When we think of the tai chi form, we usually think the first thing we do is "Open," the rising and falling of the hands and qi. In fact, this is the second thing we do; the first is "Prepare." In Chinese it's 预 备, pronounced "yu bei."
We take a moment to still our minds and bodies, check our posture, focus on what we're about to do and so forth. It's important to go through this mental and physical preparation. Think about anything we do at home, at work or elsewhere - "jumping right in" without any preparation tends to return results that are seldom our best.
Tai chi is not the only place we see such mental and physical preparation. Watch a gymnast prepare herself for a challenging vault. Watch a big-league batter go through his preparations at the plate. Watch a concert pianist arrange him or herself before their instrument at the beginning of a performance. Or a church pastor's sotto voce prayer before he or she delivers their sermon.
Preparation is important.
So it is with starting in a new direction. This blog continues in the spirit of the previous one hosted by the studio we all started at. Like the several styles of tai chi, its outward appearance is different, but the substance will be identical. Its intent is the same as it's always been - a resource for students and a repository for my own thoughts.
Over time I'll be migrating most of my posts from the previous blog over here, more-or-less in the same order. Some will stay, some will change and some, which I didn't care for or which have become obsolete, will vanish altogether. Since I'm in charge of this blog (previously all my posts had to go through an intermediary), I'll probably be posting more frequently.
As we transition from our old studio to our new home - temporary or permanent as the case may be - let's take the opportunity to "prepare" so we're mentally and physically ready for the future.
