Equanimity as a Martial Arts Practice

   by Emily B. Smith, T’ai Chi Instructor

   Grasshopper Healing Arts, Edgerton, WI

    3/7/2012

T’ai Chi Ch’uan is an age-old martial arts practice that has many obvious benefits, but I would like to speak of a very subtle change that occurs when one is diligent about daily practice and is unafraid to look deeply within. We have so many gifts to discover: gifts that are innate, or already within us. T’ai Chi Ch’uan is a gentle martial art that can create a very new and different way of looking at the world around us. By learning to stay in our “center,” or Tan Tien, as we go through the movements, we realize there is absolutely nothing external that can disturb our equilibrium (at least while we are practicing). We learn to focus on that internal energy, not the external distractions, and for those brief ten or twenty minutes a day, we can find a peace and sense of immovable presence that we soon realize was there all along.

We must cultivate and nourish this internal presence. Buddhists call it the “Buddha within.” In a martial arts context, this presence is related to our intrinsic “vital life force” or “chi” energy. It is a loving presence, a huge fountain of compassion. The best word I can think of that translates this internal force into exterior action is “EQUANIMITY:  Evenness of mind, especially under stress; a habit of mind that is only rarely disturbed under great strain.”

By cultivating this habit of looking at the world around us, with equanimity, we will broaden our circles of sight and instead of looking at events through a very critical magnifying  glass,  we will take many steps back and see everything in loving context.  A wonderful practice is to place the Yin/Yang symbol over your viewfinder: know that nothing is permanent and that petty annoyances or even major problems you are experiencing will soon move from foreground to background and be gone.

I think the practice of equanimity is crucial to our relationships with those around us. Once we learn to cultivate whole-body breathing in stressful situations, we can move from our “emotional mind” to our “wisdom mind” and free ourselves from automatic, knee-jerk emotional reactions to events that rattle our precious egos. A person who practices equanimity is able to transcend ego bruising on a regular basis and, instead, project compassion in action. The word “equanimity” is defined as a noun: I believe we must use it as an action verb.

452 words

Webster’s dictionary: EQUANIMITY: Function: noun.  Evenness of mind, especially under stress. EQUANIMITY suggests a habit of mind that is only rarely disturbed under great strain.  Accepted her troubles with equanimity.

Using Whole-Body Breathing as Your Ally

Focusing on the breath in our belly (tan tien) can be calming. Just as the surface of the ocean tends to be choppy when the wind is blowing, the mind tends to be reactive and agitated when the outside environment is not calm and peaceful. In the case of the ocean, if you go down ten or twenty feet, there is only a gentle swelling; there is calm even when the surface is agitated. Similarly, when we focus on our breathing from our center, we are tuning to a region of the body that is below the agitations of our thinking mind and is intrinsically calmer. This is a valuable way of reestablishing inner calmness and balance in the face of emotional upset or when we “have a lot on our minds.”

When we touch base with that part of our mind that is calm and stable, our perspective immediately changes. We can see things more clearly and act from inner balance rather than being tossed about by the agitations of our mind. We see things with a larger perspective, and with this awareness comes a feeling of having more room to move, of having more options, of being free to choose effective and appropriate responses in stressful situations rather than losing our equilibrium and sense of self as a result of feeling overwhelmed.

This all comes from the simple practice of paying attention to our breathing when we practice Whole Body Breathing regularly while going through our T’ai Chi movements. The standing Wu Chi position (closed or open) is a perfect way to focus and memorize this new style of breathing. The movements of the T’ai Chi Solo form were brilliantly designed to safely, progressively open new areas of our bodies in tandem with our improved strength and conditioning. Amazingly, we will discover we can direct our breath with great precision to various parts of our bodies to penetrate and soothe regions that are injured or in pain, while simultaneously calming and stabilizing our thoughts.           

Your tan tien is literally the “center of gravity” of your body, far below the head and the turmoil of your thinking mind. For this reason, we need to befriend the belly right from the beginning as an ally in establishing a sense of peace, stability, and inner healing.

Compiled and edited from “Full Catastrophe Living” by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Added commentary by Emily B. Smith, Certified T’ai Chi Instructor

Grasshopper Healing Arts, Edgerton, WI 53534

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

c All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced without written permission of Emily B. Smith,

Grasshopper Healing Arts, Edgerton, WI 53534

COMMITMENT, SELF-DISCIPLINE, AND INTENTIONALITY

Compiled and edited from the book “Full Catastrophe Living” by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Commentary by Emily B. Smith, Certified T’ai Chi Instructor, Grasshopper Healing Arts

Some people have resistance to the whole idea of taking time for themselves. The Puritan ethic has left a legacy of guilt when we do something for ourselves…some people discover that their inner chatterbox tells them they are selfish or undeserving of this kind of time and energy. But those of us in the martial arts believe that taking time to “tune” you own instrument and restore your energy reserves can hardly be considered selfish. Intelligent would be a healthier description!

Committing yourself to goals that are in your own self-interest is easy. But keeping to the path you have chosen when you run into obstacles or do not realize results immediately is the real measure of your commitment. This is where conscious intentionality comes in—the  intention to practice whether you feel like it or not on a particular day, whether it is convenient or not, with the determination of an athlete.

Regular practice is not as daunting as you might think once you make up your mind to do it. We recommend that you set aside a particular block of time every day to practice. Just reserving this amount of time every day for yourself will create a very positive lifestyle change.  You will soon realize that on practice days, your body feels much more vibrant and energized than on the days when you skip practice. I have found that posting a “practice” calendar on the wall and marking X’s for each successful day will remind you that a day without practice is a day without progress.

Our lives are so complex and our minds so busy most of the time that it is necessary, especially at the beginning, to protect and support your T’ai Chi regimen by making a special place in your home for practice. It needs to be comfortable and at least 10’ x 10’ (you do not need a huge room to practice your T’ai Chi), and needs to be protected from interruptions.  Try shutting off your phone, radio, TV, and computer. Tell your family members that this is a sacred time for you. If you purchase the regulation Tai Chi footwear right away, this will help put you in the right mindset, and is a measure of respect for your martial arts practice, your teacher, and yourself.

And finally, the momentum of regular practice helps to maintain a certain mental stability and resilience even as you go through states of turmoil, confusion, lack of clarity, and procrastination. These are some of the most fruitful times to practice, and after at least ten or fifteen minutes of mindful T’ai Chi practice, you will certainly arrive at a better place than you were before.

T’ai Chi Ch’uan is an ancient martial arts practice that will impart untold physical, mental, spiritual, and psychological benefits—but only if you are able to maintain conscious intentionality and reverence for the sustained, daily gift of your time and undivided attention.

3/19/2012

^cAll rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced without written permission of

Emily B. Smith, Grasshopper Healing Arts, Edgerton, WI 53534

T'ai Chi as a Martial Art

T’ai Chi Kung Fu

It is important to emphasize that to yield does not mean to surrender, but rather to retreat to a superior position. True understanding of yin and yang is manifested in having presence within yielding and strength within softness.

Five Principles of T'ai Chi Ch'uan

1. Keeping spine straight
2. Turning the waist
3. Separation of Yin/Yang
4. Beautiful ladies' wrist
5. Complete relaxation