The slower I went and the longer I stretched out a motion, the calmer I felt. Paradoxically, I gained more self-control. There was no limit to how slow you can go, the way there is with how fast you can go. That seems to be tai chi’s challenge. Slowing down a simple motion like walking into its infinitesimal parts baffles a mind set on auto-pilot. Tai chi walking, a set of three postures, became so abstract that my mind simply shut off. It was a delicous moment. I can call up that sudden feeling of stillness from my speeding life and feel like the calm at the eye of the storm.