Tai Chi Chuan and Allowing

Tai Chi Chuan and Allowing

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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.