Adjusting Step: Adjusting with Your Environment
You are going to fall. You are going to fumble. Things are not going to always be right and well. Whether it be no fault of your own, or completely your fault, your life will at some point face a hardship. That does not mean that you have to be overcome by the situation; however, many people fall in line and accept the fact that because things are hard or bad they must act, as they understand, accordingly. They have to be mad, sad, gloomy, pessimistic, and/or hateful because the situation they are in; their environment, doesnât suit what they want. To them I state, you have not gained a well-balanced outlook of the Adjusting Step.
Go look at the form. There are times when you will see a posture and then a seemingly cheating step. That is the adjusting step. In the form, it is accounted for that there are times when one will have to further extend their posture outside of where things normally end in the form. Because of change, the body must change, in a positive manner, to cope. The practice is to cope without anxiety âfilled movement; without hesitation, without haste- allowing neither fear nor anger to be a factor in your side of the outcome of a situation.
Now with this notion comes the understanding that one has accepted the environment around them, and has accepted the knowledge that environments have a tendency to change. In your Tai Chi form practice, I first say, learn the stepping and movements the way your instructor teaches and whenever you train with your instructor, during the time of instruction, never falter from what they have taught you. Now later in your time, do the form under differing conditions, close your eyes, face a corner of the room you donât normally face when you start, move to a smaller more confined area, do your form on different surfaces; under these conditions try to be as close to what you were taught and see where else adjustments must be made. Put yourself in as many different environments as possible and always remain the same, or as close to as possible, and stay efficient. This way, hopefully, when random changes are made you are already prepared and you would have learned to adjust yourself with your environment in a totally positive manner (note the word âwithâ and not âtoâ). In being able to do so you may be at a point or begin to move to the point of becoming a creature of being in the stead of being a creature of action or reaction.
Your environment may change, be able to efficiently change with it; a basic rule of thriving.
For more information Winston’s his martial arts academy please visit Internal Magnification.
Winston Price, Executive Producer, has over a decade and a half of marketing, advertising and public relations experience. He began his business career in 1995 and is a graduate of Indiana University Bloomington. Winston also is a master martial artist and personal trainer with over 2 decades of knowledge and experience. Winston runs his own school, Internal Magnification Martial Arts, where he focuses on helping people reach their personal goals of health and fitness via At-Home personal training with martial foci of Taekwondo, Tai Chi Châuan, Hapkido and Ba Gua Zhang. As an executive producer for VoiceAmerica, Winston utilizes his skills in business and personal training to help new and existing hosts maximize their opportunity with the VoiceAmerica Talk Radio Network by supporting his hosts with the business and personal aspects of creating and developing their show. Winston believes that each host brings their own flavor to the Network. By properly coaching and motivating his hosts, they are able to produce THEIR show with THEIR style and THEIR passion being at the forefront of every broadcast.
