Have you ever watched a tiger pounce? The first thing they do is crouch low. Then they settle, orient themselves and finally spring forward with incredible power and strength. Even house cats do it, which is fun to watch.
This past spring I attended a Taoist Tai Chi program for youth whose main theme with the movements was that very concept: developing a strong tiger. That is, opening the hip area so that everything can drop down and finding those drops / dan yus everywhere, especially in toryus in and out of the set.
The most eye-opening application for me was in ward off monkey. It’s a movement that I’ve always struggled with. It’s pretty much consistently been my least favourite movement of the set since the beginning. I was even at a week-long program once where the instruction on ward off monkey gave me sharp pain deep in my abdomen and the instructor couldn’t figure out why. This time around it worked out much better; for once I’m actually excited to do them!!
I also enjoyed working on push hands and partnered snakes as well as getting a chance to watch others try rolls and butterfly snakes. It seems to me that the flexibility needed to do most of that is just a different kind of strength and I’m still able to work on developing that tiger through them.
It was exhilarating, but also a lot of work. Even one of the instructors at the end of the weekend commented that we went deeper into movements than he normally does. The more tired we are though, the more we seem to laugh. I found myself spontaneously smiling while doing the set by the end of the weekend, such great energy!
Tai chi is rarely ever just about the movements though and strength is more than just physical strength. The weekend also reminded me of the strength that comes from being part of a larger community. It seems like so many of my friends and family lack that sense of community, and yet strong communities provide so many benefits. In the Taoist Tai Chi community we help each other, even if it’s just by having people to talk to and socialize with. It helps keep me in the present and lifts my spirit. I have the feeling that I’m contributing to something that’s real and meaningful, not abstract. It’s not only that I benefit from participating and volunteering where I can, I’m also helping the community as a whole grow and prosper.
We took some time to talk about how to encourage more youth to join. All of us could identify with being the youngest in a class by 20 or 30 years, and as much as I do enjoy the company of people senior to me, I think we can all agree it’s nice to see people closer to your own age as well. It helps inspire youth to join the community if they see other youth doing it, but it’s a bit of a chicken and egg dilemma. Plus, if there are so few youth now, who will be the leaders in 20 or 30 years?
So we talked for awhile about how to attract more youth to tai chi. We talked about how much of the news coverage for tai chi – even on youtube! – is geared towards seniors. Either there are few younger people in the photos and videos, or the topic is how it helps with balance, aging, etc. – not topics that would inspire the average 20-50 year old to give it a try. We talked about what first attracted us to tai chi and why we keep coming back: the community, stress reduction, better concentration, meditation in motion isn’t boring like seated meditation, and it’s good cross training for snowboarding because it improves balance. We also talked about how youth aren’t immune to health problems. Often people assume that youth aren’t in it for their immediate health, but my medical conditions worsen so fast without the tai chi that I wouldn’t be able to function without it (i.e. I wouldn’t be able to maintain a job or reliably do things like get groceries and feed myself, let alone have any kind of social life.) But my favourite reason for trying tai chi that I heard that weekend was a couple who made their beginner class a date night and then got hooked.
There were a couple of ideas suggested on how to get youth to stay once they’ve tried it. One idea was to follow-up individually with them. If there’s a program coming up, talk to them about it. Call them if you have to! Arrange carpooling, get a whole group together, and make it fun. The other big idea is also a revival of an old classic: make the locations more child-friendly. Many in the under-50 set have children, so have an area where parents can bring their kids and take turns having one parent (or a volunteer “tai chi grandparent” or an older child) watch them while the others practice tai chi. That’s the way it used to be here years ago some say; so many children playing games with each other and becoming “tai chi cousins.” It adds extra life and energy to the environment. The idea also reminds me of the organized chaos I loved so much on one of my last visits to the International Centre.
Something that helps manage the chaos is that it feels like home to each of us no matter which location we’re in. The chairs and dishes are similar, the way we cook and clean is consistent, the schedule is the same, and the layout of everything in general is familiar, even if (like me that weekend) you’re walking into a location you’ve never been to before. It’s subtle and I don’t even know how much of it is on purpose, but it gives us all that common foundation to understand what’s happening and what to do, even if there’s a language barrier.
Language was the reason I was a little nervous going into it this time. The weekend was entirely in French and I’m an anglophone. I am bilingual but I had never been in a fully immersive French environment like that where many don’t speak English much if at all and everyone speaks French. I have a much greater appreciation now for what it must be like for the francophones who don’t often speak English to be at a program that’s predominantly in English. I started out shaky, lacking a bit of confidence, but quickly hit my stride (thanks to years of French “immersion” in school). By the end of the weekend though the extra mental strain was taking a toll and I was making mistakes in both languages. Ah well, another lesson in flexibility for me. I’m so grateful to have such a strong community to be a part of that those gaffs don’t really matter.