Have you ever been in one of those rough patches where you feel like you can’t accomplish anything if you don’t move a mile a minute and let it consume you? In those moments, there is nothing like having people and experiences come into your life to remind you of the value and beauty of taking things slow. To take time to take in the moment. That lesson was brought home to me this past week.
I finally stopped making excuses for myself and decided to try out a Tai-Chi class, which incidentally is something I wanted to try. It was an added incentive that the first class was free. I didn’t do my homework to learn more about the form before class. I just jumped in hoping that it would give me the peace reflected in the slow movements I had seen others doing in the park, public television and elsewhere. Dana Schlesinger, the instructor, originally from Israel, demonstrated that: 1) It’s not as simple as it looks and 2) There is more to Tai-Chi than it’s pace. Tai-Chi Chuan as it is more formally called which translates to “supreme ultimate fist,” is an ancient Chinese martial art that incorporates slow movements to enable one’s internal energy to flow smoothly and with training and discipline would allow one to deflect an opponent’s energy rather than reply by force. At the same time, I learned that it’s not enough to mimic the movements. You really have to listen, become attune to the moment, your movements, and LET GO of various tensions in the body and mind to get it right. By the end, of the session, I felt like jello in a really good way.
I have no idea how Dana ranks as a Tai-Chi teacher but she seemed to embody the approach in her person. I eventually asked the dumb over-anxious American question of if she had ever used her training to defend herself? Before she replied, I imagined an elaborate street battle where she is fending off five opponents with one graceful swipe of the hand. She said that she tries to integrate her training in every aspect of her life from opening the door without the use of tension and force, to lifting her child, to a more conscious way of speaking with me. That sounded amazing. How wonderful would it be to approach every aspect of life without force and tension, but just go with the flow of the waters? Better than a street battle. I couldn’t help but pay for my first class and slow down to a stroll as I headed back to the car…
