How do you make time for Tai Chi and other Things?

Once in a while, I will ask my students after warm ups,
“How many of you did Tai Chi at home this week?” I often see
all the hands raised up.
Sometimes, I see a few people not raising their hands.

I speak with these few people during our class break. Usually, a student complains that he/she had a super busy week at work and home and didn’t have time to do Tai Chi that week. I would tell them,

“if I missed my practice a day, my father would tell me,

‘Do your Tai Chi, and go to bed an hour later tonight or get up one hour early tomorrow and make up for your Tai Chi.’

Most times he wouldn’t give me the second choice, he didn’t like leaving something important to do for the next day.”

I really think it’s how people prioritize their to do list and how they make their choices. They might think Tai Chi is important, but not urgent. Once I asked my Yang Style teacher if it’d be ok if I missed one day of practice in a month. He told me, “If you know that doing 2 hours of Tai Chi can keep your body healthy and thus gains 1 hour of extra life for you. When not doing Tai chi for a day, you lose 1 hour of life every day, Will you not do Tai Chi for even a day? “

Cooking your dinner might be more urgent and important, but you can pay for a food delivery from a take out place to save time for you, so you have time for Tai Chi while waiting for food delivery.

On the other hand, there are things like watching a TV show or a game. These are pleasure and excitement. They are less important, but people often choose these because it might be more enjoyable. These are time wasters. You can have them when you have more time or tape it and watch later when you have time. You shouldn’t choose them when your schedule is tight.

I hope I will see all the hands raised up all the time in my class after they read this article. I trust you guys, but will you gain 1 hour of life for yourself every day?

Copyright by Huan's Tai Chi '09