When my neurologist told me that “more medicine does not equal less pain,” he added that what I really needed to do was change my lifestyle and mindset instead. He wrote a list of things to try which included meditation and Yin Yoga.
As I’ve written about before, the meditation quickly grew on me, but I was initially NOT a fan of the Yoga; there was something very unsatisfying about leaving bed to lie on the floor (I’ve since come to rely heavily on Chair Yoga and what I call “Face Yoga”).
Almost by accident I stumbled across Tai Chi whilst looking for videos of things I could try in those early days of healing. Since then, I have incorporated my own version of “Tai Chi lite” into my everyday morning routine. Slow, intentional movements, accompanied by deliberate breathing and an awareness of how my body is moving, and how it feels as it is moving. It has become a very calming (and yet empowering) way to experience mindfulness.
A few days ago, I discovered a book pushed to the back of my bookshelf. It was titled “The Healing Art of Tai Chi” (c. 1989) by Martin and Emily Lee, and their two daughters Melinda and Joyce Lee. The book has several pages at the beginning that explain the ideas behind Tai Chi, and then dozens of pages to teach you 64 moves. I vaguely remember buying it before I met my husband (so 20+ years ago), around about the same time I was trying to increase my fitness and flexibility (and reduce my stress). The book has a sense of promise to it, (which is presumably why I held on to it); its form and layout imply that anyone can pick it up and become a master. But, as soon as I started flicking through the how-to pages, I realized why it had stayed at the back of the shelf; it is VERY difficult to learn how to move your body in a specific way from a book.
Imagine a book that aimed to teach you how to swim. Or ride a bicycle. Or drive a car. Even the best writer, with the support of several photos and diagrams added in, would struggle to explain the activities in a way that would allow you to 100% “get it”. Perhaps you could use it as a starting point, and then have a go, and learn in motion… perhaps. But Tai Chi’s strength (in its traditional form) comes from set moves done in a set order, performed in a set way.
Today, the internet allows you to watch videos of people teaching Tai Chi. Even still, all videos are not created equal. Some are easier to follow than others. I for one, find it difficult to follow a routine when the teacher is facing me – it requires me to mirror-reverse all the moves… when they lift a left hand and sweep it further left, I want to lift my right arm and sweep it right… If the teacher is facing away, then I can follow their moves with more ease, but even then… they move with the confidence and grace of someone who knows what they’re doing… unlike me…
Which is why I tend to watch a few videos, learn a few moves, and then make up my own routine that better suits my body’s ability. There are still elements of “parting the horse’s mane”, or “embracing the tree” or “sweeping the clouds” but no teacher would commend me on my style or grace!
So then, I am who I am… let’s get back to the book.
The front pages were an interesting read. It started with the primary author and Tai Chi master, Dr Martin Lee, explaining that when he came to America from China, aged 16, it was the automatic doors at the front of a building which made him decide to be an engineer. Many years later, he was suffering from severe allergies when he discovered that Tai Chi made a difference.
After practicing for some time he came to the conclusion that the “self” was made up of mind, body, thoughts and ch’i (energy). Thoughts sit within the mind as coffee sits within a cup, the book explains. Similarly, the energy of ch’i resides within our bodies. All four aspects are interrelated. The book uses the Yin-Yang symbol to show how our sense of self is then related to our body parts, and later in the book, our individual cells.
[Image source: photograph of page 33]
When we are in a state of wellness (which Dr Lee suggests is made up of happiness, health, harmony and healing), then the relationship is stable, within itself and between its whole self and its smaller parts. There is balance. When “wellness” is replaced with “illness”, on the other hand, then the shape shifts – the relationships distort (and we become “messy”):
[page 21]
The four components of self are then related to something bigger than us, (call it the Universe or God): our mind is connected to an infinite mind, our thoughts to eternal thoughts, our body to a universal body and personal ch’i to universal energy:
[page 19]
There is something quite nice imagining myself as being interconnected to both a micro (cellular) level and a macro (cosmic) level. What happens on one level effects the others. Global issues are creating toxins which are affecting us deep inside… and potentially, the same happens in reverse, if we can create internal health, we might be able to influence a wider healing.
The book also explains that Tai Chi was originally developed as part of marital-arts, so it involves self-defense styled moves; pulling, pushing, deflecting, kicking… when you watch experts do the moves, the defense aspect becomes more apparent. When you watch Westerners doing the moves in slow motion in a park, it is not so obvious, but the origin story remains there in its DNA. Sometimes, remembering that DNA helps me move in the morning, makes me feel (don’t laugh) a little more bad-@$$ as I get ready to face the day!
Lastly, the book suggests that you can use Tai Chi to heal headaches through a form of meditating; relax, breathe, do no more… and then when you are ready touch your head (for a few breaths), then your chest, then your thigh.
There was a Tai Chi Proverb that I particularly liked: “To move, move every part. To be still, quiet every part.”
It’s simple, but to the point: when you need to get something done, get it done, but when it’s time to rest – STOP.
Overall, the book won’t help you learn the moves as well as a real class with a guiding teacher, or even as well as a video, but it is always nice to learn more about the details behind the thousand year old tradition.
Take care taking care, and try Tai Chi – it’s worth it, Linda x
PS – here’s the playlist of videos I used to get started: Tai Chi / Qigong – YouTube
[PPS – as a strange aside, there was a photocopy of a magazine page inside the book about half-way through. It’s dated 1998, and the only reason I can think that I had it, was because it had a quote from Dennis Eck, the then CEO of the then company Coles Myer (where I used to work designing shop fitouts in my 20s). The quote said: “As a retailer you can only be cautious and you can only be optimistic. Otherwise, you are in some other business. I’m a Gemini, so I can be paranoid and balanced at the same time”… as a fellow Gemini learning about Yin-Yang… I think I get it!]
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