Saturday, March 13, 2010

A Welcome Tonic

A foggy haze encircled me as I walked outside to release the geese from their barn this morning. Earlier I watched white-tailed deer, one, then three more, graze quietly through the forest. The smallest--and probably youngest--deer ventured near the bird feeder to nibble delicately on a tender branch while the others gazed from afar quiet as garden statues.

I slipped Justin's Seijaku DVD into the player this morning and followed along. I was certified in Seijaku (Advanced T'ai Chi Chih) in 1999. The training occurred several months before my father's death and, preoccupied with Dad's declining health, I neglected to practice Seijaku regularly. Today, though, I felt like I was reconnecting with an old friend. It felt comfortable, familiar.

Pam Towne, one of TCC's teacher trainers, encouraged me during a phone conversation late last year to return to Seijaku. She suggested that I simply incorporate it into my daily TCC practice, perhaps alternating it within the regular nine repetitions. I intuitively knew the time would come when I could/would revisit Seijaku and ... today is that day.

It feels right, good and appropriate that I'm returning to Seijaku now. My body is in desperate need of it and I sense that its Serenity in the Midst of Activity will provide a welcome tonic in my life.

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