Fluidity (Also Chow Stories)

The following discourse, inspired by last night’s class, was written about the process of learning T’ai Chi, but could easily be adapted to describe many learning processes. 

Watching Mr. Chow paint a bird, or Mrs. Chow paint a flower, was an amazing experience. They would prepare some paints in different colors, then dip a brush first into one then into another, and then into even another of the paints, and then, with one stroke, create part of a bird or flower, with each color in exactly the right place. With a few deft strokes, an object of uncommon life and beauty appeared which couldn’t be more perfect. Entire panoramas were created with just such an elegant simplicity and clarity of movement. 

Mr. Chow was known to say that “Every brush stroke is art, and every movement is T’ai Chi.”

I believe that Mr. Chow used to tell a story (it’s possible that the story came from elsewhere) about the famous Chinese painter who was asked by the Emperor to paint his portrait. Many times in the following years, the Emperor sent word to the artist asking if the painting was finished, and the answer was always “Not yet.” Finally, one day the Emperor’s patience was running out, and he assembled his entourage, and went to the house of the painter. The painter invited him in, and, in just a few moments, painted the Emperor’s portrait. It was a masterpiece. The Emperor was puzzled. He asked the painter, “How come you made me wait so long, when it only took you such a short time to paint my portrait?” The painter then showed the Emperor into his back room, which was full of his earlier attempts.

Learning T’ai Chi can be seen as a process in which one first practices in order to gain strength, balance, and flexibility. Then, as the evolution and integration of these attributes proceeds, one begins to attain a fluidity of movement which may transcend mere mastery of technique and engender timeless conscious states characterized by an acute awareness of the present moment.

 Out of these states may be generated great energy and joy. This is not a philosophical or theoretical contention, but a very practical description, and may perhaps be better understood as such by likening it to the effects of powerful music or visual art, which can also certainly help us to evolve by offering us new insight through processes which transcend verbal reasoning. Drama, although presented through use of verbal means, also may transcend the verbal.  (Participation in the creation of such forms, just as in T’ai Chi, can often be even more beneficial and rewarding than mere observation.)

Alas, my poor words seem, once again, barely able to touch upon the experiences which I try to describe, and I had best stop before muddying the waters further. As you practice, these words may achieve some semblance of practical use. They are offered with good intent.

Happy Holidays to All,

Daniel

Courage

“There is a courage of happiness as well as a courage of sorrow”  - Alfred Adler

There is a courage manifested by heroes and leaders willing to sacrifice everything for the good of others. There is also an everyday courage that sometimes helps us to just get out of bed, to proceed to the accomplishment of the tasks that life brings us each day. Simple tasks which we can give ourselves can build this type of muscle and facilitate our ability to accomplish much. Accomplishing easier tasks develops “muscles” useful when we find ourselves facing the more difficult trials which life sometimes presents to us.

Physical, mental (intellectual), emotional, and spiritual exercises can all be seen as processes which develop “character”. Difficult tasks are not necessarily made easier, but developing strong habits of not shunning or procrastinating the taking on of tasks which are not easy for us creates much strength and fortitude. The courage to take the more difficult path, even in simple and supposedly easy tasks, is built through practice.

In my life, examples abound.  Sometimes just going to the pool to swim can require this kind of effort. Going to open mike night to play guitar and sing is a bit more difficult, but also more rewarding. Other people more talented and experienced than me at this endeavor, who I had thought found this easy, have told me that even they still experience much anxiety  each time they go on stage. The ability to not let this stop one from trying, again, is built through practice. It does get easier and more comfortable as new skills evolve. The anxiety doesn’t necessarily go away, but rather, it becomes an old friend, something we can live with, not something which stops us. Writing and teaching also evolve from these simple exercises of will, as does my neuropsychology work. On the spiritual side, the ability to do the right thing, even when it’s not popular, also grows through practice.

Practicing T’ai Chi also requires this kind of effort, especially in the beginning. The rewards manifested through overcoming this kind of inertia can transcend each specific task and generalize to give us this kind of strength in all our areas of endeavor. This is yet another way that the study of T’ai Chi can provide much value. 

Best Wishes & Happy Holidays,

Daniel

ONENESS

God is the interaction of all things.

God can be seen if looked for in the way all we see is connected. One doesn’t need to “Believe in” an old guy with a long white beard, or “Have Religion” to see and understand this. Even an Atheist or Agnostic can use this wisdom in a very practical manner to appreciate the oneness of all things.

A friend of mine from the 1960s, who later became a Monk, once told me that he had “Seen the Face of God”. (We had had some experiences in the 60s which provided much common ground for such discussions). I remember telling him that, while I had not seen his face, I saw the Hand of God in everything I looked at, and in the way all things seemed to work together for the evolution of compassion (Love) and consciousness. My experience with Native American spiritual concepts and practices seems a natural outgrowth of this, as does the T’ai Chi concept of movement from the center.

Real prayer is manifested by what we do, and spoken prayers can be pale reflections of those experienced as actions which are based upon the premise of the interconnectedness, or oneness, of all. Other words for this, such as love, compassion, service, harmony, all express the conscious work of manifesting the working together of all the parts as part of the same whole.

The Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, known as the Day of Atonement, can be viewed as the “Day of at-one-ment”. It is said that on the New Year, God opens the Book of Life, and 8 days later he writes who shall live and who shall die, who shall have good health and who bad, who shall prosper and who shall suffer misfortune, and, on Yom Kippur, He (She) closes the book for another year. Actually, I think perhaps the process can take place in every moment. It is why we are here. ("She" above added at my wife's suggestion. Thanks, dear).

Again, this doesn’t have to be about religion, or require faith. It can be derived from simple observation of all that is around us, the inter-connectedness of all things, which brings Peace.

The Hebrew word for peace is:

Shalom

(I realize that this is not a typical T’ai Chi discourse, but feel that I would be negligent in not expressing this insight into the “Big picture”, and how, in a very practical way, it can facilitate the “Work” of T’ai Chi on a larger scale.)

Heredity: If your parents didn’t have any children, chances are that you won’t either.”

Mindfulness

There is a lot of talk lately about “Mindfulness Training”. It seems to be a new buzz word, and sports trainers are teaching it to football players. Vipasana (Pronounced Vipashna), or insight meditation, consists of bringing one’s attention to the here and now. The heart of T’ai Chi, of Zen Meditation, of many spiritual practices, is this practice of mindfulness, of “Being present”. Most of the time, we live in our heads and are “Too Busy” to really “Be Here”.  This is an excuse, because it can seem easier to “Run our mental tapes”, like watching a TV show in our heads, than to actually pay attention to what is right in front of us.

Zen meditation: (Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, Shunryu Suzuki, 1970), Zazen, or sitting meditation, consists of just sitting quietly and paying attention to our breathing. Our breath can be viewed as a swinging door, swinging in, then out, then in, then out. We don’t try to control our breath, but watching it brings our attention into the present. Our breath is always here and now. If we try to control our thoughts we are again “Being busy”, and not being mindful. If we just watch, the ripples on the pond that is our mind begin to settle out, and our minds become quiet. We start to attend to the present moment. This is Mindfulness.

Our T’ai Chi practice is just such an exercise in Mindfulness. As we practice, we come more fully into the present, and the tapes we run in our heads to fill the space and entertain ourselves drop away.

Making Things Better

Everything you bring to a work should add something. It’s not worth adding items unless they bring something that makes the work, room, writing, etc. better. If something doesn’t increase the effectiveness, value, aesthetic quality, etc., then one doesn’t add it to the work.

“Forgive and be Forgiven”  (-Sara Watkins, Take Up Your Spade, 2012)

To err is human, to forgive is divine, because when we forgive others, we also forgive ourselves. This is about moving forward, letting go of the past, and learning from it. When we do this we are moving to break ground and plant seeds for the future. In T’ai Chi terms, this is a way to get rid of some of our emotional extra movement, and simplify our form.

Thanks to All,

Daniel

Coordination and Synchronization Thoughts II

Last month’s writing initiated discourse on the coordination and synchronization of separate movements, patterns of movements, and, finally, separate systems, into a whole, coherent cloth. Today I continue along these lines, first with some other physical examples, and then to some thoughts of a more speculative nature, addressing possible applications to growth, evolution, and healing. Again, it is suggested that you take what is useful to you at this point, and disregard, or perhaps store the rest for a time when it might have practical rather than mere philosophical use for you.

Stillness in Motion

Some examples of the coordination of simple movements:

The Punch – As the fist is moved forward in front of you, the wrist straightens, allowing the alignment of the fist to remain “still” in relation to the sides of the room. As the fist is pulled back to the body, the wrist bends, keeping this same stillness in motion. A carpenter sawing through a piece of wood uses this same coordination to keep the saw blade alignment from changing and binding in the cut. 

Drawing back the foot – At the end of the first round hand, after turning, the foot is drawn back by turning the hip outward, which would turn the foot outward 45 degrees. As the hip is rotated, (while balancing on the other foot), the foot is rotated inward at the same rate, keeping the alignment of the foot stationary with respect to the walls of the room, (or compass directions, if outside). This leaves the foot alignment in position to step forward in the next part of the movement. (These movements are far more easily demonstrated than described in words.) As working with legs requires balance, the hand and arm exercises are more easily assimilated by beginners.

Awareness and Prayer

(for Barrett Eagle Bear, 1949 - 2014)

The more my T’ai Chi evolves, the more it seems to be about Awareness. As we become more aware of how we move, Opportunities to facilitate our goals can present themselves. If we don’t see things, we are powerless to do anything about them.

 The T’ai Chi of our lives continually presents us with the lessons which are our next step. Sometimes these steps are not easy for us, and have to be presented to us more than once before we “Get the message”. This path, which may not be for everyone, can be facilitated through prayer. 

“Prayer” here can be viewed as a powerful way of communicating with our unconscious – and perhaps this language might be found more acceptable to those of atheistic or agnostic beliefs. I am using the terminology here to discuss very practical and empirical issues, and a belief in a God or Gods is not required to benefit from the discourse. 

For those comfortable with Theistic language, the idea that “God is in each of us”, or “God made man in his own image”, might provide additional insight. Our T’ai Chi practice can be viewed as just such a prayer.

It has been said that sometimes God might whisper in our ear. If we don’t get the message, then he might tap us on the shoulder. If we still don’t get it, he might have to hit us with a two by four. (A 2x4 is a large stick). This could be applied to our personal lives and habits, and just as easily might refer to something like global warming.

Connecting with the Greater System 

(Service)

By connecting through our actions with that which is larger than ourselves, we begin to operate on a level with energies available which are directly proportional to the size of the entity we serve, or participate as a part of. The Garudas which protect this energy from misuse can be seen as personal demons which may be outgrown as we evolve. Selfish (Ego driven) action blocks our connection to these healing energies because it gets in the way of the flow of Chi through the larger organism.

Powerful Prayer

Around 1994, when I started participating in Traditional Sweat Lodge Ceremony, Fernando told me that it wasn’t enough just to pray for what you wanted. He said that one needs to include in one’s prayers the phrase “I am ready”, not just “I want this”, but “I want this (growth), and I am ready for it”. Although I didn’t realize it then, this can be a key, when prayers are offered sincerely, to powerful prayer. (A word of caution: This kind of prayer may initiate some necessary but very difficult lessons, and place one on a path much steeper than the one that one has been following up to this point.) (See the earlier article Comfort vs. Growth.) The path of the warrior is not for all.

Prayer is facilitated through our actions. It has been said that “Actions speak louder than words”. This maxim can certainly be applied to prayer. The prayers of one who serves the Greater Good and leaves the world a better place for their having passed through it are very special, whatever their lineage. I will miss my friend Barrett, who taught me much and helped me and many others to find our way.

Mitake Oyasin 

(All My Relations),

Daniel

Synchronization and Coordination

Levels of Synchronization

After incorporating the basic principles of 1) eliminating extra movement, 2) shifting the weight, and 3) moving from the center, and starting to practice our form within these parameters, synchronization – the basic concept by which movement from the center is facilitated, takes on a practical relevance.

Synchronization of Simple Movements

This starts with the synchronization of perhaps two simple movements, as when A) the bending and straightening of the elbow, used to change the arm from a straight 45 degree down extension in front, to a position where the wrist and shoulder are at the same height and the upper arm is slanted downward 45 degrees, the elbow is bent 90 degrees, and the forearm is slanted upward in a 45 degree angle so that the hand protects the face, is synchronized with B) a 45 degree hip rotation from right to left and back, after the first turn in the form. If the two movements are synchronized, an up down movement created from the operation of just a few arm muscles, and a side to side movement, similarly created by the minimal operation of a few leg muscles, can create perfect circles with no extra movement, in balance – so that no tensions/energy blocks are created by muscles coming into play to make necessary adjustments to compensate for changes in the balance. (These changes in balance are generated by any extra movements which change the positions of any body parts un-necessarily.) 

These synchronizations are basic to proper practice. There exist a multitude of them inherent in the creation and maintenance of the balance, and they become second nature (done without thought, automatically), as our form comes into focus.

Synchronization of Complex Patterns of Movement

At a higher level of competence, more complex correlations become relevant to the central and related themes of balance and relaxation, out of which the connectedness of all parts and the energy flow through them is facilitated. Crucial to correct practice is the relationship between A) the shifting of the weight between the two sides/legs, and B) the shifting of the direction one is facing. One of the first places this presents is after “Embrace tiger and return to mountain”. As one first steps forward while turning 45 degrees, and next shifts the weight to the opposite foot while turning 180 degrees, the synchronization of the weight shift with each turn is what allows balance and relaxation through this part of the form, and many movements after this, throughout the form. If one learns this here, the student has no difficulty later learning “Cloud hands”, where one is shifting the weight right to left and back repeatedly while turning 45 degrees right and left and back at the same time. Later in the form, turns initiated from the hips are performed balanced on one leg, requiring even more subtle control of this synchronized coordination.

Thoughts on Higher Levels of Synchronization

These physical examples of the coordination of diverse parts into a complexly integrated whole, exemplified by the T’ai Chi form, have obvious correlates in the emotional, intellectual, and spiritual realms, and can be applied to eliminate or minimize the extra movements and lack of balance, energy flow, and integration in these areas as well. This would allow for immense growth in the meditative/awareness aspects of T’ai Chi, fostering both personal, trans-personal, and societal evolution, and hopefully creating a better future for all. 

To be continued…