My Wandering Chi

I recently switched from a yoga class to a Tai Chi class, and this could make all the difference. This could be the one that sticks. I loved my yoga teacher, but the class didn’t stick. There were a number of reasons why it didn’t stick, such as the extra time of driving to and fro, driving after dark in winter weather, and the early evening time of day. I loved the circle of protection movements and the inspirational quotations by Cheri Huber. I loved the idea of warrior poses and I loved goddess pose and almost all the twisting and balancing poses, but downward dog was always the tipping point for me. I tried to love downward dog, but could not, not, not reach this level of comfortable flexibility. So, now I’m taking Tai Chi. This is my second attempt to learn and practice Tai Chi. I walk to this class and thus get aerobic conditioning to and fro instead of driving. It is in the morning, not evening, and I’m enjoying the fluid movements and meditative quality of the form. I’m already thinking beyond this series of classes and asking the instructor about what she offers next. I’m also inquiring among my friends about their Tai Chi instructors for times, locations, and prices. This could be the one that sticks!

Or not. I think back to classes I’ve taken that never really led to anything much. You can’t really count one piano recital as the only adult among eight-year olds as much of an accomplishment. I’ll make a list and see if it adds up to anything: What self-improvement activities have I taken up as an adult outside of academic courses ? Ballet, classical guitar, folk guitar, piano, Tai Chi (2), yoga (2), calligraphy, cooking, swimming, Beginning German, Conversational Italian, drawing with pastels, ballroom dancing, papermaking, weaving, Investing for Women and . . . I’m leaving this open ended as I may recall more. Does my one year membership in Curves count? How about my experiment with past life regression? I’m definitely not counting my years of individual and group therapy, although that was truly transformative!

My list doesn’t really add up, but I have this feeling that there are at least two ways of counting. I never became an expert at any of these, but, on the other hand, I have certainly been a willing novice all my life! Starting over with an open mind and enthusiasm, I believe, is an underrated life skill. I might be a certified expert if anyone valued a degree called “Disciple of Beginning Anew (DBA).” If we conceive of life as a straight line, things need to add up continuously, but if we view life as a series of repeating cycles, we can enjoy the continuity of some threads AND also pick up new colors along the way to weave into our beautiful patterns.

For Your Writing:
Make a list of self-improvement activities in your adult life. What does your list add up to? Remember that you can “count” the value of your experiences in a number of different ways, such as: What led to your pleasure and enjoyment? What did you take from each activity that is now part of you? What activities are in your future? Why have you chosen each activity? What are your continuing threads and the threads you picked up (and put down) along the way?

Quotation for Percolation:
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
Albert Einstein