Demand Less ... Encourage More.

Dramatic blue-black clouds hung from the sky this morning as I drove to my Cornucopia T'ai Chi Chih class. I was greeted by the sight of waves crashing against the pier and splashing the air with their high-powered droplets as I rounded the curve into Corny.

When I parked, a flash of flurries rained down upon me. Short-lived, but memorable.

After a relatively peaceful practice I shared tidbits from Wednesday night's class discussion about circles and circularity with the AM class. Then we moved into The Tao, Verse 75. Wayne Dyer entitles this verse "Living by Demanding Little" while Ursula LeGuin calls it "Greed." Its words and message are short, simple and direct:

When taxes are too high,
people go hungry.
When the government is too intrusive,
people lose their spirit.

Act for people's benefit.
Trust them; leave them alone.

The timing for reading this verse was impeccable given the fact that midterm elections concluded Tuesday and, due to voter dissatisfaction with the state of our economy, a major shakeup occurred. There was no way around it ... the group had to talk about the outcome of the election.

It seemed important to discharge the energy; one student remarked afterward that she was glad we talked about what we thought and felt in order to realize that we weren't alone in our perspectives. Unfortunately, our country and political system appear to be so polarized that discussions result in "we" versus "they" and "them" versus "us" language.

I keep bringing the focus back to "me." What can I do to change myself? To become healthier and happier? To deal with a wide variety of people and situations with compassion and equanimity? To trust that the circling and cycling of the Tao, by necessity, must swing back and forth freely.

Dyer's distillation of this verse resulted in two key points: Don't overtax yourself. Trust those you're entrusted to lead. He encouraged readers to take a break from self-imposed pressures and excessive demands to allow ourselves plenty of time for pleasure and relaxation. In addition, he advised that the best way to lead is by demanding less of those we've responsible for and encouraging them more.

Here's what I extracted from Dyer's words: Demand less. Encourage more. Note: This applies to how you treat yourself as well as to how you treat others.

Chi = Compassion and Cooperation

Our TCC class moved through another wonderful outdoor practice this morning. At one point it was so quiet--all I heard was the sound of several dogs barking in the distance--that it seemed as if time had stopped. How special it felt to dwell in that one timeless moment....

After practice we read and discussed Verse 68 of the Tao ("Living by Cooperating" per Wayne Dyer and "Heaven's Lead" per Ursula LeGuin). This verse is the shortest or one of the shortest verses in the Tao. LeGuin sums up its message in her final line: To follow heaven's lead has always been the best way.

Dyer explained:

The Tao Te Ching teaches that all of the 10,000 things emerge from the same state of nonbeing. Here there's only oneness, which implies complete collaboration, not competition. Who can there be to defeat if you see yourself in everyone?

How is this sense of oneness, of cooperation versus competition, reflected in our practice of TCC? For me, TCC is a dance with the Universe. When we move through the form, we engage in a joint effort to collaborate and unify our minds/bodies/spirits. The power of the Chi energy increases as we move in silent unity while we focus on rooting ourselves in earth and suspending ourselves from sky. As we feel our Onessness with all of nature, our hearts and minds expand beyond our single, solitary self into a space of compassion, cooperation, and non-competition.

The essence of our T'ai Chi Chih movement form is all about cooperation, sharing, and growing as One. First, though, we must be willing to relinquish the ego for the ultimate good of All.

The Tao in My Heart

38 degrees ... thick clouds and a feeling of anticipation in the air. More rain coming? It's hard to say but, for the moment, I feel weighed down as if a heavy cloak were draped over the heavens all the way to the edges of the sky. I've been cold all day ... just can't warm up.

This morning's T'ai Chi Chih class was small ... and powerful. Our quiet practice is a gift we share with ourselves and each other. I'm always in awe of students' willingness to be open and vulnerable as we move through the practice and then discuss the Tao.

Today we read and contemplated Verse 60. Wayne Dyer calls this verse/chapter: "Living with Immunity to Evil" and Ursula LeGuin titles it "Staying Put." Both versions begin similarly (quoting Dyer here):

Governing a large country
is like frying a small fish.
You spoil it with too much poking.

Dyer explains that the Tao isn't about destruction or visiting harm on anyone; rather, it gives sustaining energy to everyone, without exception (p. 287).

My reading of this verse leads me to this: You are immune to negativity by being Tao-centered. You are immune to negativity when you're in your TCC practice because you merge with the Tao. Stay in the midst of your practice in all that you do and say [I admit, easier said than done]. Return to your practice regularly to build/align/connect with the love, compassion, and peace of the Tao.

As Dyer reminds us in the last line of this chapter: Approach the universe with the Tao in your heart rather than reacting defensively [from ego] (p. 289).

Gather Spirit ... Be in Harmony

I look out an east window and the sky is darkly clouded, treetops circling and swaying from side to side. Hmmm. Looks like rain. I glance out a north window and the sky is lighter, the wind less pushy, the rain less sure. Perhaps, just perhaps, tonight will be the night for an all-encompassing thunderstorm. One can always hope....

Our morning TCC class was host to a good friend of one of the students. She's visiting from California and she courageously stepped into our practice circle and followed along. Even though Carry the Ball to the Side and the Taffies were a challenge she gamely continued through the practice to the end.

We engaged in a lively discussion of the Tao, Verse 59, afterwards. Wayne Dyer calls this verse "Living by Thrift and Moderation," and Ursula LeGuin calls her version, "Staying on the Way." LeGuin's verse begins: In looking after your life and following the way, gather spirit.

Dyer's verse begins: In governing people and serving nature, nothing surpasses thrift and moderation. Dyer goes on in this chapter to describe the importance of restraint, frugality, moderation, and thrift. He writes:

     Living in thrift and moderation means being in harmony with the world through your generous nature. Rather than continually prodding, directing, giving orders, setting down rules, and demanding obedience, it's important to be a leader who accumulates a warehouse full of virtue by living in accordance with the Tao.... Feel joyful knowing that the example you're modeling is helping others make the right choices, as this is the essence of Tao leadership.

Regular T'ai Chi Chih practice is important for many reasons not the least of which is the opportunity it provides us to gather spirit (per LeGuin) and to be in harmony with the world (per Dyer). One student commented that she views every movement in TCC as being about giving and receiving. When we view TCC in this way, we come to see our roles as TCC teachers and TCC students as knowing that the example you're modeling is helping others make the right choices (again, per Dyer).

What greater act of service can we give to the world?