During the last thirty years Tai Chi has gained a tremendous following in America. Classes are taught in wellness centers, ymca, health clubs, health food stores, church basements, and parks. One reason for Tai Chi's popularity is the ease and grace with which adept practitioners move through the postures; a seasoned Tai Chi player makes it look easy, effortless, and flowing. It is this apparent ease of performance that lures men and women of all ages into their first tai chi classes.  The fact is, that Tai Chi is not easy.

  Of course, I do not want to discourage anyone from studying Tai Chi.   On the contrary, I wish that all my patients, friends, relatives, and anyone I come in contact with, became a Tai Chi enthusiast.   But the truth must be said: Tai Chi requires plenty of work, time and dedication.

It is my conviction that in order to appreciate the healing qualities of Tai Chi, one should first have a general understanding of what is involved in the practice of this ancient art.

Let me say that I believe that Tai Chi is whatever the practitioner wants it to be. If it is inner peace that one seeks, then daily practice will grant that. If it is healing, again, Tai Chi is peerless. For self-defense, Tai Chi stands tall among all arts of war. Regardless of the motive for practice , Tai Chi meets all expectations.

The question is: if Tai Chi is all of the above, then why aren't more people practicing it? Simply put—lack of vision and understanding.

In this page, I will share with you some thoughts on the practice of Tai Chi. And for the time being, I will not talk about the meditative or healing aspect of the art nor will I talk about its martial application. Of course, these are some of the art's characteristics that draw many students but unfortunately not many practice long enough to experience levels of body/mind awareness where the healing and meditative qualities of the art are found. The reason, I believe, is lacked of understanding of what's involved in the study of this healing/fighting art.

Tai Chi Structure

Let me break it down to the most basic elements of Tai Chi practice. Let's look at Tai Chi as an exercise. As such, Tai Chi is a series of postures that are practiced in a predetermined sequence with a slow and even tempo. These series of postures are collectively addressed as a " Tai Chi Form". The student learns one or two postures at a time and eventually learns the entire form.

How many postures? Well, this depends on which form you study. There are several forms which differ in the number of postures. There's the "24", "48", "64", "88", and the "108 postures forms".

Most schools start the student with the "24 Postures Form". This is a form designed by the Chinese Government that nearly everyone learns at the beginning. And, as the name suggests, it is made up of 24 postures.

The student may then progress to a higher number of postures until he/she has learned them all. I do not adhere to this approach. I think that a lot of time is wasted learning all of these forms. I feel that it is better to concentrate on one form long enough to develop proper body alignments. I have seen many students who could go from one form to the other and yet never experienced the flow of energy that proper Tai Chi practice yields. More on this later.

Now, let's examine a single posture and as we do, keep in mind that the principles and body alignments found in one posture, apply to an entire set or form. So it does not matter which posture we analyze.

Also, the criteria for posture analysis, comes from the so called "Tai Chi Classics".  These are the writing from the creators of the various Tai Chi styles. So, not only are we dealing with forms of different numbers of postures, but also with different styles of Tai Chi. By "styles", we are referring to the name of the family or the village where a particular mode or system of Tai Chi evolved.

For example, the first style was the "Chen Style of Tai Chi" which developed in the Chen Village by the Chen Family. Other styles include: The Yang Style, Wu Style, the Sun Style, and the Cheng style by Master Cheng Man Ching.

It does not matter which family's writings you adhere to while performing or judging a posture since all of the principles of practice conform to basic laws of physics. All emphasize proper alignment to the earth in an effort to minimize the effect of gravity on our skeletal infrastructure.

In figure one we see the first posture of a Tai Chi set. This posture is called "Wu Ji". To explain the principles for body alignments for this posture, I will quote from one of the classics recorded by Chen Weiming and can be found in the book "Yang Style Taijiquan" by Yang Zhendou, who is the great-grandson of the system's founder, Yang Luchan.

THE TEN ESSENTIALS OF TAIJIQUAN

1. Straightening the Head

Stand straight and hold the head and neck naturally erect, with the mind concentrated on the top. Do not strain or be tense; otherwise, the blood and vital energy (Qi) cannot circulate smoothly.

2. Correct Position of Chest and Back

Keep chest slightly inward, which will enable you to sink your breath to the dan tian (lower belly). Do not protrude your chest, otherwise you will feel uneasy in breathing and somewhat “top heavy”.
Great force can be launched from the spine only when you keep the vital energy in your lower belly.

3. Relaxation of Waist

For the human body, the waist is the dominant part. When you relax the waist, your two feet will be strong enough to form a firm base. All the movements depend on the action of the waist, as the saying goes: “Vital force comes from the waist."” Inaccurate movements in taijiquan stem from the erroneous actions of the waist.

4. Solid and Empty Stance

It is of primary importance in taijiquan to distinguish between “Xu” (Empty) and “Shi” (Solid). If you shift the weight of the body on to the right leg, then the right leg is solidly planted on the ground and the left leg is in an empty stance. When your weight is on the left leg, then the left leg is firmly planted on the ground and the right leg is in an empty stance. Only in this way can you turn and move your body adroitly and without effort, otherwise you will be slow and clumsy in your movements and not able to remain stable and firm on your feet.

5. Sinking of Shoulders and Elbows

Keep your shoulder in natural, relaxed position. If you lift your shoulders the Qi will rise with them, and the whole body will be without strength. You should also keep the elbows down, otherwise you will not be able to keep your shoulders relaxed and move your body with ease.

6. Using the Mind Instead of Force

Among people who practice Taijiquan, it is quite common to hear this comment: “That is entirely using the mind, not force.” In practicing Taijiquan, the whole body is relaxed, and there is not an iota of stiff or clumsy strength in the veins or joints to hinder the movement of the body. People may ask: How can one increase his strength without exercising force?

According to traditional Chinese medicine, there is in the human body a system of pathways called Jingluo (or channels) which link the viscera with different parts of the body, making the human body an integrated whole. If the Jingluo is not impeded, then the vital energy will circulate in the body unobstructed.

But if the Jingluo is filled with stiff strength, the vital energy will not be able to circulate and consequently the body cannot move with ease. One should therefore use the mind instead of force, so that vital energy will follow in the wake of the mind or consciousness and circulate all over the body. Through persistent practice one will be able to have genuine internal force. This is what Taijiquan experts call “lithe in appearance, but powerful in essence.”

A master of Taijiquan has arms which are as strong as steel rods wrapped in cotton, with immense power concealed therein. Boxers of the “Outer School” ( a branch of wushu with emphasis on attack, as opposed to the “Inner School” which places the emphasis on defense) look powerful when they exert force, but when they cease to do so, the power no longer exists. So it is merely a kind of superficial force.

7. Coordination of Upper and Lower Parts

According to the theory of Taijiquan, the root is in the feet, the force is launched through the legs, controlled by the waist, and expressed by the fingers; the feet, the legs and the waist form a harmonious whole. When the hands, the waist and the legs move, the eyes should follow their movements. This is meant by coordination of the upper and lower parts. If any one part should cease to move, then the movements will be disconnected and fall into disarray.

8. Harmony Between the Internal and External Parts

In practicing Taijiquan, the focus is on the mind and consciousness. Hence the saying: “The mind is the commander, and the body is subservient to it.” With the tranquillity of the mind, the movements will be gentle and graceful. As far as the “ frame” is concerned, there are only the Xu (empty), Shi (solid), Kai (open) and He (closed). Kai not only means opening the four limbs but the mind as well, and He means closing the mind along with the four limbs. Perfection is achieved when on e unifies the two and harmonizes the internal and external parts into a complete whole.

9. Importance of Continuity

In the case of the“Outer School” ( which emphasizes attack) of boxing, the strength one exerts is stiff and the movements are not continuous, but are sometimes made off and on, which leave openings the opponent may take advantage of. In Taijiquan, one focuses the attention on the mind instead of force, and the movements from beginning to end are continuous and in an endless circle, just “like a river which flows on and on without end” or “like reeling the silk thread off cocoons”

10. Tranquillity in Movement

In the case of the “Outer School” of boxing, the emphasis is on leaping, bouncing, punching and the exertion of force, and so one often gasps for breath after practicing. But in Taijiquan, the movement is blended with tranquillity, and while performing the movements, one maintains tranquillity of mind. In practicing the “frame,” the slower the movement, the better the results. This is because when the movements are slow, one can take deep breath and sink it to the dan tian. It has a soothing effect on the body and mind.
Students of Taijiquan will get a better understanding of all this through careful study and persistent practice.

As you can see from the above, there's much more to Tai Chi than meets the eye. Also, the above ten items are just a few points to keep in mind. There are many other principles to abide by during Tai chi practice.

In future articles I will deal with the healing aspect of Tai Chi. It makes sense that if we re-educate our neuromuscular anatomy through daily practice of a system that emphasizes proper body alingment, we would place less stress on our joints, improve circulation, enhance coordination, improve balance, strengthen the bones and calm the mind.

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I encourage all Qi Gong and Tai Chi students to study the work of the following authors:

1. Rolfing, by Ida Rolf.

“Reestablishing the Natural Alignment and Structural Integration of the Human Body for Vitality and Well-Being”. This is very good book by the founder of the Rolfing system, Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D.

2.Awareness Through Movement, by Moshe Feldenkrais.

This is a classic book on the Feldenkrais Method. I have been greatly influenced by the work of Moshe Feldenkrais. I highly recomend his work, especially, “Body and Mature Behavior” and “The Case of Nora”

3. The Body Reveals, by Ron Kurtz and Hector Prestera, M.D.

“An Illustrated Guide to the Psychology of the Body. More than “body language”, or conversational signs and signals, the structure of your body is a graphic expression of your physical, emotional, and mental state.”

3. The Use of the Self, by F.M. Alexander.

This book, by the creator of The Alexander Technique, has shed a great deal of light on our understanding of the proper use of the body. I also recomend the work of his student Wilfred Barlow, M.D., who wrote “The Alexander Technique—how to use your body without stress”

4.Opening The Energy Gates of Your Body, by B.K. Frantzis.

This is an exellent introduction to Qi Gong.