teach
When you push, just push
A common habit when practising, is to make the adjustments while carrying out an action. In the context of Tai Chi, you might have seen people bobbing up and down, or pushing forward with various hand gestures, looking very awkward as though their clothes just don’t fit them. Then one day, my teacher said,
“When you [...]
On giving and receiving advice
I was recently in a class full of students, as oppose to my individual training with my teacher. We were trying to correct the very first step of all Tai Ji forms - the “raise your hands and put it down”. I met a student who was really passionate about Tai Ji, and who started [...]
Fear of feedback
I recently attended a “leadership” course, where you’re asked to play games in a group setting to demonstrate your leadership, or the lack of it, in a controlled environment. We navigated a small island with a “hot-from-the-oven” navigation skills and a 20-years-old topographical map.
I actually enjoyed the navigation part as it brought me out to [...]
My third teaching session - only one student!
My third teaching session - only one student. I must be really boring my students! When my teacher commented about a student who didn’t turn up, he made a comment which I didn’t fully appreciate at the time. He said:
“for students who can’t turn up, they should actually tell me in advance out of courtesy…”
For [...]
A student becomes a teacher
After becoming a student for years, a few friends asked me to teach Tai Ji. I rejected profusely, citing some lame excuses e.g. not ready, not good enough, do not want to mislead etc. Of course, being friends, they have the normal comeback for each of my excuses. I think the fact that I’m not [...]
