I've had a few inquiries from people recently asking if it was too late to sign up for a beginner's class. We started a new cycle back in the middle of October, so it's completely understandable that you might think you'd be crashing a party that's already begun if you join in now.
Here's the thing: tai chi and qigong take a heck of a long time to learn. In the grand scheme of things, a few weeks doesn't add up to a whole lot. Anybody who's tried learning tai chi or qigong will tell you that the first little while is a bit of a blur. Needless to say, if you're in a rush, tackling the task of learning tai chi or qigong will make you slow down.
That's a good thing.
Let me put it another way: how many things in your life have you taken on that you knew you couldn't master in a short while, but you wanted to try it anyway? Like learning a musical instrument, or developing a really good golf swing (so I'm told), or figuring out how to live your life so it best suits you, tai chi and qigong are disciplines that you can spend a long time learning. They force you to be patient. Fortunately the rewards of practicing both of them kick in right away. Within a short while, with some practice you'll be feeling stronger and more focused.
Whether you started in October 2012 or December 2012 won't make a lick of difference a year from now.
My advice to you is: don't delay. If you've been wondering about joining a class and you're not sure about starting now, please do. I am still building my Saturday and Monday classes. Now is a perfect time to start.
Scheduling note: for the time being, I'm taking Wednesday classes off the schedule at the Regent Centre. There will be other classes or workshops coming down the pipe in the new year, hopefully at a time that better suits people. As always, I'm available for one-on-one or semi-private sessions by request.
View complete scheduling and fee details here.
Grounding, Explained
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Dr. James Oschman, who holds a PhD in Biology and a Bachelor's in Biophysics, investigated what happens to someone when his or her body is connected to the earth.
What he learned is that a particular spot on the soles of the feet - specifically, the point acupuncturists identify as Kidney 1 or the Bubbling Spring - is highly electrically conductive. The earth, as it turns out, is negatively charged. It produces free electrons. The body draws these through Kidney 1.
Why do you want to absorb free electrons? To neutralize free radicals, those nasty results of chemical processes in the body that cause inflammation and disease. Solmaz Parazesh, writing for Research Penn State online, spoke to K. Sandeep Prabhu, professor of Immunology and Molecular Toxicology, on the topic of free radicals:
The great news about earthing and grounding is that antioxidants from diet are not our only source of free electrons. We can draw them any time we simply step out of doors and get our bare feet onto the ground. Lying down on the ground is another great way to experience earthing.
If you take nothing else from this post, take this: one of the easiest, most pleasurable things you can do for your wellbeing is to get outside and get bare feet on the ground.
Wearing shoes, while sensible on some terrains, like gravel, will block your body's ability to draw free electrons. Rubber and plastic, major components in shoe soles, are not conductive. I've been practicing barefoot walking in the woods and barefoot exercising outside, and I am amazed at how easy it is to get used to walking on uneven, bumpy, or stick-laden ground. It's a matter of practice.
These harmful molecules, known as free radicals, contain unpaired electrons—which is unusual because electrons typically come in pairs. “The unpaired electrons make free radicals highly reactive, and in this state, they can cause damage by attacking the components of our cells, and can even cause cancer,” Prabhu says.
...
Antioxidants neutralize free radicals either by providing the extra electron needed to make the pair, or by breaking down the free radical molecule to render it harmless. “Antioxidants stop the chain reaction of free radical formation and benefit our health by boosting our immune system ,” explains Prabhu. Because antioxidants are used up in the process of free radical neutralization, a diet rich in antioxidants is essential to ensure a constant supply.
The great news about earthing and grounding is that antioxidants from diet are not our only source of free electrons. We can draw them any time we simply step out of doors and get our bare feet onto the ground. Lying down on the ground is another great way to experience earthing.
If you take nothing else from this post, take this: one of the easiest, most pleasurable things you can do for your wellbeing is to get outside and get bare feet on the ground.
Wearing shoes, while sensible on some terrains, like gravel, will block your body's ability to draw free electrons. Rubber and plastic, major components in shoe soles, are not conductive. I've been practicing barefoot walking in the woods and barefoot exercising outside, and I am amazed at how easy it is to get used to walking on uneven, bumpy, or stick-laden ground. It's a matter of practice.
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What does this have to do with tai chi and qigong, you might ask? Good question.
Both tai chi and qigong are designed to maximize the way in which your body draws energy from the earth through K1 and into the body systems. Since ancient times, practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Taoist sages have known that there are specific body postures and methods of movement that will increase your ability to take in natural energies.
Think of your body as an electrical system. It is already set up with wiring (energy lines, meridians, or channels) that draw from the environment. If you're alive, you've got that wiring in place.
What if you could increase the size and durability and continuity of your wires? You would have a greater flow of energy. In Dr. Oschman's terms, you would be drawing more free electrons into your body.
You can start taking advantage of grounding or earthing any time. You can get the most out of it by exercising outside, especially if you're practicing exercises designed to help you draw from the earth, like tai chi and qigong.
MORE INFO:
It's on the long side, but in this interview, Dr. Oschman talks in detail with Dr. Joseph Mercola about earthing / grounding, its amazing effects, and how this incredibly simple practice can help you to limit or eliminate inflammatory processes from your body.
Both tai chi and qigong are designed to maximize the way in which your body draws energy from the earth through K1 and into the body systems. Since ancient times, practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Taoist sages have known that there are specific body postures and methods of movement that will increase your ability to take in natural energies.
Think of your body as an electrical system. It is already set up with wiring (energy lines, meridians, or channels) that draw from the environment. If you're alive, you've got that wiring in place.
What if you could increase the size and durability and continuity of your wires? You would have a greater flow of energy. In Dr. Oschman's terms, you would be drawing more free electrons into your body.
You can start taking advantage of grounding or earthing any time. You can get the most out of it by exercising outside, especially if you're practicing exercises designed to help you draw from the earth, like tai chi and qigong.
MORE INFO:
It's on the long side, but in this interview, Dr. Oschman talks in detail with Dr. Joseph Mercola about earthing / grounding, its amazing effects, and how this incredibly simple practice can help you to limit or eliminate inflammatory processes from your body.
Your First Tai Chi Class
- what should I wear?
- what if I've never tried tai chi before?
- what if I can't do the moves right away?
The easiest question is the first one. Tai chi requires your body to bend and stretch, so your clothes should likewise be able to bend and stretch. Stretchy workout pants and a t-shirt are great tai chi clothes. Bring a sweatshirt or sweater to class to put on at the end so you don't get chilled. Believe it or not, tai chi can really make you sweat!
You shouldn't worry about coming in as a beginner. Everyone who now looks fabulous and confident doing tai chi was a beginner at one time. Everyone struggles to some extent to get their tai chi just right. There's no need to feel anxious or worried that you can't do the exercises perfectly right away.
You also need to bear in mind that a lot depends on your body, and on your body awareness--the term we use to talk about how well your mind and body are integrated together. Some people have naturally great balance and coordination. Others struggle to convince their foot to step forward while their hands go into holding the ball position.
Even if your body awareness is excellent, it will take you time to learn tai chi. The way a tai chi practitioner moves her body is quite unusual in the world of exercise. It requires flexibility, a strong mental focus, and really strong legs--believe it or not. Even if you're in great shape, building the kind of strength required for tai chi takes time.
Questions I wish people would ask me:
- What is appropriate class etiquette?
- What do I do when I get frustrated?
- What's the best attitude to take when beginning to learn tai chi?
I can't speak for other instructors, but etiquette in my classes is casual, but nonetheless an important part of interacting with me and other students. I don't care if you're late for class, if you have to leave early, or if you're flustered when you come in and you need to take a moment to settle in as we begin a work out.
I do care that once we've begun, you put as much of your focus as you can into the workout. That's what matters, and that's what's going to give you maximum results.
Ultimately, tai chi is about freeing your inner warrior. If that means you get sassy, or we laugh a lot, or you want to share a thought or a joke, then I've done my job.
To take the second question, frustration has to be one of the most enormous blocks to progress in tai chi. It is something that happens to most of us on the tai chi path. When it rears its ugly head, frustration can pass quickly, or it can linger with you, slowly making you more and more bitter that you aren't "getting it" faster, sooner--now!
Frustration is really just emotion--and that emotion is anger. You decide that you should be better at tai chi than you are. You're mad about the difference between where you're at and where you think you should be. Soon, instead of feeling happier, more peaceful, and energized, you just feel put out.
The answer to frustration is more practice. The only way to get out of the loop of beating yourself up is to get better. And the only way to see real progress is to do it over and over again. Pick a section of the tai chi set you kind of know, and repeat it until you could do it in your sleep. This kind of repetition is the only way to learn tai chi. It is the source of all breakthroughs. When you're in the depths of frustration, the comfort you can take is that the breakthroughs will come, because you are practicing.
The best attitude you can take when you start tai chi is that this is like nothing you've done before. Tai chi isn't something you learn in a weekend seminar. You can't pick it up overnight. It isn't rewarding at all if you merely dabble in it. It's something that you'll have to work at for the rest of your life--or as long as you want to continue to reap the benefits.
Tai chi master Benjamin Lo, in an interview on the website of the Wuwei Tai Chi Club, has this to say about tai chi and attitude:
I tell people when they learn Tai Chi Ch'uan that patience is not enough because people always lose patience. So I tell people you have to have perseverance. We have never heard of people losing perseverance.Patience is good but it is not enough. After five years you can quit. I have seen people practice 20 years and quit. If you have 20 years patience, it is pretty good, but if you have it a lifetime, then we call it perseverance.
If you're attracted to the idea of tai chi, chances are it's something you should try. In my experience, most people either know it's not for them right away, or they have a sense that this is something that they can really groove on. If you know you want to keep going, develop perseverance. Practice as much as you can. Keep going, through the times when you really want to practice and the times when you don't. Through the times when you feel great and the times when your body feels creaky and stiff. Persevere, and you will reap the rewards.
Symptoms of Inner Peace
By Saskia Davis, ©1984
Via the Flylady.
1. Tendency to think and act spontaneously, rather than from fears based on past experiences.
2. An unmistakeable ability to enjoy each moment.
3. Loss of interest in judging self.
4. Loss of interest in judging others.
5. Loss of interest in conflict and one-upmanship.
6. Loss of interest in interpreting actions of worry.
7. Loss of ability to worry (This is a SERIOUS symptom!).
8. Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
9. Feelings of contentment and connectedness with others and with Nature.
10. Frequent attacks of smiling.
11. Increased susceptibility to love and to "passing it forward."
12. Increased tendency to let things happen rather than make things happen.
NOTE: If you have all or even most of the above symptoms, your condition of Inner Peace may be so far advanced as to be untreatable!
Psssst: Learn more about Symptoms of Inner Peace and buy a lovely poster version at Saskia's website.
Via the Flylady.
1. Tendency to think and act spontaneously, rather than from fears based on past experiences.
2. An unmistakeable ability to enjoy each moment.
3. Loss of interest in judging self.
4. Loss of interest in judging others.
5. Loss of interest in conflict and one-upmanship.
6. Loss of interest in interpreting actions of worry.
7. Loss of ability to worry (This is a SERIOUS symptom!).
8. Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
9. Feelings of contentment and connectedness with others and with Nature.
10. Frequent attacks of smiling.
11. Increased susceptibility to love and to "passing it forward."
12. Increased tendency to let things happen rather than make things happen.
NOTE: If you have all or even most of the above symptoms, your condition of Inner Peace may be so far advanced as to be untreatable!
Psssst: Learn more about Symptoms of Inner Peace and buy a lovely poster version at Saskia's website.
Quick Question: Why Do My Bones Crack When I Do Tai Chi?
Once you start to get into tai chi, you will probably find that snap, crackle and pop are not just part of a nutritious breakfast - they are sounds that accompany almost every workout. Where do these sounds come from? And is it okay to be snapping, crackling and popping?
Before I answer the question, I just want to caution you that cracking, snapping, and popping in your joints is not okay if it is accompanied by sharp pain - or any kind of pain, really. Ask your teacher for help if you ever experience any kind of pain during tai chi. If the popping is painless, then you are experiencing something totally normal and even great.
According to a rather old article published at Scientific American online, cracking sounds can relate to one of two causes: a release of gas from the fluid that naturally cushions your joints, or a snapping of tendons and ligaments back into their correct places as you move the joint. I tend to think that the snapping and crackling you get during tai chi is much more likely to be the latter rather than the former.
The thing to understand about your joints is that over time, the ligaments that connect bone to bone in your skeleton and the tendons that connect your muscles to your bones become tighter. A small degree of tightening over time can be the result of aging, but it is more usually related to sedentary behaviour. When you don't acheive a full range of motion in each joint on a regular basis, the ligaments and tendons naturally get shorter. Reason number one million that your body is a use it or lose it proposition.
To get an idea of what I'm talking about, take a look at this x-ray of a healthy human hand:
See the black spaces between the joints of the fingers? Those aren't empty: they are occupied by cartilage, which doesn't tend to show up on an x-ray. This spaciousness between the joints is what you want. With that cushion of cartilage in place, your bones won't rub on each other, and chances are the joint will remain healthy and pain-free.
When your tendons and ligaments get tight, they draw the two ends of the bones together. Eventually, what you get is compression of the joint. The cartilage thins, and you end up with rubbing between the ends of the bones.
This is an x-ray of the finger of a person with osteoarthritis:
The official word on osteoarthritis to date suggests that it is of mysterious origin, but I've been taught that the major cause is the drawing together of the joints because of tendon and ligament tightening.
When it comes to the spine, this tightening can be quite dramatic. Here's a normal cervical spine - aka neck. Look at the spaces between the vertebrae. Each of those spaces contains a cushion of cartilage that contains fluid to ease the impact of any jarring that occurs to the spine. These cushions are also called "discs."
You've probably heard of "herniated" or "slipped" discs. These occur when the spaces between the vertebrae become narrow, and the disc is squished out of place, or tears and the fluid leaks out. This is an MRI image of a herniated disc (source).
See that bulge? That's the edge of the disk squishing up against the spinal cord. Yikes, right? This kind of squishing occurs because the tendons and ligaments along the spine become tight over time. The medical community will tell you that this is a consequence of aging, but more properly it is a consequence of a lifetime of not moving enough.
The whole point here is that if you stretch the tendons and ligaments, you can increase the space between the joints. Tai chi is great for all your joints - I've used it to stay pain free despite some extremely serious joint injuries. It is especially wonderful for achieving increased range of motion through the hips and shoulders, and for stretching out the spine. I'd be willing to bet that the bone cracking you experience during tai chi is most intense in the shoulders, hips, back and neck.
That cracking is the tendons and ligaments popping back into place as you elongate your joints. It can also be the bones themselves popping back into correct alignment - the tendons and ligaments can pull them out of place when they are tight.
At first, these noises can be a bit disturbing. Over time, though, you'll come to look forward to them. Hey, people pay a lot of money to chiropractors to achieve the same effect! Once you get the hang of stretching in tai chi, you can put yourself back in alignment fairly reliably. If your back or neck feels out of whack, a quick tai chi set will usually remedy it.
Your joints will thank you.
Tai Chi and Taoism
Somebody recently found my blog by searching for the answer to the question, "How does tai chi utilize Taoist philosophy and teachings?" It's a good question, and one that deserves at least an attempt at an answer. (Whoever you were, I hope you find your way back here at some point!)
I should preface this post by saying that I have not done a great deal of intellectual study of Taoism. I took a University course in it once, with a professor from China. It was a wonderful experience, but in retrospect one of the worst possible ways to learn about Taoism. For many years, I resisted reading about Taoism actively because I felt I was learning so much about it by practicing tai chi. The understandings I'm sharing in this post are based much more on my experiences as a tai chi practitioner (studying, for what it's worth, under a Taoist monk) as they are on anything I might have read.
The short (and smartass) answer to the question, "How does tai chi utilize Taoist philosophy and teachings?" is to say that tai chi is a Taoist teaching. But I don't think this answers the spirit of the question.
The long answer:
Taoism is a complex and multifaceted philosophy or - more properly - spiritual path that encompasses an amazing number of different practices. (Herbalism, physical exercises, meditation, sexual practices - the list goes on and on.) Some of these involve increasing longevity. Some of these involve achieving union or harmony with the universe. You could argue that in Taoism, long life and union with the Tao are sort of the same goal.
You might be thinking, "but what is the Tao?" The idea here is that there is an innate original source ("Tao") that underlies all of reality as we understand it. All beings - from gods to rocks - are an effect of this original source. All follow patterns and paths that can work in harmony with this original Tao.
Working in harmony with the Tao is a great thing to do. Working against it invites strife, upset, indigestion, global catastrophes - the list goes on and on.
The natural world is innately aligned with Tao. This is why the masters copied animals when they devised many of their meditation and exercise techniques. A tree grows in harmony with its environment, and even in harmony with the pressures placed upon it. It doesn't struggle and complain and wish it was somewhere else, or a different type of tree. It naturally conforms to its role.
Mental / Emotional Issues
Allow me to get down off my flying dragon long enough to tell you.
(Just kidding.)
Obviously no one who is here on earth has truly achieved this goal 100% - or else they would have transcended this earthly plane. But I can say that I think most people meet the Tao in tiny increments, and doing tai chi can take you a very long way down the path. I can say that in meditation and in tai chi, I regularly feel surrounded by a warm, benevolent, and occasionally downright mischievous force that invites me to relax, be sharp and alert in my mind and body, and always, always softer than I am. To meet the Tao in even a limited way is to feel better, not in a sedated, shut down way, but in a way that is open, generous, compassionate, strong, and aware. Tai chi allows you to move closer to being loose like a jungle cat; powerful like an ocean wave; as constant as the movements of the planets; steadfast as an oak.
I should preface this post by saying that I have not done a great deal of intellectual study of Taoism. I took a University course in it once, with a professor from China. It was a wonderful experience, but in retrospect one of the worst possible ways to learn about Taoism. For many years, I resisted reading about Taoism actively because I felt I was learning so much about it by practicing tai chi. The understandings I'm sharing in this post are based much more on my experiences as a tai chi practitioner (studying, for what it's worth, under a Taoist monk) as they are on anything I might have read.
The short (and smartass) answer to the question, "How does tai chi utilize Taoist philosophy and teachings?" is to say that tai chi is a Taoist teaching. But I don't think this answers the spirit of the question.
The long answer:
Taoism is a complex and multifaceted philosophy or - more properly - spiritual path that encompasses an amazing number of different practices. (Herbalism, physical exercises, meditation, sexual practices - the list goes on and on.) Some of these involve increasing longevity. Some of these involve achieving union or harmony with the universe. You could argue that in Taoism, long life and union with the Tao are sort of the same goal.
You might be thinking, "but what is the Tao?" The idea here is that there is an innate original source ("Tao") that underlies all of reality as we understand it. All beings - from gods to rocks - are an effect of this original source. All follow patterns and paths that can work in harmony with this original Tao.
Working in harmony with the Tao is a great thing to do. Working against it invites strife, upset, indigestion, global catastrophes - the list goes on and on.
The natural world is innately aligned with Tao. This is why the masters copied animals when they devised many of their meditation and exercise techniques. A tree grows in harmony with its environment, and even in harmony with the pressures placed upon it. It doesn't struggle and complain and wish it was somewhere else, or a different type of tree. It naturally conforms to its role.
As human beings, we have a unique form of consciousness that allows us to really mess up adhering to what is most natural. And yet, that same unique form of consciousness can, if we allow it to, transcend the perception of everyday reality and merge with the Tao. Here are a few examples of things that can interfere with your ability to do what's natural and to perceive Tao:
Physical Issues
This is not to say that you should avoid all of these things at all costs. Chances are you are not in a position to avoid any of these things at all times in your life; if you're lucky, you can avoid one or two.Physical Issues
- urban living
- pollution
- junk food
- staying indoors, climate-controlled environments
- artificial electromagnetic charges (from anything that plugs in or uses batteries)
- exposure to chemicals
- prolonged periods of inactivity; sitting for hours at a time
- habitual physical tension
- addictions
- illness
- injury
Mental / Emotional Issues
- stress (from all of the above and more)
- intense analytical thought
- mental and emotional habits your parents taught you
- mental and emotional habits your culture has taught you
- exposure to commercialism / consumer culture
- exposure to repetitive / bland / destructive ideas
- compulsions
- emotional overreactions
- exposure to emotional triggers
- an intense focus on the material / commonly acknowledged "reality"
- a habit of pessimism
- mental / emotional illness
Again, it's almost impossible for any of us to escape most of the items on this second list at all times. Like the many heads of the hydra, these tend to crop up at the precise moment when you think you've defeated them all.
The fact is, we live in difficult times. Never have there been so many shiny traps for consciousness, reaching out to us at every turn. But the thing is, we also live in amazing times. I believe that never have there been so many brilliant teachers and techniques available to us to break through those traps. Even if you can't quit your day job and you like urban living and you had a crappy childhood or bad experiences or all too human emotional issues, tools like tai chi are available to help you scrub away the negative effects of all this modern living. And among the plethora of spiritual and physical practices available today, tai chi is, I think, a uniquely powerful way of allowing us to effectively achieve the breakthroughs we might be craving.
But back to these two lists.
All of the items on these lists work, in different ways, to keep you in a superficial perceptual mode that does not allow you to open to the wide, generous and expansive reality of the Tao. Let's take a couple of examples from the first list. You get up in the morning in your house. You stumble around, jar yourself awake with a hot shower or maybe a cup of coffee. You get into your car before you're ready to greet the day, and the next thing you know, you're at your work desk, a computer monitor two feet away from your face, and a phone cradled on your shoulder. By the time you get home, you're feeling both tired and wired. Tired wins out, and you spend the evening on the couch in front of the television, where you face an endless round of commercials telling you what you should desire.
Your shoulder hurts, your upper back is hunched, your neck is tight, and your soul is crying in a corner.
Because it is a physical practice, tai chi can help release the tensions that you build up during the day. The stretching and increased range of motion you achieve through tai chi helps undo some of purely physical aspect of those tensions. More than that, tai chi helps to correct your energy. Throughout the day, you draw chi or vital life energy up into your head and neck, especially if your work is sedentary or based on analytical / mental tasks. Because you work your legs in tai chi, you draw those energies back down into the rest of your body, where they belong, and you reconnect with the energies of the earth. Through tai chi, you can feel like you are fully merged with your physical body, instead of floating slightly above it like you might feel you are at the end of a hard day of work.
Returning your physical equilibrium is a part of returning to a more natural state of being. In this more relaxed, more connected state, you are more in touch with Tao.
If you have any chronic illness or pain from injuries, over time, tai chi can help release them.
Similarly, think about what happened the last time you were really upset about something or someone. Your mind probably would not stop thinking about it. On a physical level, you probably felt terrible: maybe you had bad digestion, or tightness in your chest. Perhaps your breathing felt laboured. Maybe you got a headache. We are always disconnected from what's natural when we are in this frenzied state.
In a background way, most of us carry emotional tensions that we don't even recognize. Worry, concern, anger, frustration, and despair are all examples of emotional habits that can sit with us, like devils on our shoulders, for years. These old friends worm themselves into our lives so completely that we think of low level emotional upset as totally normal. This type of emotional habit is insidious, since it is very difficult to let go, and if we do manage to loosen its stranglehold, we can feel that we are losing ourselves.
And yet, these emotional habits keep us from recognizing the true nature of reality. We see through a filter - and chances are it isn't rose-coloured.
When you perform tai chi, you aren't just moving your body: you are also engaging your mind. By focusing your thoughts on the here and now as you step, push from the feet, and move the whole body all together, you give space to yourself to simply be. As you move the body, the mind learns the habit of calming down. What was flying through your thoughts and disturbing your emotions when you start a tai chi workout is often a non-issue by the time you're done. The more you practice, the more you are creating new mental and emotional habits. You learn that you don't have to feel upset all the time - not even in a background way. You learn that you can change the terms on which you meet the world. There are no rules except the ones you've created, or adopted from others.
In this way, you leave room for the expansiveness you need in order to meet the Tao.
And what does it feel like, to touch the creative force behind the entire universe?
Allow me to get down off my flying dragon long enough to tell you.
(Just kidding.)
Obviously no one who is here on earth has truly achieved this goal 100% - or else they would have transcended this earthly plane. But I can say that I think most people meet the Tao in tiny increments, and doing tai chi can take you a very long way down the path. I can say that in meditation and in tai chi, I regularly feel surrounded by a warm, benevolent, and occasionally downright mischievous force that invites me to relax, be sharp and alert in my mind and body, and always, always softer than I am. To meet the Tao in even a limited way is to feel better, not in a sedated, shut down way, but in a way that is open, generous, compassionate, strong, and aware. Tai chi allows you to move closer to being loose like a jungle cat; powerful like an ocean wave; as constant as the movements of the planets; steadfast as an oak.
Filters off, and tensions released, we can start to gain insight into the true nature of reality. That is how tai chi helps you get closer to the Tao. That is how tai chi is part of Taoist practice and philosophy.
Can I Learn Tai Chi from a DVD?
There are so many fitness DVDs out there. They seem to offer all the benefits of a gym in the comfort of your home and with ultimate convenience. Just pop in a DVD and you're on your way to learning pilates, yoga, a new kind of strength training, or the latest, most innovative aerobic technique.
The question seems inevitable: can you learn tai chi from a DVD?
The short answer to this question is no, you can't, and it's not a good idea to try.
Why is that?
There is more - much more - to tai chi than what you can see on the surface, especially if you've never had instruction before. What goes on inside the body of a tai chi practitioner is much more complex than you would think. With each movement, the spine turns and stretches, the organs shift, and the feet connect with the ground in a much more profound way than most people ever experience. On the outside, you might see the practitioner turning his or her hand so that the palm faces outward. On the inside, there is a whole series of techniques at work to make that turning happen. The hand is connected to the spine and foot, and nothing moves independently.
In order to begin to see the connections - and most importantly, to feel them for yourself - you need an instructor who can see what you're doing and tell you how to deepen it. You need someone to explain it to you.
An instructor is also there to help make sure that you don't injure yourself as you learn tai chi. Every body is different, and everyone has a different set of physical limitations. It is easy to injure yourself, especially in the beginning, by doing the movements incorrectly.
I'll say that again: it is easy to injure yourself if you are doing tai chi incorrectly. Many people think that tai chi is "gentle" and "simple." But if you really go for it, it can be a wonderfully challenging workout. And a movement that's just a few degrees off of correct can result in muscle strains and tears.
Even a small difference in a movement can translate into an injury. An instructor will answer your questions about any discomfort you may experience, will watch to make sure you're not doing anything that will hurt you, and will show you the correct way to perform each step in the tai chi set.
When you find a good teacher, you have an invaluable resource for information and help as you learn tai chi. You have someone who cares about your wellbeing, and will work with you to make sure you reach your goals. You'll need that as you continue down the tai chi path, which is, after all, a path of self-discovery. That's much more than a DVD can offer.
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