For as long as I can remember I have been drawn to the rhythm of words. Perhaps that is why even now, rapidly approaching a half century of years, you will still hear me ‘rollin’ down the street’ to the sound of break beats and rapping. To me it is poetry spoken with raw purpose, a rhythm and a flow. You may be wondering why I am writing about rap music when I am supposed to be discussing some part of my own Tai Chi journey. In simple terms, they are the same.
Tai chi can be interpreted and learned in all manner of ways. Some teachers emphasise the staccato learning of one, two, three and four. Your hand goes here, your foot is placed there, breathe in, breathe out. While others insist that teaching your students to relax and flow is more important than ‘parting the horse’s mane’ or ‘waving hands like clouds.’ In my opinion both of these approaches are right just as much as they are wrong. To assume that Tai chi can be placed into a single box or that there is only one way of teaching it contradicts the essence of what Tai Chi should be. Tai Chi is a tool. Its purpose is to guide the practitioner through a process of self-refinement, and by doing so Tai Chi heals, strengthens and cleanses all aspects of who we are. Mind, Body and spirit are recognised, gently exercised and nurtured.
Tai Chi is a state of mind. Its purpose is to guide individuals to a state of harmony, the forms and routines are merely a vehicle in which the lessons of life that exist within it are delivered. The New York rapper Nas was inspired by the streets through which he walked to write his version of a N.Y. State of Mind. The brutal unforgiving streets took no prisoners, but at the same time they were his home. Horror exists in the same space as the warm memories of games played with friends he considered family. Isn’t this just a real-life expression of the duality of Yin and Yang? Life is a balance of two opposing forces, in the same way that Tai Chi constantly flows from one to the other, and how our thoughts can slip between positive and negative emotions. To survive the rough streets of New York, Nas hints at the need for acceptance in order to navigate the dangers. A New York state of mind is aware of the dangers, calm when faced by them and is able to flow with a focused harmony. To fear the streets is to suffer their wrath, alternatively to embrace the streets will also lead to suffering. Instead, you must find the balance of the middle path, this is the only path that can result in harmony and is built upon awareness.
So, next time you leave one of my classes, don’t try to remember what your hands and feet should be doing. Instead, take a deep breath, feel the cool evening air on your lips and the lightness of your own relaxed body. Then stroll gently home feeling each step beneath your feet. Tomorrow will bring whatever it will bring, worrying about it won’t change it. Find your balance and harmony, only then are you practicing Tai Chi.
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