Reaping what you sow

The bliss that comes with a responsive, agile, dexterous, capable body is hard to articulate.
You can move with the grace of a dancer, strike with the force of a sledgehammer, feel immensely composed, physically at ease and also have on-going mental acuity/alertness.
Appealing?
You make it happen.
You did the work. You overcame the challenges. You did it by yourself. You did it for yourself.

Making the most of it

To gain the full health benefits of tai chi, you must make it part of your daily life.
It was designed to be a tonic, not a solution/cure.
Weekly class practice is fine, but daily tai chi offers a degree of suppleness, strength, mental clarity and flexibility you are currently unfamiliar with.

Martial artists are another matter entirely.
Muscle memory and reflex must be cultivated and trained continually so that the body simply responds habitually.
This requires heavy repetition, practice, homework.
Sound familiar?

Cultivate the habit of daily home practice

The main challenge people face when learning tai chi is their unwillingness to practice at home between lessons.

Look at some of the key features of school learning once again: heavy repetition, practice, homework.
Even 10 minutes a day of tai chi or qigong will aid you in learning.
Most people spend longer than that texting, surfing the web, watching TV, gossiping, drinking coffee or styling their hair.

Regularly read some of the suggested books (for pleasure)

This is less challenging than it sounds.
Most people who order an accessible book such as Wolfe Lowenthal's There Are No Secrets find themselves pleasantly surprised and enthusiastic when reading the book.
It is a good starting point.
And if that book was good fun, why not try reading the rest?

Tips for adults

Most adults are unwilling or unable to address learning in a similar manner to school, college or university.
So what can they do to expedite learning?

1. Attend classes every week
2. Regularly read some of the suggested books (for pleasure)
3. Cultivate the habit of daily home practice

Understanding

Tai chi is not supposed to be a spa treatment or a chill out session.
It requires the individual to mentally engage with the material - to deepen their knowledge and skill - to understand.
This makes the training far more stimulating and encourages long term interest in the art.

Familiarity

If you want to become skilled with tai chi you need to practice frequently.
The more often you perform the movements, the easier they are to remember.
Repetition forms habits.

Little and often is best for concentration.

The purpose of a tai chi class

If you attend a night school class to learn Spanish, French Cuisine or how to paint, the lesson is simply teaching you the required skills.
The next step is to go home, speak Spanish, cook or paint.

Tai chi is just the same.
We are teaching you how to do tai chi. Now, go home and practice the art for yourself.