10 hours of intensive private lessons over 2 days for 2 of my best Tai Chi students from the Czech Republic that I’ve known and taught for around 35 years.

These kind of relationships are worth their weight in gold for both me and them. People often talk about the ‘secrets’ of Tai Chi and how the deeper teachings are ‘held back’ but the truth is that the students can only understand at a level that their study and training has taken them.

All the ‘secrets’ are taught right at the beginning, but it takes decades for the student to understand them at the right depth. The ‘Kung Fu’ (effort + time) that both teacher and student put in is required for the alchemy of all parties to take place.

My development comes from them practicing, asking questions, challenging, validating and internalising my teachings. Theirs comes from me finding ways to personalise the teachings from their questions, challenges and feedback.

It’s relationships like this that despite its challenges, give life meaning and purpose and in its own small way change the direction and alchemy of humanity toward something better. We all have to play our part to change the zeitgeist.

Everything we think and do changes everything forever.