| Interview
The Right Time, the Right Choice in My Life
– interviewed by Instructor Lis
Three years ago, Marian was struggling with significant
health problems. She had been forced to retire from her job at CSIRO
because of a series of operations for cancer. At that time, she became
increasingly overweight, immobile and depressed. In addition, her
arthritis grew worse, adding to the unhappy situation. She used to
enjoy considerable physical activity. Now, the unnaturally static
nature of her new life, coupled with the lack of intellectual
stimulation after a career in scientific research, became unbearable.
Faced with this miserable situation as her only future
Marian, at just sixty, decided life shouldn’t be like this. Things had
to change. Her first aim was to lose weight which she did with the help
of Herbalife – 17 kilos of it. Her mobility improved. The next stage
was tackling her depression.
A great believer in meditation, Marian had tried many
different techniques including yoga. However, at that stage, her mind
was far too active to allow her to relax. “My brain was in overdrive.”
She’d read various books on the positive power of thought and discovered
that answers arrive if ideas are allowed to come in naturally, unforced.
She knew of Tai Chi through friends and family, but had
never had the time or the inclination to try it herself. Strangely, she
had always seen it as a young person’s exercise while many people
perceive it as an older person’s activity. Now, the low impact nature
of Tai Chi seemed more appealing. She saw it as an alternative exercise
to the Scottish dancing of her healthier days and a way
of calming her mind where meditation had failed. Right on cue, a friend
gave her an Academy pamphlet. The time was right. Eager to start,
Marian rang the office to book in for her first term.
Experiencing Tai Chi’s ability to free her movement
whilst occupying her mind,
Marian knew she had made the perfect choice. Her husband agrees,
saying she has improved out of all recognition since she began classes —
she is calmer and able to deal with problems.
Tai Chi was a great challenge in the beginning as it was
quite different from
anything else she had studied. At first, Marian tried to aid her
memory by taking notes of the new movement after class. However, she
discovered this didn’t work. Muscle memory is the
solution and this comes through practice as Marian knows well from her
years of playing the piano.
Fontane suggested she attend more than one class per week
so, since that first term, Marian has regularly attended two classes
each week. It has made a big difference. In the second class, she is
able to consolidate the new movement and focus on details she missed in
the first flurry of concentration. Now in Refinement (for students who
have completed the form), she has also learned the Tai Chi Bang (Stick)
and has done the Flexibility Silk Reeling course. Both these extra
courses she found invaluable in deepening her understanding of the way
the body and joints are used in the form. “Next time they are offered,
I’ll be signing up again.”
Initially, Marian’s biggest problem was worrying too much
about getting the movements right. Brett told her, “Stop worrying,
it’ll come.” She thinks perhaps the reassurance that perfection wasn’t
necessary and was, in fact, impossible helped her to relax. No-one
depends on the accuracy of her movements as they did when she performed
Scottish dancing routines. With this realisation, things became easier
to learn.
Many aspects of Tai Chi have helped Marian enormously in
her life. She can’t emphasise enough how many changes Tai Chi has
brought about. Her circulation, generally poor, has improved to the
point where even on cold winter mornings, she warms up very quickly in
her morning practice session. That morning routine sets her up for the
day, calms her mind and energises her body. A second session before bed
prepares her for a good night’s sleep. Tai Chi connects her mind and
body in a way that nothing else ever has.
Sometimes, she is extra tired or feeling drained of
energy before going to a class. However, she always feels better
afterwards. Her husband often comments on the change when she returns
home.
At each lesson, she learns more, inspiring her to
continue. Brett once said something that resonates very strongly now,
especially since three years earlier, she seriously considered her life
as over. He said, “There is a lifetime of learning there.”
Marian says with great pleasure and anticipation, “So I
am just at the beginning of a lifetime goal.”
(This is an actual
interview, but the name
has
been changed for reasons of
privacy.)
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