The Supreme Ultimate Exercise by Larry Welsh

Oct 24, 2010 by Karen

“I don’t trust anything but my feet and my black cushion.  My feet are always my friends.  When I am really standing on my feet, I am not lost.”  Shunryu Suzuki

In the tradition of oriental medicine, health and well being arises through the cultivation of our vital life force — our chi. Chi flows through the whole body, mind, and spirit providing nourishment and warmth to our entire existence.  Thus it is only through the free flow of chi within ourselves that  health and resistance to illness is fortified.  The Chinese sages perceived that the outer world was also full of chi moving through its fluctuations as expressed through the seasons of the year.  By observing nature—the stars, the sun, the moon, the oceans and rivers—the sages developed a system of medicine to restore balance and health. This system includes acupuncture, herbs, food therapy, and movement therapies.  After thousands of years, the profundity of their insight is still amazing to witness.

Fundamental to all of Chinese medicine is the practice of chi gong or cultivation of chi.  There are many forms of chi gong including the animal forms and Tai Chi which cultivate health through gentle movement and breathing, promoting the free flow of chi and gathering of chi.  In order to embrace the chi, one of the most important principles is found in the Chinese word sung, often translated as relax.  Sung is the essence of Tai Chi.  Through daily practice, we learn to relax, integrating balance and harmony into our lives and how to transform fear into fearlessness.  When the chi is not free flowing due to chronic stress of many kinds, one may experience frequent flu, head colds, pain, fatigue, headaches, menstrual cramps, fear or depression for example.

The great Tai Chi teacher, Professor Cheng Man-ch’ing said it is easy to relax the body and difficult to relax the mind.  Yet the wisdom of Tai Chi gradually teaches us, through much practice, how to relax the body AND the mind. Professor Cheng stated in his 13 Treatises that one should “seek the released mind” or “the true mind”.  As this is cultivated, the spirit can flourish, and health shines forth.  To practice Tai Chi is both easy and difficult, immediately awakening intrinsic health, yet requiring great perseverance.  Practicing Tai Chi teaches us how to move from within, creating balance and centered-ness in any moment of life. Potentially, these skillful means can extend from helping ourselves to helping others.

About The Author:  Larry Welsh has trained in the Tai Chi Chuan Yang style short form, listening hands and sword form for over 30 years.  He is senior adjunct faculty in the Traditional Eastern Arts program at Naropa University. He practices Japanese Classical Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, and Whole Food Nutrition in Boulder, Colorado, and is senior acupuncturist at Bridges Integrative Health Services, a part of Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.  He has been a meditation teacher and practitioner  since 1977. He teaches Tai Chi and Mindfulness Meditation retreats at Shambhala Mountain Center bi-annually. www.larrywelshacupuncture.com

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