Tai Chi Chuan and Allowing
Navesink
Before he died, blind and emaciated,
my grandfather, who loved the opera,
told me sometimes
among the tall trees he walked and
listened to the sound
of a river entering the sea
by letting itself be swallowed.
Meghan O’Rourke,
New Yorker, 3.13.17
This lovely poem reminds me of where we want to go in practicing Tai
Chi. We want the chi of the world to swallow us up and let it become you. The
key word here is “letting”. This is truly hard “to do” because you can’t DO it,
you need to set up conditions where this is possible and allow it, conditions
such as relax, body upright, feet flat, beautiful lady’s wrist, integration of
movement, mindful resting…
I recall someone saying that Professor said that the universe is full
of chi and it is free, but it is very hard to access.
As the poem implies, this is a kind of death. A death of separation, a
refusal to allow nature its wonder and your participation in that wonder.
Now it is up to you.
