6 Techniques to DEVELOP YOur FLOW IN TAI CHI
Flow is an evasive concept in Tai Chi, and one that teachers often talk about as though it will simply occur at some point, like a credit card bill in the post. But it doesn't necessarily just “appear”. I’ve seen too many “masters” that have about as much flow as a water pipe during a drought.
“Flow”needs to be teased out, prised open, encouraged to emerge and then left to play. But what is this vague concept that you need to entice into the open and how can you develop it?
The teapotmonk presents: The 6 concepts for finding better flow. And if that is not enough, an invite to check out a special workshop on how to put these ideas into action.
1. DEVELOP FLOW VIA Ligament Strength:
This may seem obvious, but you need to work on holding those tai chi postures, gently moving through the transitions and trying to slow down. They won't strengthen with speed, you'll need to take it easy. Going slow and working on eccentric exercises will help. You can read more about how to do that in this article. And that's what we are trying to encourage. It’s a process that allows the ligaments and tendons in the ankles, the knees and the hips to get stronger and enable you in time to glide, rather than stumble from move to move.
2. DEVELOP FLOW WITH Movement and Breath:
Leave your breath to move as it wishes. Don’t force it, but rather listen to it and learn to follow it. If movement and breath are out of sync you can tell easily: Your movements will be fragmented and you will always shift from one position to another like kangaroo rather than a dolphin. Think of John Saxon in Enter the Dragon or Chuck Norris in Way of the Dragon, both symbolised the art of fragmentation in contrast to the movements of Bruce Lee.
3. DEVELOP FLOW BY BeING HERE now:
Apologies for the cliche, but really, your teacher can tell if you are thinking about the next episode of Peaky Blinders rather than the next posture. Focus o the moment! I’ve said it before, don’t drift off into a meditative state nor try and astrally project yourself to Elon Musk’s settlement on Mars. Stay in the here and now: that is your challenge. (Mine is to stop using cliches)
4. DEVELOP FLOW IN Stillness:
In order to find flowing movement, look to the quality of stillness. It may seem a contradiction, but it is only in stillness that our minds quieten and the nonsense bubbles to the surface. When it arises, let it go, note it and then let it slip-slide away. Glide on and begin to listen…
5 DOn’t get lost in THE Echoes of others
When you have found your stillness, when the mind is quiet and the nonsense is far away, you will hear your own voice becoming clearer and clearer. The nonsense that makes up the echos of our mind, and the instructions from our teachers begin to fade, only when we are quiet. (Warning - don’t listen to just me either...always listen to yourself!) . Once more, when you practice, just practice. Don't get distracted by stuff.
6 DEVELOP FLOW BY LaughING and PlayING
If we study too much, we only become stiff and unyielding. We loose our ability to be flexible. When we play, we embrace flexibility. We experiment and taste the pleasures of both success and failure - two sides to the equation of learning. When we let go of "trying to be good or successful " and just "do" we live in the moment and we laugh and we play with whatever outcome arises. And in those moments, we discover the torrent of energy within us to glide over the obstacles of life.
This is why I have created a series of workshops for Tai Chi beginners to practice at home. Each workshop draws on another way of learning, focusing on play rather than study. Find out more here
Discover all the ways to Develop Flow in this special workshop from the mOnk
This article appears as part of the extensive Tai Chi Workshop on Building Flow. You can see all the unique learn-at-home workshops here
