A lot of times in the treatment rooms, when I ask my patient, “where do you feel (certain emotions) in your body?” the answer was, “I don’t feel it in my body, it’s in my head!” After getting these kinds of answers so many times from many patients, I finally realized that the fact I can feel my emotions in my body was a gift. And my tai chi teacher Master Wang Dazhang gave me that gift 30 years ago.
I was a young radiation oncologist suffering from myocarditis and was dealing with heart palpitations everyday. I had the best possible conventional western medical interventions at the time but was still dealing with extreme exhaustion every single day. Working in a western medicine setting, I didn’t know any Chinese medicine practitioners who had the skills that I have today that could help me heal. Life felt hopeless. That was when I saw, in a public open space, a group of people old and young lined up in two long rows, following a teacher doing tai chi together. Master Wang was in his early 80s at the time. When I requested to be part of the group, he casually said, “just join in.” Little did I know, that was the start of my new life!
Getting up early to join the group tai chi practice became my everyday routine. I was able to remember the sequence quite quickly by practicing and memorizing the forms with other students after work. When Master Wang was convinced that I was serious about learning tai chi, he decided to spend 20-30 minutes after the group practices to watch me repeating what I learned that day and correct my movements. A lot times when I didn’t remember how he did that one movement, he would try it again himself and offer what he observed when he did it; not only offering what I could see but also what he felt in his body – the feet, the knees, the neck, the elbow. Without him specifically pointing out how he felt his body, I was mimicking what he was doing, feeling my own body when I did every movement.
Today, it has become one of my habits that I feel my body when I make a movement, when I encounter some life difficulties, even when I need to make an important decision. I almost forgot that I wasn’t always that way. I was very good at engaging with my mind, getting busy thinking rather than feeling my body. It took practice to make observation of my body second nature. In the process of becoming a better observer, my body was better at healing itself. I am in better health today than I was 30 years ago. That was an incredible gift from Master Wang and I owe him my life because of it.
Starting next Tuesday, I will be offering small group outdoor eight-week tai chi class outside our Quarry Lake clinic back door on Quarry Lake Drive, where the shops face the lake. If you want to learn to be a better observer of your own body, I invite you to join me on this fun journey. Here is some detailed information:
Class dates (Tuesdays from 9-10:30am):
9/28, 10/12, 10/19, 10/25, 11/9, 11/16, 11/23, 11/30
Practice and Q&A sessions (9-9:45am):
Wednesdays and Thursdays of the same weeks
If we have to cancel a class due to inclement weather conditions, the make-up class will take place on either the Friday of the same week or Dec. 7 and 14, depending on the circumstances.
There is a one time charge of $160/person for the series of 8 classes and 16 practice sessions. All proceeds will be donated to charity organizations.
I am looking forward to seeing you on Tuesday mornings!
