tee gee tai chi

Skeptic no more! Those snail’s-pace people infesting the campus over the summer had intrigued me to the point of simply having to learn about this tai chi thing for myself.

This morning I attended my very first class at our campus rec center, taught by a genuine Buddhist nun named Dr. Kate Ha. The woman is incredible, her presence enormous even though she is slight in stature. I walked in a few minutes late with one of my coworkers and Kate gave us each a huge hug in welcome. Immediately I was battling self-consciousness as I had done for so many years in dance and theatre classes, and wondered why this hug from a stranger could make me feel both so calm and so uneasy at the same time. Perhaps it was my internal cynic alarm going off. Sometimes I really hate that thing.

I’ve lost a few beliefs in the past several years. What remains is a hope to believe in people, flawed and real, instead of unattainable, untouchable ideals. I don’t know that I felt a big ball of energy in my arms, or that I was pushing any of it out into the universe. What I do know is that over the course of an hour I got something I did not expect at all: a thorough workout. Concentrating on breathing, especially aspirated breathing, is difficult to do. I had no idea I’d have so much trouble with “bumblebee breaths” — you know, blowing out while your lips flap around, like how kids make horsie-sounds. Kate’s bumblebee breaths are so controlled that it sounds like she’s purring.

The forms intrigue me, because they are deceptively simple but require concentration and effort to do them slowly. I especially liked the weeping willow, not only because it is my favorite tree, but because the movement consists of arms sweeping gently from side to side while twisting the ribcage slowly one way and then the other. I forgot how much daily bullshit this sort of graceful, dancelike movement can release.

I also like the section of the class that involved stimulating acupressure points by little, hard pats on different parts of the body. We spanked ourselves. It was fun.

At the very end, Kate played some music and asked us each to say our names and what we were grateful for today. I mentioned going out with Chad tonight, because I am completely looking forward to it, and there are Raisinets involved. (We’re going to see a movie . Yeesh. Get your mind out of the pr0n.) The class ended with Kate saying “give 10 hugs before you leave and I’ll see you next time.” Wow, so much hugging. I thought of a hug-happy friend of mine and how much he’d enjoy all this. Again, Kate hugged me as I walked out the door and I was overwhelmed by how genuinely nice it is to connect with other people without, you know, the drama and politics inherent in a small university, or any university, or any community, or anywhere. Harrumph.

My coworker and I walked back to the library all happy, smiling and chatting. I think this is going to be a very fine Friday morning ritual indeed. Now if I could only get my inner cynic to hug back …