I recently spent a weekend in Chicago with Taoist Lineage Holder Bruce Frantzis. Bruce is the teacher of my teachers, Kathryn and Bill. Since 2010 I have been studying the material that he has passed on to them, reading his books and watching his videos. So you can imagine how excited I was to meet him and learn from him in person.

It was one of those days, and I was trying to fight my way through the movements of the short form when Bill appeared next to me and asked how I was doing. When I told him what was going on, he suggested that I try put half as much effort into doing the form, and see if it felt better.

I followed his instruction as best I could, and as I was finishing the form he came around again and said, “that’s good, now try half as hard as that. Don’t worry about getting the shape of the movements right.”

One of our students showed me this video. It is an excellent demonstration of what my teacher Bill Ryan calls the “two-year-old dancing at a wedding,” or the “two-year-old bounce.” He uses this move to help new qigong and tai chi students begin to feel the natural springiness of their joints.

When I first wandered into Toward Harmony for a free demonstration, I was scared. I had back pain that had become more serious over several years. I had been to doctors and physical therapists, and performed the prescribed exercises religiously. Still, back pain was making it difficult for me to hold down a job and to do the things that I liked to do. I was terrified of what life might be like if I didn't get better. I was 25 years old.