Mindfulness and Taiji…

Recently I’ve been pondering how mindfulness and Taiji fit together. Mindfulness is about being present in the moment. And on the face of it Taiji fits the bill. When practising Taiji, the mind is exorcised of all things not to do with practising at that time.

And yet…

As a student I am aware that I am executing the movement, thinking of the next movement, breathing, and above all else purposefully applying the mind’s ‘intent’ to the step. So somehow, there’s too much happening, not just ‘in the now’ but ‘next’ for it to be mindful.

Until, my teacher said, the we are not being mindful, but are being ‘aware in the present’ of all that we do. 

If you are interested in Tai Chi, classes are available in Pinner and Northwood