Yoda:
Yes, a Jedi's strength flows from the Force. But
beware of the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force
are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start
down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it
will, as it did Obi-Wan's apprentice.
(The Empire Strikes Back)
Balance
Tai chi is all about
balance.
We must balance:
3 crucibles
6 balanced pairs
From a self defence point of view, central equilibrium is the most important
consideration.
You must maintain your own vertical
centre and seek to
destabilise your opponents.
This process does not entail any
holding or fixity.
If you need to bend and yield, do so.
Subtle
The vertical centre is quite easy to move.
A small shift in weight can take your partner off-balance and render their
application weak.
If your movement is too large, your partner will go off-centre then re-acquire
it again.
Autonomic
The human body is capable of re-balancing itself.
When you are about to fall, the psoas muscle engages and you regain balance.
It is the same as a baby crawling or your heart beating; your body can do it -
just stay out of the way.
Learning to let-go and just let your body work by itself is very difficult for
most people.
They are accustomed to the illusion of control.
No mind
Listening to your body is part of trusting intuition and instinct.
Your brain may be telling you one thing - a variety of chattering thoughts - yet
your body is saying something else entirely.
Modern culture has conditioned people to ignore their bodies.
It starts with toilet training and continues throughout life.
Marriage, money, rules, regulations, jobs, mortgages - these were all made up by
somebody in order to exert control over you.
This is why so many relationships fail in modern society.
Without the fear of religious consequence, people are free to admit when the
situation does not work.
Fear is in your mind; it is a thought born of anticipation.
By removing fear, people can let-go.
Being in your body
Ignoring your body is stupid.
If you tried to beat your own heart by thinking about it, you may have serious
problems.
Listen to your body; what is it telling you?
Is your heart beating faster?
Do you feel relaxed, comfortable, tense?
Are you tired, bored, hungry or horny?
Once you start listening to your own body, you can become sensitive to other
peoples too.
Imbalance
You must become exceptionally sensitive to imbalance; both in
yourself and in others.
The tai chi form requires you to remain balanced at all times.
Ultimately, you
learn to trust your feelings and follow where they lead you.
Your conscious, logical, problem solving mind may rebel against your decision
but it is not in tune with tao.
Feeling is the key; trust in physical sensation and your 'gut reaction' to
things.
This may make you seem more impulsive and irrational, but you are slowly tuning
in to something else.
Once your body and mind harmonise; you can move smoothly with the requirement of
each unique situation and imbalance will not occur.
Page created 2 May 2000