Speed

Taking tai chi class has, as expected, given me new things to think about.  One of those things is tempo.

I have, basically, two speeds:  full on and total stop.  Naturally, this makes tai chi with its deliberate pace something of a challenge for me.  That’s a polite way to say it’s flipping hard.  My brain feels like it has to hurry through the moves lest I get left behind.  It doesn’t understand that no one is actually going to be leaving the park until class is over.

 

I know I am not the only one who hurries when I’m doing something hard.  My clients do it, too.  For some things, getting through quickly is good.  But maybe, just maybe, if we all slow down a little, we can learn something different.

 

Maybe slowing down will let us be more precise in our movements.  Maybe we can realize that we’re feeling an exercise more in one part than another.  Maybe, as we breathe, we can come to a new understanding of what we’re doing and it might make us have more compassion toward our bodies.

 

Maybe not.  But it’s worth a try.