By Derek Croley of
Tai Chi Made Simple, and
The White Oak Institute.
Let’s begin with the concept of mental balance and connection. To be balanced, you must understand the three main balance connections
1) The logical and emotional mind connection
2) The conscious and subconscious mind connection
3) The past and future mind connection
You must strive to achieve balance logically and emotionally, consciously and subconsciously, and with your past and future. Do not think that you must be perfect in any of these things- but get to work on the path to balance. After all, isn’t perfect a matter of perception and opinion anyway? Isn’t enlightenment simply the ability to see- not to be “perfect”? If you try to be perfect you will always fall short of what you are truly after- improvement in the direction that your goals should take you.
Now let’s discuss the concept of mental connection. This is the idea that not only is your mind attached to itself, it is also attached to the rest of you. How it works is like this:
1) your body is controlled by your chi,
2) your chi is controlled by your mind, and
3) your mind is controlled by your spirit.
This series of relationships is extremely important for you to recognize. The idea of explaining it this way is to present the notion that your body, mind, and spirit are not separate things- there is you and you are comprised of all of these different aspects.
Well, believe it or not, this focus tool will become a focus for your mind, then your chi will follow it, and finally your body will follow your chi. As we will discuss later, this concept is extremely, extremely important in terms of getting Tai Chi or any other Martial Art right.
Let’s begin with the concept of mental balance and connection. To be balanced, you must understand the three main balance connections
1) The logical and emotional mind connection
2) The conscious and subconscious mind connection
3) The past and future mind connection
You must strive to achieve balance logically and emotionally, consciously and subconsciously, and with your past and future. Do not think that you must be perfect in any of these things- but get to work on the path to balance. After all, isn’t perfect a matter of perception and opinion anyway? Isn’t enlightenment simply the ability to see- not to be “perfect”? If you try to be perfect you will always fall short of what you are truly after- improvement in the direction that your goals should take you.
Now let’s discuss the concept of mental connection. This is the idea that not only is your mind attached to itself, it is also attached to the rest of you. How it works is like this:
1) your body is controlled by your chi,
2) your chi is controlled by your mind, and
3) your mind is controlled by your spirit.
This series of relationships is extremely important for you to recognize. The idea of explaining it this way is to present the notion that your body, mind, and spirit are not separate things- there is you and you are comprised of all of these different aspects.
Well, believe it or not, this focus tool will become a focus for your mind, then your chi will follow it, and finally your body will follow your chi. As we will discuss later, this concept is extremely, extremely important in terms of getting Tai Chi or any other Martial Art right.
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