Monday, March 8, 2010

Happy and free ...

Tonight's TCC practice slowed me down and offered relaxation and peace after a long day of balancing checking accounts, locating and finalizing paperwork, and beginning the long, tedious process of collecting and organizing income tax materials.

I'm continually amazed by how different--and how much better--I feel after a mere 10 or 20 minutes of TCC practice. Of course, I should no longer be surprised by its transformative effects since I've been practicing some form of t'ai chi since 1988. In fact, every t'ai chi chih teacher I've ever met has their own personal story of improved health, revitalization, or some other positive life change they've experienced as a result of TCC.

Today's T'ai Chi Chih Facebook site included an article just published: "Through T'ai Chi Chih, Highland man finds calm focus, wellness, serenity." That man, Peter Gregory, tells of his own struggle with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). He admits, "I just could not quiet my mind to save my life."

After experiencing the energy flow and peaceful focus offered by t'ai chi chih Gregory decided to become certified as a TCC teacher. "This is not something to grasp intellectually," he says. "You have to feel the energy flowing through you, you have to feel the calmness after the practice, you have to feel how you have energy throughout the rest of the day."

Gregory's right, of course. But, me, I have a short memory. I have to be reminded of t'ai chi chih's benefits day after day, practice after practice. When we have a harmonious flow of energy, says Gregory, we are happy and free... Yes! And tomorrow--both during and after I've completed my TCC movements--I will once again be reminded of that fact....

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Greetings. Thank you for the kind words. And thank you for your blog, I get it from google alerts. Hope to maybe meet someday at a TCC event.

Peter Gregory

Steph Winter said...

Peter, it was a joy to read your words in the article. It's a powerful gift to be able to inspire and encourage each other. TCC teachers' conference this summer?