What you say?
Play Tai Chi?
You’re likely asking yourself, “How can I ‘play’ at something that requires my utmost concentration to maintain principles, while simultaneously keeping track of my arms, legs, hips, movements, and breathing.”
Think about it this way. When you practice Tai Chi, you perform movements you’ve learned, utilizing repetition and concentrating on energy and intent. Once you understand and are reasonably comfortable with the postures and principles, you can elevate your Tai Chi from a physical exercise to one in which you allow your spirit to play.
When you “play Tai Chi,” you begin to perform the form’s dance-like movement in a more nonchalant manner. This can be accomplished by incorporating the following principles:
Letting your body move in a loose, open, and flowing manner
Letting the movements “flow through you” while enjoying the physical pleasure of letting go
Not following rules as to how fast or slow you play form, but rather letting your form follow your breathing
Not holding your breath or forcing yourself to breathe
Not following rules regarding how high or low your stance should be
In general, we don’t want to get hung up on doing things perfectly or refining the movements. Play is a time to enjoy the beautiful, slow, dance-like movements, while letting go of the tension and appreciating the flow of qi. Of course, the fact that we are “playing” does not mean doing form should cause discomfort or injury.
If you follow your feelings, you may experience a pleasant and relaxed, almost trance-like state. It’s not unusual to feel a bit anxious about losing control the first few times you try playing, but don’t let your emotions take charge. Stay calm and realize that this is meaningful play that will take your inner skill to a new level. But if you feel uncomfortable or out of control, just stop and move to an ending posture.
When you concentrate on the movements during practice, this prevents you from thinking about other, more stressful aspects of life. The complex movements in Tai Chi take over your consciousness, out-competing troubling thoughts, thus reducing stress. By diverting troubling thoughts, emotions are regulated and stress is lowered.
Refining your Tai Chi practice is a lifelong endeavor. But playing Tai Chi, is also worthwhile, although the benefits may be a bit different. Right now we are all missing the energy and emotion regulation of group practices, however, this is not the time to stop doing Tai Chi or Qigong.
Playing is something you can do solo, so this is a great time to give it a try.