Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tips # 447
Tai Chi and Jazz
The more one plays with Tai Chi, the more one’s mind sees Tai Chi in everything. Someone was talking about a jazz instructor who had put his philosophy for learning to play jazz up on a blackboard. When I heard it, I couldn’t help thinking that he was really talking about the best way to learn Tai Chi.
On the board were written three words: imitate, assimilate, and innovate. How true! First one should imitate your instructor and the Masters of old. That is called learning from outside to inside. Assimilate their teachings and movements, making them yours, so that they come from the inside to the outside. Finally, innovate, and help Tai Chi evolve, change, grow, and become more relevant to the present day and age. Learn the classics, then move on. Respect the past, experience the present, and prepare for the future. So it turns out jazz and Tai Chi have much in common.