learning – Page 2

Shallow Depths

Many years ago I attended a Chi Kung workshop and the teacher did a move which was similar to the opening posture of my Wu Style Tai Chi form.

He said, ‘It took me twenty years to understand this move.’

I thought, ‘You have got to be joking! What’s so hard about lifting your arms up and down?’

What I didn’t realise at the time was that my mind was wading in shallow depths.

I did not understand that a simple move in Tai Chi often requires a depth of understanding which can be only achieved through years of thought, discussion and practice.

This understanding is like going on a journey of;

simplicity
complication
new found simplicity

So if your mind is wading in shallow depths when learning ‘simple’ movements allow yourself to go on this journey without any preconceived ideas.

Then you will be able to discover the depth and essence of a particular movement.

Invest In Loss

By Chris 2 Comments

‘Invest in loss?’

When I first read this Chinese quote years ago it didn’t make any sense.

How can you invest in loss?

But several years later in my Tai Chi training I finally understood what this quote really meant.

And when I made that realisation I looked at every opportunity to ‘invest in loss.’

The losses are essentially my mistakes and the investment is in learning and applying the correct technique.

Here are some examples how I invested in loss.

Push Hands
– thrown head over heels – sink the chi

Form
– too rigid in my movements – relax, let go but maintain the correct structure of the posture

Self Defence
– sparring and getting hit on the nose – maintain seven stars posture

There is a lot of wisdom in Chinese quotes and it is only through practice, awareness and examination can one really understand a quote such as ‘invest in loss.’

Tai Chi Lollies

By Chris Leave a Comment

When I started Tai Chi 22 years ago I was like a little kid in a lolly (candy) store.

I wanted all the lollies, every colour except the black ones and I wanted them now.

In my first year I watched various students practice weapons, do some boxing drills, push hands and I wanted to do all of that straight away.

Well, all I did was learn the Tai Chi form and basics and it took a while before I was slowly introduced to push hands, weapons forms and self defence.

I realised that Tai Chi was not something you can knockover in a few months. If it was I’d be bored and leave.

So 22 years on I feel I’ve hardly scratched the surface. In the early years it worried me because I didn’t feel I was making much progress.

As the years crept by I stopped worrying about comparing myself to others who were more experienced and talented.

I just kept plugging away, practicing and now realise there is no end to the journey.

Just as soon as you feel you have climbed a mountain top, you look up and there are higher mountain tops.

I can now understand it is the journey that is important not the destination.

I haven’t trained at a club or with a partner for some time now because running our business has taken up most of my time.

However I will get back into training with a partner in the near future and until I do I will keep practicing on my own.

So I suppose I’ve come a long way from that little kid in the lolly store who wanted everything now.

I’m more patient now.

6,000 Reasons

By Chris Leave a Comment

I’ve been doing some number crunching lately.

In particular, on how many primary school children have attended my Pozitive Kidz are happy kidz program since it started three years ago.

6000 kids!

That’s alot.

My program teaches 5-12 year olds how to build their self esteem from a Tai Chi perspective.

And it’s a humbling and satisfying feeling.

To know that I’ve been able to introduce the profound art of Tai Chi to young children and maybe have had some effect in helping them to feel better about themselves.

It’s certainly given me the opportunity to be creative with Tai Chi and it challenges me to adjust my presentation style according to the age group in front of me.

For example if they are very young I’m more animated, use simple language, keep them constantly occupied using different exercises. If they’re older I’m a bit more cool and mature.

If I taught Tai Chi the traditional wayI know the kids would be bored very quickly. [Read more…]