The Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter of your Taiji.

I have been patiently waiting for the next topic for my blog to reveal itself, life has a rhythm of its own and I have learned to accept its flow rather than to try to force it. Once again inspiration revealed itself through my students, and so after a few months of quietness here I am.

Over the years my classes have attracted an eclectic bunch of colourful individuals and so each class is always different, always fun and always shaped by who walks through the door. On this particular evening we welcomed two new students back to Taiji after long breaks from practice. There was both poise and grace in their movements, and they had both clearly loved the art. There were reasons behind their long absence from practice, fate had drawn them to my class and it got me thinking about my own journey.

Needless to say, I am much older and wiser now having made so many mistakes in my practice, and I have learned to accept that life has a flow and rhythm of its own. Just like the seasons in nature, we too must learn to accept that there are seasons to our lives and therefore to our practice…

Spring is the promise of new beginnings, new knowledge and it is where we start our journey. Your first nervous class in which you try to remember which hand and foot is right or left as you try desperately hard to learn the movements. For some, this is the season in which they end their Taiji journey. Unable to accept their own perceived failings. Taiji is too slow, too hard or does nothing for them. Unfortunately, many students just can’t let go of their fast lives and their even faster minds. However, there are also some who begin to feel the fragile beginnings of an excited connection to Taiji. To these individuals training quickly blossoms into once or twice a week with a little bit of practice at home. Spring brings hope but it also brings frustration. This is the season to embrace the mystery of knowing nothing in order to allow your Taiji to begin to blossom.  

Then comes Summer. Taiji classes have now become Taiji and Qigong classes and are now integral to the flow of a busy life. The thirst for knowledge has become intoxicating as you hoard every book, YouTube clip and opportunity to train. Every morning and every night are begun with joyful practice as you thirst to remember sequences and weapons forms. The garage has now become your training hall and it is decorated with gym equipment including a punchbag! This is the season when you are drawn towards everything Taiji, it is not just Taiji it is now Taiji quan. In your mind you are an explosive martial artist on the path to enlightenment. This is a season for energetic agile bodies because as fun as this season can be, it is also littered with dangers that can hinder and, in some cases, end the Taiji journey. Train too hard too quickly and the body can begin to break down. Incorrect postures and hidden tension develop into sore backs and painful knees. Injuries begin to plague the journey and the mind can become clouded by ego. Enjoy the summer months of your growth but don’t stand in the sun for too long, as your Taiji risks becoming brittle and lifeless like the baked earth, and your body will begin to wither in the heat of compulsive practice.

Autumn belongs to the wise. This is the season in which you have recognised your mistakes, learned from them and have realised their importance. You have travelled too far and trained too much in order to be considered a ‘new bud’ of Spring, your season in the sun was fun and has conditioned and hardened your body and mind. You have recognised that Taiji is more than a physical exercise and requires something much deeper in order to continue to grow. Autumn is a time of patience and a time of balance. Training is gently adjusted and balanced between physical, mental and spiritual practice. You possess no over-hyped ideas of where you are or what you are doing, and your teacher is able to remind you that you are still a student with much to learn. For me, Autumn is the sweet spot in which you train in manner as to be in balance with life and yourself. This is the time to focus on remaining grounded, practice humility and to remain open to learn anything that life, or that your teacher throws at you.

Finally, there is Winter. Taiji remains dormant during these harsh times as you practice just enough to survive, or in the case of my two new students, the love for this most beautiful of arts has been momentarily squashed. This is a season full of challenge and it will test your Taiji’s determination to survive. I am forever reminding my students that Taiji is a state of mind and that life will occasionally break your rhythm. Winter has its own beauty and its own importance in your Taiji journey, because it reminds you to appreciate the details of Taiji and of life. These are the enforced breaks that your Taiji journey will pass through, consider them a time to reflect and an opportunity to rest as you prioritise another aspect of your life.

I have experienced each and every season of Taiji and it is my hope that I will continue to visit each of them. Nature exists in a state of balance and an endless cycle of seasons. In order for life to thrive all of the seasons must be given their time to exist. The same is true of Taiji. The secret to this journey that we are travelling is recognising the season in which you are travelling the Taiji path and then adjusting accordingly. Don’t spend too long existing in just one state of practice. It is okay to be reminded of how little you know and it is okay to embrace with enthusiasm those periods of hard focused training. Embrace those Autumn months as a time to strengthen and deepen your understanding. Finally, when Winter visits your journey don’t be afraid of doing nothing, because doing nothing is still doing something when travelling the Taiji path. Staying on the path is the essence of Taiji, it is the beating heart of our journey, and it is a journey that begins beneath your feet and continues with each step. Be Taiji!