IHT Blog

Invest in yourself

24/6/2015

We are faced with so many distraction and pressures in the world of today, so many reasons why we cannot practice our Tai Chi Chuan, why we must be somewhere else, having to do something else, so many things to snatch away our centre and relieve us of our root, and in the entanglement we tend to neglect the things that really matter, but Tai Chi Chuan is not an investment in the erratic whims and fears of the worldly market of today, it is a quiet investment in oneself, in improving our feeling of health, our feeling of wellness, of nurturing our feeling of belonging, of connection and re-generating our relationship and just-ness with the natural world and each other and resting in the enduring quiet strength of being.

In today’s world, for our Grandchildren’s world, I think this is so much more the medicine needed. From today, reclaim your time, invest it in the things that matter, water your practice just a little bit and in your every tomorrow growth, not decline, will accompany you.
- John H 2015

2 Comments

Felicity

31/12/2015 06:21:54 pm

I found today’s thoughts very synchronistic when it arrived in my inbox because I was having a very similar conversation with a work colleague at the time.

We were discussing the importance of not only having a method through which to cultivate centeredness, but how crucial it is to have that deep understanding of what centredness is- the ideas of acceptance, yeilding and letting go of ego. We reflected on how many around us became lost in the everyday hussle and bustle and the toll this took. The main reason we saw for this was just how difficult it can be to quiet the mind and follow your own path that is in line with the world around you. Many people act on what they think they ‘should’ do. I think it’s rare to have a person ask themselves 'is this what I really need/want', or 'is this meant for me.'

We also discussed the misconception people can have around meditative practises and the act of ‘letting go’ where it is seen as an act of suppression or weakness. From personal experience I know that this is not the case. When we become centred and find the time each day to come back to ourselves and the world around us, this is the time when the stress and anger and negative feelings that we build up are able to truly relase and move on. The more we practise, the more centredness and calm becomes our natural state.

To cultivate this everyday is to truly be at peace with whatever comes your way.

Best wishes,

Fliss

Mark Ryan

31/12/2015 06:25:20 pm

It is fortunate for those of us who have found a way to feel calm, relax, let go, heal. Carpe Diem – ‘Seize The Day’ is a well known saying, Tai Chi Chuan allows us to seize the moment. There are always cynics in this world, we have no need to justify the peace we find in daily practice. It is, I believe, a mad world we live in. There is too much for us to ‘take it all in’. If you find this is true for yourself then stay true to your path. When I began meditating, at the age of 19, I was living near the city. Those I shared the house with called me ‘Cosmic’, it was not meant harmfully. Peer pressure, I suppose. I continued regardless. Towards the end of the year, I began martial arts, meditation, eventually Tai Chi. I have always felt the need or inner peace, I found it surfing in my teens. Now I find it in Tai Chi.
I find a ‘primal’ sense infiltrates my life. We were put on this world to interact peacefully, to share, to care. There are moments when I become stressed , find it hard to ‘take it all in’. I have learnt now that that feeling will pass, the well of Tai Chi is never dry. This does not make me superior, smarter. Practice helps me to let go, so I would be a fool to not use what I have learnt. I hope that this is the same for all on the path. We are all human, we have our frailties, we are all equal. I am grateful that I have found a way to deal with the ‘mad world’. It has taken me years to simply let go, day to day, moment to moment. I know my frailties will continue, so will ‘the madness’. Seize the moment. It is worth it.
- Mark R

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