My teacher told me years ago that there would come a time when taiji would demand that I live in exile. At the time I thought him fanciful, or at least I considered that time so far ahead that I paid little heed. Now that it has happened I am in a position to consider why this exile – this wrench from culture, comrades and family – is so important. 

We humans have many connexions – points of contract with the world. The function of life is largely to investigate each to discover which are real – deep – and which are superficial – of little consequence. Those that are deemed important we must learn to trust unconditionally, which of course makes us vulnerable – lays us bare to rejection and injury if such connexions, for whatever reason, falter. 

In taiji our primary connexion is with the Earth, or at least so it seems. If we look at the old writings on taiji, the ones by great great masters, then we see 'Head suspended from above' being stressed, which to me indicates a connexion with the Heavens – the stars – as primary. And the principle of Central Equilibrium tells us that if we are connecting to what is below then we must also be connecting to what is above otherwise I am forever drifting off balance. 

The problem that taiji addresses so profoundly is how do we make this vertical connexion – that with Heavens and Earth – feed our heart – our deep connexions with others – our spiritual life. And it is a life apart – a separate life – which mundane daily living impinges little upon, but does of course distract my attention, which should, for the sake of balance, bear upon my spiritual-heart existence at least fifty percent. 

A person in exile is one who does not belong, neither to land nor race nor creed nor culture (and many times neither language), so the points of contact with the world which the native takes for granted are absent for the exile. This means that deeper connexions – non-habitual ones – uninherited ones – come to the fore. One gains support from one's own destiny as much as anywhere – a feeling that one's existence has meaning and makes meaning.