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My Tai Chi Roadmap

by Wendy Chia

It was my husband who wanted to take up Tai Chi and I simply tagged along, partly out of curiosity and partly for the fun of it. I was not aware exactly of the benefits of doing Tai Chi. To me, Tai Chi is a form of exercise and any exercise done correctly will bring wellness. I was curious to want to experience this form of 'martial art exercise' where so many elderly people are doing it despite I was not attracted to the ''slowness'' of Tai Chi. 

After a few months into my Tai Chi lessons, honestly, I found it quite boring. It was so difficult for me to remember the steps of each form including the names. That was when I kind of regret I have 37 forms to learn and memorise! It was a real challenge! So, whenever, it came Wednesday, I felt a little stressed because my mind was blanked as I simply could not recall the steps I'd learnt. At one point, I was considering whether to give up but decided against it. Today I am about 11 months into Tai Chi and I must say that I still have not managed to remember the flow of the 37 steps fully but subconsciously, it is getting better with consistent practice.

Learning Tai Chi requires lots of patience in order to see progress and improvement in the art itself and in overall wellness. Mastering the steps is one great challenge, doing it right is another even greater challenge. It is quite a lot to cope but with Master Chong's dedicated teaching and guidance, I realised that Tai Chi truly requires and trains one to practice mindfulness and to feel within us through each move. The effort is worth it!

I now visualize the day when fellow students and I execute all the moves smoothly, mindfully with absolute relaxation and feel the oneness with Tai Chi. Yeah! Congratulations to us all!!

December 2011

 

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