☕️ 😊 Watching Tai Chi – A Morning Story of Stillness, Balance, and Breath

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00:00:02,029 --> 00:00:07,560
Welcome to The Slow Life.
I'm Jennifer Vino and I create,

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00:00:07,610 --> 00:00:12,020
narrate, and design the
soundscape of this village of

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00:00:12,030 --> 00:00:15,770
cozy stories to relax and
unwind.

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00:00:16,820 --> 00:00:20,170
Each week I share an original
story.

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00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:25,310
Read 2 times so you can relax
even more during the second

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reading.
I'm happy to announce my

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website, theslowlife.ca.
It provides a space where we can

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connect and I can bring you all
things cozy.

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Let's settle in with some easy
breathing at your own pace.

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00:00:48,750 --> 00:00:53,800
With each inhale, let fresh air
fill the space around your

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heart.
With each exhale, feel the calm

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air spread through your body and
flow out through your arms and

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00:01:04,410 --> 00:01:09,030
legs, gently in through your
heart.

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Gently out through your body, in
through your heart, out through

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your body.
And now let's begin.

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This story is called Watching
Tai Chi, and it's about swaying

17
00:01:36,340 --> 00:01:42,230
to the rhythm, drawing pictures
on the window, and familiarity

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00:01:42,300 --> 00:01:49,530
in a new setting.
As part of my morning routine,

19
00:01:49,710 --> 00:01:54,580
I've been taking my first hot
drink of the day to an upstairs

20
00:01:54,590 --> 00:01:59,260
window in the hallway.
I get close enough that the

21
00:01:59,270 --> 00:02:04,650
steam fogs the glass.
Some days I draw a heart in it

22
00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:10,050
or my initials, but today I
choose to start in the middle

23
00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:14,830
and spiral outwards until I
reach the edge of the circle of

24
00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:19,360
droplets.
I stepped back to let it clear,

25
00:02:19,450 --> 00:02:22,320
and she appears right on
schedule.

26
00:02:23,920 --> 00:02:27,730
She moves slowly in the
courtyard across the street,

27
00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:33,000
steady and fluid, her limbs
conveying a language I haven't

28
00:02:33,010 --> 00:02:37,910
yet learned.
I stand with my tea's swaying to

29
00:02:37,920 --> 00:02:42,540
the rhythm of her practice, even
though I don't understand what

30
00:02:42,550 --> 00:02:47,730
it all means.
I've never done Tai chi, I've

31
00:02:47,740 --> 00:02:53,190
only heard of it in passing.
Something about balance, breath,

32
00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:59,110
and a careful, steady presence.
As with the explanations I've

33
00:02:59,120 --> 00:03:04,170
read, the movements glides
seamlessly from one to another,

34
00:03:04,420 --> 00:03:09,790
like a dance as smooth as water
gliding over rounded stones.

35
00:03:11,300 --> 00:03:16,590
Her arms rise and fall in
rainbows, the edges of each

36
00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:21,490
motion as round as the spiral I
drew in my circle of steam,

37
00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:25,930
which has now faded to let me
see clearly through to the

38
00:03:25,940 --> 00:03:30,770
outside.
Her feet slide over the ground

39
00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:35,170
as though she's floating or
skimming across the surface of a

40
00:03:35,180 --> 00:03:39,490
lake.
It's a calming illusion that has

41
00:03:39,500 --> 00:03:43,810
brought me a smile every morning
for the past couple of months

42
00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:48,570
since I first noticed this
person in the public courtyard

43
00:03:48,580 --> 00:03:53,320
across the way.
Some mornings I stand at the

44
00:03:53,330 --> 00:03:58,300
glass longer than I mean to, the
minutes passing without me

45
00:03:58,310 --> 00:04:02,120
noticing, and the mug cools in
my hands.

46
00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:09,090
At times sounds seemed to fade
like the steam, while others

47
00:04:09,100 --> 00:04:13,650
like the bird songs and leaves
stand out more than usual.

48
00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:20,089
Becoming more and more familiar
with her routine, one of my

49
00:04:20,100 --> 00:04:25,480
hands leaves the warm ceramic to
mimic her slow pushing motion.

50
00:04:26,940 --> 00:04:31,830
My body automatically rocks
forward, pulling my right leg

51
00:04:31,840 --> 00:04:35,020
with it.
She doesn't look as if she's

52
00:04:35,030 --> 00:04:37,920
pushing against someone or
something.

53
00:04:38,630 --> 00:04:42,790
It's like she's moving with the
object of her imagination.

54
00:04:43,990 --> 00:04:48,700
Maybe it's an oak door, like the
ones at the entrance of the

55
00:04:48,710 --> 00:04:52,750
library.
They feel heavy at first, but

56
00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:56,470
their own weight seems to carry
them the rest of the way.

57
00:04:58,130 --> 00:05:02,580
Maybe it's a boulder that she's
beginning to roll with the help

58
00:05:02,590 --> 00:05:05,150
of her friends and family by her
side.

59
00:05:06,730 --> 00:05:11,540
The thought of the resistance of
whatever is being moved makes me

60
00:05:11,550 --> 00:05:16,660
feel a strength in my energy and
even in my body itself.

61
00:05:16,890 --> 00:05:22,540
Although I am barely moving,
there are times when she seems

62
00:05:22,550 --> 00:05:27,470
to be gathering the air into her
arms on one side, gently

63
00:05:27,480 --> 00:05:32,750
cradling and carrying it across
her body, then sharing it with

64
00:05:32,760 --> 00:05:38,840
the space on her other side, all
the while keeping steady balance

65
00:05:38,920 --> 00:05:42,120
as she leans one way and then
the other.

66
00:05:43,650 --> 00:05:48,500
Having her do this in an open
space where others can sit on a

67
00:05:48,510 --> 00:05:53,250
bench in the same courtyard
makes it feel like she's sharing

68
00:05:53,260 --> 00:05:57,080
this practice for the benefit of
anyone who sees it.

69
00:05:58,640 --> 00:06:02,700
I start to anticipate her
movements without realizing it,

70
00:06:03,460 --> 00:06:08,740
shifting my weight back and
forth, lowering my shoulders and

71
00:06:08,750 --> 00:06:14,740
relaxation as she does, sipping
my tea when she brings her open

72
00:06:14,750 --> 00:06:20,170
hands up in front of herself,
breathing slower when she might

73
00:06:20,180 --> 00:06:25,820
be doing the same.
Over time, I noticed details I

74
00:06:25,830 --> 00:06:29,560
hadn't at first.
The shadows of her movements,

75
00:06:29,570 --> 00:06:34,720
stretching and bending across
the ground, The flutter of the

76
00:06:34,730 --> 00:06:37,320
lightweight fabric of her
clothing.

77
00:06:38,450 --> 00:06:43,160
The way she tilts her head in a
certain way, almost like she

78
00:06:43,170 --> 00:06:47,040
sees something in front of her
that wasn't there before.

79
00:06:48,110 --> 00:06:52,780
A newly fallen leaf or a
reflection in a puddle that

80
00:06:52,790 --> 00:06:58,290
changes with the shifting sun.
More than once I've gone

81
00:06:58,300 --> 00:07:02,250
downstairs, hoping to catch her
when she finishes.

82
00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:07,450
And just as to day, by the time
I reached the courtyard, she's

83
00:07:07,460 --> 00:07:12,190
already left.
Still, here are the bricks under

84
00:07:12,200 --> 00:07:16,750
foot, a couple of benches near
the fence, and the peaceful

85
00:07:16,760 --> 00:07:23,660
energy she's left in the space.
Her absence feels OK, even

86
00:07:23,670 --> 00:07:28,860
though I stand looking around,
half expecting her to step back

87
00:07:28,870 --> 00:07:35,010
out from some hidden corner.
She doesn't return just then,

88
00:07:35,260 --> 00:07:37,850
but I look forward to seeing her
again.

89
00:07:37,860 --> 00:07:43,520
To Morrow the following morning,
when I arrive at the upstairs

90
00:07:43,530 --> 00:07:47,680
window with my red tea, the
courtyard is empty.

91
00:07:48,530 --> 00:07:53,630
The benches, the bricks, the
soft scatter of leaves, it's all

92
00:07:53,640 --> 00:07:59,380
the same, only quieter.
I wait for a while, hoping,

93
00:07:59,450 --> 00:08:03,590
before I remind myself that we
all have things to do.

94
00:08:04,660 --> 00:08:08,670
Maybe she slept in, I think,
smiling at the thought.

95
00:08:09,590 --> 00:08:12,840
The idea feels both funny and
comforting.

96
00:08:14,250 --> 00:08:19,000
I sip my tea, watching the
courtyard a touch longer.

97
00:08:19,090 --> 00:08:24,440
And then I turned to the rest of
my morning, the day carrying on

98
00:08:24,450 --> 00:08:29,190
as it should.
Later, when the sun has climbed

99
00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:33,730
higher and the air feels warmer,
I head out for a walk.

100
00:08:34,710 --> 00:08:39,559
I was going to walk the path to
the beach, but my steps take me

101
00:08:39,570 --> 00:08:44,260
to the park where the pond
glimmers through the trees and

102
00:08:44,270 --> 00:08:47,030
the ducks glide happily on the
water.

103
00:08:48,130 --> 00:08:52,080
Families passed by with
strollers, and a girl on a

104
00:08:52,090 --> 00:08:56,120
bicycle traces slow circles
along the walkway.

105
00:08:57,420 --> 00:09:02,830
Then I see her.
She's near a tall Maple, moving

106
00:09:02,840 --> 00:09:09,610
in that familiar way, steady,
fluid, each gesture opening into

107
00:09:09,620 --> 00:09:14,020
the next.
Her arms sweep and gentle arcs

108
00:09:14,030 --> 00:09:19,100
across the green backdrop.
Her feet slide across the grass.

109
00:09:19,570 --> 00:09:25,000
And the rhythm I've come to know
continues only in this new

110
00:09:25,010 --> 00:09:30,350
setting.
I find a bench and sit, content

111
00:09:30,360 --> 00:09:34,450
to watch.
The calm spreads towards me as

112
00:09:34,460 --> 00:09:40,000
though carried on the breeze.
I notice her breath guiding each

113
00:09:40,010 --> 00:09:44,720
turn, the ease and the way she
finishes a motion before

114
00:09:44,730 --> 00:09:49,370
beginning again.
When she lowers her arms at

115
00:09:49,380 --> 00:09:53,150
last, she glances up and our
eyes meet.

116
00:09:53,450 --> 00:09:56,830
She smiles, not bothered by the
audience.

117
00:09:57,700 --> 00:10:02,750
I don't feel the need to go up
to her just yet to ask about the

118
00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:08,650
practice or to introduce myself.
This is enough for now.

119
00:10:12,930 --> 00:10:21,480
Watching Tai Chi As part of my
morning routine, I've been

120
00:10:21,490 --> 00:10:26,490
taking my first hot drink of the
day to an upstairs window.

121
00:10:26,500 --> 00:10:30,490
In the hallway.
I get close enough that the

122
00:10:30,500 --> 00:10:35,880
steam fogs the glass.
Some days I draw a heart in it

123
00:10:36,360 --> 00:10:41,260
or a my initials, but today I
choose to start in the middle

124
00:10:41,370 --> 00:10:46,050
and spiral outwards until I
reach the edge of the circle of

125
00:10:46,060 --> 00:10:50,590
droplets.
I stepped back to let it clear,

126
00:10:50,690 --> 00:10:53,550
and she appears right on
schedule.

127
00:10:55,150 --> 00:10:58,960
She moves slowly in the
courtyard across the street,

128
00:10:59,390 --> 00:11:04,230
steady and fluid, her limbs
conveying a language I haven't

129
00:11:04,240 --> 00:11:09,140
yet learned.
I stand with my tea, swaying to

130
00:11:09,150 --> 00:11:13,760
the rhythm of her practice, even
though I don't understand what

131
00:11:13,770 --> 00:11:18,960
it all means.
I've never done Tai chi, I've

132
00:11:18,970 --> 00:11:24,420
only heard of it in passing.
Something about balance, breath,

133
00:11:24,510 --> 00:11:30,340
and a careful, steady presence.
As with the explanations I've

134
00:11:30,350 --> 00:11:35,400
read, the movements glides
seamlessly from one to another,

135
00:11:35,650 --> 00:11:41,020
like a dance as smooth as water
gliding over rounded stones.

136
00:11:42,520 --> 00:11:47,810
Her arms rise and fall in
rainbows, the edges of each

137
00:11:47,820 --> 00:11:52,720
motion as round as the spiral I
drew in my circle of steam,

138
00:11:53,120 --> 00:11:57,150
which has now faded to let me
see clearly through to the

139
00:11:57,160 --> 00:12:01,990
outside.
Her feet slide over the ground

140
00:12:02,080 --> 00:12:06,390
as though she's floating or
skimming across the surface of a

141
00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:10,720
lake.
It's a calming illusion that has

142
00:12:10,730 --> 00:12:15,040
brought me a smile every morning
for the past couple of months

143
00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:19,810
since I first noticed this
person in the public courtyard

144
00:12:19,820 --> 00:12:24,540
across the way.
Some mornings I stand at the

145
00:12:24,550 --> 00:12:29,530
glass longer than I mean to, the
minutes passing without me

146
00:12:29,540 --> 00:12:33,350
noticing, and the mug cools in
my hands.

147
00:12:34,870 --> 00:12:40,320
At times sounds seemed to fade
like the steam, while others

148
00:12:40,330 --> 00:12:44,880
like the bird songs and leaves
stand out more than usual.

149
00:12:46,550 --> 00:12:51,320
Becoming more and more familiar
with her routine, one of my

150
00:12:51,330 --> 00:12:56,700
hands leaves the warm ceramic to
mimic her slow pushing motion.

151
00:12:58,170 --> 00:13:03,060
My body automatically rocks
forward, pulling my right leg

152
00:13:03,070 --> 00:13:06,260
with it.
She doesn't look as if she's

153
00:13:06,270 --> 00:13:09,150
pushing against someone or
something.

154
00:13:09,860 --> 00:13:14,020
It's like she's moving with the
object of her imagination.

155
00:13:15,200 --> 00:13:19,930
Maybe it's an oak door, like the
ones at the entrance of the

156
00:13:19,940 --> 00:13:23,980
library.
They feel heavy at first, but

157
00:13:23,990 --> 00:13:27,700
their own weight seems to carry
them the rest of the way.

158
00:13:29,360 --> 00:13:33,810
Maybe it's a boulder that she's
beginning to roll with the help

159
00:13:33,820 --> 00:13:36,380
of her friends and family by her
side.

160
00:13:37,940 --> 00:13:42,770
The thought of the resistance of
whatever is being moved makes me

161
00:13:42,780 --> 00:13:47,890
feel a strength in my energy and
even in my body itself.

162
00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:53,770
Although I am barely moving,
there are times when she seems

163
00:13:53,780 --> 00:13:58,690
to be gathering the air into her
arms on one side, gently

164
00:13:58,700 --> 00:14:03,980
cradling and carrying it across
her body, then sharing it with

165
00:14:03,990 --> 00:14:10,080
the space on her other side, all
the while keeping steady balance

166
00:14:10,150 --> 00:14:13,340
as she leans one way and then
the other.

167
00:14:14,880 --> 00:14:19,730
Having her do this in an open
space where others can sit on a

168
00:14:19,740 --> 00:14:24,480
bench in the same courtyard
makes it feel like she's sharing

169
00:14:24,490 --> 00:14:28,310
this practice for the benefit of
anyone who sees it.

170
00:14:29,860 --> 00:14:33,930
I start to anticipate her
movements without realizing it,

171
00:14:34,690 --> 00:14:39,960
shifting my weight back and
forth, lowering my shoulders in

172
00:14:39,970 --> 00:14:45,960
relaxation as she does, sipping
my tea when she brings her open

173
00:14:45,970 --> 00:14:51,390
hands up in front of herself,
breathing slower when she might

174
00:14:51,400 --> 00:14:57,050
be doing the same.
Overtime I noticed details I

175
00:14:57,060 --> 00:15:00,780
hadn't at first.
The shadows of her movements,

176
00:15:00,790 --> 00:15:05,950
stretching and bending across
the ground, The flutter of the

177
00:15:05,960 --> 00:15:08,560
lightweight fabric of her
clothing.

178
00:15:09,680 --> 00:15:14,390
The way she tilts her head in a
certain way, almost like she

179
00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:18,270
sees something in front of her
that wasn't there before.

180
00:15:19,340 --> 00:15:24,000
A newly fallen leaf or a
reflection in a puddle that

181
00:15:24,010 --> 00:15:29,520
changes with the shifting sun.
More than once I've gone

182
00:15:29,530 --> 00:15:33,480
downstairs, hoping to catch her
when she finishes.

183
00:15:33,910 --> 00:15:38,680
And just as to day, by the time
I reached the courtyard, she's

184
00:15:38,690 --> 00:15:43,430
already left.
Still, here are the bricks under

185
00:15:43,440 --> 00:15:47,980
foot, a couple of benches near
the fence, and the peaceful

186
00:15:47,990 --> 00:15:54,890
energy she's left in the space.
Her absence feels OK, even

187
00:15:54,900 --> 00:16:00,090
though I stand looking around,
half expecting her to step back

188
00:16:00,100 --> 00:16:06,220
out from some hidden corner.
She doesn't return just then,

189
00:16:06,490 --> 00:16:09,080
but I look forward to seeing her
again.

190
00:16:09,090 --> 00:16:14,740
To Morrow the following morning,
when I arrive at the upstairs

191
00:16:14,750 --> 00:16:19,120
window with my red tea, the
courtyard is empty.

192
00:16:19,750 --> 00:16:24,860
The benches, the bricks, the
soft scatter of leaves, it's all

193
00:16:24,870 --> 00:16:30,610
the same, only quieter.
I wait for a while, hoping,

194
00:16:30,670 --> 00:16:34,810
before I remind myself that we
all have things to do.

195
00:16:35,890 --> 00:16:39,890
Maybe she slept in, I think,
smiling at the thought.

196
00:16:40,810 --> 00:16:44,070
The idea feels both funny and
comforting.

197
00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:50,210
I sip my tea, watching the
courtyard a touch longer.

198
00:16:50,320 --> 00:16:55,670
And then I turned to the rest of
my morning, the day carrying on

199
00:16:55,680 --> 00:17:00,410
as it should.
Later, when the sun has climbed

200
00:17:00,420 --> 00:17:04,960
higher and the air feels warmer,
I head out for a walk.

201
00:17:05,930 --> 00:17:10,780
I was going to walk the path to
the beach, but my steps take me

202
00:17:10,790 --> 00:17:15,490
to the park where the pond
glimmers through the trees and

203
00:17:15,500 --> 00:17:18,260
the ducks glide happily on the
water.

204
00:17:19,349 --> 00:17:23,300
Families passed by with
strollers, and a girl on a

205
00:17:23,310 --> 00:17:27,339
bicycle traces slow circles
along the walkway.

206
00:17:28,650 --> 00:17:34,060
Then I see her.
She's near a tall Maple, moving

207
00:17:34,070 --> 00:17:40,820
in that familiar way, steady,
fluid, each gesture opening into

208
00:17:40,830 --> 00:17:45,250
the next.
Her arms sweep and gentle arcs

209
00:17:45,260 --> 00:17:50,330
across the green backdrop.
Her feet slide across the grass.

210
00:17:50,800 --> 00:17:56,230
And the rhythm I've come to know
continues only in this new

211
00:17:56,240 --> 00:18:01,580
setting.
I find a bench and sit, content

212
00:18:01,590 --> 00:18:05,680
to watch.
The calm spreads towards me as

213
00:18:05,690 --> 00:18:11,220
though carried on the breeze.
I notice her breath guiding each

214
00:18:11,230 --> 00:18:15,950
turn, the ease and the way she
finishes a motion before

215
00:18:15,960 --> 00:18:20,600
beginning again.
When she lowers her arms at

216
00:18:20,610 --> 00:18:24,370
last, she glances up and our
eyes meet.

217
00:18:25,170 --> 00:18:28,560
She smiles, not bothered by the
audience.

218
00:18:29,440 --> 00:18:34,490
I don't feel the need to go up
to her just yet to ask about the

219
00:18:34,500 --> 00:18:40,380
practice or to introduce myself.
This is enough for now.

220
00:18:42,760 --> 00:18:45,190
I wish you sweet dreams.