Tai chi and your comfort zone

I would say that many people who have never done tai chi feel uncomfortable giving it a try because they are not sure what it is all about. When you are in this frame of mind, I encourage you to suspend judgment and go to a class. You might be surprised.

Many of us are experts in one field or another and we are uncomfortable stepping out of that comfort zone. This holds us back from trying new things, like tai chi. Tai chi is all about releasing yourself from binding forces, essentially by learning to move differently.

My tai chi community is a welcoming one. Those in my particular community are open and generous. This is true much of the time wherever you go in the world. If you saw me practicing in the park with others and wanted to join in you would be welcome.

Some people think tai chi is a performance thing, where you get graded and might fail. This is far from the truth in my experience and approach. In China, my teachers love it when you try. They accept any effort at all. Whether you get it or not is only part of their concern. They might even think it’s their fault if you don’t.

What is important to know is that real tai chi is incredibly simple even while it is one of the most sophisticated forms of physical activity on the planet available to human beings. I encourage those who have thought about trying tai chi, or even have contacted a teacher, but never showed up for your first practice, not to let it be an issue of what you are comfortable with or not comfortable with.

Some people think tai chi is too hard, but I fear that is a reflection upon the person and not tai chi. Tai chi can be challenging if you seek deeper understanding of the principles, but the rewards for seeking are incalculable.