LETTING GO

I spent several days learning how to stand. Which on the face of it may sound like a rather ineffective use of time and money.

Why learn something you can do unconsciously?

However, like with all lessons in taiji and qigong, it is nestled in the nuance and the subtlety that you find the magic.  

Across four days, ten poses, and many layers, Peter from Forest Rock Qigong introduced us to the power and clarity found in Zhan Zhuang, or ‘standing like a post.’

Your proficiency – and potential – hinged on one requisite, the ability to ‘let go.’

In a modern world made on motion, it can be immensely difficult – and brave – to yield control. Our shoulders, jaws, hips, and habits, attest as much. Tension built by the insane and immense pressure we place upon ourselves. A stick we whack regularly.

It is fitting that a treadmill winds backwards, as we try to hurtle forwards. All our efforts in the opposite direction. A river does not flow like this. It moves with the least resistance. With effortless action.

Looking out on the enchanting jungle we tried to mimic the trees. Our arms, like their branches, hanging not with effort but energy. Each day, dropping a little deeper into relationship with our bodies.

‘I trust my life to take care of me’ was a collective intention for the course. As someone who has worked immensely hard to feel well – in mind and body – this process of ‘letting go’ is difficult. The fear that my life won’t catch me, irrational but palpable. 

However, when you do pause for long enough – standing like a tree – that desire to run against the river, to thrash the stick, or to believe the fear, ebbs away. Leaving instead a desire to take actions that are effortless. To build a life in alignment.