T'ai Chi Workshop in Blackrock Community Centre this Saturday Long Form 10.30 -11.30 Short Form and Partner Work 11.30 - 1.30 Beginners Lesson 1-2.30

Mini Form for Monday morning class

I have been reflecting on how I love myself best.  For me , it means taking time to practice tai chi and to meditate. To have some silence in my day so I can tune in and feel what is going on inside. To notice the thoughts that are robbing me of my peace or my ability to engage fully with whoever I am with or whatever I am doing. This realization often comes later on reflection , then I like to do a Byron Katie worksheet  on my beliefs about that person or my beliefs about them or the situation , this usually shows me my mind ,my limiting beliefs, the ones that are keeping me stuck in judgement and separation. This is not to beat myself up but to compassionately care for myself to encourage that aspect of me that knows there is no need to separate myself from the Love  inside, which is always waiting for me to rediscover It.

More and more I am coming to realize that our most important work is to Love ourselves.
To learn be compassionate with ourselves at all times, this is not a cop out rather it is the road less travelled.
It is the journey within to find true unconditional Love for ourselves. It is a redirecting our attention from seeking Love and approval outside in the world to discovering what our own internal blocks are and working to let those blocks dissolve so we can truly Love ourselves. It means to stop postponing Loving until some point in time in the future when we have  ' worked it all out ' but to begin right here right Now to give ourselves total unconditional Love. Try it right now .  .   .  .  .  .
Notice any blocks  ( like I'm not good enough yet ) tell yourself this is just the thinking mind sabotaging your intention and go ahead and give yourself the Love you truly deserve. .  .  .  .  .   The Love that everyone everywhere deserves.
 Become part of a great Healing for yourself, this world and all of us sharing this incarnation together.
Join me and dedicate today to Loving ourselves for today , let's just do it one day at a time.

Tai Chi Warm - ups

Here is the first video  of the warm - ups as promised to my Tuesday morning class. Once you watch one the others will pop up on the screen and  you can access them there on vimeo.  Hope they are helpful.

The best approach to tai chi in my experience is to just practice each day and allow the practice to teach you.
John Kells  who introduced this form to Europe in the seventies would say
  " Never let high standards get in the way of your practice. " and he also remind us often that,
  " Your tai chi on any day is perfect for that day and that point in your life . "
 In other words we cannot go beyond our evolution, each time we practice it is just perfect for  that session.
  With this in mind give yourself whole heartedly to your tai chi and it will give you many blessings in return. You can enjoy, a greater sense of grace in movement , greater calmness of mind, more strength in your body, these are just a few of the benefits so give yourself the gift of practice you really do deserve to have time each day to be nourished from within.

Lesson 1 of the mini form for Monday morning's class

My mind is very seductive and mostly tries ans often succeeds in distracting me from being fully present to the immediate moment. It lures me off on some tangent and I find myself  ' figuring out some strategy ' until somehow awareness arises and catching myself lost in thought I'm back here and now. Again and again the play continues, some days it's easy to keep a soft alert awareness some days it feels like my mind is churning in all directions at once and being  present to that Self is almost impossible, but just by staying soft and watching the mind's antics it eventually settles down.  Somehow I finally let go of actually believing that it has anything worthwhile to offer and once again realise that the real wisdom comes from somewhere beyond my mind.
This is not another thought but rather a dropping away of thoughts , the peace that arises then is beyond any control of mine it is a pure gift for which I am eternally grateful.

                      Looking into the eyes

                            of others,

               seeing beyond one's mental projections,

                       judgements and fears,

            a presence is recognised that doesn't belong

                    to education, or race or gender.

                     It cannot be described.

                     It cannot be defined.

                         Once confirmed 

                     as our own Supreme Self, 

                         we cannot fail

                      to recognise It in all.

                                      Mooji