What's Next

Now that I have learned the whole T'ai Chi long form, I wondered, what should I do next? If I want to make my practice deeper and richer (and more reliable), what's the best way to do that? I was reluctant to take a wild guess, and possibly do even more damage, by taking steps that were either too challenging or too boring. What to do?

The author of my book The Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai Chi and Qigong and my DVD Anthology of T'ai Chi and Qigong: The Prescription for the Future is Bill Douglas. The way he writes and speaks gives me the impression he's a very down-to-earth and approachable guy. I went back to his web site, http://www.smartaichi.com, and found an "Email Bill at" and his email address. An open invitation. So I emailed him.

To my surprise, he replied the same day. I say "to my surprise," because (a) you'd think he'd be a pretty busy guy, what with publishing books, DVDs, CDs, running classes and what not, and (b) he replied himself, not an assistant you might expect a busy guy to have. His reply was most gracious. He recommended re-reading the book, as you can glean new insights with each re-read. He recommended getting his audio CD of Qigong breathing exercises. And he said if I was ever in the Kansas City area, we could arrange a private lesson. How nice is that?

So, Step 1: I got his CD. And it is wonderful! Deep abdominal breathing, and visualizing cleansing any loads or tensions you have held onto and then filling yourself up with pure, radiant healing energy. Aaaaahhhh!

He recommends doing one of the 3 Qigong breathing exercises daily. The implication is that this would be on top of the daily T'ai Chi practice. But I'm going to be realistic with where I'm at right now. I'm looking to deepen my practice, but I'm also looking for a daily practice that's sustainable. So, on days when I'm "too tired," "just don't feel like it," or lately, if it's too cold outside, then I'll do a Qigong breathing exercise instead. I'm hoping that mixing it up like this, and allowing myself to choose my practice spontaneously each day, will help ward off boredom and apathy.

An interesting observation: my husband and I had planned to go see Toy Story and Toy Story 2 in 3D last night, and I asked that we postpone it, because it would eat up the whole evening, and I wouldn't be able to do T'ai Chi. That's moving in the right direction.

Grand Terminus

Well, I finally did it. Yesterday was the last lesson. I've learned the entire Kuang Ping Yang long form.

I wish I could say I am elated, have a tremendous sense of accomplishment, appreciate the fruits of my long hard labor. But unfortunately my victory is tarnished by my shoddy performance the previous two weeks.

I had house guests coming for a week. So for the week prior to that, my husband and I vigorously cleaned parts of our house too long neglected. We moved furniture to clean under and behind. God knows how many trips up and down stairs. Hours of kneeling, squatting, bending, pushing, pulling. By the end of each day I was bone tired. For 4 days in a row, I took Advil and parked my butt on the couch in front of the TV instead of doing T'ai Chi. I was "just too tired."

Then when they arrived, there were of course activities all day and into the evening. Some of the days included hours of walking around tourist destinations--zoo, botanical gardens, museums, etc. I did do T'ai Chi some days, but there were as many days of Advil and couch as there were T'ai Chi practice.

Then, here's the scary part: After they left, I wanted to spend time alone with my husband, so I didn't feel like taking time away from him to do T'ai Chi that day. "Didn't feel like it."

Here is my fear of the slippery slope: "Just too tired" and "Don't feel like it" are so arbitrary. How tired is too tired? When I don't feel like practicing, shouldn't I do it anyway? Isn't that what discipline is all about?

A month or two ago, I was concerned about what I would do after I reached the Grand Terminus, the last movement of the form. Now I'm concerned even more. Will I resume a daily practice, now that I know the entire form? Will it get richer and deeper? Or will it become an optional activity--a good idea, but if I'm too tired, or there is too much going on....?

We shall see.