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

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

“Bearly” Tai Chi

This week I thought I’d do something fun.  Al Simon, over at The Tai Chi and Qigong Blog posted a news story of this Kungfu Bear.  I managed to find a parody of the bear in action and thought you’d enjoy it.

“It just goes to show, you can do anything you put your mind too.”

Your thoughts?  Do you think Ninja Bear is ready to head out on his own?

John

P.S.  You can find the newsy version over at Al’s site:  http://aljsimon.wordpress.com/2010/06/06/real-kung-fu-bear-in-japan/

Tai Chi… Growing Old, or Getting Old?

I just came across this funny quote.  It’s a little cynical, but true.  One of the reasons I practice tai chi is so I can have the best life possible right up until the end.  It’s my little rebellion against time. 

“Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils.”  ~  Louis Hector Berlioz

Your thoughts?

John

P.S. I found this funny quote here:  http://www.coolfunnyquotes.com/

and this funny pic here:  http://www.commentsyard.com/comments/birthday/

The “Practice” of Tai Chi… It’s Time

WHO ME?

We’ve all experienced it, or feigned it: business.  It’s one of the things that keep us from regular practice.  The question is, “how do we get ourselves to practice regularly?”

We often need to think about things before we do them.  I don’t know that tai chi is one of those things, but I’ve heard a lot of people say they’ve been thinking about doing tai chi.  Translated, that means they haven’t been doing it, or haven’t been getting in much practice.

I can tell you the best way I know of is to do just a little tai chi when you have a minute.  Sometimes I practice in my bedroom, standing with my legs bent.  Other times I go into my studio and say to myself, “I’m going to run through these two forms.”  Sometimes I end up practicing more than that, and other times I don’t.  Life does often get in the way of practice, and I don’t practice as much as I’d like, but I do manage to practice regularly.

Today I’ll leave you with some uncanny wisdom from the Master of Duhism, Bob Tzu, in his “Duh of the Day”.

“I’m exhausted”

“The mind needs exercise, just like the body. That’s why I’m thinking about jogging.”

What do you do to get yourself to practice, or what do you think would be a good way to get yourself to do more practice?

John

P.S.  Check out Duhism here:  www.duhism.com

I found this image here:  http://rattitude.com/2009/04/random-ipaper/

Tai Chi The Easy Way

I often see students who want to be able to do everything I can do after only a couple of months of practice.  It’s not that they really think they should be able to, just that they don’t seem to have the patience to let the improvement come.  I’ve found that focusing on one thing at a time is the easiest way to get there.

“Anticipate the difficult by managing the easy. ”
Lao Tzu

Your thoughts?

John

P.S.  Hint, I used to be one of those students who didn’t want to wait. 

I found this image here:  http://files.walerian.info/file/Funny/Animals/patience-grasshopper.jpg

Enjoying Tai Chi

The other day I was in a hurry and needed to cut the grass.  I use a regular push mower and really enjoyed running it around the yard, up and down hill.  About half way through I realized I had a pretty good spring in my step and focused on that the rest of the job.  My tai chi practice is the reason I have a spring in my step and I really enjoy this benefit, not to mention the other benefits tai chi gives me.

Since that day cutting the grass, I’ve been looking at others in class and noticing how well most of them move compared to how they moved when they first started.  There are certainly other forms of exercise people benefit from.  The big thing here is that, to an outside observer, when we do tai chi it doesn’t seem that we’re working all that hard.  The benefits sometimes seem a little slow in coming, yet because of this they sneak up on us.  It makes me want to work harder at recruiting new students, to help others feel this way too.

Your thoughts?

John

P.S.  I found this pic here:  http://www.sportsunlimitedinc.com/camp-hike-travel-gear.html