Tuesday, March 11, 2014

My journey to Tai Chi


I was recently invited to contribute to this blog to share my thoughts and experiences learning Tai Chi. Being a newbie,  it will be interesting to do a self intro talking about what inspired me into learning Tai Chi.
Here’s my story …

Having suffered from bouts of asthma attacks since young, I was refrained from  exercises of all sorts
and was just happy being a volleyball player on standby during school days. At work, exercise was nothing more than dribbling table tennis balls during lunch with my colleagues.

Though I was lucky enough to get by not having to exhaust my medical leaves in my early 30s, the frequent colds left me feeling even more lethargic. So I made that bold move to join my cousin for weekly Yoga practice and this routine stayed on till now.

The interesting about doing exercises like yoga that connects the mind-body-spirit,  the
ability to stay relaxed and in a meditative mood during workout is addictive and has gotten me yearned for more.  For a span of 2 to 3 years, I had static Qi Gong included in my weekly schedule as well. Coincidentally, the fitness centre which I had my yoga practice started conducting Wing Chun martial arts and being curious by nature,  I started my weekly training on this art form to learn more about internal energy.  I fell in love with Chinese martial art since then and this set me on my path to discover Tai Chi Quan.

I started ploughing through the materials available in the internet and was a little lost not knowing which style I should start with in my Tai Chi journey but I do know I need a Shifu who can teach and train with the
correct principles.  Eventually I enrolled for a 3-month course in Kreta Ayer Community Centre learning Sun style to get a taste of what Tai Chi is about.

As I am sharing with you through this blog, I have already completed the traditional 97-form after 14
months and now picking up Chen style sword form.  The entire form may take another several months to complete but it does not bother me anymore. Nature does not hurry…