John’s Tai-Blog @ Camp Tai ChiTai Chi and anything I can relate to Tai Chi … like life

How Tai Chi Overcomes Embarrassment

Master Cui and Miriam Holland

What’s happening when your face turns red?  Is blood rushing to the surface of the skin on your face?  No, you’re concentrating on the wrong thing; that’s what’s happening.

When I first started practicing tai chi I wasn’t very good, so when my teacher corrected me it was no big deal.  After a year or so, I really thought I’d learned a lot.  I was at least good enough to take new students off to the side and show them a few basics or answer questions for them.

The problem with this theory is, when you start to work with someone else you really find out how little you know.  My teacher, Laoshi Miriam, was thrown into teaching by our master after studying with him for a couple of years.  Master Cui told her she new enough to share what she had with beginners, and he knew she would learn much more about herself and her abilities if she taught others how to do what she had learned not so long ago.

The usual drill for me early on was to take a brand new student and show them a few things.  Then Laoshi Miriam would come over and ask them to show her what they had learned.  After watching them she would sometimes ask me to demonstrate the move.  Then she would correct me, not them.  It was more than a little embarrassing.

Then the first time I met Master Cui I watched him give Laoshi Miriam corrections in front of everyone.  Now neither Master Cui nor Laoshi Miriam was abusive, they simply gave corrections.  All the same, it can be rather embarrassing to be given corrections in front of someone you’re supposed to be teaching.

This common Chinese style of teaching accomplishes a number of things, all of which are meaningful when learning any martial art.  Teaching is about passing on the art so that the art will live on.  We are important because we are the ones passing it on, but in the classroom the art trumps our egos.

I still feel a little embarrassment when Laoshi Miriam or Master Cui, now my master as well, correct me in front of others.  Now though I find it easier to focus on the art and not on myself.  It’s helped me develop better concentration and it helps me be a better student and a better teacher.  Master Cui still says he wishes he had listened more to his grandfather while he was alive, and I’m sure he judges himself more critically than his grandfather did.

Next time you find yourself feeling embarrassed, ask yourself where you’re focusing.   If you can set your ego aside and focus on what’s really important, embarrassment ceases to be a part of the equation.  It can be difficult to set aside your ego and look at the situation without preconceptions.  Difficult but it’ll help you focus on what’s really important, and it will also help you correct the situation rather than dwelling on what you may have done wrong.

Aside from me teaching us how to better deal with the inevitable embarrassing situations of life, Master Cui is also a great role model for how to live a good life.  He seems to treat everyone, from the street vendor to the owner of a large company the same, with respect.  His sister is same and she’s every bit as fun to be around.

Although Master Cui can be a lot of fun, he can also be a very tough teacher.  This tells me something of the family he comes from.  More often than not he seems to be able to put himself in the other person’s shoes.

I think this picture really captures what it’s like to spend time around Master Cui.  I don’t remember why he’s pointing but, as usual I’m sure he was joking with the photographer.

Your thoughts?

Tai Chi, “The Real Thing”… No Wait That’s Coke

Well it’s happened again, and no I’m not talking about Coke changing their formula.  Another “rather small” study was undertaken that included tai chi.  Once again the results stated, ‘It appears tai chi helped these people more than anything else did, but more study is needed.’  More study… how surprising. 

This particular study is a little different though.  I’ll get to that in a second.  At this point I’ve seen so many studies, and just about all of them seem to say, ‘tai chi seems to have helped but more study is needed.’  My point is, if you look at any random sampling of studies that included tai chi, nearly all of them say tai chi “seems to be” a good thing, so tai chi must be a good thing.  Ya think?

Now maybe I’m preaching to the choir, but I think this is an important point.  Tai chi is really, really good for us.  I say this not because I’ve read a lot of studies, but because I’ve witnessed a number of students as their health improved.

OK enough pontificating, back to this wonderful new study.  Do you know anyone with fibromyalgia?  If not, maybe you’ve heard of it before.  Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition that is often described as excruciatingly painful, so much so that people say, “It takes all the joy out of life.”  This study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, included 66 people suffering from fibromyalgia.

Those in this study who practiced tai chi experienced less pain than those who didn’t.  Not only did they benefit from regular practice, but also the improvement lasted longer than with anything else tested once they stopped practicing.  I think this point is particularly important.  To me this says regular tai chi practice balances the body in such a way that it tends toward our normal healthy state.  In other words tai chi helps the body heal.

This was brought to my attention by a friend of mine.  He told me about an article that recently appeared in the New York Times, summarizing the study.  I’ve included a link to the article so you don’t have to listen to me rant about this any longer.  Go read it for yourself and draw your own conclusions.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/19/health/19taichi.html

Your thoughts?

John

P.S.  I found this pic here:  http://makehistory.eu/2009/12149/just-feel-better/

Is Tai Chi Like Love?

Since I’ve said I can compare anything to tai chi I guess I would have to say yes, but I really do think the two are very much alike in more ways than you might at first imagine.  Tai chi, like love, is often not what we think it is at first.  New students usually think tai chi is a simple exercise they can learn fairly quickly and practice without needing to think about it.  Young’uns usually think love is something they can “find” and then have forever.

Tai chi, like love, takes a lot more effort than we realize at first, but when we get it… oh does it ever payoff.  Love, like tai chi, if we’re willing to work at it without having too many preconceptions, requires more allowing than work, oh but when we get it…

The question I have for you is, “Are you working too hard at learning tai chi?”  If you’re working too hard at tai chi, or love for that matter, chances are you “don’t got it yet.”  Tai chi is mostly about accepting your body for what it is and letting it teach you what you need to know.  Love is about accepting someone who makes your heart sing for who they really are, and then letting them teach you about yourself, and them.  See, they’re practically the same thing. 

“Ambition is like love, impatient of both delays and rivals.”  ~  Buddha

How ambitious are you in your tai chi practice?  Accepting things for how they are and moving forward from there is what makes both tai chi and love work, not to mention making them worth the effort.  Your thoughts?

John

Tai Chi Push Hands… Pushing The River?

In life people often try to make things happen.  Tai chi, as well as life, has taught me you can’t actually “make” anything happen.  You can however, know what you want and keep it in mind as you move toward it, more on this in second.

In push hands (tui shou) you listen to your opponent’s energy as they move with you.  Tai chi is a defensive art, so we wait for the opponent (aka ally) to attack and then either neutralize the attack or turn it back on them.  Even in offensive marital arts, like karate, you can’t actually make your opponent do anything.  You can only guide them and the better you are, the more effective you are at guiding.

The key is to be flexible, in mind as well as body.  When your opponent begins an attack your better off if you have several options ready and available, that is if you’re going to be effective.  Even if you’re attacking you still need a number of options, and you’ll need to be ready to defend yourself if your opponent turns the attack back on you, or if they counter attack.

All right back to daily life.  Do you consider life to be your opponent or your ally?  If you take the first viewpoint, life is going to be pretty hard no matter how well things are going for you.  If you take the viewpoint that life is your ally, life can be pretty good, even if it doesn’t look that way from the outside.

Have you ever been in a 3rd World country?  If so have you ever noticed how often the people there were laughing, even in the midst of what we would consider terrible living conditions?  Sure most of them want more than they have, but they don’t get quite so caught up in how there going to get it, or that they don’t have right now.  So when an opportunity arises they take it.  They’re flexible, and believe it or not they’re happier than most Americans.

How many times have you missed an opportunity because you were focusing on “how” what you wanted should come about?  How many opportunities do you think you missed because you never noticed them?  Extremely successful people all seem to say the same thing, “Opportunity is everywhere; you just need to recognize it as opportunity.”

I know a number of very successful people, most of whom have had significant setbacks at one time or another.  These folks understand the need to remain flexible.  If one thing doesn’t work, it’s not important.  Do something else; try a different approach.  Thomas Edison understood this in way few people do.  While developing a viable electric light bulb, he experimented with around 10,000 different materials before he got the results he was looking for.  He fully believed in the saying, “There is no failure, only feedback.”

Some might say, with this attitude, Edison “made it happen”.  I say he knew exactly what he wanted and every time he found something blocking in his path, he was flexible enough to go around it and keep moving.  I’m sure he occasionally felt discouraged, but it never stopped him and he never failed because he never stopped trying.

If you’re feeling a little discouraged by your inability to do a particular form in tai chi, just keep practicing.  You’ll get it, and the victory will be sweet when you do.  I promise.

“Don’t push the river, it flows by itself”  ~  Lao Tzu

Your thoughts?

John

Tai Chi Is In Everything and Practice Makes Perfect

If you want your tai chi to be any good, you have to practice.  Expect to make a few mistakes along the way and everything will work out just fine… now, GET OUT THERE AND PRACTICE!!!!

“A jug fills drop by drop.”  ~  Buddha

Your thoughts?

John

P.S.  No pressure. 

Tai Chi And The Mona Lisa… The Same Only Different?

What do you think of when you think of tai chi?  Do you think of simple beauty, grace, elegance, or just “Man that’s slow”?  It’s an unusual comparison, but it’s not a stretch… at least in my warped mind it isn’t.

The similarities between the Mona Lisa and tai chi might surprise you, but then again maybe not.  People who know little or nothing of tai chi tend to discount its value, that’s definitely not the case with the Mona Lisa though… anymore.  So how can I compare the two?  Keep reading.

Tai chi and the Mona Lisa have some distinct similarities:

1. Both are beautiful to look at.  Tai chi when a skilled player does it, obviously.  When done by someone with little grace or skill it can be a little like watching a sloth climb out of a tree, boring yet strangely interesting.
2. A master of the art created the Mona Lisa.  Master Yang Luchan created Yang Tai Chi, although it is in a constant state of flux as it passes from generation to generation.  Some generations alter it more than others.  ;~)
3. Both are considered timeless classics.  Some people think this because it takes so long to complete one move in tai chi… Everybody now! “As the time keeps slippin’ away - that’s O.K., cause I never meant to be here that long anyway.”
4. Both are pretty old.  I think tai chi is older than the Mona Lisa but I haven’t really checked.  Besides, by the time you’ve learned all you can about tai chi you’re probably going to be as old as the Mona Lisa… but I’ll bet you won’t be a wallflower.  OK, so that part’s kind of a difference not a similarity.
5. And last, but definitely not least, and I’ll bet you didn’t know this one.  The man who commissioned the Mona Lisa refused it.  Tai chi is often discounted or refused by people who think it’s too boring or that it can’t possibly do much for them.  I have to say though, I’ve NEVER heard anyone say they wished they had never taken up tai chi ;-)>.

So there you have it.  Tai chi and the Mona Lisa, almost indistinguishable, unless of course you actually look at them.  To quote Flow, “Little joke… very little, there it goes - poof!”

Your thoughts?

John