Many come to the feast, but few stay for the meal
26/06/2012 16:15
A student asked me the other day;
“Did I tell you about when K and I were pushing hands on the weekend?”
“No,” I said “Tell me.”
“Well, we were practicing the 3-3 stepping with the back of our wrists touching, listening for the “tell” and we were doing pretty good. At one point I had my eyes open but K didn’t and our wrists were not touching. I advanced and she moved back without direct contact. She opened her eyes and asked if I had felt “that”, and I told her that I had!”
It got to the point where even if just the hairs on the back of our wrists touched we could use that as the “tell” and move appropriately.
These two students have been training with me for less than two years. They are approaching a point where energy work is becoming “the norm” within their practices as opposed to just training from a physical perspective.
It is interesting and rewarding to watch because from the outside looking in I can see the monumental shifts in openness, awareness, sensitivity and knowledge that has taken place in such a relatively short period of time.
At Monday night class a couple of new students expressed some frustration in learning tai chi. I told them that frustration was a common emotion that beginners often feel but then asked why are you frustrated? I got a blank look at that point.
To be frustrated necessarily means that you have an expectation, and a judgement. Tai chi teaches us to drop expectations and judgements and focus in the now. Daily I use the phrase, “It is what it is.” Mentally this is a much better place to be!
Unfortunately most students can’t quite live in the now and that is why;
“Many come to the feast, but few stay for the meal.”
Peace
Rod
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