I have been attending
the Tai Chi classes for the last year and a half (minus the summer months) and
to be honest have struggled more than a little right from the beginning. When I
first started I found that I had the hardest time with relaxing and slowing
things down. To first off transition from move to move without clenching a fist
or having my body at attention seemed impossible. It didn’t seem to matter how many times I
would say ‘relax, relax, relax…’, my body would not listen. Add to that the concept of slowing down. Life is hectic and I do have a hard time
slowing down at the best of times, always thinking about how much ‘stuff’ there
is to get done. Even when I feel that I am going extremely slowly, I have found
myself way a head of the rest of the class. My favorite form is 18 temple
motions; I love the slow movement that allows me to use my breath and to feel
the 6 harmonies. So I have had a hard
time understanding just why I am struggling with the slow, relax movement of
Tai Chi.
The past couple of
months I have had a few revelations. I
have caught myself feeling what I believe I am supposed to. I have had moments of actually feeling myself
slowing down and complete relaxation. So what has changed? It has been a slow process for me but I have
figured out that it lies in the proper time and place. I have discovered that a chaotic environment
does not work for me at this point. This
goes beyond just the place I choose to practice and includes the state I come
into that place. Running into the kwoon
5-10min before a class starts or trying to squeeze a repetition in between
projects, is not ideal for me. What
works better is to come in a little earlier, strolling in with an attitude and
feeling of calmness. Second I find slow,
soothing music to help me get ‘in the mood’.
I have found if I focus on the music my body movements slow down and my
shoulders drop. The moment I tune out
the music my mind may wander, my shoulders go back up to my ears and speed
increases. Thirdly I have found lighting
to change how tense my body feels. Florescent or artificial lighting is not
really my friend. If light is in the
cards, the feel of natural sunshine on my face is of more benefit to me. I have also played with near to or complete
darkness. Maybe it’s the lack of light
that stimulates my body that it’s almost bed time and time to wind down, but it
does seem to help me relax and slow my movements.
So although it has
taken me much more time than some, I am slowly feeling progress in my Tai Chi,
which I am finding exciting and in turn is making me want to practice more. I would like to send a huge thanks to Sifu
Dennis and Sifu Vantuil who have been incredibly patient with me and my
questions and who I am sure have had to stifle wincing when watching me on a
regular basis. I am definitely a work in progress.
Alana Regier
http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca
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