Why do we practice Tai Chi, Qigong, Meditation or Yoga?
It may be for a number of reasons: improved health, de-stress, enhance concentration, social or simply just something to past the time away, but whatever the reason it is all good and dandy.
But why not swimming, computer games, watching movies or a thousand other choices you could choose from. For some of you the above reasons might well be enough, but for others I believe there is something within us that makes us choose these arts and to seek for more, whether it’s consciously or subconsciously.
For those who seek, as it certainly was for me, there is often an unknown undercurrent driving us into these arts that our intuitive awareness deep down in our subconscious is steering us towards. Remember these arts are very specific and profound activities to choose. It may well be for reasons listed above but for me these reasons are more likely to be superficial ones.
For me these arts are a gateway into a greater understanding of who I am, my psychological conditioning, behaviours and my bodily energetics which is the driving force behind it all. The above reasons mentioned are just merely the side effects of the art, not the art itself.
Tai Chi and similar activities align our bodies, opens up our joints, increases energy flow through our channels and sinews, making our bodies physically healthier and more efficient. Performing the sets or movements in time with the breath and using a highly refined level of ting (awareness), you can expand the sensations of our normal senses and open the spirit gates of awareness. For this to happen we also need a certain amount of intense focus which increases our concentration skills, consequently freeing our minds from the normalities and the emotional conditioning of our lives.
From here these skills developed by continuous practice, gives us an opportunity that many others may never get to experience. Once the decision has been made to take these arts beyond foundational expectations is where the real beauty manifests itself into our awareness. The skills developed allow us the opportunity to taste the fruits of all possibilities of the self, self-realisation and beyond.
Power phasing a Zen saying ‘All paths lead up the mountain’. We may take different paths and these paths may take different times to complete, but once we have reached the top the view is always the same. All the skills gained all lead to the skill of being in ‘stillness’, ‘emptiness’, where the mind, body and spirit unifies as one and the ever expanding oneness that is and only is, which cannot be born or die.
As a teacher I can only point to the direction of this ‘empty awareness’, unfortunately I can’t create it for you, you have to choose but I can guarantee the discoveries along the way are priceless.
At the end of a Zen sangha sitting practice, we all chant in unison the ‘Evening Gatha’ in which the end phrases are as follows:
“time swifty passes by and opportunity is lost,
AWAKEN,
take HEED,
do not squander your LIFE”
I sincerely hope you had a fantastic Christmas with family, friends and love ones and are about to enjoy the new year festivities.
Hopefully see you all on Tuesday 4th January 2022.
Lots of love and gratitude
Barry xx
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