This weekend, I participated in a Chen-Style tai chi chuan weekend seminar followed by a private session with Chen Yingjun, Grandmaster Chen Xiao Wang’s son. These names may not mean too much to you, but they stand for the highest and purest skills that can be found in the Tai Chi world.
After training for over two years, completely isolated from any teacher or group, I was really looking forward to meeting Yingjun. Almost exactly ten years ago, I had already learned from his father Chen Xiao Wang in Germany, and so it was amazing to have this continuation of such incredible teachers. Yingjun started Tai Chi at 8 and had trained since then under his famous father. I guess it is not easy being compared with a living legend, but Yingjun seems to handle this in a very relaxed way.
During a lunch break, we talked about training and focus and Yingjun told me that he had been fully dedicated to Tai Chi training for the last few years. ‘Now I am almost ready to teach’, he said. Let’s get this right; Yingjun skills are already world-class. His movements and his power are so far developed that it is hard to imagine that there is any improvement possible. At least this is what I thought. ‘I still have to improve a lot; there is so much more possible’, said Yingjun, as if he had read my mind.
I was still thinking and looking at this smiling face. Here I was sitting beside a young, extraordinary man, who represented the exact opposite of our fast and superficial world. In his world, there is neither space for pretending to know something nor for people with a big mouth. You can either do it or not— you can’t fake tai chi. ‘I needed to work on my foundation, strength and perfect my skills before I start teaching’, Yingjun continued. ‘Tai Chi is like real life; without a good foundation, your skills stay weak, whatever you do. Focus on one skill at a time and train hard until you achieved it, then your skills will skyrocket’, he said.
This single conversation alone was worth the whole weekend. I realised that I needed to go back to basics and concentrate on one project at a time. Running several projects in parallel can dilute your progress and is also very energy-draining. This single aspect is perhaps the most important skill we all need to master for the next few years; to learn not to get distracted by all the opportunities and overwhelming energies which appear every day.
We need to learn to focus on a single activity, at least for some time each day. When was the last time you took the time to dedicate yourself to one single activity without any distraction? If you can’t answer this question, then it is time for you to go back to basics. You can start with a hobby you loved to do; something you spent hours and hours on when you still had the time.
During this weekend, I discovered again my need to go back in time and reactivate an activity I loved to do. And this is Standing Meditation, which I stopped two years ago, because I thought that it was a kind of waste of time.
Now, I will stand again for thirty minutes every day and there will be no time wasted. And do you know why? Because these thirty minutes of Standing Meditation will increase my focus, grounding, energy flow and awareness. And with this advanced state of awareness, I will be able to make up far more than thirty minutes a day.
What is your grounding activity, waiting to be reactivated?
Hi – nicely put – say hello to Ying Jun if you see him again. We are fortunate enough to have the pleasure (!?) of his teachings in the UK once a year – still cant persuade him to move here though ! He is truly an inspiration.