A couple of weeks ago I asked Geoff to put pen to paper once again so we could all get an appreciation of how our view of Tai Chi changes over time.
What follows are both of the articles that Geoff wrote. If anyone would like to respond in anyway we can publish those responses in future editions.
Chris Connor
Thoughts on Tai Chi by Geoff Ashcroft
(May 1997)
I have been attending Roman and Darren’s classes for about a year now, and I have no intention of "giving it away". I am a short way along the Tai Chi road that we are all traveling. Some of us will travel a long way and some a short way, but no matter how far we travel we will all benefit from the experience.
At the Sutherland library I found the book- Tai Chi -The "Supreme Ultimate" Exercise for Health, Sport and Self Defense by Cheng Man Chen and Robert Smith. Phew! What a long title.
It’s a book I will read again and again because although I didn’t understand it all then, as I travel along the Tai Chi road, I will understand more and more of the book. If you look at the book, there are photographs of Chen Man Chen and an opponent and what struck me at first was his straight back and sunkeness. Now whenever I start a session I picture in my mind his posture and hope my subconscious helps my body perform correctly.
At this time I have completed the 37 form and
my wife thinks I do it really good. But I know that I’m not doing it right,
but that’s okay because every week I learn something new and in 12months I know
I’ll be doing it better and 12 months on I’ll be better again. So I’m happy
and content with that - thank you for taking an interest. (February 2000) Boy does that article take me back a lot of
sheets of "rice paper". That was a couple years ago and I’m still
traveling along that road, and still looking at that book with the long title,
and still don’t understand all of it, but I’m getting there. I am a bit enigmatic about Tai Chi, if a friend
/ workmate / or complete stranger, asks me about Tai Chi. I rant and rave about
the health aspect, the martial art aspect, its soothing aspect, it’s
flexibility aspect, and it’s supple aspect, if you can think of an aspect I’ve
raved about it. To the point that the listener has to look for the off button to
shut me up. I am not really that bad but I do go on. The enigmatic bit has been "doing
it", if I practiced it as much as I talked about it I reckon I could put an
elephant into emptiness. That was my enigma, but this year my resolution is
every day I WILL PRACTICE. I have taken a Tai Chi tape to work and do it there.
I have put a club "flyer" on the notice board but do not try to
persuade people to "come along". I believe it will only be successful
if people CHOOSE to learn Tai Chi. My form is oodles better than it was last time
I wrote. I really love the form, I find I can immerse myself in it. Its like
there’s nothing else while I’m doing it, and when I reach the end I feel
like I have just finished something spiritual, if I move from my position or
make a noise it will destroy the acute awareness that I have just created.
Sometimes I will wait for someone else to move or make a noise so I am not
responsible for breaking that "spell". I am still reading the book with the long title
and I’m still talking about it and practising and little by little the book is
making more sense. I know I know I’m starting to go on a bit, I still enjoy my
Tai Chi but some aspects of it do frustrate me. I sometimes wonder just how many
sheets of rice paper there are. I’ve just found the off button and am about
to push it. Before I go I’d like to thank you all for taking an interest again
– Yours in Tai Chi, Geoff Ashcroft