Words from a T’ai Chi Instructor

Before the words themselves — the school’s current dates are on the course schedule.

Why bodywork starts with T’ai Chi

We consider learning and practicing the basic form of T’ai Chi a must for anyone who wants to learn and practice bodywork because it will teach the aspirant and fledgling practitioner to take a stance at the massage table that will support the work by giving you leverage – by empowering you to act from your body’s center of gravity.  But apart from the body mechanics, there is something else to T’ai Chi that will help you.  You learn to be in a natural flow.  In this respect, the spirit of T’ai Chi and the spirit of bodywork are the same.  This is what T’ai Chi master Hua Ching Ni has to say about it:

On being ordinary

“In doing T’ai Chi movement and in living our lives, our goal is to be healthy and normal.  Nothing special, just normal.  The movement in T’ai Chi practice is a constant, healthy flow, not an erratic flow that is subnormal or abnormal.”

On the shape of a day

“Part of living a healthy, spiritual life includes being active in the morning and reposeful in the evening.  A healthy schedule is good for your practice as well as for your health and your overall well-being.  Do those things that are of lasting benefit rather than short-lived advantage or immediate gratification.”

On staying steady under pressure

“A practitioner of self-cultivation [and of bodywork, we might add] practices endurance under pressure and maintains balance when there is no trouble.  Therefore, an achieved one, like the center of the universe, is inexhaustible.”

On living in the world rather than leaving it

“Our goal is to fully achieve ourselves while living within the inescapable network of worldly life.  Other spiritual traditions claim that liberation means giving up worldly life to live as a hermit in the forest or as a beggar in the streets.  That kind of liberation is only a futile attempt to escape from life.  Life is an inescapable network in which everyone is involved.  True freedom from difficulties, be they conceptual, spiritual, or physical, cannot be found in an artificial lifestyle.  A truly achieved person is someone whose spirit is free, whatever the circumstances of life happen to be; in other words,  a healthy person who can rise above passing troubles that have no real importance.”

On not overcomplicating it

“Doing T’ai Chi is so simple.  When I describe it intellectually, it may sound complicated, but that is not the reality.  When you truly practice a gentle physical art such as T’ai Chi movement [or a protocol of a specific bodywork treatment], it is not just an exercise [not just a professional service], it is life.  In life, each moment and each action expresses the same integral truth that T’ai Chi movement embodies and expresses.  Nothing can separate you or your actions from that truth.”

Do your T’ai Chi and your bodywork as if they were the same, which in essence they are, albeit not in form.  You will be successful in life and work alike because you are balanced and steady; because you know how to pace yourself.  You need to sense how you should pace yourself in all circumstances.  There is a story that explains the importance of pacing oneself:

The student who wanted to hurry

“A young man traveled far to meet a famous teacher.  When he finally met that teacher, the teacher asked, “What do you want from me?”
“I wish to be your student and become wise in spirit and skillful in the ways of the world. How long must I study?”
“A minimum of twenty years,” the teacher replied.
“Twenty years is a long time”, said the young man.  “What if I study twice as hard as all your other students? Can I do it in ten?”
“No, then it would take forty years”, was the teacher’s reply.
“Why is that? If I work very hard, should it be less?”
“No.  When you are fixated on achievement, the might becomes tight and one is further from achievement than before.”

In bodywork as in T’ai Chi: Be consistent but do NOT push yourself.

So I hope you enjoyed this….

DO WRITE COMMENTS ABOUT WHAT YOU LEARNED FROM THIS!!  I WANT TO KNOW ABOUT HOW SPA, AYURVEDA, MASSAGE & BODYWORK IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR LIFE!

I’ll be back with more. Thanks for reading, and see you soon!

Gagori Mitra