I was a bit surprised when my teacher told me that he preferred music playing in the background when doing Tai Ji. But his was a different reason. He said the music will actually boost his performance, and will also help to relax the mind. But there’s a dark side to it. You can become reliant on music, so much so that it becomes an addiction. It may come to a point when you can’t relax until there’s some music playing in the background, which is not what we are trying to train.

I guess the reason i’m training tai chi is to learn how to relax both the mind and the body, and in the mean time, try to understand how I can apply the principles of tai chi in life.

Having music is a bonus. But I’d rather have peace and quiet anytime.