Awareness is fairly simple - if you don't make it complicated.

(Krishnamurti)

Active learning

There is nothing passive about learning.
You cannot actually be taught anything in life - the information is offered to you, demonstrated, illustrated - but it is you that learns or not.

The onus is always upon the individual.

People can be quite poor at learning; they frequently make the same mistakes again and again.
But this does not need to be the case.

Listening

Whilst 'hearing' is involuntary, 'listening' is not.
Listening represents how your mind pays attention to and interprets what your ears hear.

In modern times, we have been conditioned towards distraction - the human mind struggles to pay attention for prolonged periods.
It drifts into boredom and restlessness very quickly; and you no longer listen.

Standing qigong is one remedy for this.
If you stand daily, your mind becomes calmer and you become a more attentive listener.
The quality of your understanding improves.


Questions

Asking questions is good but only when they lead to a deeper understanding.

Quite often, questions simply stem from impatience:
What is next?
When can I?
Why don't we?

Considering the condition of mind that produces the question will usually tell you more than the answer itself does.

Lao Tzu wrote that you can know the whole world without leaving your room.
This statement indicates that awareness is the key - being in the 'here and now' - and that paying attention to the moment will provide your answers.

Would you look far for what is already here?


Practice

Our tai chi lessons are intended to stimulate, develop and progress your training.
But we can only fit so much into the class.

The beginners syllabus is quite small but to a new starter it will seem large, detailed and complicated.
This is why you should consider training at home - tai chi was designed to be a daily exercise routine.

Most of the real work should take place at home.

Your contribution

Your own training, research and development will add a richness to the class.
What you bring to the class is down to you.
It is your responsibility.

Tai chi cannot be bought by money; the price is commitment and time, not cash.
 

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Page created 4 September 2002