There are many things that we need to do to be successful
with our tai chi practice. I've been thinking about this and I have distilled
it down to three requirements I call the three ITS and it's easy to explain
what they mean.
Investigate - When you first decided to try tai chi,
the idea had to come from somewhere. You probably read or heard something about
the health benefits. Spend a little time investigating tai chi before you
commit to spending time and money. What do you want to get out of it? Define
what you mean by "successful" tai chi practice.
Teacher - A teacher is essential. You can learn a
little bit from a video. A video can show you the basic movements of a tai chi
form, but it doesn't give you any feedback. It doesn't give you any of the
depth of tai chi that makes it such a wonderful practice. Teachers are all
different. Some have been studying for decades. Some for less. Some are great
at their practice, but lousy teachers. Visit a class. Observe how the teacher
interacts with the students. Ask if the teacher has experience with other
students who have similar expectations as you. You want to find a great teacher
that can help YOU. It can take time to find the right teacher, but it's worth
it.
Student - You are the most important requirement. You
can investigate and find the best teacher. You can spend your money on classes.
But you won't be successful if you don't apply yourself and learn what the
teacher is giving you. The teacher can show the way, but you have to put in the
practice time. You have to do the hard work of learning.
© 2012 Eric Borreson
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