Take your practice seriously, not yourself

By Mark Ryan
​​Firstly, I can only speak of from personal experience. For myself, Tai Chi Time is ‘me’ time. I look forward to this time, no matter what, no phone calls will be answered, no texts replied to, no phone nearby, no television audible, I am uncontactable. Why?... Why not?... No time for problems, forget anger, negativity... sink, relax ... Tai Chi Time.  

While doing our Tai Chi, thoughts will rise, ignore them, they will return, later. They are also an indication that our ‘me’ time is being intruded upon. Life is so complex these days. Everybody is ‘so busy’, well,OK, stop for a while. Things will get busy again, you can be sure! Tai Chi time is like a refuge. I noticed once, during meditation that I was still, because my mind ‘told’ me ‘everything was still’, then, my mind was no longer still. The stillness had passed. I have no idea how long it lasted. Maybe one second, two seconds, a minute... That is how the mind works, nothing to worry about. Worry will come again too! On learning that my mind would intrude upon my stillness, I stopped worrying about it. When practicing my Tai Chi the mind will want to intrude, when I sense this, I concentrate more on my form, I need to focus. So much to learn. So now,Tai Chi time is my refuge from everything, even from myself. I now know that my daily Tai Chi is my meditation, I enjoy it, my mind intrudes and I concentrate on my form. I need to focus. Tai Chi is my refuge. It does not matter that intrusions occur, that is the same for us all. We all have minds, phones, televisions, worries... That unites us, we are all the same in that sense. We seek refuge, even from ourselves. Not to worry, Tai Chi time is our refuge. That unites us as well.
- Mark Ryan