A Grounded Practice with Tai ji
Knowledge gathering with Movement
“We are not alone in our self discovery.”
Being a healer and developing the wisdom in your practice requires a constancy of curiousness when we are met with a roadblock or a level of uncertainty in our practice, in our lives per-say.
As you well know now by my writings the enormity of being Present. This, the essential practice.
“A continual movement through choice toward the essential.”
Presence and grounding gets us to “the here and now” for what ever the work one is endeavoring into. This practice brings a multitude of angles to better understanding. Being Present unlocks our greatest potential as practitioners in working toward a masterful artistic life.
I have been a competitive athlete since I was 4 years of age. Movement is an unconscious impulse. I found Martial Arts at a young age and have endeavored over the years to know a little more. When I began to study Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) I was introduced to QI Gong. I re-inserted myself back into the study of Tai Ji with my first mentor, Dr Oh in Oakland. My curiousness re-manifested again.
In Chinese martial arts the Yang energy of a young student is so full and plentiful that acrobatic and un-seemingly out of the world athleticism becomes rather normal. They are strong and virile. When approaching their middle years the activity in the arts shifts to Tai Ji. It crosses the chasm of pure brute force and flexibility, to a stronger sense of internal and external balancing of body and mind. It is mobile yet less so. It is fluid and lesser elements of hard to the flow of soft. All the movements initial designs both martial and cosmological.
In our later years we move from Tai Ji to Qi Gong. This was developed by Buddha when he noticed that his disciple’s were slouching in day long sitting meditation. This is the internal martial art of the self in relation to the energy of another. It is the Jedi notions of subversion through energetics of Qi.
It is this practice of deep understanding beyond our mortal selves. This art transforms one’s humanity to another. The true radical transformation occurs within and presence based movement practices are portals into this inner landscape.
It is nourishing to the corporeal and ethereal spirit-soul.
It is movement into wholeness.
My current Tai Ji teacher Chungliang “Al” Huang says:
“I will help you find your Way, but do it Your Way.”
This is the basis of Tao Philosophy and it is the basis of at The Heart of a Wise Practice. It is subtle, yet powerful and enduring. It heals for it is the Way.
This video above was shot on a January Winters day where I had hiked into Boynton’s Canyon for the first time. My beloved was in a Grounding and Presence workshop with her mentor, so I was left to my own devices.
When I stepped up onto the small plateau and turned around I was awestruck of both the serene beauty and of the deep silence in the canyon. The canyon is one of many Vortices in Sedona. Vortexes (Vorticies, proper) are swirling centers or pockets of energy where the earth has come alive around. It is sacred space, healing space. I felt compelled to move.
This is a practice. It is the physical pliability and strength turned inward.
There is freedom from one’s own self expression.
Practice along with these two easy and beautiful forms.
The first is to simply warm up the body and mind together in unison.
The second movement is called the Five Moving (Yi Xing) forces based on the Five Elements in Traditional Chinese Medicine: Fire, Earth, Water,Metal, and Wood.
It is gold for patients, they admire the work and they feel a sense of inner calm. And isn’t that what we are striving for.
Inner Peace.
Have Fun always! And Take your time.
Blessings and Namaste,
t
Questions? Share in the comments, chat, email for support if you are wanting to implement this as part of your Therapeutic exercise/Rehabilitative movement practice.
Thanks for sharing T! Best to you and Zabeth