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Continuing The Flow, April 2020Hello friends and extended family.
Well, it is now the end of March and we are still in isolation. Salmon Creek school is closed for another month, and we are still ordered by our governor to not gather and to continue to shelter in place.
While I have made the best of this situation, I find myself missing the human connection to you all.
We are so lucky to have our Tai Chi/Qigong practice. A gift that serves us so well in good times and bad times. I know that these circumstances are an opportunity to go deeper inside. A chance to develop our relationship to our inner light, and I personally enjoy this deep exploration. This quiet process of going inside for guidance is tremendously enlightening and very satisfying.
The concept of the 'circle' is always on display and it reveals itself in many dimensions. The physical dimension is the most apparent realm that manifests the circle. The round shape of the forms, the circular path that energy flows in, determined by that shape.
But what is revealing itself to me today is that in my solo practice I am finding a deeper connection to you all. When going deep inside myself I find you all in there. I energetically "circle" from myself to you and back again. You have been my guides as much as I have been yours. The exchange is the epitome of the circle.
Even though we are unable to be physically together let us keep our circle turning.
Please continue to share your thoughts and experiences with us in this email forum.
Ceylan has made an offering to us by posting some inspiring words from the Tao de Ching.
Let us riff off her post and respond to it with your thoughts on it, or make your own offering. Stay connected please.
Jane Golden
Here it is:
The Power of Heavy
"Heavy is the root of light
Still the master of moving ...."
The first lines of one of Lao Tzu's poems
The author makes this comment:
"The first two lines would make a nice motto for the practice of Tai Chi."
any thoughts on these two lines and what they mean to you? -Ceylan
CLASS COMMENTS
"Contemplating this concept of heavy and light,
Both exist simultaneously in Tai Chi postures.
Head in the Heavens Feet in the Earth
Heavy is the root of light
Light above permits heavy below
Light is inspiration Heavy is grounding
The balance is Heaven on Earth"
"When you get too heavy, lighten up"
"Feeling powerful is accessible, thanks to you Jane, in my life, the lessons given arise often and the subtleties are profound and delightful. It's as if I'm sent on a spiritual retreat and I get to find out what I've learned about life and chi and health and intention. I aim to hone in on what pulse, rhythm is active when I practice, allow the present to present, and aim to follow that. Yet I know getting back to class and your hugs is the oasis I look forward to! I love you,Lia"
"Jane,I have been meaning to write you for some time, but it has been a full time in many ways.First to thank you for the gift of Tai Chi and your teaching, I was doing slow set on the back deck today and it was good. But I miss your laughter, your coming around and giving me a helpful correction, or a squeeze and a smile, or watching with a tinge of envy as you effortlessly hold a posture to demonstrate something for us. I miss Tai Chi, but more I miss Jane's Tai Chi - grounded, kind, cheerful, always deepening, always searching for new ways for her students to grasp the form, the flow and the philosophy.Stay healthy!Love,Barry"
"Sheltering in place is indeed the "heavy" but necessary response to this pandemic. At the moment it is hard to see the "light" of this response. But my Tai Chi practice, for me, has become an essential part of maintaining that balance between earth & heaven. Ceylanâs offer of Lao Tzu's poem is timely. "When you get too heavy, lighten up"is a good message for us all. This too will pass. Stay safe.Leona"
"Attached is quote from Pema Chodron.Love from Maggie's isolation island"
"This anxiety or queasiness in the face of impermanence isn't something that afflicts just a few of us; it's an all-pervasive state that human beings share. But rather than being disheartened by the ambiguity, the uncertainty of life, what if we accepted it and relaxed into it? What if we said, "Yes, this is the way it is; this is what it means to be human," and decided to sit down and enjoy the ride?"
"Light and heavy!I received it as I was getting ready for my solo practice. Great reminder. Thank you Jane for holding space.I'll love you forever!Shanti"
"I'm making use of my time to practice more than usual, and I felt a couple days ago as if I had a sort of breakthrough regarding how I hold my head and spine. All of a sudden everything lined up in a way that felt like a revelation. Such a small adjustment, for a big payoff.Regards, Ted"
"Rooted in the Mud
I think of eel grass, rooted in the mud, flowing with the current. Soaking up the sun's warmth, feeding the roots. Swirling. Dancing. Feeding and being food. Stationary, yet traveling on the tides.
I am buffeted by emotion. Up, down, angry, scared, in awe, deep love, concern, outrage, missing hugs, fear, finding strength, and weary from long hours with little sleep.
Grasping for my dark, silky smooth mud. Letting the water wash me clean. Bathing in the light. Missing you all so much!!!! Stacey"
"During the last class we had, oh, so long ago, I moved into brush knee. I felt Jane's hand ever-so-lightly at the back of my neck. "Feel this," she said. "Meet me here." (I may be paraphrasing, but it’s been a while.) I kept going forward into the posture, but my neck and spine stayed back. "Forward creates backward," she said.Heavy begets lightness, up becomes down, contraction morphs to expansion. How simple. Thanks for the meditation, Ceylan. And thanks for all of it, Jane. And bushels of gratitude to our community.Bob"
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