All in the Mind

Post date: 28-Jun-2019

'The mind bridges the vitality of the body and the spirit’

Getting to grips in one’s mind with the slow process of learning Taiji is a major factor that everyone, who takes the first step of this journey, has to accept from the outset. If not, negativity, frustration and an overwhelming sense that you will never ‘get it’ soon starts to creep in-sometimes as quickly as the first class! I have witnessed it so many times in classes I have attended over the years and, even more aware of it, having been running my own for 4 years now. In those early days of learning a teacher/instructor can be a great asset to keep you motivated but ultimately it is down to the individual. Taiji, like life, is a journey of self discovery.

It is not easy to drop into an established class but that is when a person’s mindset really plays a big part. Every class that I joined had already been up and running for quite a while but I just threw myself in and have never looked back. It was not until meeting Yuri and Ben that I fully understood, and appreciated, the depth of Taiji and I know that I have only just scratched the surface of the continual layers of each move. That alone keeps me motivated. I do my best to reassure people when they join a class that it does not matter where you start as the learning is a circle of continuous moves-when first starting Yuri’s classes I learnt the middle section first, the end and then the beginning of the form! Learning Taiji is mentally and physically challenging as most people soon find out and we just do it to the best of our ability, trying to eliminate our deviations on the way. As one gentleman said this week, “you never master Taiji as it never ends”. His mind has got to grips with it!

Workshops are a way of deepening your understanding and it is always nice to see so many people supporting them. It is great to have someone like Ben, whose knowledge and understanding spans many decades, lead these workshops. Again, you have to get the mind thinking differently-workshops are not the same as classes. Some people are put off by thinking we spend all that time doing Taiji but Ben has the gift of pacing the sessions so well-a gift of an excellent teacher. Get your mind round how very structured he is and you appreciate it even more! Thank you to all who came along to the last workshop-the feedback has been brilliant.

Summer Solstice blessings to you all

Mandy-Instructor