Tai Chi develops strength, flexibility, body awareness, a sense of connection, an appreciation of the present, and many other things. An essential component in the lifelong journey that is Tai Chi is trust. It took me a while to catch a glimpse of that, and I'm still only beginning to understand how central that is.

We tell students to pay attention to their bodies and only do what their bodies will allow them to. This means two things - start becoming aware of your own body, and trust your body to let you know what it can do. The temptation to use the mind to force the body into something it isn't ready for is sometimes very powerful. If the body is not ready, force will not help; it will in fact do the opposite.

Giving up control allows us to gain trust. There is a teaching concept in Tai Chi - equal and opposite - that seems to apply here.