FEAR of Tai Chi
Today I’d like to talk about a subject near and dear to all of us. Fear, yes fear, is one of those things we live with on a daily basis. Sometimes we hear people say they have no fear, but how many truly fearless people are there really? Personally I think you’d have to be completely insane to be fearless.
I see the fear of tai chi in students’ eyes on a regular basis, and I’ve definitely felt it myself. What is the fear of tai chi? Is it that we know so little in the beginning and we don’t want to appear inept? Maybe it’s similar to fear of the unknown. If it’s fear of appearing inept, then we’re afraid of appearing foolish because we can’t yet move like our teacher. Either that, or the fear that we haven’t practiced enough and our teacher will know it. I can assure you, your teacher knows what you’re feeling, intimately.
Now you may be saying to yourself, “I’ve never felt any fear around tai chi.” Think about it; have you ever been stressed about tai chi? If so, you’ve felt the fear. Stress is a mild form of fear. Fear that we can’t or won’t achieve something; fear that something unpleasant will happen.
A sense of fear can be exciting and even stimulating at times. Fear of tai chi manifests itself in a variety of ways. What I see most commonly is, “I’ll never be able to do that.” Sometimes however, it manifests as, “What if I do get hooked on this stuff; will I be able to put in the time it takes to be any good?” This, I believe is at the root of the fear of tai chi. The fear that we’ll really will like it, but that we won’t have what it takes to stick with it.
You can use this fear to your advantage. Fear, no matter how small, helps us feel more alive. Most of us feel such a limited range of emotions that we need fear (stress) if we’re going to feel much of anything at all. Don’t walk away from stress because it’ll just follow you around anyway.
What I’m saying may sound a bit ridiculous, yet feeling any emotion more deeply takes you places you may not have been since you were a kid. It’s not really fear or stress that we need to feel more alive, but the depth of feeling. Tai chi takes you into your body, where feelings live. The more emotions you can feel, the better you can feel what’s going on in your body. The more you can feel your body, the more energy you can move. The more energy you can move, the better your tai chi.
It’s an upward spiral to a better way of life, a healthier and more balanced life. Tai chi takes you into your body; it takes you into your feelings. Your body is not only where your feelings live, it’s where your life energy, your chi, lives. Maybe the fear of tai chi is nothing more that the fear of living life, really living life.
Your thoughts?
John
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Jan 7, 2010 - 02:01:41Having studied some taiji forms, sword and fan, I have felt some small stress when doing the work in front of a Sifu. Is it right? Will I get it? Am I too old to start? Are they wasting time trying to teach me? All of that is petty stuff. On a trip to China, I had the chance to go to a museum of weapons. One look at the deadly, rusty old weapons was enough to make me think:” I hope to die with one strike because I would be afraid to live with the injuries caused by such weapons.” People in those times had real fear and real stress. Doing a taiji form correctly; piece of cake. Being hit with a forty pound, rusty shovel, something to be worried about.
I think the pressure of doing a form, or application in front of the teacher who taught you is partly fear, fear not to let them down, is that a form of honoring your teacher? I don’t want to mess this up because I respect my teacher to much to waste their time… then again… don’t slip up!
Very good point Zenpony, we live in a strange age, where people resort to violence over small issues like, being late in traffic… compared to issues of the past… IE my family is starving to death under a bad Governor… it’s truly petty.
i think the fear crops up when learning anything new, not just tai chi! imagine my fear when going to toastmasters… and i haven’t spoken much yet. will be going again soon. let’s see how fear manifests itself… as always, good post!
Zenpony,
Good points. Remember though that all things are relative. Stress is stress whether it’s fighting off someone threatening your life or fear of speaking in public. Many people today consider fear of public speaking on a par with fear of death.
A ball point pen, properly used, or a well placed throat strike can stop an attacker with a rusty shovel if you can get in close. It’s hard to use a long weapon on someone who’s in your face. That is, assuming you have the skill to get in close.
Thanks for such a great comment. It is important to keep things in perspective, but it’s also OK to want to do your forms correctly.
John
Sheldon,
Yes we do want to perform well in front of our teachers. Like most stresses we place on ourselves, we can build it up too much. Our teachers generally want to know we’re giving it our best and don’t mind the mistakes a much as we do, but knowing that doesn’t always make it easier.
Thanks,
John
Shang Lee,
You’re right about that. It’s funny you mentioned Toastmasters. I hadn’t read your comment when I replied to Zenpony, honest.
I wish you the best with your public speaking. These type of things help us grow into better people.
John
Yup - great point! I wish EVERY new student of tai chi chuan would read this. People worry too much. Especially in our Western society - everyone is so darn self-conscientious - and why? Everyone needs stuff like tai chi to help let go of all that stress and fear that would otherwise get stuck in the body’s organs and other tissue - eventually leading to disease. But heck, some people are even “stressed out” about having to take the trash out… When actually it would make the energy so much better. Our body, well, it’s just another “house.”
-Loretta Wollering
http://www.TaiChiGala.com
Loretta,
Great comment. Yes our bodies are our “houses” and we should all be taking out the trash. More tai chi for everyone!
John
Most people forget that if you face the fear, you can control it. How to get over the fear of public speaking, speak in public. How to get over the fear of doing tai chi in front of teacher, more practice. I always tell my students not to worry about making a mistake. They will never do it as bad as I did when I started and I have seen just about every mistake possible. So it is back to practice more tai chi.
David
David,
Point well taken. If you’re afraid of what others might think about your writing, write more. At least that’s my theory any way.
John
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