There is quite a resurgance of interest at the moment about Mindfulness – something at the heart of Tai Chi – so I have put a few thoughts together in a short article – click here to download.
In much the same way I keep coming across issues of bad backs – so a few simple thoughts on “Tai Chi for a Good Back” may be of interest.
One of the things that I fhave found paradoxical about Tai Chi and Martial Arts in general over the years is the balance between practice and the thinking about it – gradually I have accepted that we need to do both and I’ll just do it my way – so my mind just keeps on thinking about this stuff and related matters – after all once you get into Tai Chi it all seems related anyway. So in that vein I have put some more articles on the Shefford Tai Chi website – they are not all filled out completely – but I’m sure readers can fill in the gaps for themselves:
Tai Chi – important behaviours - this is a recent piece about behaviours that are useful in a fight – and elsewhere – with some notes on Chi at the end
Physical awareness and non-verbal communication - an older piece that does what it says on the tin
Nobody ever said that a Zen Master had to be patient! - it seemed a point worth exploring.
Feedback and Education in Tai Chi - pretty much about feedback and education in Tai Chi – from a personal perspective – isn’t it all?
A few useful strategies - as much about life in general as about Tai Chi
We were discussing this recently in one of my beginners classes – not that there was any doubt of the benefits of Tai Chi – but the class was looking for a way to encapsulate their thoughts.
It was of course different for everybody – but may I sugest that for most of us the main value is in what we learn about ourselves and how we work in all our facets. That in fact each person re-discovers for themselves the internal aspects using practice of the exercises and forms to experience, learn and develop ourselves. And that this is quite different for each of us, although seen externally as quite similar – each fish experiences the river differently but the water still flows downhill. Whether you are concerned about falls prevention or martial arts application this thread is common and crucial.
I have noticed over the years that I have had a number of students with sporting interests - such as golf or running – who have told me of their improved sporting performance following a period of Tai Chi practice. I think the first I remember was one who said he reduced his handicap by 3 or 4 strokes – and another who altered his running gait and so relieved a leg problem. This seems to be a common Tai Chi experience – for example with Ballet dancers learning Tai Chi to improve their balance and fluidity – and is summed up in the expression ” you can put Tai Chi into anything, but you can’t put anything into Tai Chi”.
Given a history of 400 years plus of studying the human body and it’s movement in relation to other people and the rest of the world - it is not surprising that Tai Chi already encompasses most aspects of the human experience and so forms a core resource – a repository of refined information of great value to all paths of human interest.
More practice, move naturally, relax, sink lower – injunctions we all receive no doubt from our teachers along with – do not use strength, just be in the present – and on this point it seems to me that the western educated mind is often the problem – but if one has an intellectual, western educated mind then it is too late to get rid of it - and so it also becomes the only tool to find the way out – by deciding to let it go. Intellectuals are often so wedded to their intellect as a way of life that they are not clever enough to realise they must let go of it in order to experience reality and their own broader human potential.
Oh and they can keep their intellect but now in its rightful place as a tool of the whole organism.
At least that has been my experience – doing it of course is difficult :^)
I threw this quite mainstream Zen saying to my Sunday class recently – and was rewarded with a brisk and humerous discussion on the evening and then later with a link to this interesting article - what goes around – comes around!
I will be running a short series of 4 beginners classes on a weekly basis at Aromatics Beauty and Holistic Treatments saloon in Baldock, starting on Monday June 13th – time is from 6.00 to 7.00pm. For further info contact Sam at pamper@aromaticsbaldock.com
From my experience most students begin Tai Chi knowing little more about it than the name – so I have put together an FAQ page on the Shefford Tai Chi website which covers such basics as “what is Tai Chi” leading to aspects of health and development.
Tai Chi has grown in the West being practiced as a martial art or as a way of dealing with physical or emotional problems – or for personal development. 
Thanks to the work of people like my own teacher Karel Koskuba and his teacher Master Chen Xiaowang ( shown above making corrections to my own posture ) we are fortunate that Tai Chi in the UK is now sufficiently mature that we can translate it’s workings into terms understandable to those brought up in a western social and educational system. For more info see www.sheffordtaich.org
