People desperately pursue relaxation and the release from stress: illicit
drugs, alcohol, caffeine, sex, television. There are a vast number of
escapes, all predicated on the belief that life is too hard and that it
demands relief. We think of relaxation as a way out, a retreat from the pain
and pressures of our lives.
True relaxation embraces life, does not declare "time out" from it.
(Wolfe Lowenthal)
Not doing
People often work on a false premise, which is the notion that you
can relax by 'doing'.
In tai chi, we aim to relax by stopping doing.
To 'try and relax', to 'do' in any fashion is not to relax.
There is no method, technique, approach or skill involved.
Relaxing is accomplished by doing nothing at all.
Doing is akin to "fighting for peace".
Peace is the end of fighting, the absence of conflict. It cannot be fought
for.
To fight is to perpetuate conflict.
Relaxing
The 'relaxing' in tai chi is a culmination of various factors:
The art does not offer you a way
to relax.
It creates situations in which you need to relax.
Relaxing is achieved by removing the obstacles that prevent you from
letting-go.
Consider:
When you can do nothing, what can you do?
(Koan)
The zen master said, "Who binds you?"
The seeker of liberty said, "No one binds me."
The zen master said, "Then why seek liberation?"
(Zen mondo)
Mind & body
Relaxing both mind and body will improve your health and make you
feel better.
Your
quality of life will change.
It takes time to relax, so you must be
patient.
The commitment you make towards being relaxed will prove itself worthwhile
when you start to feel fresh and energised.
In tai chi we use the mind to affect
qi.
Nervous system
Relaxing will have an effect upon your nervous system.
The nervous system is spread throughout your entire body and affects the
internal balance.
Calming the nervous system changes how you move - you will feel less jerky
and more fluid.
There are two ways in which we can work on the nervous system:
The body can be
slowed by practicing tai chi every day and the mind can be calmed by reading
books that encourage
healthy thoughts, by watching
nature and by meditating.
Positive attitude
It is easy to become annoyed and frustrated in a culture that has
embraced competition and selfishness as a way of life.
In tai chi, we are encouraged to remove the difference between thinking and
doing.
We try to figure out the nature of obstacles and work with them rather than
against them.
This creates a constructive attitude.
Creativity, and freedom from conditioned thought is
crucial in tai chi.
Awareness
Meditation is the process of growing
awareness.
You must root your attention in the 'here and now' unless deliberately
allowing yourself to
dream.
As you sit right now, what is your body doing?
How is it is positioned? Are you relaxed or
tense?
What are your thoughts?
Do you feel at
ease?
Page created 24 June 2003