Taiji Mind Body Spirit Connection:

While conducting an outdoor class the other day a student asked me "When does the Spirit become understood"?

For me the Mind and Body connection was a much easier concept to grasp and apply compared to that of the spirit. The mind and body work together well and efficiently with proper Taiji practice.

The Spiritual aspect if it is to be realized at all takes much more effort .

It's like having three kids. The quiet child is often the hardest to know and understand. With all the activity and noise surrounding the other two the quiet one becomes almost invisible.

Sometimes it seems that you have to first deal with the other two and teach them to relax and settle down before you get a chance to spend time with the quiet one. But when you do begin to understand the unique value the quiet one offers to the rest of the family you'll wonder how you ever got along with out them.

I had learn to deal with the first two long before I met the third. My Taiji training has introduced me to the quiet one. Not to play favorites, but getting to know the quiet one has made more of a difference than the other two combined. The mind and body although important will never reach their true potential without the third because that is the missing element that unifies all three (the whole family). For me that is where the highest level of balance, understanding and contentment can be achieved.

I have barely scratched the surface of understanding this special relationship but already feel it's influence on the whole.