Tai Chi & Qigong Discoveries
Knowledge and self-realizations gained during many years of studying tai chi and qigong under Mr. Tai Chi and Lee Ann.
I may not know my purpose, but I will be prepared for it when it calls.
Shifu teaches us that you may not know your purpose, but you have one. You may not realize it yet, but you have one.
We try to define this purpose, to imagine the setting, the role, the location. But purpose is not always so neatly put in a box. For some it is a call to a specific vocation, to be a healer, a teacher, an advocate, or numerous other possibilities. For others, a vocation is only the financial means to an end; a source of income that enables the manifestation of our purpose during personal time. And for many, our purpose is inherent in simple acts of humanity within everyday life.
To recognize our purpose, we must be open, observant, and listening. Meditation to find emptiness awakens our awareness and prepares us to hear our call. This is true for defining our purpose in a big picture way. It is also important for helping us realize individual opportunities of purpose when they arise. By keeping our consciousness in the moment and by connecting with our intuition, meditation enables us to contribute meaningfully when needed.
When I am negligent in my mediation and my qigong/tai chi practices, my fears and insecurities take hold, I turn inward with worry and self-defeating thoughts. People tend to avoid me. In that state, I am unable to see my purpose, I am less likely to be guided to where I am needed by my intuition, and I am less likely to see a path to resolution.
It is also not enough to just recognize our purpose, we need to be fit to rise to that purpose. It is necessary to build our physical and mental strength so that we are prepared to fulfill our duty when it calls. Shifu offers this conventional wisdom, “If you don’t have an objective or purpose, subscribe yourself to one until you find yours. Why? Because it helps you stay healthy, alive and vigorous. By keeping yourself internally vital with abundant qi, you will be ready to apply yourself to your purpose when you find it.” Just as education and training build our skills to fulfill our purpose, our practice of tai chi and qigong gives us with the energy and strength to put those skills into action.
At the end of a day where I done my morning meditation and practiced my tai chi and qi gong, I feel clear abundant energy. I also feel satisfied that I have been useful. I have seen where I was needed, and those who needed me found me approachable. I was able to step up to the moment with clarity, confidence, and strength. It is on one of those days that the homeless man who needs to be seen and heard feels free to sit by me on a park bench and unburden his problems – and leaves telling me that I am a female Mr. Rogers. That makes me smile.
Related Links
Tai Chi & Qigong Discoveries Embracing the One
Spiritual Weight Lifting
The Power of Breath
Alaska Institute
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