Not because it’s easy, but because you thought it is easy!

But, you thought it was easy! Video Link

The young man asked, “Where are the people for this class”? I said, “They don’t want to do the work”! I love that non-escalating comment from my teacher, Master Stephen Hwa! 

“Why does Tai Chi have to be so hard”? The young woman said that in a class at Buffalo State University. My tongue-in-cheek thought was, “Would it be more straightforward if new students could leave their brains at the door to the Tai Chi studio”?  One thinks the intellect gets in the way and hinders learning Tai Chi. 

Students seek a way to attach their intellect and logical brain to each new movement rather than learning through the body. As a teacher, I think the brain gets confused as it cannot find a way to attach an experience or association of the movements to memory, so their minds fight them all the way to try and intellectualize what is being learned.  

Perhaps it might sound aloud like this: "I must find something to relate this to..... there is no way I am going into that body down there; I am the brains here..... oh, I haven't a clue; it's too difficult, so I'll give up".  

As beginners, students are usually stuck in their heads, and it's hard to change how we do things unless it fits the same groove we are used to.  In a sense there is a logic and rationale to not shut off but “turn down the volume” on beginner's critical thinking which is the left brain.

Whether they realize it, beginners pay the most attention to their hand movements, and as a teacher, I see it is evident. Watching their movement, I also see their heads turn so the hands can be seen. This is a DISCONNECT from their body. Faithful Classical Tai Chi must come from the core. Their eyes follow their hand postures, and they become disconnected from the body. Accurate Classical Tai Chi movements must instead come from the core, which drives the moves of the limbs. 

Classical Tai Chi is a complex movement practice. There is no route to quick learning and no shortcuts to take.  It's impossible to learn through intellectualizing the moves; you need to move the body repeatedly. There is no perfection to aim for; ask Master Stephen Hwa, who has been practicing for 50 years and says “…I am still learning…”.   

 

The young man asked:

 “Where are the people for this class”? 

I said: “They don’t want to do the work”!

There are many layers to unfold and practice; this all takes diligence, time, and patience. There is no rush. Your Tai Chi should be an enjoyable, rejuvenating, and meditative experience.  The journey is endless; we don't worry about reaching the mountain summit as the journey is much more fun.