listening Archives | Faulk TaiChi

A New Student Gets It

May 30, 2018 By Arlene Faulk

A woman calling me to inquire about my Tai Chi classes, said she has a medical condition that affects her balance and also triggers vertigo. She has been watching Tai Chi videos by Dr. Lam and thought she wanted to try a class. In answering my question if she can stand and walk, she said ‘yes’. She uses a hi-tech walker when walking outside and into a building, but, once inside, she is on her own. I mentioned that safety is my highest priority for students, and in my class, she definitely can sit in a chair to participate in the first half of class. I encouraged her to come to a class to see if it works for her.

“I read your bio on your website,” she said. “I said to myself this is the teacher I want to work with.” So, she picked up the phone and called me.

She comes to class the day after our phone discussion. Maybe in her early 70’s, she is optimistic and eager to participate. She sits in a chair to breathe, move her Qi in gentle, directed ways. When we prepare to practice walking, I suggest she gently place her hand on the wall to steady herself, keep hip-width distance between her feet and look straight ahead. She follows the instruction, walking forward and backward, keeping feet parallel.

For the second half of the class, when we start to practice our form, I suggest she sit in a chair, visualize the moves in her own body and take in the gentle, relaxing energy that is being generated by the standing students in the class. I can tell she is intently paying attention, taking it all in the best she can.

When class ends and students are leaving the Skylight Room, I ask her how the experience was.

“It was great,” she said. “This class was all I hoped it would be.”

I am so pleased for her. She listened to her body, had an open mind and did what she could do. She is already exhibiting a Tai Chi-like mind.

Palpable Energy

February 22, 2015 By Arlene Faulk

Our Chinese New Year celebration was a mix of participating, listening and watching (and eating!). We started the afternoon with QiGong, gentle movements to get Qi moving for everybody in the room. We listened to some legends and history of Chinese New Year, rich with color and symbolism. We watched the beautiful, flowing movements of Dan and Debra in their Yang style form and sword demonstration. We concluded with students from my various classes demonstrating a portion of the short Yang style form by Cheng Man-Ch’ing and a Sun style form developed by Dr. Paul Lam. The finale was my leading everybody through the ancient Wudang TaiJi Five Element Bagua Fist QiGong form. Long name, beautiful form.

So there we were, moving our Qi in unison, those with no Tai Chi experience and those with over a dozen years. In a sense, we were all beginners, just at the first phase of discovering such a rich discipline and meditation in motion, called Tai Chi.

What a wonderful experience to have people come together and for three hours forget everything outside of the room, focus only on what was happening in the moment, relaxing, laughing, telling stories and moving energy together. Lots of smiles and ah-has.

Walking into the classroom on Monday, the following day, I felt the energy. The energy was palpable in that room from 24 hours earlier. That’s the ‘power’ of Tai Chi, mindful focus on moving energy. creating many positive, lasting effects.

Very grateful.

See. . . Hear. . . Smell. . .

September 26, 2012 By Arlene Faulk

What images come to mind when you think of autumn? Green leaves turning to golden yellow, burnt orange, vivid red. Excitement in the air as you move with the crowd, winding your way to the Saturday afternoon collegiate football game. Walking on a cool, crisp evening by the lake in a light windbreaker jacket.

A season of visible change — hours of daylight are decreasing. Thoughts drift to the fact that winter is not far away. For children, and in triggered memory for adults, it’s the new school year. Vacations are over. We are back to school, back to work.

Try experiencing autumn anew this year, in a very mindful way. Engage your senses. Notice the yellows, reds and oranges of the tree leaves. Watch the precision of the flying long-necked geese, in their perfect V-formation, honking loudly along the way. Stop to glance at the children in the school playground, running laughing, playing with their friends. Note the cloudy days when the raindrops turn into little ice crystals. And note the first evening when goosebumps pop up on your forearms. That extra soft blanket feels so good for sleeping. It is so obvious now that the shadows of the trees lengthen. You see more shadows everywhere.

Hear the humming of harvesting machines in the fields along the country roads. Farmers are picking the field corn and harvesting soybeans in their combines. Locusts buzz loudly — no missing their presence in the city and farms alike.

Smell the apple butter cooking on the stove. The cinnamon and nutmeg in the pumpkin pie make your mouth water in anticipation of autumn gastronomical delights. Not far away is the special aroma of the 16-lb. turkey roasting, soon to be a family feast for a special holiday meal.

Bite into a crisp golden delicious or red apple, with a crunch on each bite. How good is the seasonal acorn squash right now, accented with brown sugar and a touch of butter. My mouth waters just thinking about it.

Outside, your cotton, long-sleeved shirt feels good on your arms. It’s time to bring out your long-sleeved shirts, sweatshirts, jackets. Sandals and shorts are gone until next year.

Pay attention to the crisp, cool air that signifies this season and is so invigorating. It’s a great time to take deep breaths, fill your lungs with refreshing, clean air. Your feel alive. You are in the moment, enjoying the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touches of autumn.

Use all your senses and enjoy!

(Updated from an article I wrote for the Heartwood Center for Body Mind Spirit newsletter, with great input from my mother, reflecting on what she likes about the autumn season)

“Never Cease to Learn”

June 30, 2012 By Arlene Faulk

More reflections from my Tai Chi workshop in Olive Branch, Mississippi:

“Anyone who teaches may never cease to learn,” Dr. Paul Lam said in the midst of the week. At that time, I was loving being a student, soaking in the knowledge and experience the teachers were sharing. My major responsibility was to be attentive, to be an eager student. Not a teacher.

Learning new things has and continues to be very appealing to me. The old adage that the more you know, the more you know what you don’t know rings truer every year. And, in this workshop I wanted new insights about the principles of Tai Chi and I wanted to learn a new Yang style form, the 24, which I’ve wanted to learn for a number of years. I wasn’t focused on being a teacher in that moment, but Dr. Lam’s comment caused me to stop and think. Many of us are teachers and have the honor of teaching Tai Chi, acknowledging great respect for the masters who shared their wisdom over the centuries in their families, and more recently outside of their families to the general public.

I love learning, and as a teacher, greatly enjoy learning from my students. I can honestly say that I learn something new in every class I teach. I gain insights on students’ learning, interpreting words, watching movements, all in different ways. Preparing for a class, for a private session, for a demonstration, for a workshop, requires thinking, researching, talking with other teachers — learning from a variety of sources. And the best is to watch students, listen to their questions and comments during class and sometimes before/after a class. The student’s brain cells, the body’s reaction are in motion, along with the teacher’s.

It occurs to me that students can be great teachers for the teacher and in some respects we are all teachers, even if it’s not an official title. Mothers, fathers, and other family members are teachers; children teach their parents and guardians; office managers teach us; friends teach us.

The key, I think, to be a good teacher is to have an open mind, an attitude of compassion and learning. Teachers may have experience, knowledge and skills to impart, but it’s not a one-way street. The students in our classes, in our homes, on the basketball court, in the retirement homes all have something to teach us. Let us be willing to consider many who intersect in our lives as teachers and “never cease to learn.”