tai chi

My 3rd tai-chi session tonight was definitely more fluid and encouraging. Admittedly, during my first class, I was overwhelmed with all of the detailed forms and movements. I wondered if this was ever going to be an enjoyable experience and questioned my enrollment. How did I end up here? Well, after downing a few drinks at Champs, my friend talked me into joining his tai-chi class. It piqued my wife's interest, since she had been looking to take some sort of class to broaden her horizons. Plus, it gives us a chance to do something together. So, we drive 40 minutes to the teacher's house, which is located in the rural boondocks of south Jersey. The driveway is a long winding dirt road that knifes into the darkness with a Blair Witch aesthetic. Cars are parked between a spacious two story house and a large shed. You can easily imagine people getting whacked and stacked in this shed...but in fact its a martial arts studio where 10-12 mainly caucasian people are inside letting their "chi" flow. I begin to wonder if there's going to be any added pressure on us to excel since we're asian...and they're not.

Now, I'm not a real spiritual person, but I'd like to think of myself as open-minded. Cynical...but open-minded. So I try to listen as this 50 year old harley davidson biker type of dude tries to explain the energy flow of one's chi. Its all very abstract and foreign to me. Beforehand, my wife wondered if I had the discipline to do it. She also thinks that some Americans struggle with martial arts because they don't see it as a way of life but solely as a practical means of defense or combat. I suppose the "Eastern" philosophy behind it is more innate to Asians born in Asia. During my first class, I ended up focusing so much on following the movements that I lost track of the meaning. I haven't felt the "chi" yet- which is often a warm sensation or tingling at the fingertips. Maybe there's a disconnect between my mind, body and spirit.

The classes are also a stark contrast from how I work out. I'm a gymrat, and my workouts are pure speed and physicality - running and lifting hard (I guess with little thought or spirituality behind it haha). So its a real change of pace, when I'm engaged in these slow-motion movements that are supposed to flow rather than being forced or muscled over. But, I've been told that it takes a while for many people to get comfortable with it. Of course, my wife picks it up right away. The Chinese master who runs the school or ("sifu" as he is called) chalks it up to her being asian. Then he turns to me and jokes, "What's your excuse?" Hey man, I'm filipino.

I think I've made some definite strides tonight in understanding the actual methods and as a result, my movements have felt less mechanical and more naturally fluid. As I tell sifu that I'm picking it up better, he offers me some words of encouragement, and says "See, I told you...its in your blood."