by Martin Johnson, February 14, 2023

In January, Jonathan Rosen gave us a very interesting and informative “Tea Chat” on the Japanese concept of Shuhari, which describes the three stages through which a student passes as they grapple with the process of learning. Jonathan spent an hour outlining the meaning of Shuhari, its significance in the practice of Taiji, and how his own teaching style and understanding have undergone a very similar transformation over time.

In its most simplified form, Shuhari, learning consists of three stages:

1) Shu - The beginner learns by imitating the teacher as precisely as they can, and doing their utmost to follow the teacher’s instructions.

2) Ha – The student begins to refine their understanding and technique, developing a new and deeper relationship with the practice.

3) Ri – The student has reached the point where their understanding of the form and underlying principles are entirely integrated, and they can begin to make the form their own.

During Jonathan’s talk, it was Ha that resonated most deeply with me, so I did some research to see if I could reconcile my own experiences as a Taiji student with the help of the concept of Ha. I found that the prevailing western view seems to emphasize a departure or liberation from the confines of the rules and procedure of the beginner’s Shu phase. Whether in martial arts or in other fields, the prevailing view seems to be that it is a liberation from the strict rules that guide a student during the Shu phase, and an opportunity to depart from those strictures.

However, another definition I encountered was "detachment from illusions of self,” which has an entirely different connotation from “freedom from strict rules.” Hiromi-sensei has often discussed how pride and ego tend to appear in students once they have first learned the whole form. Depending on the student, this can appear quite early in the process. After learning the first 14 steps we can rightfully take pride in the accomplishment, which may have seemed unreachable when we started. But every student, to a greater or lesser degree seems to reach a point at which they feel they have “figured it out.” That might be after being able to successfully complete the entire form without forgetting anything. Or after going through the entire form a second time, step by step, and polishing the finer aspects of every single movement under Sensei’s patient guidance.

The form is taught much like a skeleton of the form the first time through. If we end up thinking that’s the goal, we are sadly mistaken, because the second time through we learn a great deal that had been simplified for the beginner. That’s why I feel the Ha stage is not so much a liberation from the stiffness and conventions of the Shu stage as it is a breaking down and re-building in a different way of what we have learned during the Shu stage. 

At any rate, I know I encountered a false confidence and sense of accomplishment several times during my practice of Taiji. It was only when Hiromi-sensei started me on the mirror form that I realized how little I actually knew. Most of what I knew was based on muscle memory and perhaps some sort of chart or guide in my mind. To do the mirror form I not only had to start all over from the very first step of the form, I had to understand every step of the movement and transitions in an entirely different way. I had to re-construct the way I understood the form from scratch. All the way from the beginning. Only then did I realize how little I really knew and understood, and the humility that came with that was a kind of "detachment from illusions of self.” 

One of the most common definitions of Ha is "to detach." I guess my point is that this is not so much a detachment from the strict rules of the Shu stage as it is a detachment from our illusions and assumptions about the form and our understanding of it. In other words, that we must never forget the lessons of the Shu phase - but that we must re-configure them and re-arrange them into a new and deeper understanding of the art. This can’t happen until we are willing to let go of our illusions about our own accomplishments and understanding, and are willing to start all over again. There will be many “aha” moments along the way along with a rewarding sense of achievement - but with the understanding that we have to be willing let go of our assumptions at any time.

One final observation. I think some of my understanding of the second stage of letting go, breaking down, and building back up our understanding of Taiji is based on what Hiromi-sensei told me about her experience of starting to study Cheng Ming Taiji under Grandmaster Wang. Sensei had been practicing the form for 20 years in Tokyo under one of Great Grandmaster Wang Shu Jin’s students, and later under the guidance of one of Master Wang's Taiji Brothers. One of the first things Grandmaster Wang told Sensei was that if she wanted to be his student, she had to forget everything she knew about the form and start over.  The form as it is practiced in Japan, and that which Grandmaster Wang teaches, is quite different in many ways. It has the same steps, and many of them are quite similar, but there are major differences all the way through. So Hiromi sensei’s “Ha" was a very difficult one. But I believe we all must go through that process to advance in the art.

by Cawood Fitzhugh, November 17, 2020

CTCC thanks Cawood Fitzhugh for this article. Ms. Cawood is a T’ai Chi participant who recently retired as a Nurse Practitioner in Primary Care. Please note: Any dizziness should always be checked out by your medical provider. The facts on hydration are the same for all, unless there is someone who is medically on a fluid restriction.

In the morning, drinking a warm cup of water before coffee or tea can be quite beneficial for our bodies. This can provide a nice start for some good hydration, giving our bodies water that is needed early in the day. Sleeping during the night is dehydrating, and sometimes we are already behind already in our hydration. We wake up, go to the bathroom – which dehydrates us – then drink a cup of coffee in which the caffeine dehydrates us more, constricting the blood vessels. Additional caffeine is added sometimes to coffees and the lighter the roast, the greater the caffeine. All of this contributes to causes of dehydration which can result in lightheadedness, especially when we exercise early in the morning.

Sometime coffee drinkers can be attached to the smell of coffee brewing and the stimulating good feeling. This is especially true as a younger adult — coffee can make you feel happy to drink it. However, as we age, coffee may actually exacerbate jitters, increase anxiety, increase our blood pressures and cumulative effects may interfere with sleep. Switching over to a good organic tea brand is beneficial because of the antioxidants in the tea which decrease inflammation in the body and may help to minimize blood pressure as well as anxiety. If you are attached to coffee and it brings you joy, try making a cup with 1/2 decaf and 1/2 regular coffee decreasing the total amount of caffeine while still enjoying the same amount of cups.

If you want to try a tea, many coffee drinkers seem to enjoy Masala Chai for the “kick” of flavor, being a little pungent and spicy for the dark roast coffee drinkers. The “Rishi” tea company makes a Masala chai that people seem to enjoy. It is found online through Amazon, locally at Whole Foods and Wegmans and is organic. Green tea is even better, but Americans have traditionally only had bad teas growing up and tend to shy away from tea. Black tea is a way to transition over from coffee and then move into the other wonderful world of teas with their anti-inflammatory effects.

For early morning exercise, it is important for all of us to enjoy a large glass of warm water when we first awake. This hydrates the body, will get the digestive system moving and makes us feel better overall for the rest of the day and enables our bodies to perform our intention by paying attention to what is needed.

Hydration is accumulative. So sipping water or an herbal tea throughout the day, provides flavor, vitamins, minerals and an overall sense of well-being. Of course if you are under any medical care, please follow the seasoned advice of your health care provider. And always remember, there are many reasons for some lightheadedness when standing for long periods or with any exercise. This always needs to be further evaluated by your healthcare provider in an expedient manner.

by Ferrell Mercer, January 8, 2020

Many thanks to Ferrell Mercer for this unique application of Taiji principles.

Recently I have been undergoing a sequence of complex dental procedures. At one point I spent three hours in the dentist chair. As usual, I used my T’ai Chi training to consciously relax during the process and I am certain that doing so led to my having less discomfort both during the procedure and afterward.

The process of even simple dental work is pretty much designed to cause tension. There is the expectation of pain, even though modern dentistry has greatly reduced or eliminated the actual pain of most procedures. Then there is the fact that generally two people have their hands and a variety of tools in your mouth and around various parts of your face. There are also vibrations, strange noises and strange odors that all can make us tense.

T’ai Chi teaches us to become aware of tension in our body and to relax that tension. Over time we can achieve conscious control over our instinct to tense. I found T’ai Chi push hands particularly helpful in learning to relax with someone else in my ‘space’.

In the dentist chair, the first places I find tension showing up are in my shoulders and in my face. With little else to do, I spend my time looking for tension in my body and relaxing it. I am convinced that I feel better afterwards by doing this.

As I do during standing meditation and when holding postures, I start with my breath. I check to make sure that my breath is deep and slow, trying to “breathe into my tan tien”. Once the breath is relaxed and full, I start at the top of my head and scan downward looking for tension. Where I find it, I focus there and consciously relax the tension until I feel it soften and diminish. As I mentioned above, I find in the dentist chair this most often is in the face and shoulder area, but sometimes I find I need to relax my abdomen or my legs as well. I spend all my time in the dentist chair alternatively focusing on the breath and focusing on scanning the body for tension.

Something I have experienced multiple times is that the dentist feels me relax and asks if I am in pain. I think they are conditioned to feel their patient’s body change and see it as a signal of discomfort. I have begun to explain before procedures that I will be consciously relaxing and that any movement they feel will be that unless I tell them I am uncomfortable. It seems to help the dentist also relax.

The next time you are in a dentist chair, try using your T’ai Chi and consciously relaxing. I think you will find it helps you feel better when the procedure is done.

by Josh Lowry, May 12, 2019

The problem with the task of writing a brief reflection on the CTCC trip to Taiwan is deciding what experiences make the cut. There is a desire to include every detail. How could we leave out encounters with robots in Korea? The Rainbow Village. The stunts our cabbies were pulling flying down the highway over 90 mph with a death wish and us in tow. The food mosh pit carnival light show sensory explosion madness, that is the Taichung night market. The best damn breakfast buffet in the East at the Evergreen Laurel hotel. Those memories and more won’t soon be forgotten, but what will stay with me are the relationships formed and the chance to really immerse myself in training for the first time.

We all spent tons of time training together in preparation for the trip. This made it clear to me how much more energy I need to devote to practice in general. With every little improvement we make you see how much farther the path ahead is. And one side effect of all the extra practice is how happy my body felt!

Once everyone arrived in Taichung it didn’t take long for friendships to form. Our brothers and sisters from Nova, Texas, L.A., Japan, Australia, Italy, France and elsewhere were a joy to meet. Several long days of demonstrations, breakfasts, banquet dinners, night market trips and our shared tradition bonded us in a wonderful way. Now that I’m back home it is a comfort to know that people all over the world are struggling through the same forms we are. We just occupy our tiny
little corner of the Cheng Ming universe.

The best news perhaps is that the things that were so special about the trip to Taiwan will continue. The rewards of hard practice with an amazing community of friends can be experienced by all of us right here at CTCC. And I hope to be training with all of you for years to come. Thanks!

by Qian Cai, March 10, 2019

Many thanks to Qian Cai for sharing how T’ai Chi has helped her on and off the tennis court.

“Relax the body,” “bend the knees,” “turn the center,” Sensei Hiromi’s soft voice spoke to me in my head, as I tried to remind myself of a few fundamentals. No, I was not practicing T’ai Chi. I was on the tennis court, body lowered, eyes on the ball in my opponent’s tossing hand, and getting ready for the next point.

An enthusiastic tennis player, I tore my ACL a few years ago on the tennis court. The surgeon told me firmly that without an ACL replacement surgery, I would not be able to play tennis anymore. My physical therapist, on the other hand, suggested that I might be a “coper”– someone who could bypass the surgery by improving the leg muscle strength and balance to compensate for the lost function of a critical knee ligament.

I thought of trying T’ai Chi – a series of slow movements I deemed an “old person’s pastime.” As a young child growing up in China, I watched my grandpa do it every morning at the community park with many other seniors. But at that moment, T’ai Chi’s gentleness, or old-people-friendliness, beckoned to me and seemed to be exactly what I needed.

From the 14 steps, to 33, 66, and 100 steps, four long years passed. What a learning and enriching experience! Despite several internal struggles to give up at the beginning, I stuck with it and gradually noticed the mental and physical benefits, including the keen recognition that it was having an amazing, unexpected positive effect on my tennis game. I considered myself, in hindsight, truly fortunate to have stayed on long enough to experience first-hand the beauty and wisdom of T’ai Chi.

Because of T’ai Chi’s slow and highly deliberate movements and the emphasis on correct posture and stance, my quadriceps become stronger, which has helped to significantly control my knee movements and reduce knee stress. My posture is more aligned with the energy flows, known as “qi”, which, when the paths are cleared, nourish and soften the joints. My mind has become more relaxed, calm, and clear and less reactive.

In addition to these great health benefits, T’ai Chi taught me valuable tennis lessons I would never have imagined. As a direct result, not only am I able to continue to play tennis contrary to my surgeon’s prediction, I play better, rising from 3.5 to 4.0 last year in the United States Tennis Association ranking. I was thrilled to realize the similarity and connection between the two seemly opposite forms of exercise.

1. With an ACL rupture I may not run as fast or pivot/cut as sharp, but I learned to be more strategic and purposeful with every shot, or “move” as in T’ai Chi. I also learned to be more relaxed, focused, and not hurried on the court.
2. I learned that “bending the knees” and “sinking the body low” are good preparation and make it easier to move around on the court more quickly.
3. I learned in order to generate power and speed, “center turn” is much more effective and critical than swinging an arm or shoulder.
4. I applied the rule of “70-30” often. Instead of going all out and playing aggressively, I remembered to save 30 percent of the energy/effort for the situations when more is needed.
5. Through T’ai Chi, I came to appreciate my tennis coach, Jim Labinski’s motto of “zen tennis”, which is also his email address. For a fast-moving sport like tennis, “zen” is, surprisingly (or not surprisingly), the key, not “faster” or “stronger.” Often before a match, I do a quick T’ai Chi warm up and when I anticipate a highly competitive match, I make myself mentally ready with a standing meditation. It is amazing how effective these techniques are.

I love tennis, and I love T’ai Chi. I couldn’t be more grateful that through a knee injury, I discovered and developed a new passion, which in turn, quietly helped me to further another.

by Leonard Tuchyner, April 1, 2018

Many thanks to Leonard Tuchyner for this wonderful article about T’ai Chi and rehabilitation after medical procedures.

Throughout my life, I’ve relied on physical activities to maintain my health, but gradually my aging body forced me to give up many of them. I had been an avid bicycle rider, but eventually, advanced retinal deterioration caused legal blindness. I could no longer determine where the edges of unmarked roads were. Consequently, I was forced to hang up my riding helmet. By the time I was 68, I had to abandon martial arts. My joints could no longer bear the stress of these activities. Even gardening was becoming painful. I knew vigorous physical activity was essential for good health, but what was I to do?

My wife had signed up for a round of classes at the Charlottesville T’ai Chi Center, so I decided to attend a demonstration. When I witnessed the smooth, seemingly effortless routines people of all ages were doing, I decided to give it a try. I was particularly enamored with the school Master’s demonstration. She moved with the grace of flowing water.

Three years later, T’ai Chi was a permanent part of me. Practicing was an easy joy.

All my vital signs were good, which was surprising, because my aortic valve had a dangerously advanced stenosis. There were no symptoms, but MRI’s and ultrasounds don’t lie. I needed open heart surgery to replace the valve. Recovery from that procedure was difficult. The main reason stemmed from the fact that the sternum, by necessity, had been partially split down the middle and I was constrained from putting any strain on it. Nevertheless, I was back at group practice within 3 months. T’ai Chi had waited for me like an old, reliable friend. Group practices take an hour to complete, and I always felt refreshed at completion.

However, another physical challenge awaited me. Although I had no difficulty doing T’ai Chi on my feet for an hour straight without discomfort, I could not walk far. When I did walk, a cane was needed. My knees were worn past the bone-on-bone point. Deep ruts had been worn in the bone. The only thing that was holding back a double knee replacement was my cardiologist’s go-ahead. Within one-and-a-half years the open heart surgery and two knee replacements had been performed. Again, T’ai Chi was waiting, and I was back at group practice six weeks after each replacement.

I’m 77 now. Two or three times a week, I take a brisk mile-long walk which includes some very steep and long hills. I don’t even need to breathe hard. I think T’ai Chi had a lot to do with that. Through the years, several students have gone through serious medical procedures. All of them have returned to T’ai Chi group practice within a remarkably short time.

Following my surgeries, I went through some pretty intensive physical therapy. While I was going through that therapy, I was also engaged in T’ai Chi, and my physical therapist and I communicated about T’ai Chi. the two approaches augmented each other, and when I finished therapy, my therapist was confident in the soundness of the T’ai Chi approach.

At my age, I have friends who have gone through serious operations, including knee replacements. Some have done well and others not so much. The difference, as far as my observations go, is what happens after the medical services are finished. If people do the exercises that have been prescribed and realize that they must become a permanent aspect of their lives, they usually do well. But how many people are willing to do that? Also, without periodic check-ins with the professionals, how many people continue to do the protocols correctly?

T’ai Chi is soundly based in human mind and body mechanics. The relationship that a student has with the teacher and the group is not transient, and technique is always being scrutinized. Most people think of balance when they think of T’ai Chi. but actually, balance is a by-product. Posture and ergonomic integration is more important than balance, because they are the qualities that produce balance. Every movement in the process is done with minimal wasted energy. Practitioners strive for relaxation in everything they do. The quality of the teacher and the school is of utmost importance in helping students to achieve these goals.

In addition to the direct physical, mindful meditative qualities and group participation benefits, I also have a family. By that, I mean that my T’ai Chi group of fellow students and teachers are a family. Cooperation and mutual support rule. There is nothing of competition. I personally have never run into a nicer group of people, and I’ve been around for 77 years.

After medical procedures, physical therapy and other rehabilitative services, what next? The T’ai Chi School and community is a potent choice. It is a way to build health into lifestyle. Without a lifestyle that supports the gains of medical services, those gains can be lost quickly. That is true for patients of any age. I personally know that to be a fact.

by Michael Kovac, M.D., Fellow, The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, November 26, 2017

Frequent Problems with Aging

- Decreased activity
- Gradual weight-gain
- Muscle loss and weakness
- Osteoporosis/bone loss
- Loss of balance and unsteadiness
- Frequent falls
- Fractures of wrist, spine, and most seriously, the hip (80% over 65 and 70% in women)

Effective Exercise Program for Seniors

- Aerobic conditioning
- Strength training
- Flexibility and agility exercises

T’ai Chi

- Flexibility/agility program of exercises, breathing, and movements based on Chinese practices
- Integration of mind and body in slow, circular movements and changes in the center of gravity
- Though not all are unequivocally proven, there is a growing body of scientific literature reporting a multitude of psychological and physiological long-term health benefits
— Increased self-confidence and sense of well-being
— Statistically significant improvement in self-assessed health
— Significant improvement in self-efficacy for arthritis symptoms
— Significant improvement in level of tension
— Significant improvement in satisfaction with general health status
— Reduced somatic symptoms of depression
— Improved physical functioning
— Reduced fatigue
— Significant improvement in glucose control, diabetic self-care activities, and quality of life of patients with type 2 diabetes
— Improved diet quality and coronary heart disease risk factors, such as LDL particle size (when T’ai Chi added to diet education)
— Positive impact on cardiovascular fitness
— Reduced blood pressure
— Positive impact on muscle strength

— Increased muscle endurance
— Increased bone density
— Improved postural stability
— Improved body balance
— Decreased fear of falling
— Decreased falls and reduced risk of hip fractures (according to OrthoInfo from The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)

CONCLUSION

Now that I’m a senior myself, I recently decided to practice what I’ve preached for years. In addition to aerobic and strengthening exercises, I’ve been doing T’ai Chi at Farmington Country Club with Hiromi Johnson, a very well-known and respected, internationally certified instructor from Charlottesville T’ai Chi Center. I recommend that others, especially seniors, do everything possible – INCLUDING IMPROVEMENT OF BALANCE – to prevent a hip fracture and its often dreadful consequences. To complete a fully effective exercise program, if possible and available, START T’AI CHI!