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Practice Wrong

What? Really?

“I don’t want to practice, cause I am afraid I don’t know what I am doing, and I don’t want to practice wrong. “

How many times have I heard a new student tell me this?

And I understand the sentiment. I do.

Learning something new, we all want to do it well, we want to get it right.

But in reality, when we are just learning something – how can we practice in anyway other than wrong?  And then, by practicing we discover how to learn. We see where our questions are, and where we enjoy the movement, and what part is hard for us. Practice becomes our exploration. And the exploration is the journey. The journey of taij.

It’s like saying I want to live, but I don’t want to make any mistakes, so I won’t start living until I am perfect. Well, none of us would have learned to walk or talk, much less become functioning competent adults in the world.

Same thing with Taiji   – you can’t wait until you are good at it to practice it. You have to start where you are.

The only caveat……don’t hurt yourself. Practice, practice wrong, and if it hurts, stop and talk to your teacher to find out what is wrong so you can correct it. And then go back and practice your new learning some more.

 

Til the next move

Enjoy your practice

Dorian

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We Did It, All By Ourselves!

I had one of those moments the other day in practice, when my arms and legs just seemed to know what they were doing, and they just did it in the most easy and perfect manner.

Daodejing

And it reminded me of  chapter 17 from the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching).

“When the master governs, the people are hardly aware that he exists……The master doesn’t talk, she acts. When his work is done, the people say, ‘Amazing, we did it, all by ourselves!’”  ( Stephen Mitchell, translator)

The Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) is a guide for both the microcosm and the macrocosm, seeing how it is in heaven and earth, describing principles of governance for political systems, we can see this also applies to human social activity, and even to the activity within each of our own bodies.

Regarding my body’s movement in the taiji form, if I replace ‘master’ with ‘mind’ and ‘people’ with ‘limbs’, this is the feeling I had moving in the form. If the arms and legs could speak, they might’ve said , ”Amazing, we did it, all by ourselves!”

Let the mind reside in dantien

We learn the choreography of the form, so that the deeper taiji lessons can be practiced. One of these deeper lessons involves teaching the heart-mind, the Yi, to govern with less effort, to act and not talk, to reside in stillness, at center. The mind must learn to let the limbs move according to their inherent structure, in accord with the shape and function of the joints, muscles, sinews and tendons of the limbs themselves, without hindrance from the mind’s ideas.

Wu Wei

The mind’s job is to lead without leading; wu wei.  Wu wei refers to the Daoist notion of ‘doing without doing” or “non-action action” Wu wei refers to the state of being in which our actions are effortlessly in alignment with the ebb and flow of the elemental cycles of the natural world. This alignment allows us – without even trying – to respond perfectly to whatever situations arise.

In this case, it is natural for the heart-mind to lead the body, and so it must be the organizing force around which the limbs coordinate.  The mind must hold the shape of the form, but it must back off, and let the body express the form according to the natural tendencies and structures of the body.

At least that is what it felt like for a moment or two.

Til the Next Move, enjoy your practice –

Dorian

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Sword Play

This past Saturday was a curriculum study day, and I have to say it was so much fun! What a great group of taiji players and students.

Sensing Swords

We practiced form together – a nice long 40-minute set – and then after a little sensing hands practice,  we tried out our sensing skills with the sword.

Yep, we put the double-edge weapon in our hands, and together began our exploration of the magic and majesty of the sword. A great introduction! Marveling at the swords ability to amplify our intentions and show us ourselves so clearly, we laughed heartily and focused mindfully.

Song of the Taiji Sword

From the beginning the way of the sword has been difficult to hand down

Like a dragon and rainbow it is very subtle and abstruse

Should it be used like that of a hacking knife

The old sword immortal San-Feng would die of laughter

(Y.K. Chen, trans by S.A. Olson, Tai Chi Sword, Sabre, & Staff)

So far, so good – the only laughter we heard was our own!

Nice work everyone. (and for those of you who missed it….there’ll be more, for sure!)

Til the next move,

Enjoy your practice

Dorian

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I’m Blogging Again

This new website is in progress – and I am getting excited about blogging again.

I plan to write at least once a week and sometimes more.

And I will be sharing my thoughts about Taijiquan (Tai Chi), Qigong (Chi Kung), push hands, the Taiji weapons of Saber, Sword and Spear, Chinese healing arts,  philosophy, life as a journey and the great lessons that Tai Chi offers, self-healing, alternative medicine, Five Elements, Taoism, and sometimes I am sure I will not be able to resist talking about my ukulele or my corgi, Maggie!

I hope you will check back often and join the discussion when something interests you.