Tai
Chi Chuan – What We Forget….
What
do we forget?
My
own practice is often looking at the smallest of the small, the tiniest corner
that I believe will bring me closer to the total art of tai chi chuan. So day after day, I focus on that hip joint,
that tailbone, that hand to foot connection, that central equilibrium. There is so much to play with. I find that kind of exploration great
fun. This is tai chi by the
numbers. But yes, if you are at it every
day, even twice a day, this is what tai chi becomes. And this can be somewhat lifeless and self
indulgent.
The other day in my office a heated
argument broke out. The participants in
this argument were getting angrier and angrier.
For a while, it looked like it could result in a fist fight. No one was backing down, or yielding, or
listening. It was rather surprising
except for the fact that we all have a button that sits inside each one of us ready
to ignite. And mostly we don’t even know
what that button is. You don’t know it until
someone else pushes it. These two co-workers
were in it. No violence occurred, but it
was scary.
In
the world of tai chi, anger is an example of chi rising. Clearly tension as well. So what we are ALWAYS practicing is relaxing
and sinking the chi, the energy. We
don’t let it erupt out of control. This
is no small thing. But we forget to see
how that is relevant in our everyday lives.
In
the example I witnessed, tai chi could be looked at as anger management. We yield, listen, relax and let the chi
settle. We store the chi and we don’t
squander it. We are practicing the
crucial skill of relaxing (not collapsing!)
In a live situation, you really need a lot of practice under your belt
for it to function on the spot in the midst of agitation. This is not something you can plan for. It is something that has to be in your bones
in order to have any value. And that is
why daily practice is crucial if you want to allow it to change you. The tai chi response cannot function unless
it is a part of you. It is not something
you call up in the moment of stress to use as a technique. It is not an intellectual choice. It becomes the way.
I
might add as well that through regular practice, you may notice more about
yourself than you would have before.
This is not linear. It comes up
spontaneously. By relaxing in a tai chi
way, you see more and more of your tension.
Think of tension as trigger points: Once you see them, you can begin to
work on relaxing those trigger points.
It is not unusual for students to see emotional trigger points in this
process as well. This is simply another
tool to help you “know yourself”.
It
can also help in that the body focus required in tai chi alerts one to reactive
states. You are more likely to feel that
rising chi than you did before you practiced tai chi. If you can feel it rising, you may have a
shot at relaxing it back to where it belongs, or to see that you need to walk
away from the situation that is creating the reaction, instead of diving into
it headlong and out of control. I might
note here that “control” is not really goal.
I don’t think you should necessarily “control” yourself or your
emotions. (I’m not suggesting that you
be “out of control” either.) What I mean
is that you can see more CHOICES within the moment of conflict. You see where your chi is going and you can
do something to affect that chi. Or you
can let your own innate nature take over and let it go where it wants to
go. This may be OK. This may be a big mistake. Discernment, in the moment, is yet another
skill to be learned.
The
flip side of out of control rising chi is lax chi, chi that is stuck or stifled
or lethargic. This can be a problem in
situations where active engagement is required.
It reminds me of a study noted in a lecture years ago. The individuals most likely to get into fights
were those who were either looking for a fight, or those that were running from
(afraid of) a fight. Those who were
least likely to get into fights were right in the middle of that spectrum,
balanced. That space is tai chi.
My
co-workers reminded me that there are tangible results to tai chi
practice. It is more than a mechanical
or technical skill. It has to do with
how you engage life in every moment.
That’s one reason I value this practice.
But I tend to totally forget that!
