Sifu Fong Ha has said there are four things we must do if we are going to make progress in our Tai Chi work.
First we must learn a form. It might be I Chuan, Chi Kung or any of the variety of Tai Chi forms. With out a form we have no place to root our practice. We are lost wandering with out a map. With a form we can find our way into the deeper aspects of our work on ourselves.
Second we must breath. Our lives begin on and inspiration and end on an expiration. Breath is the very basis of building our chi. In the Chinese language the symbol for chi is the steam(breath) coming off of a bowl of rice. If we are going to cultivate our chi we have to take the breath and combine it with other forms of nourishment. Without breath there is no life.
Third we must find our balance. Sifu Fong Ha says we will find our balance one way or the other, either horizontally or vertically. Our balance is there with us everyday. If we do not fall down we have found our balance. I like to encourage my students to go in search of their balance. Seek it out. Take a step and carefully look for that place where everything aligns and everything sinks into the earth. Then you will know you have found your balance.
Fourth clarify your intention. Most people approach intention from a western perspective. They think that intention means think punch when you punch, think kick when you kick. Their idea is that you should intend what you are going to do. I believe this is fundamentally incorrect. From my point of view intention is a clarified state of beingness. We simply are. It is that place when we are in the present moment with no distractions. In those moments we are in alignment with the Tao and peacefully alert. This is the true power of Tai Chi.
To sign up for a Tai Chi (Tai Ji) class in Kihei on Maui please call 808-280-3450. Tai Chi Class, including Chi Kung and pushing hands, meets Monday mornings from 7:30 to 9:30 in Kihei on Maui.