator of [T’ai Chi Chih Joy Thru Movement and] Seijaku [which he describes as “the advanced form”] offered the perfect balance to Carmen Brocklehurst’s Seijaku review workshop on March 8th at the T’ai Chi Chih Center in Albuquerque. A deep blue sky punctuated by snow capped mountains looked down on local as well as international participants as we sank into the moves. Most of the following quotes come from Justin or Carmen:

“Hardness begins when weight shifts onto the front foot; softness begins as it shifts to the back foot”; “The power is in the close, where you allow the Yin and Yang to reunite. If you don’t close, the Yin and Yang remain fragmented”; “Luxuriate in the movement as you come back” (vs. springing back); “Heavy air slows down the spring back”; “Let out the mounted up kinesthetic energy at the very end of the forward movement just before evolving into the softness of coming back;” “Exhale down into the T’an T’ien as you go out”; “In Seijaku you are aware of your breath, (unlike T’ai Chi Chih practice)”; In Platter Variation: “almost more softness than hard,”; “If you’re just going to be hard, you’ll close the meridians”; Bass Drum: “You can still be hard and have the wrists rotate vertically”; Carry the Ball: “Can you feel the hand pushing hard on the lower arc? Is the waist taking the weight across?” Taffies: “Hard over first leg only, then let go and feel the stretching of the energy. Take the upper hand past the second leg, not perpendicular to the hip.”

Regarding some people’s close position in the front of the body: “The T’an Tien doesn’t need protection, close out by the hip bones.” Working the Pulley: “Make sure the back hand is soft, only the forward hand is hard”; Passing Clouds: “Upper soft, lower hand hard but let go toward the end of the lower arc”; Healing Sounds: “Forward moves soft, side to sides hard”;

It was recommended that the Jing be done three times within every practice. Even when bringing the Chi to the top of the head in the Jing, the attention is kept in the T’an Tien.

Carmen calls Seijaku a process of moving into the greater parts of the self and warned that this spelunking often creates aches and pains in the body. It reenforces the practice of consciously letting go and is likely to stir up unresolved business. Both Justin and Carmen describe Seijaku as learning to give form to energy. Justin said: “It is easy to get into the heart of energy, the heart of the universe by working with the Chi. It cleans out the storehouse of consciousness and changes your metabolism and personality.” Why? “Universal consciousness is overcoming individual consciousness; the little you is out of the way.”

How was the Seijaku workshop received? “We want this every year,” one participant said. Eric Imbody, visiting from Denver, said: “I am happy to be reacquainted with Seijaku and with the Center. I’m learning about the resonance between hardness and softness and the ability to explore my freedom by letting go. It was a treat to have spent a day with Justin Stone.”