It’s interesting the things beginners to Tai Chi get stressed about. Barbara, one of our new recruits, asked “when I should do Tai Chi, because I have read that it must be done in the morning and I do not have time?” I laughed because I have heard that question so many times before from earnest, anxious students. I explained that I was not laughing at her, or the question, just the anxiety because you do Tai Chi to lose your anxiety, not make it worse!! She went on to explain that she had read it in a book and that the author had been quite emphatic about when you should train.

Books Can Be a Pain!

The trouble with many of the books on Tai Chi is that the authors are simply trotting out the same old stuff that ten thousand authors had said before. What is the point to writing yet another book that doesn’t says anything new – apart from of course that fact you get your name in print! Has everyone stopped thinking for themselves? Just because someone said something two hundred years ago does not make it fact. All of the time you must be testing what appears to be fact when it comes to Tai Chi, if you are an instructor. Lau Tzu the founder of Taoism said;

“That which stands still dies”

That is as true of Tai Chi as anything else.

Training in the morning is good because…….

You are fresh after a night’s sleep, but if you have to get up at 5am in the morning to start your job at 6.30 you do not have time for a training session before hand, do you? Well, that is what I think- however, I did meet a Tai chi teacher who said” if you truly value your health you will make the sacrifice needed”. He, obviously, did not have many students! It is also unnecessary.

The Benefit of Training at Lunch Time…….

You are now fully awake and, if the morning has gone badly, you can take time out to do your Tai Chi and create a little bit of space for yourself, returning back to work refreshed. When you start the afternoon positively you will find that things start to go better.

The Benefit of training in the evening………

It’s been a long day and you need to chill out, before you can truly relax for the evening. Practise your Tai Chi form and leave the world behind with all of its trouble and frustrations. Twenty minutes later you are ready to go and enjoy the last part of your day.

At the Weekend

You have the time to do your Tai Chi and Qigong in the morning and run through any of the more advanced things you have not had time to do in the week. You have to be practical you cannot practise everything, every day unless you are a professional instructor and have the time. Practise the form and Qigong every day and everything else when you have time.

Have a great week

Kind Regards

John Hine