About Tai Chi
As
a student tai chi player I have had questions for my teacher
regarding application of moves and postures. Now as I am
becoming a Tai Chi instructor, I have even more questions
for my teacher. My teacher over the years has been Teacher
Jean Sullivan. In fact, she has been Tai Chi Memphis for
over 30 years – guiding students through, what on first
appearances looks to be the most easily attempted martial
arts on earth. Oh, but what a surprise we have gotten! What
player hasn’t struggled with “separation”, “snake creeps
down”, and of course, “fair lady”! And most importantly,
remembering to breath as we move from our “center”. There
are so many “players” within our Memphis community, we want
to share with you our “tai chi talk”.
Dear
Teacher Jean: As I am preparing a web-site and promotional
material to build a tai chi class, people want a description
of” tai chi”. Would you please review the following text?
Blessings, Diane
Tai Chi Yang style is a soft-fisted non-aggressive martial
art. Here in the West we generally associate tai chi with
images of older Chinese gathered in parks performing very
graceful, gentle movements – almost a fairy dance! Don’t
be deceived! Each and every movement in tai chi is a defensive
martial art move designed to up root or “put the hurt”
back on a would be attacker! Not one movement in tai chi
is wasted! Tai chi players receive the benefits of becoming
“rooted in earth” – increasing balance, coordination,
meditation, discipline and most importantly, increasing
their energy – also known as “chi”.
Class begins with warming up exercises created to increase
breathing capacity, stretching, balancing and most importantly,
learning to “walk” in an empty/full awareness. Balance
is of the utmost importance and will only get better when
playing tai chi. As we begin the journey of learning the
108 postures of tai chi chaun yang style, we first begin
as a group and then move into smaller groups. Advanced
players work with beginning players – this allows the
advanced player to gain a deeper awareness of him/herself
as well as developing skills to share with others. The
class becomes very much “one with the tao” in this sharing.
Teacher
Jean’s insight:
“I
think people in our society prefer to call it exercise
at first..Most of them..And then the word discipline begins
to creep in. We have an aversion to the concept of discipline
– like it is a dirty word – but it is truly what makes
us embrace Taiji so totally. I think…I think that the
first enjoyment you feel, most of the time, is the movement
of stretching and releasing, becoming more and more familiar
with FEELING WHAT IS GOING ON INTERNALLY WITH OUR MUSCLES
AND LIGAMENTS AND TENDONS. And the harmonizing of that
movement with the mind until the mind is not the primary
mover any more. That is what takes so much time in the
beginning… trying to get your students to consider their
Taiji as an ART, not a SPORT is one of the keys – not
dancing but still an art. At first they are mimicking
you, but later it is their very own individual art.
Love, Jean
