It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been
before...
to test your limits...
to break through barriers.
(Anais Nin)
Indefatigable
'Indefatigable' means untiring.
It is an important by-product of long-term tai chi practice within our
school.
This is a valuable commodity in modern society - where people suffer from
poor sleep, depression, fatigue and low energy levels.
Do less as standard
Conservation of
energy is a major theme in our school.
If a movement is flamboyant or exaggerated, it wastes energy and takes time
to perform.
You learn to listen to your body.
Trimming off what you do not need is the beginning of living in a more
energised way; you cease to waste resources on the unnecessary.
Build your strength
For a long time tai chi has been promoted as being an
effortless exercise.
Do not be misled by this: if it were truly effortless, there would not be any exercise.
The word 'effortless' should refer to the absence of
resistance in your body
and the surprising effect of your actions once conflict has been removed.
Tai chi involves
physical work, the strengthening of
muscles and bones, the
stretching of the elastic tissues.
This is not to be confused with gym work,
sport
or weight training.
Condition
You must exercise in a
relaxed, comfortable manner; not
straining or
forcing
anything.
Slowly your condition improves and you become stronger.
Conditioning work is vital in tai chi; you cannot hope to practice it
martially without a strong
centre and bow tension.
These things only come with time,
patience and daily training over
many years.
Losing fatigue
The root of fatigue is to be found in the way in which we do things.
Our approach to tai chi emphasises the
process above all else; if you do not
consider the
principles involved, you do not fully
understand a topic.
Fatigue comes from
attitude.
We
do too much, we are greedy, we do not
rest, we use too much strength, we
have forgotten how to
relax, we eat the wrong types of
food in the wrong
amounts at the wrong time of day.
The barrier
Ultimately, tai chi is not about exercise or
self defence. These are by-products.
Instead, tai chi exists to show you that there is a
wall in your mind; a wall so familiar and complete that you do not
notice its presence.
If you are relaxed and
let-go, the wall does not exist.
If you
push
the wall with your body and mind, it will not yield - tai chi cannot be
forced, cajoled, coerced or dismantled by thought.
Only when you yield, will the wall cease to exist.
The wall is your conflict, your resistance, your need to
control what cannot be
controlled.
Years can be spent in unnecessary frustration, as you seek to will your way
through the system - and for all your apparent accomplishments, you will
have nothing.
When you can see the barrier in your mind, you have come a long way.
Awareness is the beginning of
change.
If you stop pushing and forcing, you will find that you possess energy in
abundance.
Page created 9 January 2006