Sleeping Tigers

It is said that Tai Chi can be performed in the space needed for a tiger to lie down.

This is both a blessing and an invitation to change. It is highly practical from the perspective of being able to practice anywhere, such as a modest student flat for example. And potentially to practice in secret, not just for reasons of prohibition but because it is often wise to not disclose your activities before the outcomes are clear. Discussing a project before it has fully manifested can often stifle its ascension.

Stories abound from the time of the Chinese Cultural Revolution regarding restrictions on traditional activities. Anecdotes about past masters living through various hardships have given birth to techniques from various martial systems which can be applied with the hands or feet shackled for example.

If you have ever sat and observed domestic cats for any period of time you will see that their whole existence is a form of yoga. No movement or resting position is wasted and every stretch, posture and explosion of energy serves a purpose. This could be temperature regulation or digestion to give just two examples.

There is however a flip side to the shrinking of horizons. When the unmentionable thing happened in 2020 the retreat to our houses became liberation for some but conversely prison for others. We have had the painful experience of losing people close to us through progressive illness, and the inevitable end point of their time on earth is that their physical world exists in the walls of a single room.

So whilst the practical benefits of small space training are fantastic it is important to sometimes be expansive whether this be in your actual movement, your practice location or even just your mental projection. This is especially important now for those in the northern hemisphere as winter can close in around you just like physical walls. However if you meet it head on somewhat stoically but also softly, your chi will rise and the sleeping tiger will become a soaring dragon.