The masters are said to have practiced T'ai Chi twice daily.
One instructor encouraged his students to do T'ai Chi 24 hours/7 days a week.
In response to the T'ai Chi Ch'uan Classic principle of moving continuously, an old friend and classmate quipped, "I can't. I have to sleep sometime."
Therein lie the standard, aspiration and humor for practitioners.
What you practice, and where or when, depends on you. Your preferences, schedule and commitment around T'ai Chi determine what you actually do. If it is important to you, and you see its value and benefits, then like any good discipline you have to put in time and effort.
Of course, if it is not important to you, then dispense with it and focus on other things that are. It is the nature of T'ai Chi - and the Tao, that is, the way of nature - not to force into anything at all.
That said, I believe in doing something that is sustainable. Big efforts are more difficult as far as that is concerned. But smaller efforts, pointed in the direction where you want to go, can be made everyday:
- Practice your form daily. Perhaps focus on new movements you've learned.
- Even if all you have is five minutes, then practice well for five minutes - with full attention and commitment.
- Decide whether it makes sense for you (a) to schedule practice at a set time everyday or (b) to allow yourself the flexibility to see how you feel and determine which time each day to practice.
- T'ai Chi is modest, economic and convenient. So you can practice it wherever you may be, whatever you may be wearing, and whenever you wish.
With this more modest effort, perhaps you can do it twice a day.
After years and years of practice, you may have assimilated the essence of T'ai Chi in your mind, body and spirit so deeply that anything and everything you do is T'ai Chi. Then, you are doing it 24/7.
The fact is, even when we sleep, our life force - chi - is very much flowing through us. So we can revel in knowing that we can move continuously. And mindfully so.
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