Living the Low Life

It transformed into a beautiful day in late afternoon after a cool, windy start: temp around 50, sky clearing, sun bursts hitting deep forest and revealing an Emerald City (i.e., "The Wizard of Oz") or, more accurately, the Emerald Forest. The earth is pockmarked from raindrops that fell throughout the night and day yesterday. All is fresh.

This afternoon I listened to Here on Earth from Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) with host, Jean Feraca. It was broadcast live from the Pavilion in downtown Bayfield as part of the opening festivities for Bayfield in Bloom, a one month celebration of the season here in the north woods. I was delighted to hear chefs from Wild Rice Restaurant and the Rittenhouse Inn talk about their uses of locally gathered foods to highlight their menus: fiddlehead ferns, wild leeks, morel mushrooms, purslane, wild asparagus, lake trout and white fish, and more. I felt excited--and hungry--just listening to them describe favorite recipes and presentations.

Then I was up and moving to the beat of silent Chi. I practiced out on the porch with the kitten and dog sleeping quietly on the futon beside me. Their utter relaxation and still sleep were an inspiration to me as I shifted weight and carried balls of energy. Meanwhile a short-tailed chipmunk scurried around the side of the house and a bluejay flashed back and forth from tree to feeder.

After hearing WPR's Feraca describe the beauty of this area on-air I, once again, feel incredibly privileged and grateful to live here under the forest canopy. And, of course, Lake Superior is the source, the healing, spiritual entity that draws so many people to this area. I'm reminded of our reading of the Tao at yesterday's class, Verse 61, "Lying Low," by Ursula LeGuin:

The polity of greatness
runs downhill like a river to the sea,
joining with everything,
woman to everything.

Dyer describes this phenomenon in his book on the Tao, Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Mind. He encourages us to reevaluate our belief that it's important to "'get to the top,' 'stand out in the crowd,' 'be the best.'" Rather, he writes:

     Look at the ocean [or in my case, Lake Superior]: It's the most powerful force on the planet because it stays lower than the streams, which are necessarily and inescapably drawn to it. As the rivers flow downward to become one with it, the sea is able to be the great reservoir of all under heaven. This is what Lao-tzu refers to throughout the Tao Te Ching as the 'great Mother' or the 'feminine of the world.' That female energy, or yin, is the true receptor of all; by remaining quiet and still, it ultimately overcomes male (yang) efforts to subjugate and conquer.

I'll let Dyer have the final word here from his chapter Living by Remaining Low as I think his interpretation of the feminine/yin Chi is powerful and enlightening and, also, highly descriptive of a t'ai chi chih practice:

Reassess your personal view of what constitutes strength.
     Can you see power in humility, stillness, and remaining low and out of sight? In martial arts, the strongest conqueror is the one who uses the least force and converts the lunges of his opponent into his own might....
     By staying calm and under the radar, others will ultimately flow to you, joining with you in creating friendship and trust. As you stay in this yin, feminine, Divine Mother mode, you'll radiate energy and strength and win over others ...

Easing the Way

The rain is a-fallin' and current temperatures are in the mid-30s. It's a blessing to see raindrops dripping down the window screens, falling from the sky, lying in pools on the ground and pavement, and swishing off my car windshield. It rained throughout the day and now appears to be temporarily on pause. What a relief. Someone told me last week that this region saw the driest spring on record in over 100 years this year....

This morning's T'ai Chi Chih class was prefaced with a talk by the community ed organizer for the area. She discussed a new price increase that comes into effect for fall 2010 classes. It's a considerable hike for seniors who've received a bargain basement price for many years but it also calls into question whether class sessions should be decreased, class time should be shortened, or classes shouldn't be scheduled at all.

I'm reminded of the adage: The only thing constant is change.

It felt wonderful to circle into our TCC practice and leave the decisions and contemplations for another time. By the end of practice I felt incredibly grateful for these special people who return to T'ai Chi Chih classes and practices session after session, year upon year.

After class I talked with a former T'ai Chi Chih student sitting in his car in the parking lot who wondered whether he was having a stroke. After some discussion and my suggestion of reiki, we went back inside the building and I offered some energy work while I listened, supported, and comforted. When he felt better, I followed him home in my car and we visited for awhile longer.

Again, the preceeding T'ai Chi Chih practice very likely put me in a place of caring compassion and centeredness where I remained--quiet and calm--in the midst of a potentially life-threatening situation. The Universe works in amazing ways and T'ai Chi Chih moving meditation is just one of the tools it provides to ease the way.

Inner Exercise

Justin Stone and the T'ai Chi Chih teacher trainers often talk about the fact that TCC practice exercises the body's internal organs. I admit, I've never actually understood exactly what that means

Today, though, I was wearing my heart monitor watch during my TCC practice. Since March, when a cardiologist told me to get my heart rate up to 120-140 for 20 minutes at least three times a week, I've paid more attention to the pitter-patter of my heart than I ever imagined I would (typically while I'm out walking).

So, what the heck, I thought, I'll check my heart rate a few times during my TCC practice. During several checks my monitor read: 108, 113, 116. Huh, I always assumed that the relaxed slow motion movements slowed my heart rate down just as I expected that seated meditation or a nap might do.

It was fairly windy during my deck practice. Did the wind provide more resistance than normal? I'll have to remember to wear the heart monitor during some future practices to see what I find.

I do recall reading an article in The Vital Force that told of several t'ai chi chih practitioners who hiked up a mountain with relative ease compared to their hiking companions. Could it be that TCC was at least partially responsible for my extended time on the treadmill during my February stress test even though the test also revealed that I had heart disease?

I can see that I still have a tremendous amount to learn about this T'ai Chi Chih moving meditation form that I've been practicing for 14 years....

The Gift that Keeps on Giving ...

Another blustery day. What better way to lighten spirits and shrug off oppressive grey skies than through a peace-filled, quiet t'ai chi chih class group practice?

I arrived at class early to allow time to practice half the form before students appeared. After considerable laughter and conversation we began our moving meditation. I commented to a student after class that it is so gratifying to see the changes that people's bodies and minds go through as they continue their TCC practice and learn how to let go and relax into the movements. Most weeks I notice shifts and changes that feel almost magical!

We refined our arm movements for the Taffies last week. This week we focused on our foot placement and weight shift. Each week builds upon the next until, suddenly, it's the final class of an eight-week session and, after a brief or longer gap (in this case, an entire four-months of summer), we begin all over again.

I feel a twinge of sadness at the end of a class session because I miss the group energy. There is something so unique, so unusual, so unexpected about joining with a group to move in coordinated silence. It's certainly not the norm for a typical American lifestyle that relies on movin' and shakin' in order to accomplish goals and make money.

I'm grateful for this t'ai chi chih practice that fills another need that's often hard to identify in words but which is equally important and relevant: making time in my life to experience peace, compassion, and silence. It's a gift I give myself that keeps on giving....

Blessed ...

Dueling squirrels conduct their chattering exchange from neighboring trees. Then ... silence. It's a picture perfect scene. Sunny 60s, wide, open blue above, and gracious green around, about, and below.

During this morning's TCC practice I flow through the scenery like a fish gliding along a stream: natural, effortless ... just a flip of the tail/turn of the waist to continue my journey.

Some days I can drink in my blessings more easily than others and this is one of those days. The air softly brushes my skin with coolness while the sun warms the top of my head, my hands and face with its golden heat.

Birds sing gleefully; the leafy green forest waves at me as it circles closer in an ever-expanding embrace; Chiripa hunts and chases, darts and freezes in place.

Me ... I glide and float, swim and rest, rise and fall with the flow of Universal Chi. When complete, I sit on the deck to listen and watch the greening forest in grateful silence. Ahh....

Busyness Dispelled

Today was a busy day filled with unimportant things. It was only when I began my t'ai chi chih practice late in the day that I realized how lost I was in the doings of my life. For a few brief moments near the end of my practice none of my busyness mattered. All that remained was this moment. Now.

It didn't happen instantly, of course. Half of my practice was spent in quieting my mind and body, gradually calming, slowing, listening, be-ing....

I spent much of my day cleaning and organizing my house for an expected visit with a friend tomorrow night. Yes, it felt good to bring more light into my home due to newly cleaned windows. Yes, it also felt good to tame some of the dust and dirt, to sort through and file some of the piles of papers that covered my dining room table and spread across my office floor.

But did all of my efforts to clean, clear, and sort truly matter in the end? No. What really mattered--the moment of greatest import--came near the end of my TCC practice when my body and mind quieted down enough to release myself into the moment. Free and clear. Nothing to do. Nowhere to go. No thing.

What a relief. Sigh. To finally find my self after being lost in a day filled with so many things that mattered little.

The Hunt ...

It's springtime green again! When we went to bed, snow camouflaged all burgeoning life beneath its full-length white overcoat. When we woke, green grass and leaves and pink tulips, yellow daffoldils, and blue forget-me-nots had shed their wintry wrap and everyone nodded a colorful "good morning."

Today's temps were back in the upper 40s and plants seemed grateful for the unexpected moisture. Sure enough the snow turned into liquid. And ... we needed moisture, didn't we?

I practiced t'ai chi chih moving meditation outside on the deck this afternoon while the geese hunted for green edibles in the south ravine, a chipmunk hunted sunflower seeds beneath the bird feeder, and the kitten hunted the chipmunk. Me? I hunted for softness, relaxation, and Chi energy as I slowly moved through the TCC form.

Tomorrow is Mother's Day and I've thought often of my own mother during this past week. Last Sunday was the fifth anniversary of Mother's death and it's hard to believe that so many years have passed so quickly.

The compilers of The Mystic Vision include excerpts characterizing the divine mother during the month of May. Today's reading is wonderfully graphic:

My Mother is both within and without this phenomenal world ... Giving birth to the world she lives within it. She is the Spider and the world is the Spider's web she has woven ... The Spider brings the web out of herself and then lives in it.
          --The Gospel of Ramakrishna
             Sri Ramakrishna

Happy Mother's Day to all women who spin webs of life and light for all children and creatures of the Earth!