IS TAI CHI MORE THIS…THAN THAT?
IS THE ZEBRA A WHITE HORSE WITH BLACK STRIPES, OR IS IT A BLACK HORSE WITH WHITE STRIPES?
TAI CHI IS OFTEN CAUGHT UP IN SIMILAR DISCUSSIONS THAT NEVER REALLY HELP US IN OUR UNDERSTANDING
AT TIMES, A MORE PLAYFUL APPROACH IS REQUIRED
People say it’s good to do Tai Chi surrounded by nature. whats wrong with doing it IN A LAUNDERETTE ?
It’s true that it feels different in nature than doing it in an underground car park or a launderette, because when you practice, you are having an intimate dialogue with your surroundings. Now you may enjoy chatting with a washing machine, but personally, I prefer a conversation with the wind, whispering secrets through the trees.
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THE TAI CHI SERIES
I hear a lot that Tai Chi IS GOOD FOR BALANCE, BUT surely a set of stabilisers for my bike would be more practical.?
It’s less about stabilisers, see-saws or Bare-foot shoes. It’s a pursuit, not an Amazon product to be ordered and delivered. Think of it as a gentle weaving through this entangled tapestry. Balance is as delicate as a spider's web, yet strong enough to hold the weight of the world.
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WHY DO TAI CHI practitioners obsess over every detail and angle OR EVERY MOVE (YAWN) ?
It may look to an outsider that we obsess over details, and that’s because we do.
Sadly, this puts a lot of people off after spending months learning a single wrist position. But there are other approaches, and it’s good to get a feeling for the moves at the beginning rather than get stuck in the quagmire of detail.
In this way, taking a broader approach is like the initial strokes of a painting. Each tai chi move is like a single brushstroke, painting a landscape of inner peace.
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What is this Tao business of which MANY speak ?
The Tao is simply the path, but not just one of least resistance, oh no, it should be one of curiosity too.
Like a river winding its way through green valleys, it searches for the easy route, avoiding at all costs the cul-de-sac, the straight and narrow, or the way that leads uphill.
But it also seeks out the route with a decent coffee shop along the way, perhaps even a route that offers shade, a park bench to rest awhile, to pause and nibble a fig roll before heading off again.
This is the Tao of which I speak.
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What is this GROUNDING IN tai chi business about?
Coffee beans are not exactly what we are referring to when we work on our grounding skills, though I appreciate the metaphor. Grounding in Tai chi is more about standing or moving whilst remaining well balanced and connected to the floor. It juxtaposes feeling as light as a feather whilst rooting yourself to the earth as an ancient oak tree. This is achievable by following a series of small postural guidelines, learning to relax the large muscle groups, and breathing in a coordinated and harmonious way.
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