When I looked at the clock and saw that we were a half hour over regular class time I kind of smiled and realized everyone must be having a good time.

Last night we worked on making our forms come alive.

It is not enough to just be able to complete the forms with balance and precision one must have their form come alive with energy.

So to that end, we had the students prepare for incoming “attacks” and they had to defend using techniques found within the 16 forms. At first the techniques were slow and cumbersome as the students tried to find what was required in order for the technique to actually work on an opponent. Eventually they were able to use the join, neutralize, control and advance concepts using a single technique and then soon after that they got into the grove and multiple techniques were coming alive!

The energy in the studio was alive and I heard lots of aha’s as techniques started to click and there was the echo of laughter as we all played Taiji.

Students should always be looking at the forms to see what else they can see, learn and bring into their practice. (Those who question well, learn well)

A few months ago some seeds were planted.
As of last night, I can see shoots starting to break the surface.

Peace
Rod