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This question addresses the psychological aspect of tai chi practice, that is, how to enjoy the benefits of relaxed power while maintaining inner drive and ambition.
While working toward goals, it often feels necessary to “break through” barriers, to continue onward, to maintain a strong forward momentum to get things done. But energetically this feels like the opposite of tai chi.
Is it possible to be soft and yet maintain drive? How can these two very useful modes coexist?
“Soft” in Tai Chi is not the same as weak, indecisive, passive,
or lacking motivation. If I understand correctly, the qualities you describe as important in moving toward goals are only enhanced when
we are calm, focused, less reactive, and moving forward with less rigidity and resistance. We go with the flow and are more effective.
hi alex.
bruce has used the phrase a silk glove wrapping an iron fist.
taiji is a martial art, and the meaning of the word taiji is centerpoint, where you can connect to both yang and yin.
so there’s plenty of get it done juice in there.
but it’s not the get it done at any cost kinda juice, it’s the do it smoothly juice.
many people have never seen a truly relaxed functional person, and we have so many examples of those push to get it done types, that it’s sometimes hard to understand how you can get something done without stressing out.
but that’s exactly what makes taiji such a useful and mysterious art.
as I study this material(taiji since 99), I am constantly challenged to let go of old methods of doing, old emotional predispositions, and so on, as the reality of how different and functional these arts are. I really had no idea, and I get the sense that im still scratching the surface. one of the big ones was letting go of this idea that you had to be emotionally hyped up in order to get things done. can’t say I always do it, but ive had some incredible experiences where things JUST FLOWED, it was exceptional quality work, a lot of it, and yet it felt easy and smooth. when I was done, it was easy to just roll into the next thing I was doing. taiji was influencing my daily life in a great, relaxed way…
so I guess what im trying to say is that taiji teaches how to have a very comfortable and relaxed drive, which is kinda paradoxical until you have had the opportunity to experience it some. and that takes practice.
speaking of which…
just a few thoughts:
in my personal experience with taoist methods and other kinds of bodywork/meditation etc. for a long time it is not so much about learning and gaining it is very much about unlearning and loosing.
Means getting rid of physicall, emotional and mental blockages as well as spiritual ones eventually.
So the biggest gain for me was in loosing stuff and relearning to feel my body in space (lying, sitting, standing, moving)
This happens over time and mostly in the time between practising.
Nowadays its like there is a new part of my being coming alive and functioning a bit better almost daily.
Tuina self massage helps a great deal.
The qualities needed seem to be the commitment to do the work, patience, stamina and a positive attitude towards oneself, accepting the status quo. Change will come.
Wanting too much too fast is not going to work, its been a spoiler to me.
Hi Alexander.
Some points from my own thinking over the years. I struggled with the same questions for some time. If the ideal Taoist is someone who is not noticed, how do I reconcile that with getting ahead in a cut-throat organisation? How can I have ambition at the same time as keeping my ego out of the way? There are other questions.
I agree with Richards’ comments that we don’t often see someone who is both relaxed and truly functional. I try to approach that ideal and, like him, I’ve found that Taijiquan techniques help a lot at work. If someone is coming at you with Yang energy, use Yin in return. It’s surprising just how much that thought alone will help get more work done in the day, without conflict. It also gets you a reputation as someone who can remain unflappable in crises, which is handy for ambitious people.
The other point is a saying I read once in a Taoist text which had the sense of, ‘treat large things as small things and small things as large things.’ It took me a while to get that one but eventually I realized that it was talking about paying attention to fine detail in planning and practise. Work things through, forecast problems, identify deficiencies and get your practices and procedures good at all the small things you do each day. If you do that, then when the big issues come along you’ve established a solid bedrock of skills, experience, procedures and trained staff which allows you to deal with big issues without panic.
That sounds an awful lot like something we do with our form each day. In the form we are soft, relaxed, connected and alert. We pay attention to the minutiae of movement and dealing with incoming energy. In that way, when the big crisis of combat comes, we are ready to deal with the big issues in a relaxed, successful way.
Just some thoughts from the front line of ambition…
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