Tai Chi “In The Present Tense”

When practicing, or playing tai chi as the Chinese say, it requires a high level of focus.  Once you’ve “run through” a form a hundred times it’s a well-established part of your body memory, and then you can begin to work on it.  Once you’ve run through a form a thousand times, it’s a well established part of your body and your mind, and then you can begin to work on doing it correctly.

Tai chi forces your focus in the present moment.  When you’ve practiced a particular form enough times that your mind can wander a bit, you’ll find you loose the connection between your body and your mind and your tai chi suffers for it.  Over time as you learn finer and finer details you’ll find that a move you’ve done over and over again, “just doesn’t feel right.”  Sometimes it will be easy to make the adjustment and other times it’s easier to ask someone else for help.

The times you need to ask for help are when the dreaded “dis-ease” of SPD raises its ugly head.  SPD, or Self Perception Disorder, can strike at any time, even for advanced players.  While it is possible to noodle it out on your own, it can be easier to borrow someone else’s eyes.

Tai chi makes other tasks easier too.  I know lots of people who have used tai chi to help them deal with the stresses of everyday day life and refocus on the task at hand.  Since tai chi trains you to narrow your focus it also makes it easier to narrow your focus on any important task.  If you’re having difficulty staying on track with an important project, take a tai chi break and you’ll not only find yourself physically renewed, but mentally sharper.

I leave you with remarkably apt words of the Duhism Master himself.

You don’t like my gift of Now-ness?

“You can’t return the present” ~ Bob Tzu

Your thoughts?

John

P.S.  Who is Bob Tzu?  Click here: www.duhism.com