One of the problems experienced by new students to Tai Chi is they often complain they can not remember the moves. Because Tai Chi relaxes the body and dulls the thought processes, the moves are often easily forgotten but the essential benefits of Tai Chi i.e. the meditative experience is remembered. Because it is absorbed into their being.

This is the beauty of Tai Chi. The inner experience outweighs the outer for the newcomer and as this is an unfamiliar experience, the mind fights it because it does not understand and can not define the experience by looking at other experiences. The mind wants to understand to link to a past experience and to commit that experience to memory. Now we have a big problem. The new student feels good after the class but when trying to relate their experience to others, find it difficult to put it into words what that experience was, because essentially it was an experience that was felt not deciphered by the mind.

Tai Chi practice should refresh you; not burden you with more things to remember. True understanding in Tai Chi brings a deep wholeness to your essential being. Not another memory attached to the intellect. There is no need to remember it – it is there…

As you practise let thoughts come and let them pass through. Become the watcher. Be indifferent to the thoughts. When you listen or read words of wisdom, don’t try to remember them or the meaning will be lost. Let them wash over you, cleaning your mind, emptying it. Do not let thoughts whip up your mind like a strong wind ruffling the surface of water causing confusion and doubt, be still like a calm lake. The purpose of meditation is to throw out the mind. Tai Chi empties the mind. Do not burden yourself with more words or thought processes.

See from your deep inner self, let that wisdom go to work to change and empower your essential self, the real inner you. Forget for the moment your outer self, your conscious self that was born of your upbringing, your surroundings and moulded by others’ expectation of you and what you should become.

Tai Chi, given the chance can change your life, if you let it. This is true, I know beyond a shadow of doubt because I am living proof of that.

Being of service to others by passing on the teaching I was so privileged to receive from my Tai Chi Master and spiritual mentor. I am living a life of happiness and satisfaction beyond my wildest dreams. I have found my personal Dao.

Perhaps I was lucky but I really believe I had the sense to see the Master when I met him and intuitively felt that this was what I should be doing. I didn’t understand why, it just felt right and I did not deny that or subdue it with logic. I followed my heart though the good and the bad times and allowed my inner self to flower.

The object of the I Fu Shou exercise i.e. Tai Chi Sticky Hands Practise is to upset your partner’s balance. This is not because it is a competition with a winner and a loser. Although sadly I see that ‘Pushing Hands competitions’ are starting to appear, with some Tai Chi Organisations subsequently advertising that one of their students won this or that section, presumably in the belief that this will attract more students to their organisation.

The types of students that this attracts are the ones who want to win competitions and show off in front of a crowd. I feel this is a retrograde step that moves away from the true spirit of Tai Chi. I do not consider that I Fu Shou should be presented as a form of competition which inevitably breeds a winner and a loser. I consider it to be a voyage of self-discovery. The practice of which will enable the practitioner to develop a heightened state of awareness, firstly of themselves, then others they come into contact with. There is nothing to lose but your ego. And the prize to be won is humility.

Perhaps by looking at the names given to this exercise we can understand the different philosophy behind them. Firstly, to push, this word is defined as meaning: to exert force on a thing, to move away from oneself or from the origin of the force. This in essence seems rather an aggressive attitude.

This type of philosophy leads to ambition, desire, and glorification of the self and the wish to make oneself superior. This inevitably leads to separation from the Tao (way). There is no harmony here; only conflict. ‘Sticky’ is defined as tending or intended to stick or adhere. Adhere is defined as: stick fast to a surface, another substance, etc. Also, to behave according to, follow in detail or give support or allegiance. These words explain the essence of the instruction I received from my Master Chee Soo. He always taught me that once contact has been made it must be maintained, and that this contact should be light, so light in fact, that if a feather where to fall upon your arm it would sink under the weight of the feather. He also taught me that the object of the exercise was to follow the movements of your partner, not to force them to change the direction but to allow them to move their hand and arm in whatever way they wish. Learning to work within this framework whilst maintaining your own balance, giving in to their force which completely negates their strength and allows you to gently guide them in the direction they wish to go. Gently, helping them on their way.

If you offer no resistance, then no matter how much force is used against you, it cannot restrict your freedom. By giving in to that force and offering no resistance your partner sacrifices their balance when they exert force against your arm. By this action they create a weakness within their posture that can be exploited allowing you to maintain your balance whilst upsetting theirs. The object of this is not to gain power over your partner, but to learn to remain in control of your own balance whilst being put under pressure by your partner. This helps us to deal with the problems we encounter in everyday life without losing control and resorting to violence. And by violence I do not necessarily mean physical violence but also mental violence, which is the modern way to bully and make people fear you. Power hungry people weave their webs of mental manipulation, praying on the weak within our society – we are all weak at some time or another as we fall into our yin periods during our journey through life.

There are no laws, that can be enforced effectively, that will eradicate this kind of mental violence that we all have to suffer at some time or other at work, from parents, teachers and countless enthusiastic exponents of officialdom. We just have to learn to deal with it. We have to learn to take responsibility for ourselves. Instead of becoming physically or verbally violent which can only escalate the conflict, we have to learn to absorb the energy thrown our way.

In doing so we strengthen ourselves and weaken the perpetrator, but more importantly we remain entire.

by Howard Gibbon

© Copyright 2012 Howard Gibbon – all rights reserved

A some time ago I received a lesson in how easy it is to lapse with one’s practise.

Whilst enjoying a holiday visiting some of my wife Gisela’s relations in Berlin. A beautiful city by the way and we will visit again as there was much to see we didn’t have time for.

Whilst there I didn’t do my usual morning Tai Chi practise, instead we were off exploring the city everyday. I was in Berlin in 1965 serving with the British Armed Forces there, but at 18yrs old most of what I saw was bars and training areas in the forest. So this was a new exciting experience. I did manage one practise session, one day out of 10, yes shocking I know.

On my return two day before I was due to take a course up here in Scarborough I was faced with tons of mail and emails by the score. Ah! back to reality as they say. So the first day back home, instead of my usual morning Tai Chi practise, I tackled the work load, it was tedious in the extreme.

The next day it was cold and drizzling with rain. There was till a long way to go to get rid of the pile of work in front of me. But now I was aware that I was becoming complacent and finding it so easy to find excuses for not returning to my daily practise. I forced myself to go outside and practise,

Once outside suitable dressed for the weather. I began my practise and a few moves later thanked God for the blessing of Tai Chi. I felt like a thirsty man being given a glass of sparkling, clear, fresh water. And I eagerly drank it in.

I allowed myself 25 minutes practise and then return to the work. Now my mood was joyful and positive and the work flowed smoothly, unlike the day before when it all seemed so laborious.

The next day I picked up Paul my longest serving student from the station and we spent an hour or so together talking about our experiences from our training and interaction with our students.

Later at the course, I had a fantastic time, teaching and training with some wonderful people. Now back on track I am hoping this message may bring some of you back to your Tai Chi practise. It is so easy to break a good habit, yet so difficult to start one and keep it going. Go on then get out there and enjoy some Tai Chi.

Where effort, struggle and hardships are necessary to reach the pinnacle of Tai Chi attainment? Or is Tai Chi a journey of discovery where every now and then you pause to look and reflect on your achievement?

Like most things in Tai Chi the answer is not straight forward, perhaps a little story from my own experience will be helpful.

Some time ago I went to the Lake District, Keswick actually. Whilst enjoying the view near the lake I turned round and looked at the hill behind me. I pondered on how much better the view would be if I was on top off that hill looking at the view from that vantage point. So enthused did I become that I felt compelled to climb it to see. So off I went and being a hot and windless day I was soon sweating and out of breath. But I had started and was not about to give up.

Eventually I reached the top and turned to see my prize, the view. And I was not disappointed, it was magnificent. Sitting on a rock, I relaxed and gazed at the scenery in total wonderment at the beauty and diversity of our wonderful world.

Sometime passed, how much I will never know, for at such times as the beholder of such splendour I find time somehow becomes obsolete. On days such as these whilst enjoying a little rest and relaxation I like to leave my watch behind so as not to be influenced by. Seeing the sun was getting lower in the sky so aware that perhaps I should be moving on I glanced backwards and was surprised to see another hill bigger than the one I had just climbed. The sight of this had been unavailable to me from my original vantage point down by the lake. I pondered again what the view from this one would look like. Oh! What the heck. Off I went to climb this one too, soon dripping with sweat again and panting heavily.

As I reached the top in the distance I saw yet another hill, again higher than the one I just climbed. As I stared at this sight for a minute or so I was felt irritated, was there no end to this struggle to reach the best position. My wish to arrive at this place to see what others who shunned the effort could not. This effort, my struggle had yielded nothing more than the knowledge that there is more, always more, requiring more movement, more endeavour necessary to reach a higher understanding.

In my disappointment I turned and was again struck, almost violently, with the magnificence of the vision before me. This achievement had rewarded me with a prize unsurpassed by my previous view, the result of that first effort from the foot of the hill near the lake. Had I chosen to stop at there, this standpoint would have been hidden from me.

So I sat there basking in that glorious spectacle. The sun shinning down on me from the beautiful blue sky above, as I enjoyed my prized view, I suddenly realised the commonality of this experience to my training in Tai Chi. At the outset of my training in Tai Chi I had no idea of the multitude of benefits I would receive. My health and general wellbeing had improved in leaps and bounds.

Remembering a conversation with a fellow Tai Chi practitioner, who had many more years to his credit than I, during my very first advanced training day in Dunstable near London way back in 1976. I had been practising Tai Chi for three years and this was my first day training at the special class held by my Master Chee Soo for his personally invited students, a real honour. He recognised my enthusiasm and gave me some advice. He told me that this was a special art and it would take me around 15 years before I would be proficient. On my way home back to Yorkshire at the end of the training day I was rather depressed. 15 years before I would be any good, a lifetime or so it seemed at that time. Fortunately for me I continued with my studies and I have been rewarded beyond my expectations.

Before setting out on my journey I could have never known what benefits laid ahead, nothing from my previous experience could have hinted at the brilliance it would add to my life. Like no one could have described the revelation I now gazed upon, the direct experience had no comparison. Feeling a part of nature, feeling being in tune with the world, feeling I was in the right place, following my personal path.

Was its effort worth it, oh, yes! Was I pleased I had made that effort, oh, yes. Did its majesty enthral me, OH! YES!! Am I talking about the view from the hill or the benefits of Tai Chi? Both!

I do my best to enthusiastically encourage others to make the effort to experience this beauty I have found in my life. But only they can make the journey. They need to want to know more. To make the effort to arrive at this place, this panoramic view that is laid bare before me, my reward. Its splendour can only be discussed with others who have made this or similarly journeys themselves. Tai Chi is not a goal to be attained but a never ending journey to be experienced, and that experience will enhance the lives of all those who practice it.

I wish you all I wish for myself.