On Balance
Balance and harmony are the essence of what we teach.
Initially, our arts can help you find physical and energetic balance - and better health - within you.
Further study can lead you toward emotional, mental, and even spiritual balance, as well as harmony with nature.
As you gain greater balance within, you’ll naturally help balance those around you.
Our tradition says: Balance yourself. Balance your family. Balance your community. Balance the world.
For more on our tradition and balance, click here.
We offer this blog as a resource for those who seek harmony and balance. We’ll share our thoughts and experiences and invite you to do the same.
Tai Chi Immersion
Brookline Tai Chi recently held their Immersion Week. This is a week of intensive tai chi and qigong workshops. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend part of the event.
The workshop I participated in was taught by Craig Barnes, and the subject was Wu Style Tai Chi Long Form Refinements.
Learning from a Master
I recently spent a weekend in Chicago with Taoist Lineage Holder Bruce Frantzis. Bruce is the teacher of my teachers, Kathryn and Bill. Since 2010 I have been studying the material that he has passed on to them, reading his books and watching his videos. So you can imagine how excited I was to meet him and learn from him in person.
Now Try Half As Hard
It was one of those days, and I was trying to fight my way through the movements of the short form when Bill appeared next to me and asked how I was doing. When I told him what was going on, he suggested that I try put half as much effort into doing the form, and see if it felt better.
I followed his instruction as best I could, and as I was finishing the form he came around again and said, “that’s good, now try half as hard as that. Don’t worry about getting the shape of the movements right.”
The Two-Year-Old Bounce
One of our students showed me this video. It is an excellent demonstration of what my teacher Bill Ryan calls the “two-year-old dancing at a wedding,” or the “two-year-old bounce.” He uses this move to help new qigong and tai chi students begin to feel the natural springiness of their joints.
There Is More To Balance Than Not Falling Flat On Your Face
When I first wandered into Toward Harmony for a free demonstration, I was scared. I had back pain that had become more serious over several years. I had been to doctors and physical therapists, and performed the prescribed exercises religiously. Still, back pain was making it difficult for me to hold down a job and to do the things that I liked to do. I was terrified of what life might be like if I didn't get better. I was 25 years old.
Balance and our Taoist Water Tradition
We established Toward Harmony to try to help people, including ourselves, to move toward more balance, compassion, wholeness, and harmony in our lives.
That sounds good, right? But what does it mean to move toward greater harmony and balance in your life?