For several months, I have been studying Tai Chi. Or perhaps, I should say for several years. I started taking Tai chi just before I left for college. This turned out to be fairly pointless because it takes quite a while to learn the whole form and there are many different styles. I developed a real gift for getting in a few months of one style before moving or radically changing my schedule so that I had to quit.
Finally, this past year I enrolled at the Taoist Tai Chi Society . This was actually the first form that I studied way back in my teen years so there seemed to be a certain symmetry. For three months, I went and learned a few moves each day. The instructor was patient, my fellow classmates were friendly, but I always felt a bit off when I left. I could not figure it out, but I knew this was good exercise so I persisted.
Now for this next bit, you have to understand that the "chi" is not just a metaphor, but is absolutely real. I don't know whether it is a matter of the body's electrical system or a factor of the body warming up. I don't think that it really matters how or why it all works.
What I do know is that when I lowered my hands down for the final bow, I felt balanced.
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