How to Establish   Daily Tai Chi Practice   at Home

You deserve to have fun. Choose for Tai Chi to be a challenge and not a chore.

The journey awaits within, but you must take the steps.

Find a somewhat quiet and secluded space for your regular practice.

Take small steps to get started.  Shoot for ten minutes initially. Begin with the Bear for a few minutes while checking yourself with the principles and deepening your breathing.  Then do ten repetitions of the “Beginning” posture with the arms rising and falling, timed with your breath. Next, do a minimum of three repetitions of as much of the form as you can remember, again with the principles. Close with another ten repetitions of the “Beginning” posture. Gradually, let the time invested grow.

Set a specific, regular time to practice, preferably in the morning,
such as immediately after rising or just before your shower
or while the coffee is brewing or whatever.
The idea is that it is easier to establish a regular practice if you graft it onto something you are already doing every day rather than just trying to remember to squeeze it in sometime during your busy day. Print out the Beginners’ Footwork and the  Daily Practice Log.

The key is to make it your own, to have some fun with it and to find out when works best for you. If the morning doesn’t work for you, set aside some time just before lunch. Perhaps the evening is best for you. Set a regular time, but also be ready to improvise. Be open to serendipitous times and places to practice. 

Don’t worry or get discouraged if you miss a day of practice. You are learning not just Tai Chi postures, but also to practice daily. Every day is a new slate. And don’t expect perfection overnight.

Remember that Tai Chi is not about perfect balance. Rather, it is about learning to deal with the inevitable wobbles of life, both literally and figuratively. Therefore, every wobble, whether mental, physical or emotional is an opportunity to practice and to apply the principles.

Also, begin to incorporate the Tai Chi principles into your daily life. They are the key to your alignment with the laws and rhythms of nature.

To get started, write down a specific, personal list of things to remind you to check the principles, such as while waiting for a traffic light or in a line or during a computer download or whatever.

The words Tai Chi mean “the dynamic harmony of yin and yang” and this harmony is your birthright. Harmony with nature is all around us and inside us waiting to be uncovered and rediscovered. 

 

copyright © 2014 Warren D. Conner

 

wdconner@gmail.com                            703-759-9141

 

 

Photo Above:

Tidal Ripples, Northern Beach of the Sea of California, W. D. Conner