Tai Chi, a challenge to your physical and mental memory

Because there are so many facets to Tai Chi, we are often asked -
"What can I do to help me remember my Tai Chi training?" So, we began the week wanting to present tools for helping our students better retain the information we share with them on a weekly basis.

Learning Styles
There are several different scientific models that have been presented regarding human learning styles / characteristics. For the purpose of this commentary I will use the VARK Model

• Visual learning (learn by seeing)
• Auditory learning (learn by hearing)
• Reading/writing (learn by processing text)
• Kinesthetic learning or practical (learn by doing).

Fayne and I try to integrate each of these tools into our teaching program so as to give every person a chance to learn within their strengths. We demonstrate the movements, (visual) we speak or call the form (auditory) we suggest our students take notes and provide this Blog on a weekly basis (reading/writing) and we try to use our hands to gently guide students into more relaxation or better posture during their classroom training. Ultimately, the student must come to understand their personal learning style or styles (it can be more than one) and use those tools as effectively as possible to aid their own learning.

Ownership of Training
Over the years one thing we have learned is that while we do everything we can to provide a training environment that is conducive to the different learning styles, the one variable we can not affect is the students ability to integrate the information. This is where the old adage "you get out of it what you put into it" comes into play. I personally have seen some students excel in our Tai Chi programs while their classmates struggle and falter in the same environment with seemingly the same level of attention during class. I have meditated on this this observation for some time and think the answer lies in ownership. The students that take responsibility for their training and development do well while the ones that expect me to "teach them" when they are clearly not listening or "show them" when they are clearly not watching struggle to grow in their Tai Chi. We can only show students the path to more effective Tai Chi we can not walk the road for them.

Personal Training Time
Another aspect to establishing this important teaching partnership is taking some personal training time. We often suggest that our students stay 5 minutes after class to integrate for themselves what we cover that day in class. It may not seem like much but 5 concentrated minutes of personal integration time can really improve your memory and retention. Especially if it is done right after the material was presented. An additional 5 to 10 minutes a day can really support your classroom work as well. Many of the students that have taken this approach find they miss that personal training time very much when their schedule gets hectic. In addition, they find that over time it tends to grow in length as they come to appreciate its affect on their training and personal well-being.

Tai Chi, Tai Chi, Tai Chi - with intent...
Redundant practice may not seem like much fun but it is an important part of training because it helps the body to create muscle memory. Developing this memory is critical to reaching higher levels of Tai Chi. If the body "knows" what to do, the mind and spirit are freer to explore the Tai Chi principals more deeply. One of the exercises we did this week was for us to perform Commencement Form together, very slowly, with me calling, in extreme detail, the principals at play within that movement. Many of the students commented that this brought their concentration into a higher level and they noticed things that they had never noticed before; tension, alignment, posture, breath whatever it was, they noticed. It seemed to be the difference between just going through the motions with no intention and taking time to really feel the movements and truly experiencing Tai Chi. I explained to them that eventually each movement of the form is to be practiced with this level of intent and awareness and I think some of them began to realize just how challenging true Tai Chi training can be.

Tai Chi, an Instruction Manual for the Body
As I drove between classes this week I realized that Tai Chi training could be described as an instruction manual for the body. Fayne and I have three children and even as "Certified (sometimes certifiable) Parents" we still have not received an instruction manual for the body, how it works and how to treat it with the respect it deserves. We see so many people that are trying to live a healthy lifestyle doing great harm to their bodies by taxing them to their limits and creating an environment where the body is in a constant state of duress from over work, physical stress and strain. Our Tai Chi training and teaching has done more to help us understand the human body than any textbook ever has. You learn to feel the movements and stay within what is your comfortable range of motion. You learn to ask for flexibility and strength not demand it and most importantly, you learn how to release and relax the tension that can overwhelm any body.

It is not necessary to abuse the body into health, only to ask for it respectfully, on a consistent basis; like we do everyday, in our Tai Chi training.