Faulk TaiChi

Learn the beautiful, flowing movements for health and relaxation.

Earth Energy

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Weather has been volatile lately across the U.S., snow in Southern California, violent storms in the plains, record heat waves in the southeast. Mother Nature is saying pay attention to me. Take care of me. You need me.

We do pay attention in Tai Chi, bringing attention, then intention to how we’re standing, where our weight is, how we are connecting with the earth. We visualize standing on rich soil, with roots moving from the bottom of our feet deep into the earth. This “rooting” gives us stability, helps us bring up earth energy to nourish and invigorate us. Think about a tree, actively working right now to bring up energy throughout is trunk, getting ready to blossom with new buds and leaves.

winter trees

The trees look bare, like nothing is happening, when in fact, a lot is happening. The Tai Chi classics state that with Tai Chi, energy comes up from the earth through the bottom of the feet, travels through the legs, is commanded by the waist, moves through arms and blossoms in the hands. We’re like the tree. The new leaves are the result of a coordinated effort from the tree, all parts working together. Just like the tree, our body is unified, working as a unit so our limbs are part of the whole, not working on their own.

Earth energy gives us life, sustains and nourishes us. Next time you look at a tree, say “thank you.”

Tai Chi students two

New Green Leaves Spring Forth

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I absolutely love the first warm days of spring time when the green buds, turn into leaves on the trees and the light green color fills in all that space between the branches. It’s a predictable wonder of nature that new life has sprung forth.

Chicago tree showing new leaves
Chicago tree showing its new leaves

I remind my students to pay attention, to feel the energy of the tree bringing up earth energy and moisture through the trunk, branches and then flower into beautiful green. This is the essence of Tai Chi — we root our feet into the earth, bring up the energy, which moves through the legs, is commanded by the waist and hips, moves up through the arms and flowers and the hands and fingers. In every class, I begin with our standing in hip-width distance and visualize a tree. We are the tree, moving with the natural rhythms and harmony of nature.

bringing up tree energy
Bringing up earth energy like a tree

Be mindful of the glorious trees right now. Don’t just walk by. Stop, admire and maybe even say thank you for new life and possibilities.

Being with the Trees

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tree

Rooted like a tree. It’s a common phrase in Tai Chi and I use it often. Right now the trees are dressed fully — green, majestic, enjoying the lazy, hazy days of summer. Trees are always busy, doing something quietly and out of our sight. Until seasons start to change. Often it’s the trees that signal a significant change is about to happen. Let’s contemplate on a tree for a moment.

“A tree uses what comes its way to nurture itself. By sinking its roots deeply into the earth, by accepting the rain that flows toward it, by reaching out to the sun, the tree perfects its character and becomes great.

Look at its leaves, which shed the water, yet divert the life-giving liquid to its roots. Look at the strength of its limbs, which can span distances far greater than any of our own limbs could. Look at its sturdy trunk — could we stand the constantly changing seasons and be so strong? Look at its roots. How many of us are so stable?” —”Everyday Tao” by Deng Ming-Dao

Ann Arbor, MI

We can learn a lot from a tree. When you’re out walking, having a picnic, sitting under a tree for shade, pay attention. Look at the tree, the shape of the leaves, the age marks on the bark, the colors of nature. Stand by the tree. Think about sprouting roots deep into the earth. The farther down you go, the more stability you will have standing on the ground. The tree can nourish you. The tree can teach important lessons. That tree can make your day because you are being one with nature.

(Being with the trees in Ann Arbor, Michigan)

Tai Chi on the Bus

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“I’m so excited to tell you how much tai chi helped me this week!”, one of my 60ish students said last week, coming into the classroom.

“Great. I can’t wait to hear. Why don’t you tell the whole class, so we all can benefit,” I said, as we were just about ready to start.

bus image

“I got on a crowded 151 Chicago bus and the driver stopped suddenly. Some people lurched forward but not me. When I got on the bus I immediately held on to the sturdy pole, planted my feet, hip-width into the floor and was a solid as a tree. It worked!”

The entire class clapped.

It’s common knowledge now that tai chi can help improve balance. Research continues to show the various ways in which tai chi can help enhance good alignment, leg strength,  standing and walking.

There is nothing better as a teacher than to hear the excitement of a student who has an ‘a-ha’ moment that tai chi is paying off in the everyday movements of life. Plus, an entire class clapped and reinforced this significant recognition of an event that could just have been ordinary.

Tai Chi and Me – by Eileen Harakal

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EHphoto

I didn’t think I could do it. I’m not athletic, not a dancer, not very adept at anything that requires physical skill. I’m an artist, a writer, end of story. Besides, I was too old -60-and not limber, out of shape. There’s no way I could do tai chi.

Seven years later having taken classes almost weekly with Arlene Faulk through the Fourth Presbyterian Church, I now know how to do the Sun style, including advanced moves, and the shorter, very relaxing Wudang style. I do tai chi almost every day now, no longer amazed that I can remember the long sequence of steps that feel like a form of body language to me. Thanks to Arlene, I “speak” tai chi ch’uan! Always learning, always improving, but fluent enough to be comfortable.

Arlene is my kind of teacher — patient, even-tempered, methodical. She leads us in one or two new moves at a time, repeats till it feels familiar, then adds a couple more. She also explains the Eastern “why” of what we are doing, and is always open to questions. Arlene is concerned with our proper alignment, but she never corrects a particular individual who is off. She tells us as a group the right way to do a move, so no one person every feels negatively singled out. Also, it doesn’t matter what level of skill you develop, because each person gets encouragement within the group. We hear important phrases from her over and over: “Don’t forget to breathe” and “keep your feet hip-width apart” and “move from the waist, not the arms.”

After awhile, with practice and focus, for as long as it takes — and all students have their own pace–the movements come more naturally. The two best side effects of tai chi are balance and deep breathing. One day, after leaving class and crossing Michigan Avenue, I had a slight accident. My right foot went into a pothole in the middle of the street. I heard Arlene telling us to “ground our feet like the roots of a tree”, so I planted my left foot firmly, lifted my right one out of the hole, and walked on — no damage! I could have ended up on my face. Does tai chi make you fool-proof? Certainly no, but doing it for a long time may make you more sure-footed. And the deep-breathing that is a part of the exercises Arlene leads us in will oxygenate every cell in your body, the way nature intended. Arlene often notes the “good energy” in the room as we work our way through the various moves. I feel it, along with a degree of self-confidence in my physicality that has been a total surprise.

More on Trees

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Trees continue to be a major focus for me. I mentioned the tree this week in Tai Chi classes, feeling our legs and feet sprouting roots deep into the earth. Feeling rooted, strong, stable, tall. I searched out the famous poem by Joyce Kilmer, that I loved when I was a child:

TREES

“I think that I will never see,  a poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed, against the sweet earth’s flowing breast;        

A tree that looks at God all day, and  lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear, a nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain, who immediately lives with rain.

Poems are made for fools like me, but only God can make a tree.”

It’s not by accident that we see people doing Tai Chi in  a park, close to the trees. They draw energy from the trees and trees are a reminder of what we aspire to be like. The Taoists lived closely with nature and have informed us about lessons learned from a tree. It uses what comes its way to nurture and grow. The roots are deep and absorb the water that comes its way. The limbs and branches reach out to the sun, absorbing it’s life-giving energy. It is efficient, steady and follows the rhythms of the seasons. 

May we all set some intention to learn from and be more like a tree.