In my 21 years as a t’ai chi practitioner, I’ve done the form in countless indoor spaces. And in my first few months of learning, I discovered how different room sizes and dimensions can affect my movements.
The studio where I took my first lessons was quite large, with windows on one side and mirrors on the other. The class usually had about 10-12 students, but the room could easily have held twice that number. By contrast, when I practiced at home, the room I used was large but somewhat narrowed in places by household furniture. Thus, my version of Repulsing the Monkey Thoughts took on a little more narrowness than it should have…arms slightly closer to my sides, and not as much diagonal rotation of the torso. This was pointed out by my wonderful teacher, and it was an “aha” moment for me.
During that eight-week series, she gave her beginning students some tips for practicing in a small indoor space – how to modify the steps and sequences according to one’s surroundings. I’ve incorporated many of these suggestions into my own practice in indoor spaces of different sizes and dimensions.
Sometimes the solution is to take smaller steps, or even step in place. Sometimes a quick shift in plans is required. For example. in Parting the Wild Horse’s Mane/Seven Steps of the Buddha, you might find yourself on the third of the seventh step, and you’re about to run into a wall. That would mean stepping in place for the last four steps.
Next time you practice in a small space, consider doing a brief assessment of its features before commencing the t’ai chi. Hold your arms straight out to your sides, facing in each of the four directions. Check the space you have for stepping forward, back and to the sides, and make a few mental notes of any limitations.
Know that every movement can be modified. Kicks can be shorter and lower. Walking forward with parallel steps feels similar even if you just step from side to side; the fundamentals of weight shift and foot placement are still in place. Punches can still have power with less than a full extension.
Modifying movements in small spaces also helps you to fine-tune awareness of your personal sense of space, and its relationship to others’ space, when practicing in a group. Collective energy is a very important aspect of t’ai chi—it suffuses and enhances the activity. Breathing, peripheral vision, the energy of movement and a palpable sense of power and serenity are all part of that experience.
As an individual, you move within your own energy sphere, or bubble. Then there is the collective sphere of the group. When you become more aware of how you are moving within each of those spheres, a wonderful synergy unfolds. Developing the sense of self-space is a very effective means to achieve that end.
You can practice this some simple ways. One is just to notice the dynamic of moving with others as a group. In the opening movement, for example, allow your arms to rise up when you first notice the initiation of the movement in others. Let them sink in the same way. This isn’t to suggest that your movements should follow everyone else’s; just gently notice the very beginning of the movement and let that be your cue. After a while, this will happen spontaneously without your noticing.
Another interesting exercise is to see if your final position at the end of the form is at or near the spot where you started. If not, on the next run-through, see if you can notice how, when and where you might be wandering off and adjust accordingly.
After a while, this too will become an activity that is performed by your intuitive, non-thinking mind. Your body makes small adjustments throughout the movement, and they become part of the sequence. For example you probably rotate your foot diagonally just before a double-push—without consciously realizing it. This is how your sense of balance operates–minutely discerning the right weight shift, the timing of that, and the exact angle of the foot for maximum stability and comfort. We are truly amazing and complicated creatures when it comes to balance…fluidly coping with everything that life throws our way. T’ai chi can be a magical laboratory experiment in human motion. Have some fun with that idea!
