Friday, December 4, 2009

Floating Down ... Like a Snowflake

Today's practice ... soft as snow. To begin, I matched my movements to the slow, floating feeling of the snowflakes drifting down outside my window. As I stepped into Resting Position I felt the weightiness of the snow/myself coming to rest on the Earth.

I encourage my students to practice in different locations, at different times, and in different weather conditions to help sensitize them to the varieties of energy that surround us all in our living and work environments. We are, whether we realize it consciously or not, tremendously affected by the pace of life around us.

The next time you're behind the wheel of your car pay conscious attention to how you adjust your speed to match the flow of traffic around you on the freeway. Walking on a busy sidewalk? Do you pick up your pace to flow with the crowd or do you step off to the side and continue down the street at your own speed? Is it possible to opt out of the hurried rush? Try this: practice TCC on a lake or seashore on a windy day and then on a calm, water-smooth-as-glass day. What happens? Do you slow yourself down or speed yourself up to match the lapping or crashing of waves on shore?

We are an integral part of the living body of this Earth. It's only natural that we acclimatize ourselves to the pace, the feeling-sense, the frantic fury or the quiet solitude that surrounds us. That's why a t'ai chi chih practice is so important....

It makes us conscious of the flow of life around us. It teaches us to slow the inhumane pace of our human world to a more sane and healthy speed. It blankets us with peace and quietude in the midst of un-ease and dis-ease. It helps us to decelerate the frantic flurry of our inner and outer lives. It brings us peace.

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