Faulk TaiChi

Learn the beautiful, flowing movements for health and relaxation.

Letting Go

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Yang Jun
Yang Jun

At the International Tai Chi Symposium, all Grandmasters(GM) mentioned using the mind to focus and relax the body, natural breathing, and the continuous movement of energy.

GM Chen Zhenglei said the whole body is like a circle with no straight lines. GM Yang Jun said we need to keep our energy in continuous motion, without stopping. Generally, we may be too limp (yin) or too tense (yang). He had us do an exercise with a partner to test this out. It was very revealing. Although I thought I was relaxed, I really was holding tension, in my shoulders, arms and legs.

GM Ma Hailong said our tai chi needs to be circular and alive. We use ‘focus’ to internalize the mind and body and get rid of stiffness.

Each GM’s movements so clearly demonstrated what they were talking about. They were relaxed, focused, emanating powerful energy within. Is that something we strive for with our tai chi practice? On the surface it seems so, but I don’t think that’s it. I recall a tai chi and QiGong Master with whom I studied at the Taoist Sanctuary in San Diego for several winters. He said something that continues to have a profound effect on my understanding — Tai chi is not about striving or trying harder. It’s about ‘letting go’.

Although the GMs didn’t use those words, what they said and did emphasized this principle. They stressed tai chi is about learning and understanding energy, not about the specific movements. They were focused, but let go of tension, thoughts and individual movements. It seems at times as though they were floating through the air, almost effortlessly.

So, I’m going to continue to focus on letting go, on emptying out my thoughts, on relaxing my body and mind. It’s a challenge and a good one. Tai Chi has already transformed my life, has given me a path and tools to walk again, to feel good. I’m a believer.

Ma Hailong
Ma Hailong

Thank You, Teachers

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Yang style tai chi

The last three days have been filled with red and gold, great food,  traditional dances, tai chi, kung fu, opera selections, dragon dances in the street — all in celebration of Chinese New Year, the Year of the Horse.

As we gathered yesterday at the Heartwood Center for Body Mind Spirit, the first thing we did was ‘move’ through QiGong, with awareness of our breath, our weight-shifting and our focus on gently moving our Qi throughout our bodies. Movement helps us ‘wake up’, stretch our body and helps us be more alert for everything that follows.

We met each other through our tai chi experiences, always fun to hear how it all started: “I was looking for a class to reduce my stress;” “I needed more balance, both literally and in my busy, task-filled life; “my daughter kept urging me to try tai chi because she loves her karate and thought I needed something similar, but slower”; on and on the stories came.

We looked at slides and heard about major influences on the development of tai chi, from the “I Ching”, Taoism, the five element theory, yin/yang theory. This unfolded via slides and stories of my trip and tai chi study in China, in both Chen Village and in the Wudang Mountains.

The energy was light and attentive, cordial, supportive. We snacked on mixed nuts and the traditional oranges, always present in the Chinese New Year. We moved through ‘forms’ we’re working on, either Yang, Sun and Wudang styles. We were glad to be together, from various classes in Evanston and Chicago, because we had a commonality – appreciation and gratefulness for how we continue to benefit from tai chi.

As we began to close, again through moving our breath throughout our bodies, I thanked all my teachers, their teachers and those throughout the centuries, starting in China, who gave of themselves to share the wonderful practices that we enjoy today. Teachers whose names we know and teachers whom we don’t know, all made a difference in our lives.

I am very grateful for all martial arts teachers, and particularly QiGong and Tai Chi teachers, who have taught me a way of moving and breathing and being that brings balance into my life. Thank you to each of them.

We all have those teachers who were/are instrumental in positively influencing how we live and how we relate to each other and the world. Who comes to mind for you? Take a few moments to say ‘thank you’, to name that person or persons in your own mind. He or she helped mold you, direct you, guide you, support you, listen to you. . .

“Never Cease to Learn”

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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.”