When the student is ready, the teacher appears

I am currently in a transitioning phase. I decided to move on from the class I’ve learnt in during the last several years. I will stay in contact with my teacher. And I hope I can get some private lessons.

And yes, leaving a class behind feels strange to me. I think within the Tai Chi and Qi Gong community, there is this “ideal way”. The ideal of learning from one teacher for all of your life.

It’s actually not only within our community. It’s this idea of the old days, when one would start working somewhere and stay there until retirement.

I recently learned that back in medieval ages, every person had one spoon. That spoon stayed with that person all day everyday. One German way of saying “to die” is actually “den Löffel abgeben” = to hand over the spoon.

So there is this old idea of having one thing, cherishing it and keeping it until the rest of your life.

But times are a-changing. Carreers, possessions, and life do not work like that anymore.

We don’t have one job forever. MOst of us have more than one spoon to eat from.

I think it is the same with Taijiquan and Qi Gong. Sure, in an ideal Tai Chi life I’d be the son of one of the old family masters. I would have learned from my uncle everyday allday and then started teaching myself.

Well. I am not the son of one of the old family masters.

I am the daughter of a German business man.  My first teacher in a moving art was Mrs. Jolly-Steigerwald at the ballet.

I will never reach the “ideal way” of learning  Taijiquan. Never ever, how hard I try. But I can play the cards I’ve been given. I can do my best in THIS time and age.

The best in this time and age is that I can choose. I can transition from one teacher to another. I can enjoy learning from different people.

It started my moving arts experience at the age of 5. At the ballet. And I transitioned to Taijiquan and Qi Gong when I was 26. So far, I learned different ways to move from more than 10 teachers.

And now, I am transitioning again.

One part of me feels guilty. Guilty for not staying with one teacher for the rest of our lives.

But the truth is: it’s ok to move on. It’s ok to have multiple teachers.

I know I won’t be able to learn all the internal martial art things within my lifetime. But I can accumulate and embody ideas and inspiration from all places.

Because that is why it is called an art: to make it my one.

So I am “hanging in the air”. I know there are great teachers out there. And I met one recently (who unfortunately lives too far away for regular classes).

But now I happily await the inspiration for new teachers. I continue my practice with everything I know so far. I enjoy Taijiquan, Qi Gong and meditation. I go inside and prepare. Because as they say in China:

When the student is ready, the teacher appears.

So I am getting ready. Let’s see who appears!

Angelika