The Chi Works Its Magic

Happy Summer Solstice One and All! It's an absolutely gorgeous day following two days and nights of "The sky is falling, the sky is falling."

I spent the day at the Gildi Project Mental Health Conference at Legendary Waters Resort and Casino in Red Cliff. The theme of the conference was: "Building resiliency for healthy aging and caregiving" and I was asked to make a 75 minute presentation on T'ai Chi Chih during a morning break out session.

I spent a number of hours preparing for my presentation yesterday and, as the Chi would have it, I included little of that effort in today's session. I simply did what I do best: teach the T'ai Chi Chih movements, talk about the benefits of this form, and share the joy of a practice with my group of 25-30 attendees.

I often get nervous and anxious before these special presentations so I did a personal practice at home on the deck before I left for the conference. I also took a few drops of Rescue Remedy to help lower my anxiety levels. And, after the morning keynote speech by Dr. Henry Emmons, who spoke on many of the themes that I cover in my TCC classes, I felt comfortable sharing my own expertise and knowledge.

Of course, when I do a T'ai Chi Chih practice with others I'm always put at ease by the calming movements. And so, when several people told me after the session that I'm a good teacher and/or that they enjoyed the movements, I knew that the Chi had--once again--worked its magic. I am grateful. And, perhaps someday I'll learn to trust the process without slipping into a fight-or-flight response before my presentation begins....