‘My first intentional practice of Tai Chi began years ago on a rainy day in the month of June. The sweet cadence of the rain in all it’s rhythmic glory, the cleansing nature of the rain was just as wonderfully comforting as much as the experience of Tai chi, with its movement in stillness and the stillness of its movements.
As I tried to move in unison with breathe and learned to direct the momentum for the movements from the central core of the body to the outward, I could draw the parallels of the simple yet profound principles of Tai Chi giving a lifetime’s guidance.
A life lived in the middle path gives one equanimity to see beyond the obvious. To envision the duality of existence enough to understand joy and sorrow, are not something eternal. Life becomes simple and just as easy to live as we make it , letting go of excesses of any kind, which ultimately works towards healing oneself from within.
It only adds to the fact that this moderation makes you want to work at building progressively, instead of pushing the boundaries and stretching beyond your abilities to the point of probably injuring yourself and giving up altogether.
The rain’s rhythmic tapping on my open window sill, the occasional bursts of cool breeze surrounding me now and then was in tune with my learning to release and melt away the accumulated stresses through conscious gentle outward movements I felt a few varied sensations coming to me vying for attention, but as soon as my focus returned to movements in silent contemplation of the flow of breath the very same sensations completely vanished.
It was so peaceful to end the practice with breath awareness and mindful movements that I must add that like everything else in life, Tai Chi is to be taken in measured doses just as much as it’s required and must be ideally learned under the guidance of a good teacher to experience the gamut of life enriching experiences it surely has to offer.
As I completed my practice for the moment , suddenly there was thunder and lightning signifying the release of feel good endorphins and hopefully opening up of some of the blockages within me. This is after all the essence of Tai chi , to be one with Nature and learn to nurture it . A humble dedication to Tai Chi form and the powers of the supreme in and around us!
Savvy Raj 