For those of us who have health conditions that give us chronic pain, we often hear ‘you have to learn to accept this’, ’well get over it’, or ‘don’t let your condition define you’. Hearing these phrases, (which usually come with no further deeper insights or explanations), when you are in unrelenting pain are triggers that cause bitterness, anger, and depression, as well as a deepening a sense of failure and increasing anxiety.

The result is people shut down and stop listening or participating. Many people who suffer from chronic pain conditions, just want relief from the pain and are not helped by a simple catch phrase; people with chronic pain need tools, and the understanding of how to use these tools, to help themselves. All people with chronic pain suffer at some level from anxiety and worry. The tools that reduce pain also reduce anxiety. The practice of the Taoist Tai Chi® arts addresses both perfectly. So what do we say?? How do we convey this understanding and help new people coming in to trust the process?

I think the first thing that needs to be said is that acceptance is not resignation.

We are not using the standard definition of acceptance which many understand to mean ‘just give up- this is your life from here on in’. We are not saying you must be resigned to this life of pain. Instead we asking people to understand that acceptance is looking at your condition and acknowledging that what you have done so far hasn’t worked; that by trying to focus on the short term, which for many of us is simply getting some relief from pain, might make you lose in the long term.

One example, is putting trust in a medication that relieves pain in the short term but gives terrible side affects in the long term. I am not saying that medication does not have its place. Many people must take daily medication to live, and shouldn’t be made to feel lesser because of it. Medication can be a good tool, but shouldn’t be the only tool.

This brings me to another aspect of our practice – the practice of self reflection. This helps us understand ourselves so much better. It helps us acknowledge when we may be looking for a quick fix – when what we really need is to make a change in our lifestyle. This is quite a different thing and quite a different relationship to have with medication, our health providers, our lifestyle choices and the other tools that help us live longer and live well.

I believe our practice invites us to take responsibility on a deeper level for our own health, which in turn makes us better patients for our primary health caregivers. They become part of our team, and as we take responsibility and become more empowered, we relieve some of their burden as well. I think this may have been the first lesson the directors gave us at the very beginning of COVID. Such an important message to share with participants.

I have been thinking a lot lately about the benefits that my practice has given me, and how to help others find these benefits for themselves. Preparing to welcome newcomers has really got me examining just what I can say to help people understand that these benefits come with a long-term commitment, and to not worry about learning the moves in the short term. Worry and anxiety take such a huge toll on our health and well-being, and worry is so universal… I doubt there is anyone in the world who can say they have never worried about something. Many carry chronic worry for years; little wonder that our mental, spiritual, emotional and physical health diminishes, particularly as we age.

Investing time in learning Taoist Tai Chi® arts, is beginning the journey for controlling the pain/anxiety cycle and bettering every day life in the long term. I think newcomers need to understand that their investment in time, their patience in persisting with something that may not give results immediately, is going to give them control over their health in ways they never could’ve dreamed. Sadness and anger are the friends of chronic pain; many, many chronic pain suffers take medications to also control their anxiety and depression which comes as a result of pain… pain which is constantly telling the brain ‘you are in danger!’

Our brains are hardwired to understand that pain is dangerous to our very life. Our brains go into a fight or flight mode which floods our bodies with hormones and chemicals, triggering anxiety which then feeds our pain. The cycle is endless and debilitating. What better tool than a system that addresses mental, emotional and physical pain? I am thinking that helping people understand the long-term gain that practising Taoist Tai Chi® arts will give them… well that is something to talk about! They need to hear words like ‘make it a habit’, ‘take control of your pain’, ‘this is a tool you can trust’, ‘this practice will not let you down’, ‘consistency of practice plus time is a formula for decreasing your pain’. It is putting power back in the hands of pain suffers who have been in a state of anxiety and loss for many years.

People who are already anxious and acutely sensitive due to chronic pain, will pick up on any worry or perceived judgement from us immediately. I have been thinking about how our positivity and the simple joy we take in our practice is the first step to interrupting the pain cycle in our participants. When we ask our participants who suffer chronic pain how they feel at the end of a session, and they reply, usually with a bit of surprise, that they feel better, we can plant the seed for how they can have give themselves the gift of this short term pain relief with daily practice on their own at home. Why wouldn’t you want to feel better every day and not just on the days when you attend a session?! We can help them understand that they may have setbacks, but if they trust in the process, they will come to understand that they are training their brains to learn that the pain they feel is not life-threatening. This will cut the flight or fight dynamic; there will be a reduction in that horrible state of chronic anxiety.

We are asking our participants to step into a daily practice that will teach their brains how to manage chronic pain, (whether it is mental, emotional or physical), which will in turn result in a better quality of life. Better function comes before pain reduction, and so we must be prepared to reassure our participants that with persistence of practice and with time, they will feel better. I think I can testify that you can have daily pain and have a good life as well, if you develop a consistent personal practice.

I may accept my pain, but I am not resigned to it!

When the pandemic arrived and NZ was in lockdown, because my work is in health information systems, the demands were frantic. I couldn’t practise without being interrupted by phone calls and after a while it became just “snatches” of practise. During the last year I hurt my back more frequently, damaged my knee and shoulder, and spent much time at physiotherapy. Finally I made the connection between the two. Now I don’t interrupt my practise to answer the phone. Because of the pain in my arm and shoulder I’m discovering how important simple things like hand position affect how much the shoulder moves and opens. Everything is connected. 

There have been a number of signposts in my Taoist Tai Chi® path that lead me to this point.

• First day – I told someone that the leader could not possibly have meant the example of alignment that was shown and pointed out. My body was not able to line up ankle, knee, hip and shoulder as shown and I thought the leader must be wrong because our bodies don’t do that. It was probably the first time in my life of awareness of my body movement.
• First local retreat before I had finished learning the movements. I felt like I was being swept around in the current of the room full of people turning, and discovery of a half step and weight shifting which we looked at over 2 days.
• Dropping down to a cupboard at home and realising that Taoist Tai Chi® practise changed the way I move in everyday life.
• Being able to remember the movements and doing my own practise at the end of each day during multi-day hikes. Taoist Tai Chi® practise in many remote places gave a sense of peace, calm, stillness and beauty within the set.
• Realisation that there is more to it than just body exercise.
• First national retreat – who were these people who were so excited about a place called Orangeville. It seemed to be a whole different, larger FLK world that I was not aware of until then (even though it had been talked about.)
• Being corrected because I didn’t attend a “training retreat” for leaders in training when I had been invited. A glimpse that there is behaviour etiquette and virtues that we practise.
• Becoming part of the branch governance and the gift and privilege of leading – delighting in people’s learning and thinking that watching them was almost like seeing a mirror. But not seeing further than that.
• First international retreat and repetition of one small movement for such a long time – dropping/opening the base of the spine and the sudden realisation that my arms were moving without any conscious intervention.
• Ongoing involvement and leadership at the branch and invitation to take on more responsibility in continuing leadership. Strengthening the connections with others in the local and national then international oraganization, and feeling that I was part of a family and a way of life.
• Asking about some specifics of the a particular movement foundation and being told that it was a mystery.
• Hearing Master Moy stories.
• Glimpses of understanding about the inherent opposites in the learning – yin and yang, soft and strong, drop and rise together and the circles that move throughout the moves.
• First retreat at Orangeville and practising many movements that felt like just one move afterwards at Toronto airport. The incredible and definite feeling of the energy within as if it is a separate almost physical movement both inside and outside of me at the same time.
• Being told to just “notice those feelings and move on” – letting go.
• Being asked to join the national board and take on further administrative responsibilities and learning that the more governance I was involved in the more open my practice felt.
• Responding to major mistakes made in a personal building project with calmness, clarity and compassion and deeply realising that Master Moy’s teachings also affect my character in a positive way.
• Developing stress related health issues due to pressures of work and experiencing an epiphany moment where my sadness and concern about this almost physically lifted out of me during practice on the deck at Orangeville. Accepting that I couldn’t know how that had happened but knowing that it had occurred and the anxiety was gone.
• Small groups at international retreats and realising that reflecting only what the international leader in training had demonstrated was much better for participants, and they improved more by emphasising a few simple points and letting them practise – just watching and not taking responsibility for their learning but leaving them alone more. Not being so emotionally involved when they get it or when they don’t, and learning to be more simple in instruction and say less.
• Being given a firm correction that I was not listening and attempting to be a better listener as a result of that.
• Reflecting how the international leaders in training will tell us a different way to do the moves and understanding that everything we have learned is in there and there is always more and deeper levels, no matter where we are in the journey – as long as our heart is in the right place we are on the path. Even though I am getting older there is a joy of knowing that his teachings help my neuroplasticity and gives me resilience and an attitude to embrace change.
• Even though Taoist Tai Chi® arts lifts my spirits, for me it is not my religious faith and I am grateful that FLK accepts participants at all levels and is willing to allow us all to learn and take into our hearts as much as we are willing and able to do. I know that this is a journey with no destination and am extremely thankful that it is being made available to me.

Due to recent health hurdles I cannot stress enough how Taoist Tai Chi® practice has helped and enriched my wellbeing and life.

Zoom discussions with members of the international board and leaders in training have been illuminating through these difficult times, for our branches and participants, and with their guidance we have committed to see ourselves through. They have encouraged us all to cultivate our minds and strengthen our bodies. They have discussed things we have heard before in sessions – ‘how does that feel’, ‘relax’ – and you know what, doing that at home without any performance anxiety, you can feel this and go deeper with the many intrinsic parts of just one move. As such, I have continued my physical and mental journey by relaxing my heart.

Every day is a new day and a chance for exploration of self, and through our Taoist Tai Chi® practice at home we can all do this. The benefits of joining Zoom sessions will enrich all aspects of your journey.

I’m coming to understand the role anxiety plays in my life. When I was pretty new to the organization, I’d sometimes go to a session after a particularly bad day at work. Like as not, the practice would feel clumsy. But by the end of the session, I’d notice that I was much less anxious. The tension must have been leaching out of me as the session was going on, but without me noticing as it was happening.

In the early days, my Leader in Training talked to us about Master Moy’s teachings, but despite her efforts I had very little concept of them. I see now that my understanding was limited in some obvious ways. Sure, the session is great for stress relief, but I didn’t really think about applying the principles outside of that. And I was forever assessing how well I was doing the practice.

The next stage was seeing how my anxiety dropped when I went to retreats. But that too was a story of substantial anxiety followed by big relief. And I was doubly concerned with how well I was doing the practice.

Now I recognize that anxiety has frequently been present- albeit to a smaller degree. And that it isolates me from other people. Even when the level of anxiety is modest, that lack of connection has a substantial impact on me and on the people around me.

Sometimes I bring anxiety on myself, and by acting differently in these situations I can reduce it little by little. Recently I needed to set up a discussion with a few people. It wasn’t supposed to happen for several days, so there wasn’t a pressing need to draw up a list of topics and send an invitation. In the past, I probably would have put it off- for any number of reasons- and would have figured, in the absence of obvious consequences, that waiting didn’t cost anything.

On this occasion, I gave myself a nudge to go ahead and send the topics and the invitation as a courtesy to the others. Right away, I noticed a feeling of relaxation. This tells me that in the past, when I had time to do a task but put it off, there has been an “anxiety cost”.

How is it that I’m only learning this now after so many years in the organization? During the pandemic there’s less clamor, so it’s easier to notice subtle things. And when people have talked about anxiety in the Saturday morning zoom sessions, that’s been very helpful- making me realize that just about everyone deals with anxiety; helping me understand that I need to work on it steadily and thereby reduce anxiety little by little, rather than expecting to conquer anxiety once and for all. For weeks I was thinking maybe the experience I cited with the meeting agenda was too trivial to share. But the Saturday morning discussions have also given me the sense that this is how it works: find a way to be 1% better, day after day.

Keď sa pozriem späť na posledný rok a pol, veľmi výrazne dokážem rozlíšiť tri oblasti alebo veci, ktoré som začal oveľa viac, intenzívnejšie vnímať:

1. 1. Na začiatku pandémie, keď sme ostali doma, som nemal žiadne obavy z toho, čo bude. Keď som si to uvedomil, prekvapilo ma to. Po hlbšom zamyslení sa nad tým som si uvedomil, že na obavy nie je dôvod. Rodina bola v poriadku, svoju prácu som dokázal robiť aj z domu a uvedomoval som si, že moje praktizovanie Taoistického Tai Chi nie je viazané na miesto a čas, v ktorom bežne chodím viesť naše stretnutia. Trénovať môžem kedykoľvek a kdekoľvek. Práve toto poznanie mi dodávalo pocit pokoja a istoty, že mám poklad, z ktorého môžem čerpať a žiadna pandémia ma nemôže obmedziť. Myslím, že práve táto analýza mi umožnila uvedomiť si vplyv dovtedajšieho tréningu na moju reakciu na pandémiu. Jednoducho som reagoval tak, ako keď na retreate dostávame inštrukcie, ktoré sa snažíme aplikovať, ale nie sme na ne fixovaní. Prijímame ich, pracujeme s nimi, ale zostávame flexibilní. A keď inštrukcii porozumieme, necháme ju ísť. Takto som asi podvedome pristupoval aj k zmenenej situácii – o.k., došlo k zmene, prijmi ju, prispôsob sa a choď ďalej. Fascinujúce je, že som to nepotreboval vedome analyzovať, jednoducho sa to udialo. Ak nemáte obavy, vaše okolie to vycíti a tiež nebude mať obavy.
      
      
   2. Veľmi skoro po začatí sobotňajších stretnutí s lídrami FLK som začal vnímať silný pocit jednoty a silu našej komunity. Dovtedajšie fyzické stretávanie s členmi a lídrami FLK na retreatoch, v centrách a na mítingoch boli síce osobné, ale menej časté. Možno práve preto človek nevnímal ten kontakt, hoci osobný, tak intenzívne. Ale teraz, keď sme sa nemohli fyzicky stretávať, ale začali sme sa stretávať pravidelne v online priestore, som začal vnímať všetku tú obrovskú snahu a energiu, ktorá bola vložená do toho, aby náš tréning zmysluplne pokračoval. A to ma zároveň naplnilo ešte väčšou dôverou v organizáciu a jej lídrov. Mám pocit, akoby sme predtým boli síce blízko, ale trochu oddelení a teraz sme síce navzájom ďaleko, ale viac spojení. Napadla mi taká paralela s časticami pevnej látky: ak sa častice dostanú k sebe navzájom príliš blízko, prevládajú odpudivé sily medzi nimi a keď sa príliš vzdialia, prevládajú medzi nimi príťažlivé sily. Tieto silové interakcie umožňujú látke existovať v pevnom skupenstve.
      
      
   3. Pravidelný kontakt s chantingom počas sobotňajších stretnutí mi umožnil zväčšiť hĺbku vlastného tréningu. Už to nie je len teória alebo niečo výnimočné, s čím sa stretneme iba niekoľkokrát do roka na retreatoch. Stáva sa súčasťou tréningu rovnako ako vykonávanie fyzických pohybov. Je to ako pridať ďalší kamienok do veľkej mozaiky, čím sa celkový obraz s názvom „praktizovanie umení Taoistického Tai Chi“ stáva zreteľnejším a nadobúda novú kvalitu a hodnotu.

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Looking back on the last year and a half, I can very clearly distinguish three areas or things that I have begun to perceive much more, more intensively:

1. At the beginning of the pandemic, when we stayed at home, I had no worries about what would happen. When I realized that, I stayed surprised. After thinking more deeply about it, I realized that there was no reason to worry. The family was fine, I was able to do my job from home, and I realized that my Taoist Tai Chi® practice was not tied to the place and time I normally go to teach sessions. I can train anytime and anywhere. It was this knowledge that gave me a sense of peace and security; the knowledge that I have a treasure from which to draw, and no pandemic can limit me.
   I think it was this analysis that allowed me to realize the impact of the training so far on my response to the pandemic. I simply reacted as if we were given instructions at a retreat, which we try to apply, but we are not fixed on them. We accept them, we work with them, but we remain flexible. And when we understand the instruction, we let it go. This is probably how I subconsciously approached the changed situation. It was like “O.k., there’s a change, so accept it, adapt to it and move on”. The fascinating thing is that I didn’t need to consciously analyze it, it just happened. If one’s not worried, her/his surroundings will feel it and will not be worried either.
   
   
2. Very soon after Saturday’s meetings with the FLK leaders started I began to perceive a strong sense of unity and strength in our community. Before the pandemic situation, physical meetings with FLK members and leaders at workshops, centers, and meetings were personal but less frequent. Maybe that was why one didn’t perceive the contact, albeit personal, so intensively. But now when we couldn’t meet physically but started meeting regularly in the online space, I began to perceive all the tremendous effort and energy that was put into making our training continue meaningfully. And this filled me with even more confidence in the organization and its leaders.
   I feel as if we used to be close, but a bit separated, and now we are far apart, but more connected. As a parallel, an image of the particles the solid matter consists of emerged in my mind: if the particles get too close to each other, repulsive forces prevail between them, and when they move too far away, attractive forces prevail between them. These force interactions allow the substance to exist in a solid-state.  
   
   
3. Regular contact with chanting during Saturday’s meetings allowed me to increase the depth of my training. It is no longer just a “theory” or something exceptional, which we met during retreats only a few times per year. It becomes part of the training like 108 moves. It’s like adding more stones to a large mosaic, making the whole picture called “The Art of Taoist Tai Chi® practice” clearer, giving it a new quality and value.

I was caught in the turbulence of anger, anxiety and fear about something I could do nothing about. At one point I acted rudely. Then I experienced the effect on my body, feeling unwell and very tired. I was ashamed of my actions. I didn’t think I was susceptible to such strong emotions.

Taoist Tai Chi® practice, including chanting, helped me and my body return to calm. I reflected on the virtues, especially sense of shame as it connects to filial piety. Would I have acted thus if my parents or Master Moy had been present? The practice and discipline of meditation is also becoming more important. I thought of the reminder, ‘don’t go there’, using it over and over again but in a soft way, gently letting go. This is a hopeful and balancing work in progress.

Today at the All Souls Festival chanting on Zoom I was overwhelmed by emotion.

During the Three Seasons Scripture, Repentance and Lighting Ceremony sutra, I thought of how grateful I was that Master Moy Lin Shin had brought these teachings and formed this organization to help us. Every time I thought of him my voice would break and tears came streaming down. I felt connected to our source and ever so grateful that he was always there.

I am going through a stressful and chaotic time of change. The release while seeking reconciliation was what I needed. I was so happy to take part in the Festival For All Souls online as in previous years I gained so much by attending in Calgary. The leader’s beautiful voice taped for the online chanting was a comfort to follow along with in the chanting. I know I will always have a family in Taoist Tai Chi® arts wherever I go.

Die Taoist Tai Chi® Künste zu üben, hat mich zu meinem innersten Inneren gebracht. Ich habe während vieler Jahre viel Trauer mit mir herumgetragen. Das tägliche Üben während der letzten zwei Jahre hat es mir möglich gemacht, meine Trauer und meine Wut über den Verlust meiner Tochter, die ich bei einem Unfall mit einem Auto verloren habe, loszulassen.

Auch das Chanting an den Samstagen und die Gespräche helfen mir. Obwohl ich in Englisch nicht viel verstehe, verstehe ich viel mit meinem Herzen. Ich habe viele Verletzungen und körperliche Schwierigkeiten davon getragen vom Unfall. Diese werden durch das Üben der Taoist Tai Chi® Künste immer weniger. Dafür bin ich sehr dankbar.

Darum bleibt mir nur noch herzlichen Dank für Alles zu sagen!

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Practicing the Taoist Tai Chi® arts has brought me to the innermost part of myself. I was carrying a lot of grief with me for many years. The daily practice during the past two years has allowed me to let go of the anger and grief I felt about the loss of my daughter through an accident with a car.

Also the chanting on Saturdays and the talks help me. Although I do not understand a lot of English, I understand a lot with my heart. I have many injuries and physical difficulties from the accident. They are getting fewer and fewer through the practice of the Taoist Tai Chi® arts. I am very grateful for this.

So all I can say is a heartfelt thank you for everything!

Over the last year, it has become part of my thinking to look at myself in a calmer manner, with more distance from my emotions. The mutual respect I saw and felt during the Saturday sessions helped me a lot in many ways. I started to open up, practicing and building self confidence and trust. I see that I have changed, and it is great pleasure not wishing it, but to feel it in myself.

Now that the reopening has started, I recognized how much I tire myself out during the sessions. When I am leading, I can get annoyed when someone does not pay attention. I also did too much thinking after the session of what I could have done better. On the other hand, by being a participant at a session I tired myself out by watching, evaluating other people and myself. In the first month of the reopening, I caught myself looking for achievements. I was sad as I felt losing the calmness, self-confidence and softness of my practice during the lockdown.

So, I reflected on how I did things and how I felt. I made a decision to aim on not to tire myself out. As LITs we got clear instructions during the Saturday talks on how to lead a session. I take part in a group where we tell the stories of the Saturday sessions in Hungarian. There the task is so clear to pass on the talks. So, I decided to try this attitude when leading a session.

I reflected on what helped me to progress during the last two years. Firstly, I identified the trust in the organization and in his teachings. Secondly a feeling of an individual journey arose in me, a feeling of hope, lightness and freedom opened up. These feelings came from my experiences during many events where changes happened, like All Souls festival, listening to Saturday talks or working with other LITs in group.

I tried to prepare Saturday topics for the session and then I told the story as it was without hesitation. I also tried to think of the participants’ 10-year long term Taoist Tai Chi® journey and how I can help it. When I could practice these, I saw that my tasks became straight forward and few. There was more freedom, less control and worry. The session becomes restful this way.

As part of this slow shift in my LIT practice, my personal practice became more natural and deeper. I use curiosity to try what I saw during the session or to test the instructions myself. Somehow details get less important. My focus is not to tire myself out with thinking and trying, but to stay open. I started to enjoy the opening in my palms. Other times when my movements are stiff, I can reach back more easily to the trust of the FLK community.

I still have a hard time applying this lighthearted approach of resting during the sessions when being a participant, though I am searching for it. Maybe I could look for a restful feeling for the group, not for myself. I keep searching, and I am grateful for the advice to write reflections.

The chanting sessions and discussion have been so helpful during this pandemic time. By hearing the importance of self practice every week, I too was able to make it a habit. I practiced regularly before but the practice then had a quality of “doing out of duty”. Now I allow myself to be more playful with it. I try to listen to what I am in the mood for practicing and do that.

Sometimes it is all the movements, sometimes just a few or the foundations. I practice multiple times a day. Sometimes for shorter, and sometimes longer periods. I also pay more attention to the feeling. It is not yet automatic, I often have to remind myself to let go but when I notice that I have been tense, it is easier to change and be more relaxed.

I very much appreciate the regular opportunities to practice chanting. I feel myself more connected with others through chanting and enjoy not having to think and just doing it. Chanting helps physically and emotionally as well. The common focus of helping others during this time makes me feel that I can also contribute in some way. The texts are getting more and more familiar with practice and it is easier to follow along. I also enjoy learning about the culture behind the chanting and the ceremonies and how it connects to other parts of the training.

With the many meetings between the countries and the leadership my understanding and trust have grown towards the organization. I feel more connected to others and it is easier to work together. In the administration and also in my daily work I feel I am more engaged and more focused. I still have to let go of the worry and expectations more but by hearing the experiences of others and by being consistent with my practice I hope that this will come eventually. I am really grateful for this period and the opportunities that the directors have given us to grow. It is not always easy but I can feel the changes and will hopefully feel even more.

Trust has become the key word for me over the past year. When the pandemic started I joined the Zoom sessions on Saturdays. I only understood few sentences, but they were very clean, simple and powerful. Don’t worry. Let it go. Trust the directions. I was there almost every weekend, listened to these sentences and I enjoyed the chanting and seeing familiar faces. I couldn’t only see this community but I could feel it. I felt more and more that the Board trusts the people, the teachings, so the trust grew in my heart too.

As a result of this the trust helps me in my everyday life. Decisions are faster and easier. It is easier to let things go, and to do what I can. I have left my job and I homeschool my child to teach her to read, write and count. But not only did she learn and practise, so did I. I practised patience and consistency. After a while I was less worried, and I understood better the discussions on Saturdays.

Nowadays when I am practicing, I also trust in my body better, so I can find feelings like naturalness, calming down. So I think if we find a positive and strong feeling in our hearts it will lead us to find other good feelings in our hearts and in our life.

Han sido muchas las cosas vividas en esta pandemia, intentaré nombrar algunas.

Personalmente, la práctica del Taoist Tai Chi®, reuniones, cantos, junto a las traducciones de los sábados y personas que habéis estado de alguna manera, puedo decir que sabía el día en que vivía porque estabais ahí.

Beneficios:

Lo mejor ha sido, la comprensión, sólo el uno por hoy.

Si no prácticas, tranquila. Empieza de nuevo.

Y he pasado por todo ello.

Dejar ir, no solo los brazos, o el cambio de peso, o al bajar con el don-yu. También implica soltar complejos, culpas, frustraciones, enfados, rencores. Soltar rigideces.

Beneficios:

Dejarme sentir, sin intervenir, sin juzgar, simple.

He ganado, en suavidad, más internamente que quizá en el exterior.

Aceptar los cambios por los que debido al clima, la salud, edad, circunstancias, etc. Vivirlos con la máxima tranquilidad y paz posible, sin reproches ni exigencias, a los que soy muy dada.

Es muy grato, y enriquecedor en conjunto la experiencia que estamos viviendo.

No cabe duda, que mi manera de ver la vida, se ha ampliado mucho.

Vengo de una religión fuerte e intensa, la católica.

En ella, desde que era niña, describían el cielo, y a Dios, como algo infinito, que por mucho trabajo, nunca llegaremos al final.

Bueno, las artes del Taoist Tai Chi® me han enseñado que esto es así. Ya que desde la primera clase hace 17 años a lo que ahora sé….

Y lo que me queda por experimentar, me da la respuesta a ese infinito que aprendí siendo muy niña. Estoy muy agradecida de pertenecer a esta organización.

Y en la espera de nuevos reencuentros todos juntos. Seguiré reencontrándome como hasta ahora.

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There have been many things lived in this pandemic. I will try to name a few.

Personally, because of Taoist Tai Chi® practice, meetings, chanting, along with the Saturday discussions and people who have been there in some way, I can say that I knew the day I was living because you were there.

Benefits:

The best thing has been understanding just the one for today.

If you don’t practice, don’t worry. Start again.

And I’ve been through it all.

Letting go, not just the arms, or the weight change, or going down with the don-yu. It also involves letting go of complexes, guilt, frustrations, anger, resentment. Letting go of rigidities.

Benefits:

Letting myself feel, without intervening, without judging, simple.

I have gained in softness, more internally than perhaps externally.

Accept the changes due to the weather, health, age, circumstances, etc. To live them with the maximum tranquility and peace possible, without reproaches or demands, to which I am very inclined.

The experience we are living is very pleasant and enriching as a whole.

There is no doubt that my way of seeing life has expanded a lot.

I come from a strong and intense religion, the Catholic religion.

In it, since I was a child, Heaven and God were described as something infinite, that no matter how hard we work, we will never reach the end.

Well, Taoist Tai Chi® arts has taught me that this is so. Since the first session 17 years ago to what I know now.

And what I have left to experience gives me the answer to that infinity that I learned as a child.

I am very grateful to belong to this organization. And while I am waiting for new reunions all together, I will continue to meet again as I have done so far.

Este año y medio de pandemia, a pesar de lo duro que haya sido y siga siendo, ha sido bueno para mi práctica del Taoist Tai Chi®. Hasta este año, mi práctica se reducía a  las sesiones que yo lideraba y recibía. Sin embargo, durante todo este tiempo he estado practicando en solitario y, aunque me encantan las sesiones, la práctica en solitario ha sido muy enriquecedora. Estoy aprendiendo a ser más observadora, a la vez que me está permitiendo profundizar en los movimientos y encontrar mi ritmo.

A través de todos estos años, la práctica del Taoist Tai Chi® me ha sido súper beneficiosa y soy consciente de la mejoría física que he tenido, porque no he necesitado medicación para el dolor.

También, este año he tenido la oportunidad, gracias a los cantos de los sábados, de familiarizarme con ellos al poder practicarlos casi cada semana. Los cantos me han enseñado a dejarme llevar, a que no me importe tanto el cómo sale, simplemente disfrutar y eso después me ha servido para aplicarlo a los movimientos.

Las charlas semanales con los líderes en formación, tanto de mi rama como las de las otras ramas, han hecho que sienta la conexión que tenemos entre todos y a aprender de ellos y con ellos.

Algo que voy trabajando día a día es en ser mejor persona y que lo importante es el ahora.

Doy gracias a la organización por hacerme sentir respaldada en todo momento y aunque me gustaría retomar las sesiones, sólo me ocupo en mejorar mi práctica del Taoist Tai Chi®. Sé que eso será beneficioso en las futuras sesiones. 

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This year and a half of pandemic, as hard as it has been and continues to be, has been good for my Taoist Tai Chi® practice. Until this year, my practice was reduced to sessions, which I led and took. However, during all this time I have been practicing alone and, although I love the sessions, the solo practice has been very enriching. I am learning to be more observant, at the same time it is allowing me to go deeper into the movements and find my rhythm.

Through all these years, Taoist Tai Chi® practice has been super beneficial to me and I am aware of the physical improvement I have had, because I have not needed pain medication.

Also, this year I have had the opportunity, thanks to the Saturday chanting, to familiarize myself with them by being able to practice them almost every week. The chanting has taught me to let myself go, to not care so much about how it comes out, just enjoy it and that has helped me to apply it to the movements.

The weekly talks with the leaders in training, both from my branch and the other branches, have made me feel the connection that we all have with each other and learn from them and with them.

Something that I am working on day by day is to be a better person and that the important thing is now.

I thank the organization for making me feel supported at all times and although I would like to resume sessions, I only focus on improving my Taoist Tai Chi® practice. I know that will be beneficial in future sessions.