Meditation practice offers the potential to access deep levels of release, relaxation and expansive spaciousness in body and mind. In my experience, this is often far deeper than can be achieved through physical practice alone – in my view, this is the real practice of Yoga. These deeper meditative mental states accessed through meditation – sometimes referred to as Samadhi or Jhana, are also related to the concept of Wu Chi, emptiness or non-duality found within the Daoist or Tai Chi philosophy. This inner emptiness an important part of deepening our Tai Chi practice..
My Background
I began to practice meditation from books and CD’s while studying psychology at university. Some years later I started attending meditation classes for a couple of years with a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk. My first meditation / mindfulness retreat experience was with Thich Nhat Hanh in 2008 (and again in 2012). In 2010, I attended my first 10-Day Vipassana Course (Goenka) and undertook several of these of various lengths over the following few years. In 2012, I attended my first week long meditation retreat at Dhanakosa Buddhist Retreat Centre, and have since attended over a dozen or more retreats on various meditation themes. One of my significant Tai Chi teachers, Adam Mizner, is also a strong meditation practitioner and teacher, having trained in the Thai Forest Tradition. I’ve also explored ‘shamanic’ and alternative approaches to meditation over the years, with various teachers, including Mark Halliday & Claudia Goncalves at the Edinburgh Shamanic Centre.
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“Feelings, whether of compassion or irritation, should be welcomed, recognized, and treated on an absolutely equal basis; because both are ourselves . . Nothing should be treated more carefully than anything else. In mindfulness, compassion, irritation, mustard green plant, and teapot are all sacred.”
Thich Nhat Hanh, The Miracle Of Mindfulness
See also About Yoga section