Tag: unexpected benefits | A Banana Peeled

Yesterday, I wrote part one of the unexpected long-term benefits of Taiji with a fair bit of meandering in between actual points. That’s how my brain works, and it’s not something I care to change. Things are connected, man. That’s just the way it is.

I mentioned that I fell the other day. This is not unusual for me–or rather, it was not unusual for me back in the day. Now, I don’t fall nearly as much as I used to (or bump into things), and when I do, I don’t take as much damage. I will say, though, that yesterday, as I was eating, it hurt. I could not figure out why until I realized that I probably bit hard as I fell, which made my teeth hurt. Weirdly, though, it was on the left side, not the right. I say weirdly because the scrapes I have are on the right side. But it’s possible that I just bite more heavily on my left side than right side in general.

Here is another unexpected benefit: I have an ass now. Not a big one, mind you, but a noticeable one. I’m excited because I had no junk in the trunk prior to practicing Taiji. Hey, I’m Asian. We’re not usually gifted with big, juicy asses. Then again, we usually don’t have big honkers, either, and mine are huge. When I complained about it to my mother, she said that her grandmother had had big boobs–liek Double Ds. Which, for Taiwanese women thirty years ago, would be huge.

I mourned my lack of ass, to be honest. I would look at J-Lo and be consumed by lust. Er, envy. Also lust, but in this case, envy is more pertinent. I had no cheeks to clap, much to my dismay. After many years of Taiji practice, I noticed as I looked in the mirror that I actually had an ass! Not a full one as I said above, but an actual ass! I mentioned it excitedly to Ian and he said very diffidently that he had noticed it the last time we had seen each other.

I also was giddy when I told my teacher about it, and she laughed heartily. She thought it was hilarious, and I told her that she should advertise it as one of the benefits of Taiji. She thought it was probably the Golden Roosters (basically, marching in place, but in a Taiji kind of way and stepping backwards as you do), which I do every day. It’s high and tight (my ass, I mean), and I’m irdordinately proud of it.

When people talk about the benefits of Taiji, often they mean the health benefits–both physical and mental. Sometimes, there’s the added talk of how it helps shift your mindest becaause the basic tenet of Taiji is that you take is what is given to you and return it. It’s also known as the lazy person’s martial art beacuse you want to put out as little energy as possible in order to get the biggest result.

I’m an American (with a Taiwanese background). Both my cultures are very driven and believe in given “110%”, “no pain, no gain”, and “do it until you can’t do it any more–and then do it for five minutes longer”. My Taiwanese parents were perennially disappointed in me beacuse I was not (and am still not) perfect. My mother made my brother and I do a million things when we weren’t in school, including (for me), piano, cello, dance (ballet, jazz, tap), volleyball, softball, tennis, ping-pong, church every Sunday, and summer school every year. Not all of these were formal things or all at the same time, but it was a lot for a dreamy kid who just wanted to read and write.

It was never enough. And, of course, American culture is like that as well. You’re supposed to work fifty-plus hours a week, want to be promoted every few years, and what work-life balance? Not to mention that there are so few worker protections in America, and it’s a recipe for disaster. Oh, and let’s not forget that healthcare is tied to insurance, too.

When I first started Taiji (fourteen years ago!), I was so tense. Most Americans are. My teacher explained to me that Taiji was about relaxing. Not collapsing; you did not want to be totally floppy, but relaxing. She said that most Americans are in the 7-10 range (on a scale of 0-10) when it came to tension. 0 was collapsed, and you wanted to avoid that, too. 1-3 is ideal, depending on what you’re doing at the itme.

I also had crippling back pain. I mentioned it to my teacher, and she told me to do the one stretch we do in which you lie on the floor and let your knees gently fall to one side and then pull your knees to your chest, one, then the other, then both. She told me to do this on each side, three times each. I was so skeptical beacuse it seemed too simple to take care of the excruciating pain.

Within three months, there was a noticeable reduction in the pain. I was astounded that I was no longer wincing in pain every time I moved. Then, after a year, the back pain was completely gone. And I mean totally. It was incredible, and I excitedly shared it with my teacher. She wsa so enthused to hear it as well, but not surprised, obviously.

That was what made me trust her wholeheartedly when it came to Taiji. She was honest with me; she would look up answers if she didn’t know them; and, she alawys encouraged me to ask questions and have a bad attitude. One of the things that makes her a great teacher is that she takes each student as they come. She knows that people learn in different ways, and she tries to accommodate that as best she can. In my case, I learn by questioning the hell out of everything. And being cranky when I didn’t get something right away.

Tag Archives: unexpected benefits

The unexpected (long-term) benefits of Taiji, part two

The unexpected (long-term) benefits of Taiji