Tuesday, Jan 13th 1998, Beginners Class transcript.
It's good to practice the form a little faster; not too focussed; not too correct. Pay more attention to the FLOW. Just relax and walk thru it. A Swinging feeling, rolling along nicely. It's very good for the energy to do like that. I designed this form for that purpose. It's continuous.
Your body has a RANGE of energy, so you can practice slowing down, then later faster and more explosive energy. Sometimes you also need very powerful, focussed, explosive energy (not violent). For now, the first thing you need is relaxed, quiet, slow, easy.
There's no way to avoid the process of having to practice - that's the fun of it! Somehow we inherit the idea that practice is the worst part. Gradually we learn what a pleasure it is to practice Tai Chi. We'll refine the movements far more later when everyone is comfortable with the movements. Better to progress a little more slowly, stay relaxed, and get the right energy in the beginning. Later it is very technical. You can study this later - which takes 10 to 12 years to perfect the form.
Most people can learn this [beginning stage] in 6 months. What we need right now is the energy and the basic thing. The faster students may feel a bit frustrated but you must just practice what you know and learn that well. We want to break the old habit of learning more and more all the time.