Awareness is like living with a snake in the room;
you watch its every movement,
you are very, very sensitive to the slightest sound it makes.
(Krishnamurti)
What is awareness?
Awareness is being totally
immersed in what is happening.
Everything that is happening inside your mind and outside is watched without
comment or
assessment.
Thoughts arise naturally and are allowed to pass and fade without
interference.
Memory and
dreams disappear as you
relax into just being.
Awareness in tai chi
The degree of
attention required
in tai chi is usually grossly under-estimated.
Beginners often become lost in the movements or in applying tai chi martially
and forget that the way in which the body moves must remain the
priority.
Accuracy and awareness are not the same thing.
Working with a partner
Partner work is an excellent
way to develop the awareness required to feel and understand tai chi.
Exercises such as pushing hands can be practiced very
softly so that the
subtlest pressure and tension can be felt immediately.
Self defence
Without awareness of your own
mind and body combined with external attention, the tai chi student cannot
hope to apply the system successfully in self defence.
The body must 'see' using
touch and this is not an easy skill to learn.
Becoming aware
Awareness is about feeling rather than just thinking. It
is about
seeing and hearing rather than looking and
listening.
Once you begin to feel what is happening as you are
using your body, awareness will grow.
In order to increase your physical awareness, the body and mind must become
slow and relaxed.
This is one of the reasons why so much of the tai chi training is performed
slowly.
Page created 14 November 2001