Relax and let go
Posted by Fiona Anderson. on Saturday, May 11, 2013
Just got my mitts on a lovely new tai chi book - "The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi". While it is a scientific study of tai chi's health benefits, it's written in a style which presupposes a science background, along with a tai chi background. So I'm thinking I may take use some of the ideas to spark of my own ideas and maybe go off at tangents, to explain what I think in more readable terms.
My very first thought is that people need to relax, due to modern lifestyles causing stress and poor posture. To get good at tai chi you definitely need to relax. This is not as simple as it sounds, since many clients start with performance anxiety. People worry about how they're doing, if they're making mistakes, are they being watched while making those mistakes. Well, the chinese saying is "invest in loss", which roughly means you need to make mistakes in order to learn. So don't stress about getting it wrong, that's all part of the process. Instead enjoy the feel of the movements, and eventually you will stop worrying about your mistakes - you will make them, accept them, and move on knowing you have achieved something. This will free you up mentally and make learning new stuff easier and more enjoyable.
In tai chi "relax" has a particular meaning - the chinese word "sung" means "relax and let go", so you're not just relaxed, you're that bit further sunk down into your relaxation. Sounds peculiar, but your instructor will show you how to do it very easily...
My very first thought is that people need to relax, due to modern lifestyles causing stress and poor posture. To get good at tai chi you definitely need to relax. This is not as simple as it sounds, since many clients start with performance anxiety. People worry about how they're doing, if they're making mistakes, are they being watched while making those mistakes. Well, the chinese saying is "invest in loss", which roughly means you need to make mistakes in order to learn. So don't stress about getting it wrong, that's all part of the process. Instead enjoy the feel of the movements, and eventually you will stop worrying about your mistakes - you will make them, accept them, and move on knowing you have achieved something. This will free you up mentally and make learning new stuff easier and more enjoyable.
In tai chi "relax" has a particular meaning - the chinese word "sung" means "relax and let go", so you're not just relaxed, you're that bit further sunk down into your relaxation. Sounds peculiar, but your instructor will show you how to do it very easily...
