Tackle difficult jobs while they are still easy,
and big jobs while they are small.
The troubles of the world can only be solved before they get out of hand.
The great affairs of the world can only be sorted out
by paying attention to the small things.
(Lao Tzu)
Learn from everything
Classes simply represent the beginning of your tai chi study.
The form itself, your own growing physical awareness and a variety of
other sources can help you to learn the system.
Reading
Tao Te Ching and
Chuang Tzu is also useful.
Tai chi was inspired by the insights and principles found in these books.
They are the meter by
which you must assess your tai chi development.
If your
tai chi is not in
accord with
tao,
then it is not tai chi.
Books
Books can tell you all sorts about tai chi but always fall
short.
Words cannot adequately express the essence of the system, nor can
pictures.
You must treat books as a means of researching
tao.
Greater awareness of tao results in better tai chi.
Krishnamurti did not write about tao or
practice tai chi yet his work inspired Bruce Lee to forsake all masters
and find his own path.
That fact alone is reason enough to consider reading Krishnamurti.
Videos
Videos are good for aiding your memory and can stimulate new ideas in your
practice.
Remember - they are also a 'product' and as such have deliberate
shortcomings.
If an instructor told you everything on one video, would you be inclined
to buy the second?
An experienced teacher has such a vast amount of
knowledge that it cannot be contained on a handful of videotapes.
Even if you bought dozens, there would still be so much to left to learn.
You cannot learn solely from a video:
Who is correcting your mistakes?
The sense of the art cannot be expressed purely through demonstration
Looking outside the art
If you cannot get the level of correction you need within tai chi, be
creative.
Think differently.
Get someone else to look at your body.
Body work professionals can easily assess whether or
not you are using your body is a healthy manner.
They can assess your tension level.
Getting feedback from a non-tai chi person can prove to be a vital
resource.
They are not biased.
Do not ask them to look at your tai chi. Who cares what they think? They
are not qualified to gauge your tai chi.
Ask them to consider your body instead.
Alexander technique
Alexander technique is concerned with body awareness.
It aims to use the body in an efficient, natural manner without using
tension.
The awareness offers a means of assessing whether or not you are
performing the tai chi movements in a healthy manner.
Page created 4 October 2002