My toughest Tai Chi experience?
Nicking my head with the guard of my Sabre and drawing blood during a demonstration in front of 60 secondary school students?
No.
Holding a workshop in a library with some participants spilling into the aisles where I couldn’t see them due to the lack of room?
No.
Presentating an energizer session late one Saturday evening at a conference where the booze overruled any sense of participation?
No.
The toughest experience happened in the local park the other day. I did some shopping and had time in the afternoon to practice my Tai Chi form so at about 3.30pm I drove to the park and found a secluded spot facing the man made lake.
It was a beautiful setting, sun shining, no breeze, perfect for Tai Chi.
As I started my Tai Chi form they appeared.
The tiny terrors.
Little kids whizzing by on their bicyles. One kid yelled, ‘Boo!’ Another kid threw some grass at me – luckily his little arm couldn’t propel the bits of grass more than a metre. Another kid yelled ‘Arggggggghhh.’
After the form I decided to do the Embrace The Tree Posture (standing posture) and all of a sudden more kids appeared. I felt like the Pied Piper of Hamlin but I maintained my posture, ignored the kids and soon enough they became bored with ‘the statue man’ and darted off to terrorise someone else.
Memo to self: don’t practice Tai Chi in a park at 3.30pm during school holidays.
I do my Tai Chi in the Park at Sunday morning 8 AM… No kids, just older people walking their dogs… Also not always the best public if a dog walks around you and wants to pee against you leg.
I try to keep my form (Taoist Tai Chi form), but sometimes I have to do a turn an chop with fist, or kick with right foot (or any foot) to make clear he/she needs to move one.