| Interview
A Tai Chi Journey begins Down South
by John
Late
in the year 2001, along with sixteen other people, I was fortunate
enough to be chosen to winter at one of
Australia’s four Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic stations. This would be my
fifth winter south over the
last twenty years. From experience, I began looking for some kind
of “project” that might keep me mentally and physically
occupied over the long, dark winter months. I had tried several
things in the past and had learned much from my years down south.
However, this time I hoped I may find something that
would be of benefit in the years to come as well as the coming
eighteen months. At the time I received confirmation of the
posting, I was visiting a close friend in Canberra whom I had
known for many years and who had often mentioned
her practice of Tai Chi. I had many questions for my friend as I had
become interested in Tai Chi after spending several postings in Asia.
There I had watched in fascination as thousands of men, woman and
children
gathered in parks and open areas each morning to perform this
time honoured art.
My friend was a wealth of information and she very kindly
obtained two videos from the Tai
Chi Academy. She presented me with this unique present, hoping that I
may have a chance to watch them during the year. Little did I know at
the time that this thoughtful gift would eventually inspire me to take
up this ancient skill and fill many hours with both mental and physical
pleasure.
We
spent
the first few hectic months, settling into the station and making sure most of the
outside work was completed before the sun finally left us for good. Then, I turned to the cassettes and starting
watching them on a somewhat irregular basis. Rather than watching the
whole videos through, I thought it best to pace myself and view and
absorb each segment as it presented itself - without trying to run
before I could walk! I was glad to find that the videos introduced me
to my “virtual teachers”, Brett and Fontane. It was obvious from the
first few minutes of tape that they were both very experienced and
dedicated instructors who would methodically and patiently “walk” me
through my first faltering attempts. I also sensed the appreciation
that they displayed towards their own teachers. As I watched the tapes,
I began to understand that, like a great tree, the beauty above was only
possible because of the strong foundation of the roots.
In around about June or so, I mentioned to one of our scientists that I
was trying to learn Tai Chi with the help of the videos. She expressed
enormous interest and just after mid-winter, June 21st, we
decided to meet in our small cinema each working day at around 6:45 am.
There we made a more determined effort to learn as much as we could
before leaving the station in 2003. And so our journey began.
Each morning we would diligently watch our teachers explain
each movement. The first few weeks went rather slowly as each section
presented a new stance that was unfamiliar to us. It required an almost
constant finger on the remote control to play and then rewind each
section many times. We were both concerned that we would wear out the
tapes well before the re-supply ship would arrive. Thankfully, the
tapes held out and after a couple of months, we began to learn at
a more accelerated pace. We both agreed at the time that learning
without the direct input of a teacher was often frustrating. We
would watch a move ten times over and still be uncomfortable with our
interpretation. We desperately needed some guidance but there was nothing we could do about it, except
persevere. Looking back now, I have come to think that what
appeared to be a disadvantage for us at the time was nothing more than part of the challenge to be
overcome. Like anything in life that is
truly worthwhile, it was not easy. But perhaps because it was just that
more difficult, I believe we gained a great deal more from our studies.
We found that not only did we enjoy our physical practice each morning, but that we were
beginning to get something perhaps a little deeper out of Tai Chi than we had originally
anticipated. At first, our sense of balance and flexibility
noticeably improved. We would often go through the exercises and
form and then sit down for twenty or thirty minutes and simply discuss what we both felt we were trying to achieve. These discussions began to expand
and touch on areas that we had not expected. In the beginning, we
were concerned about precision, speed and flow. After several
months, we found our minds wondering into other areas as well. We
found that Tai Chi began to reflect into our day to day lives and not
simply the first hour of the day. As Brett and Fontane had
mentioned, we found the mental relaxation that Tai Chi promoted began to
play a larger role in our working and social lives.
I
recall that in the first month or two of practising Quiet Standing, we
considered standing quietly for even five minutes an inordinate length
of time.
We began following the Fa Soong Gong method of relaxation in Brett's
manual. Gradually,
our ability to concentrate
became
stronger
and
we now find that even ten minutes is not long enough. I look forward
each morning to my “quiet time” and hope to understand more about this
increasingly important part of me.
As the sun returned and the light turned our darkened world
into a vista of unparalleled beauty, I began to look around me
through different eyes. Often I would simply stop during the
course of my day and gaze out upon a sublime landscape and slowly
breathe in the wonder aro und me. I began to take the time to appreciate not only
this last, natural place on earth, but also myself as well. The beauty outside began to work its magic inside me. I noticed
in my monthly medical that my heart rate began to slow and my blood pressure drop. It was not an
overnight transformation but a very gradual nipping away at my monthly
averages. I don't know if the same results were reflected throughout
the other expeditioners at the same time but, for me at least, I felt
Tai Chi was making its presence felt.
It was also at this time that we began to log onto the Academy's website
and read the articles and interviews. We had realised for some time
that there was an enormous amount to learn and these web pages were
helping us see the larger picture. I sent a message to the Academy and
in October, on the first ship of the season, arrived “Reflections Along
the Tai Chi Pathway”. The book explained in plain English a lot of what
we had been trying to grasp by ourselves and was a great benefit. We
would sit down after each morning exercise and read a chapter or part of
a chapter and discuss our interpretation of the article.
It is now February 2003 and in a few days time, I will be leaving the
station and returning to Australia
after more than five hundred days on the ice. Tai Chi has now become a
permanent part of my life. Every morning, I rise and look forward to
each new day and perhaps understanding myself from a different
perspective. I will be travelling once again after visiting family and
friends in Australia and I hope to spend some time in China over the
coming months. I also hope that I may be able to visit some of the
places where Tai Chi was born and continue my own private journey along
the Tai Chi pathway.
(This is an actual account, but the name has been changed for reasons of
privacy.)
(The Academy
would also like to thank John for his spectacular photographs.)
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