3 James Dean Tips for Taijiquan

Rebels With A Cause

John Crewdson at Camp Tai Chi reminded me of the flavors of Taiji…there’s a lot. I like wasabi and pickled ginger. At least, I do now.

But I was raised on meat and potatoes. Lots of boxed foods, microwaved foods, fast foods, quick foods, and fried foods filled my gullet. “Home cooked” meant meat and potatoes. I ate sugary sugared cereal with sugar on top and I ate blanched food from cans. I was raised eating bland food (no offense Mom, you did great raising me…please read on).

I rebelled. Didn’t you?

I got out of the box. I escaped the can. You must have gotten out too because here you are, reading this. I implore you: don’t get back in. Instead…

Cultivate your Inner Rebel:

Live Fast. Die Young. And Leave a Good Looking Corpse.

—James Dean (almost)

Here’s how… and Happy Thanksgiving, Turkey…

#1 Live Fast.

What in the world? How can I live fast by practicing Taiji, i.e. by moving slow?

Don’t just move slow. If the only thing you do is relax, you’ll end up laying down. Relaxation: too much too soon is rubbish. In its flaccid, spaghetti-arm extremes, relaxing begs us to sit down…to go slower-er-er…or to take it too easy. We might get apathy. Maybe lethargy…oh well…

Instead, go slow to learn to move with integrity and grace, not just to go slow.

Go slow to compress time. If it’s true that we get a complete energy flow 1, 2, or 3 times during the long form: well, then…that’s like living a whole day or 2 or 3.

You’ll live three times longer during your lifespan…that’s compressed time (whoa: too much math). The point is: while others think you’re moving slowly, you’ll be living really fast.

It hits head on with Mr. Dean’s ideas:

An actor must interpret life, and in order to do so must be willing to accept all the experiences life has to offer. In fact, he must seek out more of life than life puts at his feet.

—James Dean

Seek out Great Extremes…relax and remain taut… Read on.

#2 Die Young.

This one’s easy.

First the healing idea, then the martial bit…

Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today.

—James Dean

If Taijiquan heals your body, if it makes you feel better, and if you begin to feel Big Qi flowing, then no matter how old you are: you’ll die feeling young.

So you can…

#3 Leave A Good Looking Corpse.

I keep getting better looking.

Chances are, you do too. You get better looking every time you practice Taijiquan (if you do it right).

It’s subtle: but you know the signs.

• You seem taller.
• You’re more elegant.
• You move smoothly (in all kinds of ways, like, you have smooth movements).

Even as you age, you seem…well…

• More Integrated
• More Graceful
• More Vital

Your friends are terrified and envious, huh?

To me, acting or practicing Taiji [did I add that?] is the most logical way for people’s neuroses to manifest themselves, in this great need we all have to express ourselves.

—James Dean

Keep on expressing yourself like a martial artist. It won’t always be easy. Eventually though, you’re going to have bad*ss body language before you leave behind your hot-looking corpse.

One More Thing…(Steven Smith’s Tip #4)

I’m glad you’re a rebel. Are you?

Now find a cause.

Get your own: find a cause that’s personal.

A “Rebel Without A Cause” is childish. You’re as good as dead without one…or you’re so relaxed that you’re lying on the couch pretending to be a warrior.

You’re the actor and the director of your life.

When an actor plays a scene exactly the way a director orders, it isn’t acting. It’s following instructions. Anyone… can do that. The director’s task is just that – to direct, to point the way. Then the actor takes over. And he must be allowed the space, the freedom to express himself in the role. Without that space, an actor is no more than an unthinking robot with a chest-full of push-buttons.

–James Dean

Get up, Rebel.

And rebel…

…for some reason.