John and the Bear Doing an Angle Balance Stretch 2022
People from time to time ask me, “What are the origins of tai chi and yoga? How did it come into being?”
The tiger is blissfully stretching his back and John imitating.
Word of mouth passed down over the centuries says that ancient masters observed the natural stretching and movements of animals and sometimes even trees. They would then ask themselves, “If these are natural to animals, shouldn’t they be natural to people?”
Who would have imagined that a bear stretching on his butt would be the source of inspiration for a person imitating an angle balance? But the origins are much broader than just the bear.
Each morning, I watch as the first movement my Shih Tzu dog Nancy makes as I lift her out of bed, stretching like this stock photo:
Then there is the amazing one-legged balance of a chicken with mine and Angie’s imitation of it:
John stretching like the Tiger 2022
May we observe more closely our animal and plant friends such that we learn how to live in better harmony with life around us. May we immerse ourselves in it and let Tai Chi Yoga help us in that pursuit.