Tai Chi Chuan - Selected Articles

TAICHIBALIHealingArtsCentre
SelectedArticlesonTaiChiChuan
Compiledbywww.taichibali.com
Page
2
4
7
10
13
14
15
16
19
21
22
26
28
31
34
36
38
40
42
43
44
45
49
51
53
57
59
60
64
66
68
71
75
78
80
81
82
83
84
86
Article
WHATISTAIJIQUAN?
TAOISMANDTAICHICHUAN
SHAOLINTHEROOTOFTAIJIQUAN
HISTORYOFYANGSTYLETAIJIQUAN
THEMEANINGOFTAIJI
WUJITHESTATEOFEMPTINESS
YINYANG
MARTIALMORALITY
THEFIVEPILLARSOFTAICHICHUAN
TRAININGPRINCIPLESOFTAICHICHUAN
YANGSTYLEBASICTRAININGMETHODS
TENESSENTIALPOINTSOFYANGCHENGFU
TENESSENTIALPOINTSEXPLAINED
STEPSINLEARNINGTAIJIQUAN
HOWDOYOULEARNTAIJIQUAN?
YANGTAICHIFORBEGINNERS
GETTINGSTARTED
HOWTOPRACTICEATAIJIQUANSEQUENCE
STANDINGPRACTICE
BREATHINGANDCHIFLOW
HOWTOINTERCONNECTTHEJOINTSTOWORKASAWHOLE
DEVELOPINGTAICHICHUANGONGFU
LOOSENINGANDSINKING,OPENINGANDEXTENDING
TRAININGASEQUENCEEFFICIENTLY
HOWTOPRACTICETAICHIFORSUBSTANTIALIMPROVEMENTS
SUCCESSINTAICHI
WHATISQIGONG?
BREATHINGEXERCISES
TAIJIQIGONG
IMPROVINGQUALITYOFQI'SMANIFESTATION
JINGENERATINGMARTIALPOWER
PUSHINGHANDS
SELFDEFENCE
BEYONDYOURBAREHANDTAIJIFORM
XINANDYI:TWOMINDS
TAIJIQUANTHEORYOFREACHINGENLIGHTENMENT
OPENINGTHEHEARTWITHTAICHI
RECYCLINGANDTRANSFORMINGNEGATIVEENERGY
HANDLINGSTRESSWITHTAICHI
THETRUEQUALITYOFTAICHI
Compiledbywww.taichibali.com1
WHATISTAIJIQUAN?
ByDr.Yang,JwingMing
LetusseewhatisTaijiquan,asitwaswrittendowninthepast.First,wemustdefinewhatwemean
bytaiji.ItisstatedinWang,ZongyuesTaijiquanClassic:
Whatistaiji?Itisgeneratedfromwujiandisapivotalfunctionofmovementandstillness.Itisthe
motherofyinandyang.Whenitmoves,itdivides.Atrestitreunites.
According to Chinese Daoist scripture, the universe was initially without life. The world had just
cooled down from its fiery creation and all was foggy and blurry, without differentiation or
separation,withnoextremitiesorends.Thisstatewascalledwujithatliterallymeansnoextremity,
no dividing, or no discrimination. Later, the existing natural energy divided into two extremities,
knownasyinandyang.Thispolarity,ortendencytodivide,iscalledtaiji,whichmeansgrandultimate
or grand extremity, and also means very ultimate or very extreme. It is this initial separation that
allowsandcausesallotherseparationsandchanges.Fromtheabove,youcanseethattaiji,whichis
derived from wuji, is not yin and yang but is instead the mother of yin and yang. How then do we
interpretanddefinegrandultimateasthecharactersforwhichtaijiisusuallytranslated?Andhow
can we apply this concept to taijiquan practice? Let us turn to the beginning movement of the
taijiquanformforanillustrationthatrevealstheanswerstothesequestions.
TAIJIQUANISARTOFTHEMIND
When you stand still, before you start the sequence, you are in a state of wuji, that is, a state of
formlessness.Yourmindshouldbecalm,quiet,peaceful,andcentered.Yourmind,andhenceyourqi,
shouldfocusatyourenergeticandphysicalcenter,i.e.,yourlowerdantianorcenterofgravity.Your
bodyisrelaxed,withnointention.Yourweightisevenlydistributedonbothlegs.
However,onceyougeneratetheintentiontostartthesequenceandyoubegintomove,youareina
stateoftaiji(i.e.,yinandyangstarttobedifferentiatedtoperception).Astheformcontinues,youshift
from side to side, from foot to foot, and each part of your body becomes at times alternately
substantial and insubstantial. The taiji in the taijiquan form is thus actually the intention or the
motivationgeneratedfromthemindthatcausestheyinandyangtobediscriminated.Itisthismind
thatshapesreality.Itisthismindthatguidesustoadeeperandmoreprofoundunderstanding.
And it is this living and active mind that continues to achieve further perceptions of yin and yang.
Fromthis,youcanseewhytaijiiscalledgrandultimate,andwhythemindistheDaointaijiquan
practice.Therefore,taijiquanisprimarilyanartofthemind.
Through the minds action, the entire art becomes alive. Once you start a motion it is possible to
modifyorredirectit,butthismodificationispossibleonlyafterthemotionhasbeenstarted.Ifone
changeismade,otherscanbemade,andeachchangeopensupotherpossibilitiesforvariation.Each
factorinthesituationintroducesotherfactorsaspossibleinfluences.Theinitialmotionmadeallother
motionspossible,andinasensecreatedtheothermotions.TheChineseexpressthisbysayingthat
taijiisthemotherofyinandyang:Taijibegetstwopoles,twopolesproducefourphases,fourphases
generateeighttrigrams(gates),andeighttrigramsinitiatesixtyfourhexagrams
YINANDYANGTHEORY
The yin and yang theory is used to classify everything, whether ideas, spirit, strategy, or force. For
example,femaleisyinandmaleisyang,nightisyinanddayisyang,weakisyinandstrongisyang.It
isfromtheinteractionofalltheyinandyangthatlifewascreatedandgrew.Taijiquanisbasedonthis
theoryandappliesittoform,motion,force,andfightingstrategy.Inthethousandsofyearssincethe
taijitheorywasfirststated,manytaijisymbolshavebeendesigned.Thebestoneforboththeoryand
applicationisacirclethatcontainsyinandyang.Inthisfigure,thecircleandthecurveddividingline
betweenyinandyangimplythatbothyinandyangaregeneratedandcontainedinroundness.The
smoothdividinglinebetweenyinandyangmeansthattheyinteractsmoothlyandefficiently.
Extreme yang weakens and evolves into yin, first weak and then extreme yin. Extreme yin, in turn,
evolvesintoyang.Oneevolvesintotheotherandbackagain,continuouslyandwithoutstopping.The
diagramalsoshowsasmalldotofyininthecenterofthegreatestconcentrationofyang,andalittle
bitofyanginsidethegreatestconcentrationofyin.Thismeansthatthereisnoabsoluteyinoryang.
Yangalwaysreservessomeyinandviceversa.Thisalsoimpliesthatthereisaseedorsourceofyinin
yangandofyanginyin.Taijiquanisbasedonthistheory,andthereforeitissmooth,continuous,and
round.
Whenitisnecessarytobesoft,theartissoft,andwhenitisnecessarytobehard,theartcanbehard
enoughtodefeatanyopponent.Yinyangtheoryalsodeterminestaijifightingstrategyandhasledto
thirteenconceptswhichguidepracticeandfighting.Thus,taijiquanisalsocalledthirteenpostures.
Zhang,SanfengsTaijiquanTreatisestates:
Whatarethethirteenpostures?peng(wardoff),lu(rollback),ji(pressorsqueeze),an(pressdown,
forward,upward),cai(pluckorgrab),lie(splitorrend),zhou(elbow),kao(bump),thesearetheeight
trigrams.Jinbu(stepforward),tuibu(stepbackward),zuogu(bewareoftheleft),youpan(lookto
theright),zhongding(centralequilibrium),thesearethefiveelements.Wardoff,rollback,press,and
pushareqian(heaven),kun(earth),kan(water),andli(fire),thefourmainsides.Pluck,split,elbow,
andbumparexun(wind),zhen(thunder),dui(lake),andgen(mountain),thefourdiagonalcorners.
Step forward, step backward, beware of the left, look to the right, and central equilibrium are jin
(metal), mu (wood), shui (water), huo (fire), and tu (earth). All together they are the thirteen
postures.
Theeightposturesaretheeightbasicfightingjinpatternsoftheartandcanbeassigneddirections
accordingtowheretheopponentsforceismoved.Peng(wardoff)reboundstheopponentbackinthe
directionhecamefrom.Lu(rollback)leadshimfurtherthanheintendedtogointhedirectionhewas
attacking.Lie(split)andkao(bump)leadhimforwardanddeflecthimslightlysideward.Cai(pluck)
andzhou(elbow)canbedonesoastocatchtheopponentjustasheisstartingforward,andstrikeor
unbalancehimdiagonallytohisrear.Ji(pressorsqueeze)andan(pressdown,forward,andupward)
deflect the opponent and attack at right angles to his motion. The five directions refer to stance,
footwork,andfightingstrategy.Theyconcernthewayyoumovearoundinresponsetotheopponents
attack,andhowyousetupyourownattacks.
Since ancient times, many taiji masters have tried to explain the deeper aspect of these thirteen
posturesbyusingtheeighttrigramsandthefiveelements.Inordertofindasatisfactoryexplanation,
variouscorrespondencesbetweentheeightbasictechniquesandtheeighttrigrams,andalsobetween
thefivedirectionsandthefiveelementshavebeendevised.Unfortunately,noneoftheexplanations
arecompletelyreasonableandwithoutdiscrepancy.
Inadditiontothethirteenpostures,taijiquanisalsocommonlycalledsoftsequence(mianquan).This
isbecausewhentaijiispracticed,theformsaresoftandsmooth,themindiscalm,theqiisround,and
jin is fluid. Taijiquan is also called Long Sequence (Chang Quan or Changquan). Zhang, Sanfengs
TaijiquanTreatisestates:
WhatisLongFist[i.e.,LongSequence]?[Itis]likealongriverandalargeocean,rollingceaselessly.
Originally,thenameChangquancamefromtheShaolinTemple.ChangquanmeansLongFist.Itcan
alsobetranslatedasLongRangeorLongSequence.Ancientdocumentssuggestthatthemeaningof
ChangquaninTaijiquanmeanstheLongSequencelikealongriverthatactsasaconduittotheopen
ocean,whichalsomeansthatwhentaijiispracticed,theformsflowsmoothlyandcontinuously.Theqi
flow is smooth and continuous, and the jin is unbroken. There is another martial style also called
Chang Quan. However, this Shaolin style should be translated as Long Fist because it specializes in
longrangefighting.
TAOISMANDTAICHICHUAN
ByJamesLeporati
LaoTzu,thelegendaryfounderofTaoism,wasanoldercontemporaryofConfucius.Anecdotalstories
tell of at least one meeting between the two philosophical giants with Confucius coming away
perplexed and somewhat in awe of his elder, comparing Lao Tzu to a "Dragon who flies among the
clouds."NotmuchisknownofLaoTzuconcretely,buttherearemanylegendsandstoriesconcerning
him.Itissaidthatatage160,hedecidedtoresignhispositionaskeeperofthearchivesforthecourt
of Chou at Loyang and retire to peace, solitude and contemplation. As he departed, a gatekeeper
implored the sage to please compose a book coalescing his teachings so that they would not perish
when Lao Tzu withdrew from the world. It was then that Lao Tzu wrote the 5000 character classic
andcentraltreatiseofTaoism,theTaoTeChing.Ashort,highlymysticalwork,itconsistsofonly81
verses.
The teachings of Lao Tzu are based on a great underlying principle, the Tao or "Way," which is the
sourceofallbeing.Throughtheunderstandingofthisprinciple,allthecontradictions,divisionsand
distinctionsofourexistenceareultimatelyresolved.Thisprinciplecanonlybeunderstoodintuitively.
GraspingtheTaointellectuallyorthroughsomerationallyderivedprocedureispointless.Theancient
textstellusthattheTaoisandmustalwaysremainessentiallybeyondthehumanabilitytodescribe
it, and can only be fully understood through a kind of mystical and internal transformation. This
intuitive transformation simply removes the obstacles clouding our consciousness and connects us
once again to our original insight which allows us to see clearly and understand the workings and
wonders of the cosmos. Taoism then, does not seek to advance man to some new state of being,
merely to return him to his original and natural consciousness. The way of life which one achieves
afterunionwiththeTaoisoftenhallmarkedbyakindofyieldingpassivity,anabsenceofstrifeand
coercionandamannerofactingwhichiscompletelyeffortless,freeofartificeandspontaneous.
Like Lao Tzu, many of the greatest contributors to the development of Tai Chi Chuan were simple
men, not necessarily wellversed in the various philosophical schools and literature of their times.
PerhapstheyevenlackedtherequisiteliteracytoreadthesalienttextsofTaoismandthevoluminous
commentariesonthem.Yet,TaiChiChuanhasperhapsthegreatestliterarytraditionassociatedwith
any martial practice to date. This paradox is resolved by the eventual adoption of the art by more
scholarly figures as time progressed. It is known that Tai ChiChuan was held in high esteem at the
royal court (perhaps due to the efforts of the Yang family Tai Chi patriarch Yang Luchan). It is
reasonable to assume that the Chinese literati were both entranced and impressed by the art's
effortless perfection. These more scholarly practitioners might have easily concluded that the
principlesunderlyingTaiChiwereinperfectaccordwiththeTaoTeChing.Examplesarenumerous.
The Tao Te Ching seems to reflect philosophically the physical movements and skills which
underscoretheartofTaiChi.Italmostseemsaprimerinitselfasonereadsthroughthetext:
Verse22
Thereforetheancientssay,"Yieldandovercome."
Isthatanemptysaying?
Verse43
Thesoftestthingintheuniverse
Overcomesthehardestthingintheuniverse.
Verse76
Thehardandstrongwillfall
Thesoftandweakwillovercomethem.
Verse78
Theweakcanovercomethestrong;
Thesupplecanovercomethestiff.
Underheaveneveryoneknowsthis,
Yetnooneputsitintopractice.
TheseversesillustratethecentralprincipleofTaiChi:yieldingtotheopponent'sforce.
Verse26
Theheavyistherootofthelight;
Thestillisthemasterofunrest.
Tobelightistoloseone'sroot.
Toberestlessistoloseone'scontrol.
Awarningconcerningrootandbalanceaswellasastrategy,thisissoundadvicefortheTaiChiChuan
adept.TheseconceptsfindtheirmirrorintheSongofthe13Postures:
Beingstill,whenattackedbytheopponent
Betranquilandmoveinstillness
Mychangescausedbytheopponentfillhimwithwonder
Verse36
Thatwhichshrinksmustfirstexpand.
Thatwhichfailsmustfirstbestrong.
Thatwhichiscastdownmustfirstberaised
WuYuhsiang'sExpositionsofInsightsintothePracticeoftheThirteenPosturesrelates:
Firstseekextension,thencontraction;
thenit(themovements)canbefineandsubtle.
The reference to the use of excessive, hard muscular strength (li) equating with failure of one's
techniquearealsocommoninTaiChiliterature.TheTaoTeChingillustratesthisconceptwith:
Verses30
Forceisfollowedbylossofstrength
Verses55
Iftoomuchenergyisused,exhaustionfollows.
Obviouslythesearereferencestohardandinflexibleforcetheuseofwhichdoesnotequatewiththe
dexterousandlivelychienergiescultivatedbytheTaiChiChuanpractitioner.
Inregardtostrategy,theTaoistaxiom"Thatwhichiscastdownmustfirstberaised,"equateswiththe
lifting up or severing of the opponent's root before discharging energy against him during
applications.
Verse15
Whocanremainstilluntilthemomentofaction?
ThiscausesWuYuhsiangtoreflectinExpositions:"Itissaid,'Ifothersdon'tmove,Idon'tmove.If
othersmoveslightly,Imovefirst.'"Howshouldone'sfootworkbestructuredduringcombat?Verse
41oftheTaosuggests:"Goingforwardseemslikeretreat,"whileMasterChengexplainsinTheSong
ofFormandFunction:"Whenthefootwantstoadvance/Firstshiftitbackwards."Initsapplicationas
anattackinggesture,theposture"StepBackandRepulseMonkey"epitomizesthis"advancingwhile
apparentlyretreating"methodoffootwork.
WhataboutthehighestleveloftheartofTaiChiChuan?
Verse41
Thegreatestformhasnoshape.
FortheTaiChipractitionerthiscouldbesaidtobetheultimategoal:astateinwhichtheunderlying
principlesaresodeeplyingrainedthatformitselfbecomesunimportant.Wherethemindleads,the
energywillnaturallymanifestitselfinaspontaneousandproperway.
IntheTaiChiChuanChingbyChangSanFenghesayssimply:
Upordown
Frontorback
Leftorright,oneallthesame.
Amorecontemporarymaster,ChengManchinginhisSongofFormandFunctionoffersus:
Notneutralizing,itnaturallyneutralizes,
Notyielding,itnaturallyyields
Inpushhands/Thewholebodyisahand
Andthehandisnotahand.
Butthemindmuststay
Intheplaceitshouldbe.
TaiChiChuanandTaoismareinexorablylinkedtogether.TaiChiisaphysicalrepresentationofTaoist
ideals,theungraspablemadegraspablethroughphysicalprincipleswhoseverymovementreflectsthe
motionoftheTaoitself.
SHAOLINTHEROOTOFTAIJIQUAN
ByDr.Yang,JwingMing
AfterBodhidharma(DaMo)passeddownhisqigong(chikung)theoryatShaolinTemplearoundA.D.
550theShaolinmonkstrainedthecultivationofQi,andrealizedthatfromthiscultivation,muscular
powercouldbeenhancedtoatremendouslevel,whichcouldmakemartialtechniquesmorepowerful
andeffective.Thiswasthebeginningofinternalcultivationinthemartialarts.Accordingtoancient
records,itwasonlyabout50yearslaterthatinternalmartialartstylesbasedonDaMosinternalQi
cultivationwerecreated.
SMALLNINEHEAVENANDPOSTHEAVENTECHNIQUES
Two of the best known of these styles are Small Nine Heaven (Xiao Jiu Tian) and PostHeaven
Techniques (Hou Tian Fa). All of these early Chinese martial art styles were created based on the
sameTaiji(taichi)theoriesandprinciplesknowntoday.
Thesetheoriesandprinciplesare:
1. Qi should be first cultivated and developed internally. This Qi is slowly manifested as power
throughthephysicalbodyandfinallyappliedintotechniques.
2.InordertoallowtheQitocirculatesmoothlyandfreelyinthebody,thephysicalbodymustfirstbe
relaxed,andthemovementsmustbesoft.
3.TheYinandYangtheoryandconceptsarethefoundationsandrootofQidevelopment.
TherootsofTaijiquan(taichichuan)haveexistedforatleast1400years.Duringthistime,thousands
of techniques were discovered and hundreds of styles were created. The very theoretical
underpinningsofTaijiquanhavebeenstudiedandresearchedcontinuously.Fromtheaccumulationof
thought,itstheorieshavereachedaverydeepandprofoundlevelevenasitscontentshaveexpanded
intoaneverwiderrange.
TAIJIQUANORIGINALLYCHANGQUAN(LONGFIST)
The implications of these two styles were probably the progenitors of Taijiquan. It is believed that
TaijiquanwasnotactuallynamedTaijiquanuntiltheChineseSongdynasty(circaA.D.1101).Zhang,
SanFeng is widely credited as the creator of Taijiquan. Taijiquan in ancient times was also called
Changquan(LongFist).Itissaid:WhatisLongFist?(Itis)likealongriverandalargeocean,rolling
ceaselessly. Originally, the name Changquan came from the Shaolin Temple. Changquan means
LongFist.ItcanalsobetranslatedasLongRangeorLongSequence.Ancientdocumentssuggest
thatthemeaningofChangquaninTaijiquanmeanstheLongSequencelikealongriverthatactsas
aconduittotheopenocean.TheQicirculatinginthebodyisrollingcontinuously,flowing,andebbing
innaturalcycles.
SHAOLINTEMPLETOCHENVILLAGE
From surviving fragments of documents, it can be surmised that the Shaolin temple was the major
influence on the development of Qi cultivation in martial arts society. It is valid to infer that
substantialTaijiquantheoryoriginatedatthetemple.LookingatcontemporaryChenStyleTaijiquan,
similarities emerge between it and certain external Shaolin styles. For example, both the first and
second routinesChangquan and Pao Chui (Cannon Fist)originated at the Shaolin temple, yet
theyalsoexistinChenStyle.Eventhenameswerekeptthesameasthoseinthetemple.Althoughthe
ShaolinChangquanandPaoChuihavebeenmodifiedandrevisedinChenStyleTaijiquan,itcanstill
betracedbacktotherootandoriginofeverymovementintodaysChenStyleTaijiquan.Thisholds
trueformanyoftheTaijiquanweaponsroutines.
YANGSTYLEROOTS
ItiswellknownthatYangStyleoriginatedfromChenStyleandthattheystillsharethesameTaijiroot
andessence.WuandSunStylesoriginatedfromYangStyles.TaijiquanandShaolinmartialartsalso
share the same root. It is no wonder that many Taijiquan masters who have also learned Shaolin
martial arts are more expert and proficient in the martial roots and applications of Taijiquan. The
reason for this is simply because the Dao of Chinese martial arts remains the same in all Chinese
styles.Differentstylesareonlydifferentvariationsandderivationslikebranchesandflowerscoming
fromthesameroot.Whenyoulearndifferentstyles,youwillhavedifferentanglesfromwhichtoview
the same Dao. Naturally, your mind will be clearer and your understanding will be will be more
profound.
TAIJIQUANMEANSGRANDULTIMATEFIST
Aswrittendowninthepast,TaijiquanoriginallywaswrittenasTaiji.Itissaid:WhatisTaiji?Itis
generatedfromWuji.ItisthemotherofYinandYang.Whenitmoves,itdivides.Atrestitreunites.
TaijicanbetranslatedasGrandUltimateorGrandExtremity,whichreferstothemostessential
movements, or the very origin of motivation or force. Wuji means No Extremity, and means No
DividingorNoDiscrimination.Wujiisastateofformlessness,ofstayinginthecenter:calm,quiet,
andpeaceful.Onceyouhavegeneratedamind,orhaveformedthementalshapewithwhichyouwill
influence physical reality, the motivation of dividing or discriminating starts. When this dividing
happens, Wuji will be derived into Yin and Yang. From this, you learn what Taiji isit is the
motivation of distinguishment. When you have this motivation, the Qi will then be led, and Yin and
Yangcanbedistinguished.Oncethismotivation(i.e.,Taiji)stops,themotivatorofdivisionstops,and
the Yin and Yang will once again reunite and return back to Wuji. Taiji is actually the motive force
generated from the mind (Yi). From this force, the Qi is led and circulates throughout the body.
Summingup,TaijiquanisthemartialstylewhichtrainsthepractitionertousethemindtoleadtheQi,
circulating it in the body, and generating the Yin and Yang states, either for health, fighting, or
otherwise.
THIRTEENJINPATTERNSANDSTRATEGIES
TaijiquanisalsocalledShiSanShi(ThirteenPostures).Itissaid:
WhataretheThirteenPostures?Peng,Lu,Ji,An,Cai,Lie,Zhou,Kou;thesearetheeighttrigrams.
JinBu,TuiBu,ZuoGu,YouPan,ZhongDing;thesearethefiveelements.
Peng,Lu,Ji,AnareQian(heaven),Kun(earth),Kan(water),Li(fire);thefourmainsides.
Cai,Lie,Zhou,KouareXun(wind),Zhen(thunder),Dui(lake),andGen(mountain);thefourdiagonal
corners.
JinBu,TuiBu,ZuoGu,YouPan,andZhongDingareJin(metal)Mu(wood),Shui(water),Fo(fire),and
Tu(earth).
AlltogethertheyaretheThirteenPostures.
TaijiquanincludeseightbasicmovingorJin(martialpower)patternswhichareconsideredtheeight
cornersoftheEightTrigrams.Peng,Lu,Ji,andAnareconsideredthefoursidesoftheEightTrigrams,
whileCai,Lie,Zhou,andKaoareregardedasthefourdiagonalcorners.Taijiquanalsocontainsfive
basic strategic movements or steppings: Jin Bu (forward), Tui Bu (backward), Zuo Gu (see the left),
YouPan(looktotheright),andZhongDing(firmthecenter).
The Thirteen Postures is a foundation of Taijiquan where hundreds of techniques and strategic
movementscanbegenerated.Forexample,awaltzhasonlythreestepsinthebasicmovement,but
thevariationscannumberinthehundreds.InordertounderstandtheQinNa(chinna)applications
of Taijiquan, you must first become familiar with the Qin Na hidden in the Thirteen Postures and
knowthatQinNacanbeusedagainsttheseThirteenPostures.
37POSTURESTOHUNDREDSOFAPPLICATIONS
TaijiquanhasalsobeencalledSanShiQiShi,whichmeansThirtySevenPostures.Ifyoucountthe
techniquemovementsorposturesofYangStyleTaijiquan,youwillfindthattheynumberonlythirty
seven. It is from these thirtyseven postures that more than 250 martial applications are derived.
ThesethirtysevenposturesarealsobuiltuponthefoundationoftheThirteenPosturesorThirteen
JinPatternsandStrategies.Manyofthesethirtysevenposturesareconstructedfromtwoormoreof
theoriginalthirteenJinpatterns.Forexample,WaveHandsintheCloudsandGrasptheSparrows
TailarethecombinationsofPengJinandLieJin.Theoriginalthirteenpatternsfirstderiveinto
thirtysevenbasicposturesormovementsandthesethirtysevenbasicposturescanbederivedinto
hundredsoftechniquesandvariations.
TAICHIINTHEWEST
Taijiquan was first introduced to the West by Master Cheng, ManChing during the 1960's. The
original focus of his effort was to teach a method of health and relaxation. It was only after several
yearsthattheart'seffectivenessinreducingstressandmaintaininghealthbecamewidelyknown.
Since president Nixon visited mainlandChina in 1973 and openedthe gates of China's conservative
and longsealed society, Asian culture, especially Chinese culture, has attracted more and more
Western people. Moreover, due to an exuberant cultural exchange, many Chinese internal and
external martial arts masters have arrived in the West and shared their knowledge. Since then,
WesternTaijiquansocietyhasitselfopenedtotherealizationthat,inadditiontoCheng,ManChing's
Taijiquan, there are many other Taijiquan styles, all of them created and developed using the same
theoreticalfoundation.
However, most Western Taijiquan practitioners, even today, still consider Taijiquan good for only
healthandrelaxation.TheydonotrecognizethatTaijiquanwascreatedasamartialartintheDaoist
monasteryatWudangmountain,Hubeiprovince,inChina.Taijitheorycanbetracedbacknearlyfour
thousand years, to when Yi Jing (The Book of Changes) was first made available. Since then, the
concept of Taiji has been adopted by the Chinese people and has become one of the roots or
foundations of Chinese thinking and belief. Based on this root, Taijiquan martial arts (Taijiquan or
"Taiji Fist") was created. Its theory and philosophy are very profound and deep. If one only pays
attention to the relaxation aspect of the movements, then one will not comprehend and feel this
profound philosophic root. Yang, ChenFu has been credited with having made Yang style Taijiquan
popularsince1928.
ORALTRADITION
Throughmanyhundredsofyearsgonepast,countlessChinesepeoplehavepracticedTaijiquan.Many
of them have reached a profound level of this feeling art. Some of them have written down their
understanding and findings, and have passed them down generation by generation. Generally, only
thosegoodandcorrectwritings,afterhistoricalfiltering,willsurviveinTaijiquansociety.Evenjusta
coupleofdecadesago,thesedocumentswereconsideredtobethesecretsoftheirstyles.Itwasnot
until recently that they have been revealed to lay society. Many practitioners, after comprehending
thesedocuments,haveredirectedthemselvesintothecorrectpathofpracticeandinsodoinghave
reachedadeeperfeelingoftheart.
IamveryfortunatethatIcouldobtainthesedocumentsandstudythemduringmythirtynineyears
of Taijiquan practice. It is from these documents that I have been able to keep my practice on the
correctpath.Itwasalsothesedocumentswhichhavecausedmetoponderandponderallthetime.
Manyofthesedocumentsmustbereadafewhundredtimesbeforeitispossibletocomprehendthe
theoryandfeeling.YangstyleTaijiquanwascreatedbyYang,LuShanin1799,andhadbecomevery
wellknownandpopularbythebeginningofthetwentiethcentury.Thesecretshiddeninthisfamily
style were not revealed to the public until the 1990's. Although most of these documents were
authoredbyYang,BanHou,amemberofthesecondgenerationofYangstyleTaijiquanpractitioners,
theyaretherepresentativewritingsofthestyle.Yang,BanHouhasbeenwellknownforhisprofound
understanding of the arts and also the capability of manifesting his Taiji Jin (i.e., Taiji power) to its
mostefficientlevel.
Inthelastsevencenturies,manysongsandpoemshavebeencomposedaboutTaijiquan.Thesehave
playedamajorroleinpreservingtheknowledgeandwisdomofthemasters,althoughinmanycases
the identity of the authors and the dates of origin have been lost. Since most Chinese of previous
centurieswereilliterate,thekeypointsoftheartwereputintopoemsandsongs,whichareeasierto
rememberthanprose,andpasseddownorallyfromteachertostudent.Thepoemswereregardedas
secretandwereonlyrevealedtothegeneralpublicinthetwentiethcentury.
ByDr.Yang,JwingMing
Dr. Yang, JwingMing has a long history in Chinese Wushu going back over fifty years. During his
youth,hespentthirteenyearslearningTaijiquan,ShaolinWhiteCrane(BaiHe),andShaolinLongFist
(Changquan).Hecontinuestoresearch,study,learn,andpracticetothisday.Belowisanexcerptof
Dr. Yang's revised edition of the book Tai Chi Chuan Classical Yang Style. This book has the same
content,butaneweasytofollowlayout.Eachmovementispresentedinaseriesofphotographs,with
clear,samepageinstructionsforeachTaijiposture.
YangStylehistorystartswithYang,Luchan(A.D.17991872),alsoknownasFukuaiorLuchan.He
wasbornatYongNianXian,GuangPingCounty,HebeiProvince.WhenhewasyounghewenttoChen
JiaGouinHenanprovincetolearntaijiquanfromChen,Changxing.WhenChen,Changxingstoodhe
wascenteredanduprightwithnoleaningortilting,likeawoodensignpost,andsopeoplecalledhim
Mr.Tablet.Atthattime,therewereveryfewstudentsoutside oftheChenfamilywholearnedfrom
Chen, Changxing. Because Yang was an outside student, he was treated unfairly, but still he stayed
andperseveredinhispractice.
Onenight,hewasawakenedbythesoundsof"Hen"and"Ha"inthedistance.Hegotupandtracedthe
sound to an old building. Peeking through the broken wall, he saw his master Chen, Changxing
teachingthetechniquesofgrasp,control,andemittingjinincoordinationwiththesoundsHenand
Ha.Hewasamazedbythetechniquesandfromthattimeon,unknowntomasterChen,hecontinued
to watch this secret practice session every night. He would then return to his room to ponder and
study.Becauseofthis,hismartialabilityadvancedrapidly.Oneday,Chenorderedhimtosparwith
the other disciples. To his surprise, none of the other students could defeat him. Chen realized that
Yanghadgreatpotentialandafterthattaughthimthesecretssincerely.
AfterYang,Luchanfinishedhisstudy,hereturnedtohishometownandtaughttaijiquanforawhile.
People called his style Yang Style (Yang Quan), Soft Style (Mian Quan), or Neutralizing Style, (Hua
Quan)becausehismotionsweresoftandabletoneutralizethe opponent'spower.Helaterwentto
Beijing and taught a number of Qing officers. He used to carry a spear and a small bag and travel
around the country, challenging wellknown martial artists. Although he had many fights, he never
hurtanybody.Becausehisartwassohigh,nobodycoulddefeathim.Therefore,hewascalled"Yang
WuDi"whichmeans"UnbeatableYang."Hehadthreesons,YangQi,YangYualsocalledBanhou,and
Yang Jian also called Jianhou. Yang Qi died when he was young. Therefore, only the last two sons
succeededtheirfatherintheart.
YANGSTYLEFAMILYTRADITIONS
Yang'ssecondson,Yang,Yu(A.D.18371890),wasalsonamedBanhou.Peopleusedtocallhim"Mr.
TheSecond."Helearnedtaijiquanfromhisfatherevenasachild.Eventhoughhepracticedveryhard
andcontinuously,hewasstillscoldedandwhippedbyhisfather.Hewasgoodatfreefighting.Oneday
hewaschallengedbyastrongmartialartist.Whenthechallengergraspedhiswristandwouldnotlet
him escape, Yang, Banhou used his jin to bounce the challenger away and defeat him. He was so
proudthathewenthomeandtoldhisfather.Insteadofpraise,hisfatherlaughedathimbecausehis
sleevewastorn.Afterthat,hetrainedharderandharder,andfinallybecameasuperlativetaijiquan
artist. Unfortunately, and perhaps not surprisingly, he didn't like to teach very much and had few
students, so his art did not spread far after he died. One of his students called Wu, Quanyou later
taughthissonWu,Jianquan,whoseartbecametheWuStyleTaijiquan.Yang,Banhoualsohadason,
calledZhaopeng,whopassedontheart.
ThethirdsonofYang,LuchanwasYangJian(A.D.18421917),alsonamedJianhouandnicknamed
Jinghu.Peopleusedtocallhim"Mr.TheThird."Healsolearnedtaijiquanfromhisfathersincehewas
young.Hispersonalitywassofterandgentlerthanhisbrother's,andhehadmanyfollowers.Hetaught
threepostureslarge,medium,andsmallalthoughhespecializedinthemediumposture.Hewas
alsoexpertinusingandcoordinatingbothhardandsoftpower.Heusedtosparwithhisdiscipleswho
were good at sword and saber, while using only a dust brush. Every time his brush touched the
student'swrist,thestudentcouldnotcounter,butwouldbebouncedaway.Hewasalsogoodatusing
the staff and spear. When his long weapon touched an opponent's weapon, the opponent could not
approach him, but instead was bounced away. When he emitted jin, it happened at the instant of
laughingthe"ha"sound.Hecouldalsothrowsmallmetalballscalled"bullets."Withtheseballsinhis
hand, he could shoot three or four birds at the same time. The most impressive demonstration he
performedwastoputasparrowonhishand.Thebirdwouldnotbeabletoflyawaybecause,whena
bird takes off, it must push down first and use the reaction force to lift itself. Yang, Jianhou could
sensethebird'spowerandneutralizethisslightpush,leavingthebirdunabletotakeoff.Fromthis
demonstration,onecanunderstandthathislisteningjinandneutralizingjinmusthavebeensuperb.
Hehadthreesons:Zhaoxiong,Zhaoyuan,andZhaoqing.Thesecondson,Zhaoyuandiedatanearly
age.
Yang,Jianhou'sfirstson,Yang,Zhaoxiong(A.D.18621929),wasalsonamedMengxiangandlater
calledShaohou.Peopleusedtocallhim"Mr.Oldest."Hepracticedtaijiquansincehewassixyearsold.
He had a strong and persevering personality. He was expert in free fighting and very good at using
variousjinslikehisuncleYang,Banhou.Hereachedthehighestleveloftaijiquangongfu.Specializing
insmallpostures,hismovementswerefastandsunken.Becauseofhispersonality,hedidn'thavetoo
manyfollowers.HehadasoncalledYang,Zhensheng.
Yang,Jianhou'sthirdsonwasYang,Zhaoqing(A.D.18831935),alsonamedChengfu.Peoplecalled
him "Mr. The Third." His personality was mild and gentle. When he was young, he did not care for
martial arts. It was not until his teens that he started studying taijiquan with his father. While his
fatherwasstillaliveYang,Chengfudidnotreallyunderstandthekeysecretsoftaijiquan.Itwasnot
untilhisfatherdiedin1917thathestartedtopracticehard.Hisfatherhadhelpedhimtobuildagood
foundation,andafterseveralyearsofpracticeandresearch,hewasfinallyabletoapproachthelevel
of his father and grandfather. Because of his experiences, he modified his father's taijiquan and
specialized in large postures. This emphasis was completely reversed from that of his father and
brother. He was the first taijiquan master willing to share the family secrets with the public, and
becauseofhisgentlenaturehehadcountlessstudents.WhenNankingCentralGuoshuInstitutewas
founded in 1928, he was invited to be the head taijiquan teacher, and his name became known
throughoutthecountry.Hehadfoursons,Zhenming,Zhenji,Zhenduo,andZhenguo.
THREEPOSTURESOFTAIJIQUAN
YangStyleTaijiquancanbeclassifiedintothreemajorpostures:large,medium,andsmall.Itisalso
dividedintothreestances:high,medium,andlow.LargepostureswereemphasizedbyYang,Cheng
fu.Hetaughtthatthestancescanbehigh,medium,orlow,buttheposturesareextended,opened,and
relaxed. Large postures are especially suitable for improving health. The medium posture style
requires that all the forms be neither too extended nor too restricted and the internal jin neither
totallyemittednortooconserved.Therefore,theformandjinaresmootherandmorecontinuousthan
the other two styles. The medium posture style was taught by Yang, Jianhou. The small posture
styleinwhichtheformsaremorecompactandthemovementslight,agile,andquickwaspassed
downbyYang,Shaohou.Thisstylespecializesinthemartialapplicationoftheart.Inconclusion,for
martialapplicationthesmallposturesaregenerallythebest,althoughtheyarethemostdifficult,and
thelargeposturestyleisbestforhealthpurposes.
SUMMARYOFTAIJIQUANHISTORY
ChenStyleTaijiquanwasderivedfromJiangStyle.BeforeJiang,thehistoryisvagueandunclear.
ChenStyleTaijiquanwasdividedintotwostyles:oldandnew.Chen,Changxinglearnedoldstyleand
laterpasseditdowntoYang,Luchan.NewstylewascreatedbyChen,Youben.
Yang Style Taijiquan was derived from Chen Style Taijiquan fourteen generations after the Chen
familylearnedfromJiang.
Chen,YoubenpassedhisarttoChen,QingpingwhocreatedZhaoBaoStyle.
Wuu,YurangobtainedthenewstylefromChen,QingpingandtheoldstylefromYang,Luchanand
createdWuuStyleTaijiquan.
Li,YiyulearnedWuuStyleTaijiquanandcreatedLiStyleTaijiquan.
Hao,WeizhenobtainedhisartfromLiStyleTaijiquanandstartedHaoStyleTaijiquan.
Sun,LutanglearnedfromHaoStyleTaijiquanandbeganSunStyleTaijiquan.
WuStyleTaijiquanwasstartedbyWu,QuanyouwholearnedfromYang,Luchan'ssecondsonYang,
Banhou.
YangStyleTaijiquanhasbeenfamoussinceitscreationbyYang,Luchanintheearlypartofthe20th
century.
Yang, Chengfu's taijiquan is not the same as his father's, uncle's, or brother's. He modified it and
emphasizedlargeposturesandimprovinghealth.
Youshouldnowunderstandwhytherearesomanyvariationswithintheart,evenwithinastylesuch
astheYangStyle.Aftersomanyyearsandsomanygenerations,countlessstudentshavelearnedthe
style and have made many modifications in light of their own experiences and research. It is
understandable that a student today might learn taijiquan and find that his or her style is different
from another claiming to be from the same source. No one can really tell which one is the original
style,orwhichismoreeffectivethantheothers.Observationsfromnatureandcontemplationofthe
Daocanhelpyoutodetermineastyle'semphasiseitherforhealingorselfdefensebutitispurely
a subjective, human determination whether one is in fact "better" than any other. This is a deeply
profoundareaoftheart.Selfdefenseandgoodhealthareindeedcloselyrelatedconcepts,separated
onlybyaphilosophicalframeofmind.Ultimately,suchcomparisonsoftechniquesaremeaningless.It
isthetime,consistency,andqualityofyourpracticethatmatters.Ifyoucanunderstandthis,evenas
you strive for deeper mastery of your chosen art, then you have already reached a profound
understandingofDao.
THEMEANINGOFTAIJI
ByDr.Yang,JwingMing
Taijiquan(TaiChiChuan)isaninternalstyleofmartialartsthatwascreatedintheDaoistmonastery
oftheWudangmountain,HubeiProvince.TaijiquanscreationwasbasedonthephilosophiesofTaiji
andYinYang.ItisbelievedthatfromunderstandingthetheoryofTaijiandYinYang,wewillbeable
to trace back the origin of our lives. Also, through this understanding, we will be able to train our
bodies correctly, to maintain our health and the strength of our physical and energetic bodies, and
gainlongevity.SinceDaoistsaremonks,thefinalgoaloftheirspiritualcultivationistoreunitewith
thenaturalspirit,thestateofWuji.Inordertoreachthisgoal,theymustcultivatetheirhumannature
andnourishit(disciplinetheirtemperament).
Wang,ZongYuesaid:WhatisTaiji?ItisgeneratedfromWuji,andisapivotalfunctionofmovement
andstillness.ItisthemotherofYinandYang.Whenitmovesitdivides.Atrestitreunites.Fromthis,
it is known that Taiji is not Wuji,andis alsonot Yin and Yang. Instead an inclination of the natural
pivotalfunctionwhichmakestheWujideriveintoYinandYangalsomakestheYinandYangreunite
intothestateofWuji.ThisnaturalpivotalfunctionofmovementandstillnessiscalledtheDaoorthe
ruleofgreatnature.
TaijicanbetranslatedasGrandUltimate,orGrandExtremity,andWujiistranslatedasWithout
Ultimate, or No Extremity. Wuji can also mean No Opposition. This means Wuji is uniform and
undifferentiated,apointinspaceoratthecenterofyourphysicalandenergeticbodies.Forexample,
atthebeginningoftheuniverse,therewasnodifferentiation,andthisstatewascalledWuji.Thenit
beganitsseparationintocomplimentaryopposites,calledYinandYang.FromtheinteractionofYin
andYang,allthingsarecreatedandgrow.YoushouldunderstandthateventhoughthetheoryofTaiji
originatedfromtheYiJing(TheBookofChanges)andhasbeenstudiedandpracticedformorethan
4,000yearsinChina,itsapplicationsinmartialartswereprobablynotstarteduntilseveralthousand
yearslater.WhenTaijitheorywasadoptedintotheapplicationsofmartialartsandbecameastyle,it
was called Taijiquan, The Fist of Taiji. Therefore, if we wish to understand the real meaning of
Taijiquan,thefirsttaskistocomprehendthemeaningofTaiji.
ItisclearthatTaijiisneitherWujinorYinYang,butisbetweenthem.Itisthepivotalforceorenergy
whichmakestheWujistatedivideintotheYinandYangpolarities,andalsocausestheYinYangto
reunitetothestateofWuji.YinandYang,twopolarities,originatefromWujithroughTaijisactionor
function. From these two polarities, again through Taijis action, four phases are derived. With the
sametheory,thevariationscontinueuntilthereareunlimitedchangesintheuniverse.Fromthis,you
canseethatalllifeandallthingsareproducedfromthemutualinteractionofYinandYangthrough
the mediating function of Taiji. Therefore, if you are interested in learning Taijiquan, you must
understandYinandYang,andtheirrelationshipwithTaiji.WithoutknowingthetheoryandtheDao,
your Taijiquan practice will be limited to the external forms and movements. In this case, you will
havelosttherealmeaningofpracticingTaijiquan.
Before the action of Taijiquan movement, the Xin (emotional mind) is peaceful and the Qi is
harmonious,theXinandYi(wisdommind)areattheDanTianandtheQistaysinitsresidence.Thisis
thestateofextremecalmnessandisthestateofWuji.However,whentheXinandYibegintoact,the
Qis circulation begins, the physical bodys movement is thus initiated, and the Yin and Yang
accordinglydivides.FromthiswecanseethatXinandYiarewhatiscalledTaijiinTaijiquan.Wecan
concludefromthisthatTaijiquanisactuallyamartialartofthemind.Thewisdommindiscalmand
peaceful.Fromthiscalmness,itcanbehighlyconcentratedanditsstoragecanbeprofound.Whenthis
Yiisdeepandprofound,thefeelingwillbeaccurateandrefined.Youshouldalwaysrememberthat
feelingisthelanguageofthemindandthebodysmeansofcommunication.Deepandaccuratefeeling
allows you to manifest the minds decision precisely and quickly. Though our physical bodies are
restricted by our threedimensional reality, our minds are free to travel and reach anywhere in the
universe,unrestrictedbytime.ThemindistheGrandUltimate.Allhumancreations,fromshovelsto
airplanes,arosefirstinourimaginations.Fromourthoughts,newideasarecreated.Itisthesamefor
Taijiquan. From practicing the active, living, and creative art of Taijiquan, we are able to further
comprehendthemeaningofhumanlifeandthe
WUJITHESTATEOFEMPTINESS
ByDr.Yang,JwingMing
Wujiisastateofemptinessorsimplyasinglepointinspace.Thereisnodiscriminationandthereare
nopolarities(orpoles).Onepossibleexampleisthestateoftheuniversebeforethebigbang,apoint
ofsingularity.AccordingtoYiJing(i.e.,BookofChange),originallytheuniversewasinaWujistate.
Later, due to the pivotal action of Taiji, Two Polarities (Liang Yi) (i.e., Yin and Yang) were
discriminated. However, we should understand that Yin and Yang are not definite (or absolute) but
relative according to specifically defined rules. From these rules, Four Phases (Si Xiang) are again
derived. From different perspectives, the YinYang two polarities can again be divided into Yin and
Yang.Forexample,ifyouuseyourrighthandtofollowtheYinandYangpattern,theclockwisecycling
belongstoYangwhilethecounterclockwisecyclingbelongstoYin.
Generallyspeaking,yourrighthandactionisclassifiedasYangandyourlefthandactionisclassified
as Yin. From this rule, the YinYang cycling will be completely reversed if you use your left hand.
ThesegeneralrulesareappliedinTaijiquanandalsoinotherinternalstylessuchasBaguazhang.The
above saying is talking about the YinYangs derivation in two dimensions. When this YinYang
derivationismanifestedinthreedimensions,thenrightspiraltoadvanceforwardisclassifiedasYang
while left spiral to withdraw is classified as Yin. Similarly, the manifestation of the left hand is
reversed.
Fromthis,wecanseethat(ifweare)abletocomprehendthetheoryofgreatnature'sYinYangspiral
derivation, then (we) will be able to comprehend the function of the Dao and use this Dao to
understandthetheoryofceaselessrecyclingofmillionsoflivesinnature,furthermore,totraceback
the origin of our human and physical life. The purpose of learning Taijiquan is to aim for the
comprehension of Taiji and YinYang so (we) are able to reach the Dao, therefore, (allows us) to
protect(ourbody),strengthen(ourbody),andenjoylongevity.
Furthermore,bynourishingandcultivating(our)humannature,(weare)abletoreachthefinalgoal
ofunificationofheavenandhumanspirit.Fromtheabovediscussion,youcanseethattherearesome
specificrulesthatapplywhenyoumanifesttheYinYangpolaritiesintotwodimensions.However,we
exist in a universe of at least three dimensions. Therefore, the concept of two polarities should be
adapted to three dimensions so we can comprehend the natural Dao thoroughly. Once you add the
thirddimensiontotheYinandYangsymbols,youcanseethattheenergypatternsandderivationare
spiralactions.
Whenthenaturelosesitsbalance,theenergymanifestsinspiralsandmillionsoflivesareinfluenced,
orevenarecreated.Allofthesemanifestationscanbeseenfromgalaxiesinspace,totornadosand
otherstorms,totheformationofseashells,andeventhetiny,twistedstrandsofourDNA.Fromthe
abovediscussion,youcanseethatwhenYinYangismanifestedintwodimensionsinTaijiquan,itis
anactionofcoiling,andwhenitisactinginthreedimensions,itisaspiralingmaneuver.Ifyouuse
yourrighthandtogeneratethisspiralmotion,thentheclockwiseandforwardmotionisclassifiedas
YangwhilethecounterclockwiseandbackwardmotionisclassifiedasYin.Ifyouuseyourlefthand,
sincetheleftisclassifiedasYin,alldirectionsarereversed.
ThisisamethodtopracticethebasicskillsinTaijiquanforchangingfrominsubstantialtosubstantial
andbackagain.AllactioninTaijiquanoriginatesfromtheRealDanTian(apoint,centerofgravity),
wheretheWujiislocated.FromthisWujicenter,throughTaiji(i.e.,mind)theQiisled,YinandYang
spiralingactionsareinitiated,andTaijiquanmovementsarederived.
YINYANG
ByDr.Yang,JwingMing
YinandYangareopposite(i.e.,relative)toeachotherinsteadofabsolute.ThatisYincanbecomeYang
andYangcanchangeintoYin.YinandYangcanbeexchangedmutuallydependingontheobservers
Xin and Yi. Xin and Yi are the Dao in Taijiquan. Lao Zi, Chapter 36 said: Wish to close it, must first
openit;wishtoweakenit,mustfirststrengthenit;wishtoabolishit,mustfirstraiseit;wishtotakeit,
must first offer it. It is also said in Taijiquan classic: withdrawing is releasing and releasing is
withdrawing.Itmeans:YinisYangandYangisYin.Thoughtheyareopposite,theyarethetwofaces
ofthesameobjectwhichcannotbeseparatedfromeachotherorexistalone.Ifitcanexistalone,then
itisaWujistateandnotthenaturalruleofYinandYang.
YinandYangareoppositetoeachotherbutnotabsolute.HowYinorYangaredefineddependsonthe
perspective of the viewer. Often, what is considered Yang by one person can be Yin to another.
Moreover,YinandYangareexchangeableandthisexchangealsodependsonhowyouchangeyour
viewpoint.YoushouldalsorememberthatthemindiswhatiscalledTaijiorDaoinTaijiquan.When
YinandYangconceptsareappliedinTaijiquan,YincanbeYangandYangcanbeYin.Yincanalsobe
Yin and Yang can also be Yang. All of these alternative concepts all depend on your mind and
consequently,differentstrategiesarederived.Thatmeansaninsubstantialactioncanbeasetupfora
substantialactionandviceversa.IfyoudonothavetheoptionsofYinandYangexchange,thenyour
strategywillbestagnantandbeeasilydefeatedbyyouropponent.
Generally speaking, Taijiquans Yin and Yang can be: closing and opening; defensive and offensive;
bending and extending; inhaling and exhaling; retreating and advancing; insubstantial and
substantial; small and big; neutralizing andemitting; refined and coarse; leading and attacking; soft
andhard;internalandexternal;YiandXin;raisingandfalling;lookingupandlookingdown;coming
andgoing;enterandexit;withdrawingandreleasing;etc.However,(you)shouldnotbefixedinthe
ruleswithoutknowingthemutualexchangeabletheoryofYinandYang.Forexample,duringcombat
between the opponent and me, bending can be Yang as offensive, and extending can be Yin as
defensive. Raising can be Yang as a substantial action and falling can be Yin as an insubstantial
movement.ComingcanbeYangasemittingandgoingcanbeYinasstoring.
ThisparagraphlistsmanyexamplesoftheYinandYangaspectsofTaijiquanactions.However,you
shouldalwaysrememberthatYinandYangaremutuallyexchangeable.Thatmeanssubstantialcanbe
insubstantial and insubstantial can be substantial. If (you) are able to understand the theory of Yin
andYangandknowstheirapplications,then(your)comprehensionisdeepand(Taiji)knowledgeis
profound. Insubstantial and substantial are exchangeable and are mutually Yin and Yang. This will
maketheopponentlosetrackofcatchingthe(Jins)comingandgoing.Thenthisisthebeginningof
understandingJin.ThetheoryofYinandYangishardtochange;however,theapplicationsofYinand
Yang are exchangeable. Therefore, (Taijiquan) practitioners should be always researching and
pondering the theory of Yin and Yang and searching for the applications of Yin and Yangs mutual
exchanges.If(you)areabletocatchthisknackandapplyitskillfully,then(youare)surelyaproficient
Taijiquantalent.
YoushouldknowthatTaijisYinYangtheoryisthefoundationandtherootoftheentireTaijiquans
creation and development, you should always ponder the theory and its applications. Theory is the
scholarshipoftheartwhiletheactionsaretheapplicationsofthetheory.Onlythencanyoucatchthe
crucial key to Taijiquans substantial and insubstantial. Once you are able to apply this YinYang
theoryintotheTaijiquanmartialart,youwillbeabletoknowtheopponentbuttheopponentwillnot
know you. When you have reached this stage, you have surely understood the applications of
UnderstandingJin.
MARTIALMORALITY
ByDr.Yang,JwingMing
AllTaiChischoolsandstudentsmustunderstand,demonstrate,andpromoteMartialMorality,
andworktoreestablishitasaintegralaspectofTaiChiChuantraining.
MartialmoralityhasalwaysbeenarequireddisciplineinChinesemartialartssociety.Teachershave
long considered martial morality to be the most important criterion for judging students, and they
havemadeitthemostimportantpartofthetraininginthetraditionalChinesemartialarts.Itincludes
twoaspects:themoralityofdeedandthemoralityofmind.
MORALITYOFDEED
MORALITYOFMIND
Humility
Will
Respect
Endurance
Righteousness
Perseverance
Trust
Patience
Loyalty
Courage
Traditionally,onlythosestudentswhohadcultivatedthesestandardsofmoralitywereconsideredto
beworthyofteaching.Ofthetwoaspectsofmorality,themoralityofdeedismoreimportant,because
it concerns the students relationship with master and classmates, other martial artists, and the
generalpublic.Studentswhoarenotmoralintheiractionsarenotworthyofbeingtaught,sincethey
cannotbetrustedorevenrespected.Furthermore,withoutmoralityofdeed,theymayabusetheart
andusetheirfightingabilitytoharminnocentpeople.Therefore,masterswillnormallywatchtheir
studentscarefullyforalongtimeuntiltheyaresurethatthestudentshavematchedtheirstandardsof
moralityofdeedbeforelettingthemstartserioustraining.Moralityofmindisfortheselfcultivation
whichisrequiredtoreachthefinalgoal.TheChineseconsiderthatwehavetwominds,anEmotional
mind (Xin) and a Wisdom mind (Yi). Usually, when a person fails in something it is because the
emotionalmindhasdominatedtheirthinking.Thefiveelementsinthemoralityofmindarethekeys
to training, and they lead the student to the stage where the wisdom mind can dominate. This self
cultivationanddisciplineshouldbethegoalofanymartialartstrainingphilosophy.
MORALITYOFDEED
Humility
Humilitycomesfromcontrollingyourfeelingsofpride.InChinaitissaid:Satisfaction(pride)loses,
humilityearnsbenefits.Whenyouaresatisfiedwithyourself,youwillnotthinkdeeply,andyouwill
notbewillingtolearn.However,ifyouremainhumble,youwillalwaysbelookingforwaystobetter
yourself,andyouwillkeeponlearning.Remember,thereisnolimittoknowledge.Itdoesnotmatter
howdeepyouhavereached,thereisalwaysadeeperlevel.Confuciussaid,Ifthreepeoplewalkby,
theremustbeoneofthemwhocanbemyteacher.Thereisalwayssomeonewhoismoretalentedor
moreknowledgeablethanyouinsomefield.TheChinesesay:Thereisalwaysamanbeyondtheman,
thereisaskyabovethesky.Sincethisisso,howcanyoubeproudofyourself?
Respect
Respectisthefoundationofyourrelationshipwithyourparents,teachers,yourfellowstudents,other
martial artists, and all other people in society. Respect makes a harmonious relationship possible.
However,themostimportanttypeofrespectisselfrespect.Ifyoucantrespectyourself,howcanyou
respectothersorexpectthemtorespectyou?Respectmustbeearned,youcannotrequestordemand
it.InChina,itissaid:Thosewhorespectthemselvesandotherswillalsoberespected.Forexample,
ifyoudespiseyourselfandbecomeavillaininthissociety,thenyouhavelostyourselfrespect.Since
you have abused your personality and humility as a human, why should other people respect you?
Only when you have demonstrated that you are deserving of respect will respect come to you
automaticallyandnaturally.
Righteousness
Righteousnessisawayoflife.Righteousnessmeansthatifthereissomethingyoushoulddo,youdont
hesitatetotakecareofit,andifthereissomethingthatyoushouldnotdo,youdontgetinvolvedwith
it.Yourwisdommindshouldbetheleader,notyouremotionalmind.Ifyoucandothis,thenyouwill
feelclearspiritually,andavoidbeingplaguedbyfeelingsofguilt.Ifyoucandemonstratethiskindof
personality you will be able to avoid evil influences, and you will earn the trust of others.
Trust includes being trustworthy, and also trusting yourself. You must develop a personality which
other people can trust. For example, you should not make promises lightly, but if you have made a
promise,youshouldfulfillit.Trustisthekeytofriendship,andthebestwayofearningrespect.The
trustofafriendishardtogain,buteasytolose.Selftrustistherootofconfidence.Youmustlearnto
buildupyourconfidenceanddemonstrateitexternally.Onlythencanyouearnthetrustandrespect
ofothers.
Loyalty
Loyaltyistherootoftrust.Youshouldbeloyaltoyourteacherandtoyourfriends,andtheyshould
alsobeloyaltoyou.Loyaltyletsmutualtrustgrow.IntheChinesemartialarts,itisespeciallycrucial
that there be loyalty between you and your master. This loyalty is built upon a foundation of
obediencetoyourmaster.Obedienceistheprerequisiteforlearning.Ifyousincerelydesiretolearn,
youshouldridyourselfoffalsedignity.Youmustbowtoyourteacherbothmentallyandspiritually.
Onlythiswillopenthegatesoftrust.Ateacherwillnotteachsomeonewhoisalwaysconcernedabout
hisowndignity.Remember,infrontofyourteacher,youdonothavedignity.
MORALITYOFMIND
Will
It usually takes a while to demonstrate a strong will. This is because of the struggle between the
emotional mind and the wisdom mind. If your wisdom mind governs your entire being you will be
abletosuppressthedisturbancesthatcomefromtheemotionalmind,andyourwillcanlast.Astrong
willdependsuponthesinceritywithwhichyoucommityourselftoyourgoal.Thishastocomefrom
deep within you, and cant be just a casual, vague desire. Oftentimes, the students who show the
greatesteagernesstolearninthebeginning,quitthesoonest,whilethosewhohidetheireagerness
deepinsidetheirheartsstaythelongest.
Endurance,Perseverance,andPatience
Endurance, perseverance, and patience are the manifestations of a strong will. People who are
successfularenotalwaysthesmartestones,buttheyarealwaystheoneswhoarepatientandwho
persevere.Peoplewhoarereallywisedonotusewisdomonlytoguidetheirthinking,theyalsouseit
togoverntheirpersonalities.Throughcultivatingthesethreeelementsyouwillgraduallybuildupa
profoundmind,whichisthekeytothedeepestessenceoflearning.Ifyouknowhowtouseyourmind
to ponder as you train, it can lead you to a deeper stage of understanding. If you can manifest this
understandinginyouractionsyouwillbeabletosurpassothers.
Courage
Courageisoftenconfusedwithbravery.Courageoriginateswiththeunderstandingthatcomesfrom
thewisdommind.Braveryistheexternalmanifestationofcourage,andcanbeconsideredtobethe
child of the wisdom and the emotional minds. For example, if you have the courage to accept a
challenge,thatmeansyourmindhasunderstoodthesituationandmadeadecision.Next,youmustbe
brave enough to face the challenge. Without courage, the bravery cannot last long. Without the
profoundcomprehensionofcourage,braverycanbeblindandstupid.Daringtofaceachallengethat
youthinkneedstobefacediscourage.Butsuccessfullymanifestingcouragerequiresmorethanjusta
decisionfromyourwisdommind.Youalsoneedacertainamountofpsychologicalpreparationsothat
you can be emotionally balanced; this will give your bravery a firm root so that it can endure.
Frequentlyyoudonothaveenoughtimetothinkandmakeadecision.Awisepersonalwaysprepares,
consideringthepossiblesituationsthatmightarise,sothatwhensomethinghappenshewillbeready
andcandemonstratebravery.
THEFIVEPILLARSOFTAICHICHUAN
ByChengTinHungandDanDocherty
Tai Chi is based on the ancient Chinese philosophy of Yin and Yang, combined with the theories of
Chinese medicine and martial art movements into one. In the past it was more widely used on the
battlefield,butnowadaysitisalmostexclusivelypractisedforkeepingfit,evolvingintodifferentstyles
includingtheonesshowninthisbook.Eventhoughthemanystylesandformsaredifferent,thebasic
philosophy always remains the same. On the path of the peaceful warrior, it is always important to
followtheguidelinesinthisbook,enablingthebodyscirculationsystemtoflourish,andtoavoid,as
well as treat, illness. The study and practice of the philosophy of Tai Chi can improve your mental
health, and keep the mind balanced. As mental health always influences physical health, and vice
versa,TaiChicultivatesbothmentalandphysicalhealth.Youwillfindthatwiththeregularpracticeof
theseexercises,manycomplicatedproblemswillbehealed,longevitywillbeincreasedandsotooyou
moralstandards.
TaiChishistoryasamartialartemphasizestheimportanceofcenteringyourselffirmlyandkeeping
stableatalltimes.Anyreactiondependsonthedirection,angle,andspeedofanattack.Goodbalance
lets you control your own natural movements, giving you the opportunity to stretch, or deflect an
attackandretaliateintoyouropponentsempty,weakpoint.ThisisthecentraltheoryofTaiChiChuan
asamartialart:thebodyshouldneverleanawayfromyourcentre,andalwaysbeabletopushout
withforceinanydirection.AlltheactionsoftheSoloFormsaredesignedasresponsestoanenemys
attackfromthefront,side,orback.Whateverthemovementor newsituation,alwayskeeptheDan
Tienthecentralpivotingpointinthemiddleofyourbodyatthecentreofyourmovements,linking
allotherbodymovementstogetherbygatheringthousandsofwaysintoone.Thisalsoappliestoany
conflict,ordifficultsituationwithaworkcolleague,spouse,orfriend.Itisnotjustamatterofdoinga
TaiChimovetophysicallydefendyourself,butusingTaiChipsychologicallytosteeryourselfthrough
thestormyseasoflife,maintainingbalanceandharmony,wisdomandloveinallthoughts,speechand
actions.ThePeacefulWarriormusthaveaclearunderstandingoftheaimsandtheoryofTaiChi.Only
thenwillyoubeabletoimprovestepbystepuntilyoureachthehigheststate.
METHODOFPRACTICE
In order to derive maximum benefit from the practice of Tai Chi, we must first learn the correct
method of practicing. The execution of each movement requires patient concentration. Before
beginning we must relax and think of nothing else. Our movements should be slow and we should
breathnaturally.Wemustavoidtension.Ifwecandothisoureveryactionwillbecomesmoothand
easy,ourwaistwillturnfreelyandwewillfeelrelaxedandcomfortable.TaiChiisanexercisewhich
aimsatproducingharmonyofbodyandmind.Toachievethisandtoavoidtheapplicationofbrute
force,wemustletourthoughtsguideouractions.Constantpracticecanmakethisahabitwithus.Itis
notenoughtoconcentrateonthecorrectslowexecutionofindividualmovementssuchasraisingor
lowering our hands. Both our concentration and our movements must continue in harmony
throughouttheform.Thiswillmakeourbreathingdeeperandhelpstrengthenourbody.Atfirstitis
difficultforabeginnertojudgewhetherthestylesandindividualmovementsheperformsarecorrect
or not. In some cases beginners will find styles which are particularly tricky for them to master.
However,there are some general principlesto be understood and adopted which will help produce
correctstylesandmovements:
Throughoutthemovementsourheadshouldremaininlinewithourspinalcolumnandnotmoveup
anddown.Ifwecandothisourneckmuscleswillbecomemorerelaxed.
Weshouldnothunchourshouldersorfullystraightenourarmswhenweextendthem.Whenwe
retract our arms, the elbows should be kept close to the body and not be allowed to jut out at all
angles.Wemustkeepourarmsandshouldersrelaxedinordertomovesmoothly.Ifwefailtodoso
ourmovementswillbestiffandawkward.
Wemustrelaxourwholebodyandavoidstiffeningthechest.Ifwecandothisourbreathingwill
becomedeepandnaturalandourmovementsalert.
Ifourwaistisstiffandtensewewillfinditdifficulttomoveinanydirectionandourcoordination
willbeaffectedaswewillbeunabletotransmitpowerfromthewaisttotheactionsofourarmsand
hands. If the waist is stiff, our behind will jut out, making our balance unstable and preventing our
movementsfrombeinggraceful.Relaxationofthewaistisessential.
Withcertainexceptions,mostposturesintheHandFormrequireustorestmostofourweighton
oneleg,makingiteasytomovetheotherlegtochangeposture,andtoshifttheweightfromonelegto
theotheraswepractice.Thephotographsoftheformshouldbestudiedcarefullysothatwegetthis
balancerightandareabletomovefreely.
THEFIVEPILLARSOFTAIJIQUAN
ThepracticalsideoftheartofTaiChiChuanconsistsoffivebasiccomponentswhichareverymuch
interrelated.
1.HandForm
TheHandForm,alsoknownastheSoloForm,isthemostbasic,aswellasthebestknown,ofthefive
component parts of Tai Chi Chuan, but knowledge of this alone is insufficient for selfdefense
purposes. There are two stages in learning the Hand Form. At first we learn the movements in a
simplified,stepbystep,wayknownastheSquareForm.Thiscanbecomparedtoteachingachildto
write, in that he will be taught first to form block letters. Only when we have mastered this simple
methodofdoingtheformcanwemoveontolearnthemoreintricateRoundForm,whichconsistsof
thesametechniquesastheSquareForm,butwhichisperformedinafreeandflowingmanner.The
RoundFormistotheSquareFormascursivescriptistoblockletters.ThemovementsoftheHand
Formcomeinasetsequence,andallhaveaselfdefenseapplication.Slowandgentlepracticeofthe
HandFormbyconcentratingonthemovementswillresultintranquilityofmind,helprelaxthebody
andimproverespiration.
2.InternalStrength
Internal Strength can be described as meditation combined with exercise. Though we are
concentratingonmaintainingatranquilstateofmind,weareatthesametimeholdingsetposturesor
repeating set movements which are designed to increase our health and strength, and to give us a
wellcoordinatedbodythatisfullofenergy.
3.PushingHands
The purpose of Pushing Hands is to train us in methods of applying techniques to disrupt our
opponent's center of gravity. Such training will also increase our sensitivity and improve our
reactions.PushingHandsisthekeytolearningtheSelfDefensetechniques.
4.Selfdefence
OncewehavereachedacertainstandardinthePushingHands,wecanthenmoveontolearntheSelf
Defensetechniques.ThesearemodifiedtechniquestakenfromtheHandForm.Practicewithapartner
isnecessarytodevelopourabilityinusingthesetechniquestodefendourselvesandtocounterattack
ouropponent.Wemustmakethesetechniquessecondnaturetous,sothatinarealsituationwewill
reactinstinctivelyanddecisively.
5.Weapons
WeaponsarealsoaSoloForm.ThethreeweaponsusedinTaiChiChuanarethestraightsword,saber
and spear. Some instructors teach the Fan which is also included under weapons. They are usually
taughtafteracertaindegreeofproficiencyhasbeenachievedintheHandFormandthetechniquesof
Pushing Hands and SelfDefense. The techniques of the Weapon Forms can be adapted for combat
purposesinthesamewayasthetechniquesoftheHandForm.
TRAININGPRINCIPLESOFTAICHI
ByChenZhenglei
In Chens Taichi, the basic training principles are: apply the theory not the strength; focus on
foundationnotthepresentation;trainthebodynotthetechniques.
APPLYTHETHEORYNOTTHESTRENGTH
Theory explains the very basic principles of Taichi. Practicing Taichi is to work on the ultimate
generalDaothatisthebasictheoryofhowyinemergesfromyangandhowyangemergesfromyin
in the process of change. During practice, it requires to have softness imbedded in hardness and
hardness implied in softness with softness and hardness inter dependent and supportive to each
other. When hollowness reduces to its extreme, solidness forms; and when solidness grows to its
extreme, hollowness appears. This is how hollowness and solidness morph from one another. With
highlevelofconcentration,themindguidestheqiandtheqimovethebody.Practicewhilefocusing
ongettingtheqiandmovementstofollowthemind.Wheninmotions,everypartmoves,thewhole
bodyfollowsandtheinternalandexternalcoordinate.Controltheposturesandmoveraccordingto
therequirementsandfollowthenaturalmotionsofthebody.Progresspatiently.Strengthtraining
refers to the training for physical strength. Such training will increase the power in certain specific
bodyparts.However,inmostcases,thistypeoftrainingwillleadtoclumsystrengthandstiffstrength.
Itslackofflexibilityandcontrol.Therefore,itisnotpreferredmyachievedTaichipractitioners.
FOCUSONTHEFOUNDATIONNOTTHEPRESENTATION
Foundationreferstotherootandbase,i.e.thekidneyqiandlowerbodykungfu.Thekidneyshold
thefundamentalyinandyang.Itistheprenatalbaseandthesourceforvitalqi.Whenthekidneyqiis
strong, all organs are well nourished. The heart, liver, spleen, lung and the kidney will function
properly.Asaresult,thepersonisgoodspirits,quickinresponseandcoordinatedinmotion.Internal
qi is one of the important aspects of good foundation. The other aspect of good foundation is the
kungfu of the lower body. Under the condition when whole body is relaxed and, the qi settles in
dantianandchargestoyongquan,thebodycanberootedsolidlyonthefeetsoastoachievethestate
ofliveneduppersection,flexiblemiddlesectionandrootedlowersection.Presentationreferstothe
shown intension, strength and hardness of certain specific parts of the body. Training methods
focusingonlyonthepresentationdonotagreewithTaichiprinciples.Taichiisaninternalsystem.It
trainingboththeinternalqiandexternalskillswiththemainfocusonsolidifytheinternalfoundation.
Hence there are sayings like: Nourish the root and enrich the source, Nourish the roots and the
branchesandleaveswillflourish;enrichthesourceandthestreamwillflowafar.
TRAINTHEBODYNOTTHETECHNIQUES
Trainthebodymeanstotrainthecapabilityofthebodyasawhole.Trainthetechniquesmeansto
work on special defensive and offensive techniques of an application. At the beginning stage, most
people are interested in understanding the applications of each move. However, such training in
focusing on explaining and understanding of the applications of Taichi defensive and offensive
techniques will not lead one to the essence of Taichi. The correct process of learning Taichi must
involve learning the forms and routines, correct postures and moves, reduce stiffness, achieve
softness so as to reach the level when the whole body is coordinated, the internal and external are
coordinatedandtheinternalqiisfullandsolid.Lettheskillbepartofthebody.Taichitrainingisfor
thecompleteabilityofthebody.Accordingtospecificsituationsinapplication,Taichiprincipleisto
losetheselftofollowtheopponentandadaptwhensituationchanges.Itneverresortstothespecific
applicationofspecifictechniques.Whentheinternalqiisfullandsolid,thebodyislikeawellinflated
balloon. It responds to any sensation of external impact. It enables the Taichi practitioner to strike
withthepartwhereverisbeingattacked,suchasdescribedinOnBoxing:Whenachieved,onecan
counterattack according to the attack without thinking. The application will come naturally and
automatically.
YANGSTYLETAIJIQUAN
BASICTRAININGMETHODS
ByYangJun
InordertomakeprogressintheartofTaijiquanandgraspitsdeepermeaning,wealso
needtounderstandsomeofthebasictheories.Taijiquantrainingisnormallybasedonfivedifferent
points or methods. These points are: the footwork, the body shape, the hand techniques, methods,
andthespirit.ThesepointsareveryhelpfulinlearningTaijiquan,aswellascorrectingthemovements
over time. In order to make progress in the art of Taijiquan and grasp its deeper meaning, we also
need to understand some of the basic theories. The two pillars that form the foundation of Yang
FamilyTaijiquanare:YinYangtheoryandYangChengfusTenEssentials.
YINANDYANG
The first basic theory is the theory of yin and yang. Everything that we do in Taijiquan can be
connectedtoyinandyang.Theideaofyinandyangcanseemabstract,butinTaijiquan,theconceptis
usedinaverypracticalway.Itmeansthatwearecomparingoppositethings.Aclassicexampleyin
andyangistoimaginethesunshiningonthesideofahill.Onesideofthehillwillbeintheshadow
andtheothersideofthehillwillbeinthelight.Inyin/yangtheory,theshadowsideisyinandthe
brightsideisyang.Taijiquanpracticeisfullofoppositesthatcanbeseenthroughthelensofyinand
yang.Forinstance:postureshavemovementsthatgouporgodown.Theycanalsotakeusforwardor
backwardandrightandleft.Manytaijiposturesalsohavemovementsthatopenandclose.Up/down,
forward/backward,right/left,andopening/closingcanallbeseenasdifferentexpressionsofyinand
yang. The idea of yin and yang can also be applied to different kinds of taiji practice. For instance,
sometimeswetraininayinway,whenwepracticestandingstill(zhanzhuang).Practicethatismore
still,orquiet(Jng)canbeconsideredmoreyin.Movingpracticeismoreyang.Quietpracticeisalso
translatedintoEnglishasquiescentpractice.InYangFamilyTaijiquan,quiescentpracticecantake
threeforms:sitting,standing,andlyingdownpractice.
Generally,weconsideryinmovementstobesoft,neutralizing,andempty;whileyangmovementsare
hard,energydelivering,andfull.Foreachtechniquethereisayinphase,whichisfocusedonstoring
energy,andthenayangphase,whichisfocusedondeliveringthestoredenergytoanopponent.In
movement,theideaofyinandyangcanalsobeappliedtoweight,whichissometimesreferredtoas
emptyandfull.Stepbystep,wefirstlearntorecognizetheyin/yangrelationshipwithinourselves
throughout the forms, postures, and sequences. In the next stage of training, pushhands, we use
similarideasandmethods,butexpandtheconceptofyinandyangtoincludeanotherperson.Insolo
formstraining,thecenteroffocusisinourownself.Inpushhands,thefocusshouldbeaboutbeingin
balancewiththeotherperson.InTaijiquan,therearethreemainwaystounderstandtheconceptof
yinandyang:Thefirstisunity/interdependence.Thismeansthatyincannotexistwithoutyang,and
vice versa. An example of this is that without energy storage, energy cannot be sent out to the
opponent.Intheforms,itcanbegenerallyseenthatyinenergystoringmotionsprecedeyangenergy
deliveringstrikes.Thisistheinterdependentandunifiednatureofyinandyang.Thesecondwayto
understandtheyin/yangconcept,isthedynamicofconflictandopposition.Inthiscase,yinandyang
can be seen as arguing. When yin and yang clash, this causes tension. Because yang changes to yin,
tension changes to relaxation. This can occur in pushhands. Conflict becomes balance. This is an
example of yin and yang as balance and conflict. The third aspect of the yin/yang relationship in
Taijiquanistheprocessoftransmutation.Whensomethingbecomesextremelyyang,itwillthenturn
toyin.Forinstance,ifyoushifttheweightallthewayback,youmustthenmoveforward.Whenyou
goallthewaytotheleft,youmustgoright,andwhenyougocompletelytotheright,youmustthengo
left.Whensomethingisextremelyyin,itwillsoonturntoyang.Yinandyangareinseparable.Theyare
mutuallybeneficial.
When yin and yang clash, this causes tension. Because yang changes to yin, tension changes to
relaxation.Thiscanoccurinpushhands.Conflictbecomesbalance.
THETENESSENTIALSOFYANGCHENGFU
Inourfamily,theTenEssentialPrinciplesareveryimportantforlearningTaijiquan.Theseprinciples
havebeentaughtfromtheverybeginningofTaijiquan.TheywereorganizedandpublishedbyYang
Chengfu. They are a constant guide for the Taijiquan practitioner. Whether we are just learning the
forms, or working on progressing deeper into the art many years later, the Ten Essentials are an
indispensableresourceforourpractice.TherearethreewaystointerpreteachoftheTenEssentials.
These are: body shape, methods, and mind/spirit. For example, take the third principle: Relax the
waist.Whenseenfromthecategoryofbodyshape,itmeansthatweneedtoavoidstickingoutthe
lowerbackinordertohavethecorrectposturetorelaxwhilepracticing.Thisprinciplecanalsobe
seen from the methods point of view. Without a relaxed waist, it will be difficult to deal with an
opponentsenergyandremainrooted.Fromthemind/spiritperspective,relaxingthewaistallows
onetosinktheqi,whichhelpstocalmandclearthemindduringpractice.
WAISTMETHODS
ThewaistmethodsareanimportantpartofTaijiquanpractice.Ingeneral,thewaistshouldbeflexible
sothatitcancoordinatetheenergybetweenthelegsandtheupperbody.Therearethreebasicwaist
circlingmethods:horizontal,vertical,andfigureeightcircling.Horizontalcirclingmovesrightand
left. Vertical waistcircling moves up and down, and figure eight circling combines vertical and
horizontaltogether.Theenergycomesfromtheroot,developsinthelegs,andisthentransferredby
thewaisttotheupperbody.Thewaistcanbeusedtoleadthearmsandthelegs.Inordertousethe
waist,thethreepartsofthebodyneedtobecoordinated.Thelowerpart(thelegs)shouldbeheavy,
themiddlepart(thewaist)shouldbeflexible,andtheupperpartofthebodyshouldberelaxedand
extended.Thewaistcoordinatesandcontrolsthemovementsofthebodysothattheyareunifiedand
precise while delivering energy. This means that the waist moves the arms, and also controls their
positionsandrotation.
UPPERBODYMETHODS
Theupperbodymovesinfourways.
1.Circling:thehorizontalwaistmovementleadsthearms.
2.Swinging:thehorizontalwaistmovementmakesthearmsswingforwardandbackwardlikeawhip.
3.Rotating:thearmsrotatewiththeturningofthewaist.Thiscanbecomparedtointerlockinggears.
4.Rotatingandcirclingarecombined.
Thereareseveralmethodstoexercisethewaistarmconnection.
1.Swingingthearms.Therearetwodifferentmethodsforswinging.
a.Synchronizedswinging:Turnthewaistandswingthearmstogethersothatthewaistandthearms
starttogetherandendtogetheratthesametime.
b. Nonsynchronized swinging: The waist slightly leads the arms when starting, and also when
stopping.Afterthewaiststops,thearmscontinueonalittlebitmorebeforestopping.
2. Turning the waist and wrists together. The waist and wrists turn together in a synchronized
movement.
3.Rotatethewaistandwristswhileswingingthearms.Thewaistcontrolsthedeliveryofenergy.This
canbesynchronizedornot.Intheseexercises,themovementsarephysicallycontrolledbythewaist,
butledbythemind.Thewaistleadsthearmintothecorrectpositionandalsodeliverstheenergy.
FOOTWORKTECHNIQUES
InYangFamilyTaijiquan,ourfootworkgenerallyfollowsthepatternofonefootfacingstraightand
theothertothecorner.ThisistraditionallycalledDngBBoraneightandanailstepbecausea
nail is straight and the character for eight in Chinese faces diagonally. The weight should be on the
bubblingwellpoint,whichisclosetothemiddleoftheballofthefoot.Theinnerthighsshouldfeel
slightlyroundedoutward,andthekneesshouldalignwiththedirectionsofthetoes.Weusetwobasic
steps:thebowstanceandtheemptystance.Therearealsoafewothertypesofstepsthatareused
lessfrequently,suchasthelowstanceinPressDown,thecrablikesidewaysstepinCloudHands,
andthesinglelegstepinGoldenRooster.
TherearethreebasicpointsforsteppinginYangFamilyTaijiquan:
1.Thefirstpointisthatyoushouldsteplikeacat.Acatstepsquietlyandcarefullyinacoordinated
manner.Tosteplikeacatinabowstance,touchtheheelfirst,thentouchthebubblingwellpoint,and
finallythetoestouchtheground.Afterthetoestouchtheground,starttobendthekneeevenly.
2.Thesecondpointisthatyoushouldstepasifyouarewalkingonice.Stepcarefullysothatyouwill
notbreaktheice.Donotputyourfeetdowninanabruptmanner.
3.Thethirdpointissimilar.Walkasifyouweresteppingin mud.Stepcarefullysothatyoudonot
splashthemudupwards.Eachstepislow,evenandsmooth.
STAYINGROOTED
How can we keep a rooted feeling in Taijiquan? Sink your qi down. Also, there is a method to
coordinatebothlegssothattheenergycanberooted.ThisiscalledDng/Chng.Dng/Chngmeans
topushandsupport.Inabowstance,therearlegpushesandthefrontlegsupports.Bothlegsshould
feelrootedwiththeweightonthebubblingwellpoints.
BODYSHAPE
Although Yang FamilyTaijiquan has many different movements,they all sharea similar method for
thecorrectbodyshape.Forexample,ineachmovement,weneedtohavethesamefeelingintheback:
thatitisopeninfourdirections.Thismeansthatthebackshouldfeelslightlyextendedupanddown,
whichcomesfromliftingthetopoftheheadandsinkingthewaist.Thebackshouldalsofeelextended
totherightandleft,whichistheresultofextendingthearmsandslightlypullingtheshoulders.
Themainprinciplesforbodyshapeare:
1.Relaxthewaist.
2.Bringtheshouldersandelbowsdown.
3.Openthebackinfourdirections.
Itisnecessarytounderstandthemethodsandalsotocheckthefeeling.Thishelpstoknowwhether
youareinthecorrectposition.Thebodyposition,likeeverythingthatwedo,followsyinandyang.If
youhavesomethinggoingup,youneedsomethinggoingdowntohavebalance.Ifsomethingisgoing
left,thereshouldbesomethinggoingrightalso.Thetailbone(coccyx)mustbebalancedinthecenter.
Thecenterisnotthesameasthemiddle.Thecenteristhebalancepoint:Zhng.
FOOTWORK
Therearefivetypesofsteps,orfootworkinYangFamilyTaijiquan.
1.StepforwardJnb
2.StepbackwardTub
3.Lookleft.Zug:Payattention/activateperipheralawareness.
4.GazerightYupn:Beaware/activateperipheralattention.
5.CenteredandbalancedZhngdng:Stable.
HANDTECHNIQUES
ThethreemainhandtechniquesinYangFamilyTaijiquanare:
1.Palm:Thepalmfingersshouldbeslightlyextended,withalittlespacebetweenthem.Thefingers
areslightlycurved.
2.Punch:Thefistshouldbesquareandfull.Thethumbisfoldedovertheindexandmiddlefinger.The
faceofthefistislevelandfacingforward.Thepalmofthefistfacestothesidesothatthefiststands.
Thefistcanalsobeusedforthebackfistpunch,andtheknucklecanalsobeused,asinTwinFists
StriketheEars.
3.HookHand:Thefingertipsalltouchtogether.Thehookcurvesin.Thehookcanbeusedtostrike,to
deflect,andalsocontrol.AdifferentstyleofhookhandisusedintherighthandinNeedleattheSea
Bottom.
ENERGYANDTECHNIQUE
Fromthemartialartsperspective,therearetwomainpoints:energyandtechnique.Theenergythat
weuseinTaijiquanisbasedonyinandyang.Thiscanalsobecalledhardandsoft.Taijiquanenergy
must contain yin and yang together to be complete. In Taijiquan, strong energy comes through
unifyingthewholebody.Inordertounifythewholebody,weneedtobeSng.Weneedtoberelaxed
andextended.Tohavehardenergy,wefirstneedtohavesoftenergy.Tobesoft,wemustrelax.How
canyourelaxcorrectly?Relaxationcanbedifficulttodefine,butwecanmoreeasilypointoutwhat
not to do: dont be stiff, and also dont be limp. Taijiquan has specific methods to achieve Sng. We
really dont want to make our muscles stiff, but we also dont want to have an empty, limp posture
either.Thewaytoproperlyrelaxistoslightlyextendthetendonssothatthebodyfeelslikeaflexible
spring.
Whatisthecorrectamountofextension?Itdependsonhowfastyouaremoving.Inthehandform,the
motionsareslow,solessextensioninthetendonswillbenecessary.Infastertrainingmethods,the
amount of extension needs to be increased to keep the body unified. In pushhands, the extension
processalsodependsonwhattheopponentgivestoyou.Onehelpfulexercisetodeterminetheright
amountofextensioninvolvesapartner.StandintheZhnZhungposturewiththelegsinahorse
stance,thearmsrounded,andthepalmsfacingin.Haveyourpartnerpushonyourwrist.Yourarms
mustbeflexible.Eachtimeyoufeelthepush,letyourarmsmovelikeaspringwithoutresistingthe
push.Asthepushgoesback,yourarmsshouldreturntowheretheywere.Yourpartnercanvarythe
speed and frequency of the push to test your relaxation and extension. Let your arms move lightly
withoutresistingthemovement,butalwaysreturntotheoriginalextendedposition.Yourpartnercan
alsopushdownonthewristandupontheelbow.Thismethodcanhelptotrainthecorrectmethodof
Sng(combiningextensionandrelaxation)inTaijiquan.
GOALSDURINGPRACTICE
WhenpracticingTaijiquan,therearetwomaingoalstokeepinmind.Thefirstisthatweneedtobe
rooted,balanced,andstable,bothinmindandbody.Thesecondisthatweneedunified,wholebody
energy. How can we be stable, and also have a unified body energy? By following the method of
sinkingthebodycenter.Relaxtheupperbodyandsinktheqitothedantian.Theupperbodybecomes
light,thewaistbecomesflexible,andthelowerpartofthebodybecomesheavyandstable.Weneedto
be soft and relaxed. Do not resist an opponent. Resistance causes loss of balance. Neutralize the
opponent and stay rooted. Sink the qi to the dantian and keep the breathing deep and relaxed. The
kindofrelaxationthatisusedinTaijiquaniscalledSng.Thismeansthatweloosenandextendthe
joints in order to connect the body together. Dynamic relaxation is the most important point in
Taijiquan,soitshouldbeconsideredcarefully.EverythinginTaijiquangoesbackto
thismethod.
TENESSENTIALPOINTSOFYANGCHENGFU
ByYangChengfu
1.EMPTY,LIVELY,PUSHINGUPANDENERGETIC
Pushing up and energetic means the posture of the head is upright and straight and the spirit is
infused into its apex. You may not use strength. To use strength makes the back of the neck stiff,
whereupon the chi and blood cannot circulate freely. You must have an intention, which is empty,
lively (or free) and natural. Without intention, that is empty, lively, pushing up and energetic, you
wontbeabletoraiseyourspirit.Note:Thisfourcharacterphraseisprobablythemostdifficultone
in all of Tai Chi literature to translate. I have chosen to regard each of the four words as filling the
functionofapredicateorverbphrase.Anotherfairlyobviousapproachwouldbetotakethefirsttwo
as adverbial and the last two as subject predicate: Empty and lively, the apex is energetic. Many
otherinterpretationsarepossible.
2.HOLDINTHECHESTANDSLIGHTLYROUNDTHEBACK
Thephraseholdinthechestmeansthechestisslightlyreservedinward,whichcausesthechitosink
to the dantien. The chest must not be puffed out; if you do so then the chi is blocked in the chest
region.Theupperbodybecomesheavyandthelowerbodylight,anditwillbecomeeasyfortheheels
tofloatupward.Slightlyroundthebackmakesthechisticktotheback.Ifyouareabletoholdinthe
chestthenyouwillnaturallybeabletoslightlyroundtheback.Ifyoucanslightlyroundtheback,then
youwillbeabletoemitstrengthfromthespine,whichotherscannotoppose.
3.RELAXTHEWAIST
Thewaististhecommanderofthewholebody.Onlyafteryouareabletorelaxthewaistwillthetwo
legshavestrengthandthelowerbodyisstable.Thealternationofemptyandfullallderivefromthe
turningofthewaist.Hencethesaying:
Thewellspringofdestinyliesinthetinyintersticeofthewaist.InChinesethought,thewaisttendsto
beregardedasthelowerbackratherthanacirclegirdlingthemiddleofthebody.Wheneverthereisa
lackofstrengthinyourform,youmustlookforitinthewaistandlegs.
4.SEPARATEEMPTYANDFULL
IntheartofTaiChiChuan,separatingfullandemptyisthenumberonerule.Ifthewholebodysitson
therightleg,thentherightlegisdeemedfullandtheleftlegempty.Ifthewholebodysitsontheleft
leg,thentheleftlegisdeemedfullandtherightlegempty.Onlyafteryouareabletodistinguishfull
andemptywillturningmovementsbelight,nimbleandalmostwithouteffort;ifyoucantdistinguish
them,thenyourstepswillbeheavyandsluggish.Youwontbeabletostandstably,anditwillbeeasy
foranopponenttocontrolyou.
5.SINKTHESHOULDERSANDDROPTHEELBOWS
Sinkingtheshouldersmeanstheshouldersrelax,open,andhangdownward.Ifyoucantrelaxthem
downward,theshoulderspopupandthenthechifollowsandgoesupward,causingthewholebodyto
lack strength. Dropping the elbows means the elbows are relaxed downward. If the elbows are
elevatedthentheshouldersareunabletosink.Whenyouusethistopushsomeonetheywontgofar.
Its like the cut of energy of external martial arts. External martial arts are thought to use energy
frompartsorsectionsofthebody,asopposedtothewholebodyenergyofTaiChi.
6.USEINTENTRATHERTHANFORCE
The Tai Chi Classics say, this is completely a matter of using intent rather than force. When you
practiceTaiChiChuan,lettheentirebodyrelaxandextend.Dontemployeventhetiniestamountof
coarsestrength,whichwouldcausemusculoskeletalorcirculatoryblockagewiththeresultthatyou
restrain or inhibit yourself. Only then will you be able to lightly and nimbly change and transform,
circlingnaturally.Somewonder:ifIdontuseforce,howcanIgenerateforce?Thenetofacupuncture
meridians and channels throughout the body are like the waterways on top of the earth. If the
waterwaysarenotblocked,thewatercirculates;ifthemeridiansarenotimpededthechicirculates.
If you move the body about with stiff force, you swamp the meridians. Chi and blood are impeded,
movements are not nimble; all someone has to do is begin to guide you and your whole body is
moved. If you use intent rather than force, wherever the intent goes, so goes the chi. In this way,
becausethechiandbloodareflowingandcirculatingeverydaythroughouttheentirebodyandnever
stagnating,youwillgettrueinternalstrengthafteralotofpractice.ThatswhattheTaiChiClassics
meanbyOnlybybeingextremelysoftareyouabletoachieveextremehardness.Somebodywhois
really adept at Tai Chi has arms, which seem like silk wrapped around iron, immensely heavy.
Someonewhopracticesexternalmartialarts,whenheisusinghisforce,seemsverystrong.Butwhen
notusingforce,heisverylightandfloating.Bythiswecanseethathisforceisactuallyexternal,or
superficial strength. The force used by external martial artists is especially easy to lead or defect;
henceitisnotofmuchvalue.
7.SYNCHRONIZEUPPERANDLOWERBODY
IntheTaiChiClassicssynchronizeupperandlowerbodyisexpressedas:Withitsrootinthefoot,
emittingfromtheleg,governedbythewaist,manifestinginthehandsandfingersfromfeettolegs
towaistcompleteeverythinginoneimpulse.Literallyonechi.Thiscouldalsoberenderedasone
breath.Whenhandsmove,thewaistmovesandlegsmove,andthegazemovesalongwiththem.Only
thencanwesaytheupperandthelowerbodyaresynchronized.Ifonepartdoesntmovethenitisnot
coordinatedwiththerest.
8.MATCHUPINNERANDOUTER
WhatwearepracticinginTaiChidependsonthespirit,hencethesaying:Thespiritisthegeneral,
thebodyhistroops.Ifyoucanraiseyourspirit,yourmovementswillnaturallybelightandnimble,
theformnothingmorethanemptyandfull,openandclosed.Whenwesayopen,wedontjustmean
open the arms or legs; the mental intent must open along with the limbs. When we say close, we
dontjustmeanclosethearmsorlegs;thementalintentmustclosealongwiththelimbs.Ifyoucan
combineinnerandouterintoasingleimpulse,thentheybecomeaseamlesswhole.
9.PRACTICECONTINUOUSLYANDWITHOUTINTERRUPTION
Strengthinexternalmartialartsisakindofacquired,bruteforce,soithasabeginningandanend,
timeswhenitcontinuesandtimeswhenitiscutof,suchthatwhentheoldforceisusedupandnew
forcehasntyetarisen.Thereisamomentwhenitisextremelyeasyforthepersontobeconstrained
byanopponent.InTaiChi,weuseintentratherthanforce,andfrombeginningtoend,smoothlyand
ceaselessly,completeacycleandreturntothebeginning,circulatingendlessly.ThatiswhattheTai
Chi Classics mean by Like the Yangtze or Yellow River, endlessly flowing. And again: Moving
strengthislikeunreelingsilkthreads.Thesebothrefertounifyingintoasingleimpulse.
10.SEEKQUIESCENCEWITHINMOVEMENT
Externalmartialartistsprizeleapingandstomping,andtheydothisuntilbreath(chi)andstrength
areexhausted,sothatafterpracticingtheyarealloutofbreath.InTaiChiChuanweusequiescenceto
overcomemovement,andeveninmovement,stillhavequiescence.Sowhenyoupracticetheform,the
slower the better! When you do it slowly your breath becomes deep and long, the chi sinks to the
dantien, and naturally there is no harmful constriction or enlargement of the blood vessels. If the
studenttriescarefullytheymaybeabletocomprehendthemeaningbehindthesewords.
TENESSENTIALPOINTSEXPLAINED
ByDaveBarrett
ProfessorChengManChing,discipleofYangChengfu,statesthatYangChengfuconstantlyemphasized
theTenEssentialPrinciples.EachtimeYangChengfuspokeofthem,heexhortedussaying,IfIdonot
mention this, then even if you study for three lifetimes it will be difficult for you to learn.
YangChengfusson,YangZhenduosaid:InChinawehaveaproverb,Ifyoudontgoaccordingtothe
rules,youwillnotfndthesquarenessandroundnessoftheform.
Followtheserulesifyouwanttopracticetheentireformwell,youmuststartfromtheroot,startfrom
thebasics.Youmustdothisifyouaretoreceivethebenefitsofthegoodfundamentalsandreceivethe
benefitsofpractice.Alsoitiseasiertoraisetheleveloftechnicalproficiency.Inthisprocess,youfocus
and ask yourself: Have I done all the fundamentals in each movement? Have I done the basic
refinements?Onlyyouknowinyourheart.
The Ten Essential Principles provide a framework for a lifetime of comprehensive study. In many
waystheyarelikeaformulaorrecipeforcorrectpractice.Ratherthanaseriesofabstractconcepts,
the Ten Essential Principles are the summation of generations of inquiry into the nature of mind,
body,andmotion.Eachprincipleisdynamicallylinkedtoapracticalresult,andwhenallthepoints
are accurately represented, the outcome is the marvelous expression of grace, power and balance
presentinTraditionalYangFamilyTaiChiChuan.
ThisarticlewillfocusonprovidingaframeworkfortheTaiChistudenttoorganizeandworkonthe
TenEssentialPrinciples.Eachprincipleresultsinapracticalrefinementthatgivesaspecialqualityto
the performance. Rather than explaining the meaning of each point, these refinements in posture,
motionandmentalactivitywillbeexamined.Whatisofimportanceisthattheprinciplesenterones
practiceandaffecttheperformanceoftheforms.
Themainpointforpractitionersistofollowthebasicprinciplesinawaythattheyaredynamically
expressed in the whole body. They cannot remain disembodied ideas. Without these principles you
willnotsucceed.Especiallyforthebeginningstudent,thiscanseemadauntingtask.Turningtheories
intopracticalexperiencescantakeyearsofpractice.Patience,perseverance,andanorganizedstudy
plancanhelpwiththecomplexityofTaiChismanytheoreticalrequirements.
YangChengfusimportantpointscanbegroupedintothreemaintopics:
ARRANGINGTHEBODYFRAME
COORDINATINGTHEMOTIONS
HARMONIZINGTHEMIND
All students can use this framework to evaluate their progress and improve their skill level.
In the beginning, normally, the student just imitates and moves from frame to frame. In the second
stage,afterhavinglearnedtheprinciples,thestudenttriestomakethemovementsandtheprinciples
becomeone.Inthefirststage,youjustputthehandsoutbutinthesecondstageyoushouldknowhow
andwhythehandsareputout.
Onceyouunderstandthisittakesalongtimetogothroughit.Inthethirdstage,theprinciplesand
applicationsarecombinedintooneandthatbecomestheessence.Itmeansthatthemovementshave
intentandarenolongerempty.
ARRANGINGTHEBODYFRAME
1.Empty,lively,pushingupandenergetic.
2.Relaxthewaist.
3.Holdinthechestandslightlyroundtheback.
4.Sinktheshouldersanddroptheelbows.
Thesefourrequirementsestablishimportantguidelinesforthetorso,armsandhands.Aswithallthe
principles,theyworktogethertopromotetheoptimalpatternsforenergytoflowfreelythroughthe
body. Balance pushing up the top of the head with relaxing the waist, the spine is elongated and a
strongfeelingofcentralequilibriumisestablished.Theupwardsenergyandsinkingcenterofgravity
willaligntheback,whichformsacenterpointforrotatingtheentirebodyframe.
Bykeepingthewaistrelaxedtheframerotatesflexiblyandfreelywithaminimumofappliedenergy.
Holdinginthechest,slightlyroundingtheback,sinkingtheshoulders,anddroppingtheelbowscreate
asenseofrelaxedextensionthroughtheupperbackallthewaytothefingertips.Allowtheligaments
and tendons to extend and the big muscles of the chest and shoulders to loosen. This is done by
sinkingthesternumslightlyinwardsandcausingthebacktobecomegentlyrounded.
This rounding of the back is carried through to the fingertips by dropping the elbows, sinking the
shoulders, seating the wrists and extending the fingertips. In this way the large, open postures are
anchored in the spine and the intrinsic energy issues freely from the back to the extremities. The
practical result is a frame that is open and relaxed, yet connected and rooted to the motion of the
lowerbackandwaist.
Assoonasyouhavetheelbowpulltheshoulder,yourchestwillnaturallysink.Assoonastheelbow
pulls the shoulder, your chest becomes concave. As soon as your chest is sunk, your back becomes
naturallyroundedandarched.Andassoonasyourbackisroundedandarched,yourwaistandhips
becomerelaxedandthisisallinterrelatedfromonepointtotheother.
Ifyoudonothavethesinkingelbow,andwristandfingersextended,youdonotgivetheopportunity
for the sunken chest, rounded and arched back, and relaxed waist. Although your waist can control
yourwholebody,ifyourarmsdonotgiveittheopportunitybyfollowingthebasicrequirements,then
thewaistwillnothavethepowerandtheabilitytocontrolthebody.Therewillbenowayyoucan
bringtheenergyout.Thereforewesayonlywhenyoufollowtheprincipleswillyourwaistthenbe
usedcorrectly.WerequireeveryonewhopracticesTaiChiChuantoemphasizethesepointsoverand
overagain.
COORDINATINGTHEMOTIONS
5.Separateemptyandfull.
6.Synchronizeupperandlowerbody.
7.Practicecontinuouslyandwithoutinterruption.
Thesepointspresentaformulaforthewaist,legsandfootwork.Theabilitytodistinguishtheamount
anddirectionofbodyweightsupportedthroughthelegsisafundamentalskillinTaiChi.
Cleanlyseparatingemptyandfullinshiftingthebodyweightpromotesagilesteppingandincreased
balancecontrol.Blendingemptyandfullbybalancingthepushingandreceivingenergiesinthestance
workstabilizestheframeandrootstheentirebodystructure.
In the Ten Essential Principles it says you have to coordinate the upper and lower body. In reality
manypeoplearenotdoingthatbecausetheybendthekneesofastthattheydonthaveachanceto
puttheenergyintotheknee,andthustheupperbodyhasnoforce.Ifyoubendyourkneetooquickly,
thewholebodyisnotusedandthewaistmovementisempty.Thereisnotaunifiedforce.
Therefinementofsynchronizingtheupperandlowerpartsofthebodymeansthatthewaistactsas
thepivotandthefollowingcoordinationensue:thehipsmovewiththeshoulders,theelbowsmove
with the knees, and the energy arrives at the palms and feet simultaneously. The body has an
expansivefeelingthatmanifestsinanendpositionthatisfullyrealizedfromthefeet,throughthelegs,
controlledbythelowerbackandexpressedthroughthelimbsandthefingertips.Atotalbodymotion.
As long as your movement starts with the waist and all the other conditions correctly create the
conditionforthewaisttomoveinthisway,thenthewaisthastheabilityofbeingthebodyscentral
pivotalforce.Ifyoudontcoordinatetheupperandlowerlimbsthroughthewaist,andthelowerlegs
are empty, then the waist is not moving. If the structure is lifeless, then the waist doesnt have
anythingtodo.Ifhowever,youpracticewiththehandinapositionwhereithasintrinsicforceandthe
legs have strength and the waist is used correctly, then they can be coordinated. Then these
movementsareallpartofthewaistmovement.Normally,peoplejustlocallymovetheirarms.They
arenotusingthewaisttomovetheirarms.
Continuitywithoutinterruptionprovidesacrucialelementinblendingstillnesswithactivity:linking
the forms together, yet clearly distinguishing between end positions and transitional motions. Yang
Zhenduo has said that the most important phase in continuing the form occurs when the motion
changesdirectionfromforwardtobackorfromuptodown:tobespecific,atthepreciseinstantwhen
thekineticpotentialsreverse.
Considerthemotionofachildsswingontheplayground:astheswingreachesitshighestpointbefore
itplummetsbackwardsthereisaslightpause,abriefinstant whentheweightandforwardmotion
suspend. Yang Zhenduo points to this instant as the most crucial time to pay close attention to the
motionchanging.Linkthelargecirclestogetherbycreatingthissenseofpausedsuspension,whena
veryslightmotionofthelowerbackleadstoanellipticaltransitionexpressedarcwisethroughthe
body. If the truth were told, the shape of these slight elliptical links is the familiar fish shape that
occupieshalfoftheyinyangsymbol.Theseslighttransitionalmovesleadintothenextlargermotion
withoutbreakingthethreadoftheperformance.
HARMONIZINGTHEMIND
8.Useintentratherthanforce.
9.Matchupinnerandouter.
10.Seekquiescencewithinmovement.
This category illuminates the inner life of the Tai Chi Chuan system. The points offer a key to the
transcendent nature of the exercise, leading the student beyond the boundaries of mechanical
imitation of motions into a realm of freely expressed energy and spirit. The primary refinement in
harmonizing the mind is to focus on matching the specific technique with the actual application of
force. This creates an inner sense of engagement and participation in the offensive and defensive
character of the motions. Linking the slow motions to the actual applications of technique is a very
delicateprocess.
Great care should be exercised not to get carried away by the pursuit of strength and power.
Everymotionhasitspurposeandthepurposeshouldbecoordinatedwithyourthoughts,yourmind,
andfinally,yourspirit.Whatyouthinkinyourmindandwhatyoudowiththebodyshouldbevery
naturally coordinated If you practice and follow the principles and dont consciously think about
power,thenyouwillhavetheenergyandthepower.Butifyouconcentrateonlyontheenergyandthe
powerthenyourmindwillbelimited.
The last of Yang Chengfus Ten Essential Principles is the natural result of the combined points.
Quiescence or tranquility is the key quality that distinguishes this art form from mere martial
exercise.InfollowingtheTaiChiChuanparadigmthereneedstobeabalancebetweentranquilityand
activity. There are many ways to calm the mind. In the Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan system the Ten
EssentialPrinciplesprovidethemethod:Ifyouconcentrateonthemainprinciples,thenyouarenot
thinkingaboutanythingelse.Thereisnoroomtothinkofanythingelse.Butifyoudontunderstand
the concept of where you move and how you should concentrate, and what the principles are, then
you cannot control and focus your mind. You must remember, Ten Essential Principles and apply
theseimportantprinciples.Youwanttoharmonizethemwiththespecifictechnique.Whenyouhave
somethingelseonyourmind,youcancontrolyourmindbydirectingittoimplementtheimportant
principlesineachmovement.Thisisoneofthemethodstoregulateyourmind.Thisisaverydifferent
approach to regulating the mind than meditation or qigong. In some qigong methods they have
meditationmethodstogetintoaveryquiescentstate.Thisisnotquitethesameasthequietnessin
TaiChiChuan.InTaiChiChuanyouwanttobecalmandcollected,soyouhavefocusedattentionon
whattheopponentisgoingtodotoyou.Withinthatquietnessyouarereadytospring.Youareready
tomove.Sothequiescenceandmovementgohandinhand,workingtogether.
Theparadoxofeffortlessactionshouldfascinateandmystifythestudent.Thisinturnmayleadoneto
wonderwhyYangZhengduomotionspossessanindefinablequalityofexcellence,anelusivebrilliance
thatiseasytoseeyetseeminglyimpossibletoachieve.Fortunatelyforus,theYangfamilyhasshared
theirresearchinthehopesthateveryonemaybenefitfromthiswonderfulpractice.Takeyourtime,
workprinciplebyprinciple.Dontjustpractice.Daybyday,workoncertainpoints.Forexample:one
dayfocusonliftingthetopofthehead.Thenextdayconcentrateontheshoulder,elbow,wristand
palm requirements. Gradually the points will add up and your skill level will increase. The basic
requirements and principles we have talked about are very important points. But it is like many
things.Youcanknowitbutsometimesyoucannotcarryitout.Youmaynotbeabletodoit.Youmay
needalongtimetotrainyourself,slowly,slowlyaccumulatingexperience.
STEPSINLEARNINGTAIJIQUAN
ByDr.Yang,JwingMing
Everytaijiquanmasterhashisownsequenceoftraining,emphasizinghismethodsandcontent.
The following lists general training procedures according to my learning experience with three
taijiquan masters and my teaching experience of more than forty years. This is a guide only to the
barehandtrainingproceduresoftaijiquan.
TRAININGSEQUENCE
Thegeneralsequenceoftaijiquantrainingisasfollows:
1.Understandingthefundamentaltheoryoftaijiquan
2.Relaxation,calmness,andconcentrationpractice
3.Breathtraining
4.Experiencingandgeneratingqi
5.Qicirculationandbreathing
6.Stillmeditation
7.Fundamentalstances
8.Breathcoordinationdrills
9.Fundamentalmovingdrills
10.Solotaijiquan
11.Analysisofthemartialapplicationsofthesequence
12.Beginningstationarytaijipushinghands
13.Fundamentalformsoftaijijintraining
14.Henandhasoundtraining
15.Fasttaijiquan
16.Advancedtaijipushinghands(bothstationaryandmoving)
17.Advancedtaijijintraining
18.Qiexpansionandtransportationtraining
19.Martialapplicationsoftaijipushinghands
20.Freepushinghands(bothstationaryandmoving)
21.Taijifightingset
22.Taijifreefighting
QUESTIONSTOASKYOURSELF
Beforethetaijiquanbeginnerstartstraining,heshouldaskhimselfseveralquestions:WhydoIwant
tolearntaijiquan?WhatbenefitsdoIhopetogain?AmIlikelytocontinuetrainingforalongtime?
Afteryouhaveansweredthesequestionsyoushouldthenask:DoesthistaijiquanstyleofferwhatI
want?Isthismasterqualified?Doesthismasterhaveatrainingschedule?Howlongandhowdeepcan
thismasterteachme?WillthismasterteachmeeverythingheknowsorwillhekeepsecretswhenI
approachacertainlevel?AfterIhavestudiedformanyyears,willIbeabletofindanadvancedmaster
to continue my study? In order to answer these questions, you have to survey and investigate. You
have to know the historical background of the style and the master's experience. Once you have
answered the above questions, then you can begin your taijiquan study without any doubt or
confusion.
FUNDAMENTALTHEORYOFTAIJIQUAN
The first step in learning taijiquan is to understand the fundamental theory and principles through
discussion with your master, reading the available books, studying with classmates, and then
ponderingonyourown.Youshouldaskyourself:Howdoestaijiquanbenefitthebodyandimprove
health?Howcantaijiquanbeusedformartialpurposes?Whatarethedifferencesbetweentaijiquan
andothermartialstyles?Onceyouhaveanswerstothesequestions,youshouldhaveapictureofthe
art and an idea of where you are going. The next question to arise should be: How do I train the
relaxation,calmness,andconcentrationwhicharethemostbasicandimportantaspectsoftaijiquan?
Thisleadsyoutothesecondstepofthetraining.
Usually, if you have the right methods and concepts, you can train your mind to be calm and
concentrated and can relax physically in a short time. Keeping this meditative attitude is very
importantforbeginningtraining.Thenextstepistotrainyourbreathing.Thebreathingmustbedeep,
natural, and long. If you are interested in health only, you can use Buddhist or normal abdominal
breathing. However, if you want to advance to martial applications, you should train and master
Daoist,orreverseabdominalbreathing.Youshould beabletoexpandandwithdrawthemusclesof
theabdomenareaeasily.Afteryouhavetrainedyourbreathcorrectly,youshouldthenbegintosense
theqiinyourabdomenanddantian.Thiswillleadtothefourthstepgeneratingandexperiencing
qi.Ifyouareinterestedinknowingmoreabouttaijiquanandbreathing,pleaserefertothebook:Tai
ChiQigong,publishedbyYMAA.
Usually,qicanbegeneratedintwoways:externallyandinternally.Togenerateqiexternallyiscalled
waidan,andwhenitisgeneratedinternallyitiscalledneidan.Throughtrainingqigenerationyou
willgraduallyrealizewhatqiisandwhysmoothqicirculationbenefitsthebody.Youwillalsobuild
up your sensitivitytothe movement of qi. The more you train,the more sensitive you will become.
Afteratime, you should thengo to thenextstepcirculating qi.This is bestpracticed through still
meditation,whichwillenhanceyourqigenerationandcirculation.Qicirculationisguidedbythecalm
mindandmadepossiblebyarelaxedbody.Youmusttrainyourmindtoguidetheqiwhereveryou
wishincoordinationwithcorrectbreathing.Firstyoushoulddevelopsmallcirculation,whichmoves
the qi up the spine and down the center of the front of the body (i.e., governing and conception
vessels. Eventually you should develop grand circulation whereby qi is circulated to every part of
yourbody.Whenyouhavecompletedtheabovesixsteps,youshouldhavebuiltafirmfoundationfor
taijiquanpractice.Withcorrectinstruction,itshouldtakelessthansixmonthstocompletetheabove
training(exceptforgrandcirculation).
STANCESANDBREATHCOORDINATIONDRILLS
The above six steps are purely mental training. When you practice these, you can simultaneously
practice the fundamental stances that build the root for the taijiquan forms. You should be familiar
withallthestancesandshouldpracticethemstaticallytostrengthenyourlegs.Also,atthisstageyou
canbeginfundamentalbreathcoordinationdrills.Thesedrillsaredesignedforthebeginningstudent
totrain:
Coordinationofbreathingandmovement
Coordinationofqicirculationandtheforms
Smoothnessandcontinuity
Relaxation
Calmnessandconcentrationofthemind.
Thesedrillswillhelpyouexperienceqicirculationandthemoodoratmosphereoftaijiquanpractice.
Afteryouhavemasteredthefundamentalstancesandfundamentaldrills,youshouldthengoontothe
fundamentalmovingdrills.
TAIJIQUANSOLOSEQUENCE
The taijiquan solo sequence is constructed with about thirtyseven apparent techniques and more
thantwohundredhiddentechniques.Itispracticedtoenhanceqicirculationandimprovehealth,and
itisthefoundationofalltaijiquanmartialtechniques.Itusuallytakesfromsixmonthstothreeyears
tolearnthissequence,dependingontheinstructor,thelengthofthesequence,thestudent'stalent,
andmostimportantly,hisorhercommitmenttopractice.Afterastudenthaslearnedthissequence,it
willusuallytakeanotherthreeyearstoattainadegreeofcalmnessandrelaxationandtointernalize
thepropercoordinationofthebreathing.Whenpracticing,notonlythewholeofyourattention,but
alsoyourfeelings,emotions,andmoodshouldbeonthesequence.Itisjustlikewhenmusiciansor
dancersperformtheirarttheiremotionsandtotalbeingmustbemeldedintotheart.Iftheyhold
anythingback,theneveniftheirskillisverygreat,theirartwillbedead.
When you finish learning the solo sequence, you should then start discussing and investigating the
martial applications of the postures. This is a necessary part of the training of a martial arts
practitioner, but it will also help the nonmartial artist to better understand the sequence and
circulate qi. With the instruction of a qualified master, it will take at least two or three years to
understandandmasterthetechniques.Whilethisstageofanalysisisgoingon,youshouldbeginto
pickupfundamental(fixedstep)pushinghands.
PUSHINGHANDS
Pushinghandstrainsyoutolistentoandtofeeltheopponent'sjin,understandit,neutralizeit,and
thencounterattack.Therearetwoaspectsofpushinghandstraining.Thefirstemphasizesfeelingthe
opponent'sjinandthenneutralizingit,andthesecondemphasizesunderstandingtheemittingofjin
anditsapplications.Therefore,whenyoustartthefundamentalpushinghands,youshouldalsostart
fundamental jin training that is usually difficult to practice and understand. For this, a qualified
master is extremely important. While training jin, the coordination of the sounds hen and ha
becomeveryimportant.Utteringhenandhacanenableyoutoemitorwithdrawyourjintothe
maximumandcoordinatetheqiwithit,andcanalsohelptoraiseyourspiritofvitality.
When you finish your analysis of the sequence, you have established the martial foundation of
taijiquan. You should then start to train speeding up the solo sequence, training jin in every
movement.Infasttaijitraining,practiceemittingjininpulseswithafirmroot,properwaistcontrol,
andqisupport.Inaddition,developthefeelingofhavinganenemyinfrontofyouwhileyouaredoing
theform.Thiswillhelpyoulearntoapplythetechniquesnaturallyandtoreactautomatically.After
practicingthisforafewyears,youshouldhavegraspedthebasicsofjinandshouldstartadvanced
pushinghandsandjintraining.
Advanced(movingstep)pushinghandswilltrainyoutostepsmoothlyandcorrectlyincoordination
withyourtechniquesandfightingstrategy.Thistrainingbuildsthefoundationoffreepushinghands
andfreefighting.Advancedjintrainingenablesyoutounderstandthehigherlevelofjinapplication
and covers the entire range of jin. During these two steps of training, you should continue your qi
enhancement, expansion, and transportation training to strengthen the qi support of your jin. The
martial applications of pushing hands should be analyzed and discussed. This is the bridge that
connectsthetechniqueslearnedinthesequencetotherealapplications.Whenyouunderstandallthe
techniquesthoroughly,youshouldthengetinvolvedinfreepushinghandsandlearnthetwoperson
fightingset.
TheTaijiFightingSetwasdesignedtotraintheuseoftechniquesinawaythatresemblesrealfighting.
Properfootworkisveryimportant.Onceyouaremovingandinteractingfluidly,youcanbegintouse
jin.Thefinalstepintrainingisfreefightingwithdifferentpartners.Themorepartnersyoupractice
with,themoreexperienceyouwillgain.Themoretimeandenergyyouspend,themoreskillfulyou
willbecome.
The most important thing in all this training is your attitude. Remember to study widely, question
humbly,investigate,discriminate,andworkperseveringly.Thisisthewaytosuccess.
HOWDOYOULEARNTAIJIQUAN?
ByDr.Yang,JwingMing
Whetherornotapersonlearnssomethingdependsuponhisattitudeandseriousness.Firsthemust
makeafirmdecisiontolearnit,andthenhemusthaveastrongwilltofulfillhisintention.Heneeds
perseveranceandpatiencetolasttotheend.Evenifapersonhasallthesevirtues,hisachievement
mightstillbedifferentfromthatofanotherpersonswhohasthesamequalitiesandpersonality.The
differenceisduetohismanneroflearning.Ifapersonpracticesandthenponderseverynewthinghe
haslearnedandkeepsgoingbacktoresearchandmasterit,hewillnaturallybebetterthantheperson
whoneverexploreswhathehaslearned.Taijiquantheoryisdeepandprofound.Ittakesmanyyears
oflearning,research,pondering,andpracticetograduallygraspthekeytotheartand"enterintothe
temple."However,themoreyoulearn,thelessyouarelikelytofeelyouunderstand.Itisjustlikea
bottomlesswelloraceaselesslyflowingriver.
Thereisanancientlistoffivementalkeysthestudentoftaijiquanneedsinordertoreachthehigher
levelsoftheart.Itissaid:
1.Studywideanddeep
2.Investigate
3.Pondercarefully
4.Clearlydiscriminate
5.Workperseveringly
Ifyoufollowthisprocedureyoucanlearnanything,evenhowtobecomeawiseandknowledgeable
person.Inadditiontotheabovelearningattitude,agoodmasterisalsoanimportantkeytolearning
thehighartoftaijiquan.InChina,thereisasaying:"Adiscipleinquiresandsearchesforamasterfor
threeyears,andamasterwilltestthediscipleforthreeyears."Italsosays:"Adisciplewouldrather
spendthreeyearslookingforagoodmasterthanlearnthreeyearsfromanunqualifiedone."
LEARNFROMAGOODTAIJIQUANMASTER
Agoodmasterwhocomprehendstheartandteachesittohisstudentsisthekeytochangingarock
intoapieceofgold.Itistheteacherwhocanguideyoutothedoorwaybytheshortestpathpossible
andhelpyouavoidwastingyourtimeandenergy.Itissaid:"Toenterthedoorandbeledalongthe
way,oneneedsoralinstruction;practicewithoutceasing,thewayisthroughselfpractice."Itisalso
said: "Famous masters create great disciples." On the other hand, a good master will also judge if a
discipleisworthhisspendingthetimeandenergytoteach.Astudentcanbeintelligentandpractice
hard in the beginning, and change his attitude later on. A student who practices, ponders, humbly
asks,andresearchesonhisownwillnaturallybeagoodsuccessortothestyle.Usuallyamasterneeds
threeyearstoseethroughastudent'spersonalityandknowwhetherheislikelytopersevereinhis
studiesandmaintainagoodmoralcharacter.
In the last seventy years since taijiquan has been popularized, many good taijiquan books and
documentshavebeenpublished.Asinceretaijipractitionershouldcollectandreadthem.Booksare
the recording of many years of learning, study, and research. If you do not know how to use this
literature to your advantage, you will surely waste more time and energy wandering in confusion.
However,youshouldnotcompletelybelievewhatanybooksays.Whatiswrittenisonlytheauthor's
opinionsandpersonalexperience.Youshouldreadwidely,investigate,andthenclearlydiscriminate
betweentheworthwhileandthenotsoworthwhile.Ifyoudothiswellyoucanminimizeconfusion
andavoidstrayingtoofarfromtherightpath.
In addition, you should take advantage of seminars, summer camps, and other waysto get in touch
with experienced masters. In this way you can catch many key points and gain a feeling for many
thingswhichyoumayhaveonlyreadabout.Butremember,youmustresearchonyourowningreat
detailinordertoachieveadeeperunderstandingoftheart.Thusitissaid:"Youdon'teverwantto
giveupyourthroat;questioneverytalentedpersoninheavenandearth.If[youare]asked:howcan
one attain this great achievement,[the answer is] outside andinside, fine andcoarse, nothing must
notbetouchedupon."
TAIJIQUANLEARNINGPROCEDURE
When you learn an internal art such as qigong or taijiquan, you should always follow the training
procedures.Inthebeginning,youshouldpayattentiontothemovementsandtrytobeasaccurateas
possible.Thesemovementswerecreatedandexperiencedbymanywisepioneersoftaijiquan.Only
after you have mastered these movements skillfully will you be on the right path for learning
taijiquan.Moreover,youmustalsolearnhowtorelaxphysicallytoaprofoundlevel,keepingyourself
centered and rooted both physically and mentally. This process is called regulating the body (tiao
shen.Onlyafteryouhavereachedthestageofregulatingwithoutregulating,shouldyouproceedto
thenextstage.Whileyouaretrainingatthislevel,youwillnothavetoconstantlyregulatethebody
consciously, since you will have already made it into a habit and can perform your physical forms
naturally.Thisiswhatismeantby"regulatingwithoutregulating."
BREATHING
Thenextstepislearninghowtocoordinateyourbreathingwiththemovements.Withcorrectbreath
coordination, you can relax more deeply, which allows you to bring your mind to a more sagacious
state.Thisisthestepofregulatingthebreathing(tiaoxi).Youshouldpracticeuntilyoucanregulate
without the use of your conscious mind, the aforementioned regulating without regulating. Your
breathing must become natural, smooth, deep, slender and calm. Once you have reached this stage,
you will have provided a good environment for your wisdom mind to regulate the emotional mind
(tiaoxi).
Ifyoupracticetaijiquansimplyforrelaxationandhealthwhenyouregulateyourmind,thenyouwill
learnhowtoleadtheqitothecentersofthepalmsandthesolesofthefeet.Thisiscalledfourgate
breathing(sixinhuxi).Youcanalsoleadtheqitotheskinandbeyond,toenhanceyourguardianqi.
Thiswillstrengthenyourimmunesystemandraiseyourspirit.
However,ifyoupracticetaijiquanformartialarts,thenyoumustlearntouseyourmindtoleadtheqi
to the arms for performing techniques, and to the legs for rooting. In order to manifest power
efficiently,youmustbuildasenseofenemy.Todothis,youimaginethatyouareinacombatsituation,
usingeachofyourperformedtechniquestodefendyourselfagainstanenemy.Youmusthaveasense
ofcontrolledurgencybecauseinsuchacombatsituation,youmustbealertbutnotinastateofpanic.
Onlybytrainingallofyourtechniqueswiththissenseofenemywillyoubuildupyourskillstoalevel
that will be useful to you in a real emergency. You must know the martial applications of each
movementwithouthavingtostopandthink.Thesemartialapplicationsaretheessenceandtheroot
oftaijiquan.Thisleadingoftheqiiscalledregulatingtheqi(tiaoqi).
Finally, your ultimate goal in taijiquan practice is to harmonize your energy with the energy of the
natural universe. In order to achieve this goal, you must regulate your spirit (tiao shen) to a firm,
strong,peacefulandenlightenedstate.OnlythenmayyoureachthefinalcultivationoftheDao:the
unificationofheaven(i.e.,universe)andhumanity(tianrenheyi).Whenyoureachthisstage,youwill
find that even your purpose in studying taijiquan, the very ego that holds the desire to learn and
improve,willitselfdissolveintothepatternsoftaiji.
Taijiquanisonlythewayorpathtounderstandinglifeandcomprehendingtheuniverse.Asyounear
yourgoal,youwillfindthatyourmotivationtolearnmartialartsissublimated,andthehealthofyour
body,mind,andspiritcanbeunifiedandmaintainedwithoutconsciouseffort.
YANGTAICHIFORBEGINNERS
ByDavidSilver
YangstyleTaiChiisthemostpopularformintheworld,withmillionsofpractitioners.SincetheYang
familypopularizedTaiChiduringthe1800s,theformhasbeenpasseddownfromteachertostudent
in an oral tradition, resulting in a wide variety in the way the form is practiced. No matter which
version of the form you practice, the essential principles and structure within the movements are
basicallythesame.TheformpracticedbyDr.Yang,JwingMingandYMAAstudentscanbetracedback
totheYangfamilythroughGrandmasterKao,Tao,andhisteacherYue,Huanzhi,anindoordiscipleof
Yang,Chengfu.
LEARNINGTHESEQUENCE
The Yang Tai Chi form can be easy to memorize, but it can always be refined and practiced with a
deeperfeeling.Itiscomprisedof37postures,ormovementpatterns,whicharerepeatedtotheleftor
righttocreatethe108movementsequence.Itisrecommendedthatastudentfocusonlearningjusta
fewmovementsatatimeuntiltheyareverynaturalandcomfortable.Theformistypicallytaughtin
three sections. The next step is to learn and practice only the first part of the sequence until the
student can perform it smoothly with correct posture and relaxed muscles. The more relaxed your
bodyandmindare,themoreabundantlyyourenergycancirculate.Thisisthefirststage,knownas
RegulatingtheBody.Eventually,ifastudentisinterestedinfollowingthetraditionalpath,he/shewill
progressthroughthestagesofRegulatingtheBreath,theMind,theQi,andtheSpirit.
Dr. Yang says, "The taijiquan solo sequence is constructed with about thirtyseven apparent
techniques and more than two hundred hidden techniques. It is practiced to enhance qi (energy)
circulationandimprovehealth,anditisthefoundationofalltaijiquanmartialtechniques.Itusually
takesfromsixmonthstothreeyearstolearnthissequence,dependingontheinstructor,thelengthof
thesequence,thestudent'stalent,andmostimportantly,hisorhercommitmenttopractice.Aftera
student has learned this sequence, it will usually take another three years to attain a degree of
calmnessandrelaxationandtointernalizethepropercoordinationofthebreathing.Whenpracticing,
not only the whole of your attention, but also your feelings, emotions, and mood should be on the
sequence.Itisjustlikewhenmusiciansordancersperformtheirart;theiremotionsandtotalbeing
mustbemeldedintotheart.Iftheyholdanythingback,theneveniftheirskillisverygreat,theirart
willbedead."
SENSEOFENEMY
TaiChiChuan,whichissometimestransliteratedfromChineseas"Taijiquan",means"GrandUltimate
Fist".Itwasoriginallydevelopedasaninternalmartialart,whichemphasizessoftnessandroundness
overusingbruteforce.WhetheryoujustwanttolearnTaiChiforyourhealth,oryouintendtofollow
the traditional progression of the learning the sequence, pushing hands, sparring, and eventually
weapons,itisimportantthatyoudevelopasenseofenemyinyourpractice.WatchaTaiChimaster
performasequence,andyoumayseethatitlookslikehe/sheishavingaslowmotionbattleagainst
invisible opponents. By learning the originallyintended purpose of a Tai Chi movement, which is
knownasitsmartialapplication,youwilllearnthefinerpointsofexactlywhereyourhandsandfeet
should be. You develop a sense of enemy by visualizing that your Tai Chi movement is being used
againstanopponent.
DrYang,"Evenwhenyoucandotheformverywell,itmaystillbedead.Tomakeitcomealiveyou
must develop a sense of enemy. When practicing the solo sequence, you must imagine there is an
enemy in front of you, and you must clearly feel his movements and his interaction with you. Your
ability to visualize realistically will be greatly aided if you practice the techniques with a partner.
There are times when you will not use visualizations, but every time you do the sequence your
movementmustbeflavoredwiththisknowledgeofhowyouinteractwithanopponent.Themoreyou
practicewiththisimaginaryenemybeforeyou,themorerealisticandusefulyourpracticewillbe.If
you practice with a very vivid sense of enemy, you will learn to apply your qi and jin (power)
naturally, and your whole spirit will melt into the sequence. This is not unlike performing music. If
one musician just plays the music and the other plays it with his whole heart and mind, the two
performancesareasdifferentasnightandday.Inonecasethemusicisdead,whileintheotheritis
aliveandtouchesus."Notonlydoesasenseofenemydevelopcorrectpostureandgivelifetoyour
performance,butitisalsoimportantforyourhealth.
ENERGY
Whenpracticedslowly,TaiChiisaformofQigong(energywork).TheChinesewordforenergyis"Qi".
Its important to realize that when we discuss Qi within the body, we are not referring to some
mystical Jedi Force, or to a metaphor of some kind.Qi is real. Without going into technical Western
medicalterminology,youmustrealizethatlifeenergycirculatesthroughoutthe100trillioncellsthat
yourbodyiscomprisedof.Thisenergyinourbodiesisderivedfromthefoodweeatandthefatwe
burn,combinedwiththeairwebreathethroughthemetabolicprocess.Inaddition,witheverybreath
youareinhalingair,whichisagas,whichismadeofmolecules,whicharemadeofatoms,whichare
madeofenergy.Youinhalepositiveornegativeionsalldaylong.Wealsoreceivesomepercentageof
ourbody'senergyfromthesunandmoon,andourbody'senergyisinfluencedbytheradiationofour
surroundings,bothnaturalandmanmade.Infact,thehumanbodyisalivingbioelectromagneticfield.
Whenyouwanttomoveyourbody,yourmindgeneratesanelectricalimpulsethroughthespineto
themuscles,andsuddenlyyouareGraspingtheSparrow'sTail.Yourintentiontomovefirstcreatesa
brainwave this is an electrical frequency usually between 1 20Hz. The impulse then transmits
instantaneously throughout the body in a complex process that utilizes your body's energy to
facilitate movement. A typical modern way of measuring your energy is with an EEG
(Electroencephalogram),whichdistinguishesbrainwavesbymeasuringthespeedwithwhichneurons
(nervecells)fireincyclespersecond.Alphabrainwavesrangebetween712Hz,whichrelatesto
deeprelaxation.TheAlpharangeisalsothebasefrequencyoftheSchumannResonance,whichisthe
vibrationalfrequencyof the earth's electromagnetic field. When you are deeply relaxed, your Alpha
brainwavesresonateinsympathywiththeearth'sEMF,producing"constructiveinterference"which
amplifiesthevibration.
Whether you view the body's energetic activity from a chemical, spiritual, or purely mechanical
viewpoint,understandthatthisenergywithinthebodyistheQiwearereferringto;Qiisnotsome
special"other"kindofenergy.Thissubjecthasbeenwidelymisunderstood,sometimesbecauseofthe
limitedunderstandingbystudentsoftheseconceptssinceTaiChicametotheWest,andlargelydueto
culturalandlanguagebarriers.
Don'tkeepsearchingforyourenergywhenyoupractice.Realizethatyouareenergy.
Youarenotahumanbodyexperiencingaspirit.Youareaspiritexperiencingahumanbody.
Thus,whenyouunderstandaTaiChipostureclearly,yourwillmindgeneratethecorrectintention,
andyouwillenergizeyourbodyallthewaytothefingersandtoesmoreefficiently.Thiswillgradually
improveyourcirculationtotheextremities,andhelptopermeateyourbodywithhealthycirculation
ofblood,energy,andnutrients.
BEGINTAICHI
BeginningtolearnTaiChicanbedaunting,asyourealizethetraditionalformcanseemverylong,and
there are many details to be aware of. But like any classical art, such as violin or oil painting, you
simply start at the start and allow yourself to learn at your own pace. Once you've learned the
movementsandcanmaintainasenseofenemy,youcanenjoyTaiChiasakindofmovingmeditation
which will lead you deeper into investigating the energetic aspect of being which actually is a
mysticalexperienceifyoureallythinkaboutit.
Practice out in nature and get some fresh air, preferably near mountains, forests, or water for an
increase of negative ions. Close your mouth loosely, and touch the tongue to the roof of the mouth
gently.Breathenaturally.Don'tworryaboutyourbreathinguntillaterinyourpractice.
TaiChiiswholebodyexercise.Movementisinitiatedinthelegs,directedbythewaist,andmanifested
inthehands.Upperbodyislight,themiddlebodyisflexible,andthelowerbodyissolidandheavy.
Energy follows consciousness, or as its put in qigong study, "The Yi Leads the Qi." Stay relaxed and
don'tfrownfromconcentratingtoohard.TaiChiisfun!
GETTINGSTARTED
ByHollySweeneyHillman
THEREASONSFORANDTHESTAGESOFWARMUPEXERCISES
Theprimarygoalofwarmupexercisesistopreventinjuries.Thesecondarygoals,whichsupportthis
primarygoal,are:improvedflexibilityandincreasedmusclestamina.Allofthesegoalsaredependent
upon methods that refine the students proprioceptive abilities: the ability to sense proper joint
movement, use appropriate amount of force, and be sensitive to physical limitations. To train
proprioception, it is important that all warmup exercises are done mindfully and are regarded as
preparationformindaswellasbody.Fullunderstandingofthepurposeforeachwarmupexercise
will help students perform them more mindfully. The term warmups could imply that all the
exercisesaredoneatthebeginningofaclassbutthisisnotthecase.Weshallseethatwarmupsare
moreeffectivewhenappliedatspecifictimesduringthespanoftheclassperiod.Warmupexercises
shouldbeselectedonthebasisofwhentheywillbemosteffective,atthebeginning,middle,orendof
theclassperiod.
BEGINNINGWARMUPS
Theseareexercisesthatwillmildlyincreasebodyheatandbloodflow.Slightlyaerobicactivitiesare
ideal,whichwillincreaseheartrateupto40%ofmaximumrate.Examplesofthistypeofexerciseare
lightlyjogginginplace,gentleandcontinuoustorsomovementslikecirclingahulahoop,or
slightbendingandunbendingofthelegswhilethearmsarewaving.Thegoaloftheseexercisesisto
increasebodytemperatureandbloodflowsothatthebodybecomesalittlelooseroverall.
MIDDLEWARMUPS
Frequentlytermedtrainingdrills,theseareexercisesthatincorporatedynamicstretchingwhich
meansstretchingmuscleswhiletheyaremoving.Inadditiontodynamicstretching,thesemovements
involve other elements like balance and coordination. Middle warmups require more mental
concentration than the beginning warmups, as well as more muscle strength, and larger range of
movement.(Examplesofthistypeofexercisearekickingdrills,handwalks(bendingoveruntilyou
can touch hands to floor then walk handsforward untilback is almost fully extended, then keeping
legsstraight,walkfeettowardhands;thenwalkhandsforwardagain,etc.,orrepeatingmovements
likeLeftBrushKneeandPushandRightBrushKneeandPushcontinuouslyacrosstheroom).The
goal of these exercises is to activate all the muscles, connective tissue, and joints that will be used
duringaparticularclass.Middlewarmupsaremosteffectivewhentheyareselectedtotargetspecific
movementchallengesthatwillbeencounteredinclass,likekickingorsquatting.
ENDINGWARMUPS
Thepurposeoftheseexercisesistohaveaneffectthatcarriesovertothenextclassmeeting,sothey
couldbeconsideredlongtermwarmups.Theseexercisesfocusonplastictissuesasopposedto
muscles,whichareelastictissues.Aplasticstretchresultsinamorepermanentincreaseintissue
length by using low force loads over longer periods of time, termed static stretching. The optimal
timetodothiskindofstretchingisatthecompletionofclasswhenthebodyiswarmandthemuscles
are going to be rested. Static stretches are counterproductive when done at the beginning of class
becausetheytemporarilymakemuscleslessresponsive.Thevalueofstaticstretchingistocondition
ligamentsandtendonsNOTmuscles.Thetechniquerequiresslowlystretchingthemuscletendonunit
to mild discomfort and then holding this traction for 3040 seconds, then releasing it for 5 10
seconds, then applying the traction again, etc. This sequence should be repeated 3 times. It is
extremely important that this technique be applied slowly and smoothly because bouncing or jerky
movementcanresultininjurytothemuscles.(Examplesofthistypeofstaticstretchingarefamiliar
Achilles stretch, hamstring stretches, quad stretches, standing meditations, and holding postures).
Benefits of static stretching applied gently at the end of every class will take about a month to be
noticeablebuttheimprovementsgainedinrangeofmotionandlackofstiffnesswillbelongtermif
thestretchesarepracticedonaregularbasis.
AGUIDEFORWARMUPANDSTRETCHES
No exercise is complete without a thorough warmup and stretching routine. Stretching increases
flexibility and helps prevent injury. A proper warmup conditions the muscles to increased stress,
allowingthemtoworkmoreefficientlyoveralongerperiodoftime.Inflexiblemusclesmaydevelop
relativeflexibility,wherethebodywillalterthewayitperformsposturesinordertocompensatefor
its lack of flexibility. Inflexible hamstrings can cause the pelvis to tilt out of alignment. Similarly,
inflexibilityintheshoulderregioncancausethelumbarregionofthespinetooverextend.Itiscrucial
that students warmup both before and after exercise. Numerous movements in Yang style Tai Chi
Chuandemandgoodbalanceandflexibility.PosturessuchasNeedletoSeaBottom,SnakeCreeps
Down and Single Whip are often performed incorrectly because of limited flexibility and leg
strength.Thisarticlelistsstretchingtechniquesthattargetthemajormuscles.Theyhavebeenchosen
to challenge the stability of the practitioner at any stage. It is important to start these techniques
slowly because vigorous overtraining can cause injury. Due to restricted blood flow, the recovery
timeofstrainsandsprainsofconnectivetissueisgreat.Ifapractitionerhasachronicconditionor
injury that may affect his or her ability to perform any of these stretch or warmup techniques, a
physicianshouldbeconsultedbeforeperformingthem.
NOTE:Ifanyofthesestretchingtechniquescausesharppain,STOPIMMEDIATELY!
StaticStretching
Withstaticstretchingoneholdsastretchatthepointoftensionforaminimumof25seconds.Itislow
inappliedforcebutlonginduration.Thisstretchingisthemostcommonformusedtoday.Itsactive
principle is to slowly inhibit the muscles urge to contract when stressed. This type of stretching is
generallysafeforallpractitioners.
ActiveStretching
Inactivestretching,muscletensioniscausedbytheprimary(agonist)andsecondary(synergist)47
YangFamilyTaiChiChuanEssentials
muscles.Thistypeofstretchisheldforamaximumof5seconds,typically1or2seconds.
LowerLeg
CalfStretch:Leanproneagainstawall.Modified:onelegrestsonotherankle.
AnkleLift:Liftankleofffloorusingcalves.
BackwardWalk:Practicebalancingusingfootwork(suchasStepBackandRepulsetheMonkey.)
EattheToe:Fundamentalpractice.Backfootat45degree,frontlegstraight,andtoeup.Bendtorso
towardstoe.Keepbackstraight!
UpperLeg
QuadStretch:Supportingselfagainstthewall,grabtheanklestretchingthequadriceps.
HurdlersStretch:Sitting;onelegstretchedandtoeup.Theotherlegisbentin.
ModifiedSnakeCreepsDown:Frombowstep,pivotbackfoottothebackcorner.Shifttheweightback
slightly.Dropthecenterdown;frontfootpointstoeup.Keepbacklegkneeandtoeinalignment.
Butterfly:Sittingwithlegsbentin;solesoffeettouch.Pushdownonkneesuntilastretchisfelt.
Hamstrings: Bend knees sitting on haunches. Grab the ankles and extend the legs. Try to keep the
chestagainsttheupperlegsasthelegsextendstraight.
BicepFemorisStretch:Lyingontheback,extendlegupandthenbendatthekneetorest.
Piriformis Stretch: Sitting as in a hurdlers stretch, grab the knee of one leg and bring the bent leg
acrossthebodyovertheoppositeleg.
ActiveAbductorStretch:ThisisaregressionofthemodifiedSnakeCreepsDownstretch.Fromalarge
horsestance,extendonelegshiftingtheweighttooneside.Astretchshouldbefeltintheadductor
region.
OtherWaystoWarmUp
Isolating the elbows. Cloud Hands. Footwork. From empty stance, transition to standing on one leg.
Turning waist around, circle upper torso with arms relaxed and extended, and hands hitting the
kidneyarea.Jointwarmupsviacircling(neck,shoulders,elbows,hips,knees,etc.)Pushhandswarm
ups,emptyhandformwarmups.Standingposewarmupwithcoordinatedbreathing.
HOWTOPRACTICEATAIJIQUANSEQUENCE
ByDr.Yang,JwingMing
Normally, it takes at least three years to learn the taijiquan sequence and to circulate qi (energy)
smoothlyincoordinationwiththebreathingandpostures.Youshouldthenlearntotransportqiand
developqibalance.Evenafteryouhaveaccomplishedthis,thereisstillmoretolearnbeforeyoucan
be considered a proficient taijiquan martial artist. You must learn to strengthen your qi through
practice,youmustdevelopasenseofhavinganenemyinfrontofyouduringthesequence,andlastly,
youmustlearnhowtotrainjin(emittingpower)duringthesequence.
QISROLEINTAIJIQUAN
Intaijiquan,qiplaysamajorroleinjin.Whenqiisstrongandfull,thenthejinwillalsobestrong.An
importantwaytostrengthenandextendyourqiistopracticethesequenceslowerandslower.Thisis
the yin aspect of taijiquan practice, which helps you to build both a strong, concentrated mind and
internalqi.Ifitusuallytakes20minutestofinishtheentiresequence,increasethetimeto25minutes,
then30minutes,andsoon.Donotaddanymorebreaths.Everythingisthesameexceptthatevery
breaththatisusedtoleadtheqigetslongerandlonger.Inordertodothisyoumustbeverycalmand
relaxed,andyourqimustbefulllikeadrumorballoon,firstinyourabdomenandlaterinyourwhole
body.
Ifyoucanextendasequencethatnormallytakes20minutestoonehour,yourqiwillbeveryfulland
fluid,yourmindcalm,andtheposturesveryrelaxed.Whenyoudothesequenceatthisspeed,your
pulseandheartbeatwillslowdown,andyouwillbeinadeepselfhypnoticmeditativestate.Youwill
hardlynoticeyourphysicalbody,butinsteadyouwillfeellikeaballofenergy.Whenthishappensyou
feelyouaretransparent.
Evenwhenyoucandotheformverywell,itmaybedead.Tomakeitcomealiveyoumustdevelopa
senseofenemy.Whenpracticingthesolosequence,youmustimaginethereisanenemyinfrontof
you and you must clearly feel his movements and his interaction with you. Your ability to visualize
realisticallywillbegreatlyaidedifyoupracticethetechniqueswithapartner.Therearetimeswhen
youwillnotusevisualizations,buteverytimeyoudothesequenceyourmovementmustbeflavored
withthisknowledgeofhowyouinteractwithanopponent.
The more you practice with this imaginary enemy before you, the more realistic and useful your
practicewillbe.Ifyoupracticewithaveryvividsenseofenemy,youwilllearntoapplyyourqiandjin
naturally, and your whole spirit will melt into the sequence. This is not unlike performing music. If
one musician just plays the music and the other plays it with his whole heart and mind, the two
performancesareasdifferentasnightandday.Inonecasethemusicisdead,whileintheotheritis
aliveandtouchesus.
Ifyoudontknowhowtoincorporatejinintotheforms,thenevenifyoudothesequenceformany
years it will still be dead. In order for the sequence to be meaningful, jin and technique must be
combined.Animportantwaytodothisistopracticefasttaijiquan.Practicingfasttaijiquanispartof
the Yang aspect of taijiquan and it allows you to manifest your internal qi into external forms and
power.Onceyoucandothesequenceofmovementsautomaticallyandcancoordinateyourbreathing
and qi circulation with the movements, you should practice doing the form faster and faster.
Remember,ifyouevergetintoafight,thingsarelikelytomoveprettyfast,soyouhavetobeableto
respondfastinordertodefendyourselfeffectively.Ifyouonlypracticeslowly,thenwhenyouneedto
movefastyourqiwillbebroken,yourposturesunstable,andyouryiscattered.Ifanyofthishappens,
youwillnotbeabletouseyourjintofight.
Therefore,onceyouhavedevelopedyourqicirculationyoushouldpracticethesequencefasteruntil
you can do it at fighting speed. Make sure you dont go too fast too soon, or you will sacrifice the
essentials such as yi concentration, qi balance, breath coordination, and the storage of jin in the
postures.Whendoingfasttaiji,donotmoveatauniformspeed.Incorporatethepulsingmovementof
jinsothatyouarerespondingappropriatelytotheactionsofyourimaginaryenemy.Itisdifficultto
developthepulsingmovementofjinsolelybydoingthesequence,soyoushouldalsodojintraining
eitherbeforeorconcurrentlywiththefasttaijiquan.
If you are interested in knowing more about taijiquan jin development, you should refer to Tai Chi
TheoryandMartialPower,publishedbyYMAA.
POSTURESANDTAIJIQUAN
Sincetaijiquanisaninternalqigongmartialstyle,correctpostureisessential.Incorrectposturescan
cause many problems: a tight posture can stagnate the internal qi circulation, wrong postures may
exposeyourvitalpointstoattack,floatingshouldersandelbowswillbreakthejinandreducethejin
storage.
Taijiquanstudentsaregenerallytaughttomakethepostureslargeatfirst.Thishelpsthebeginnerto
relax,makesiteasiertoseeandfeelthemovements,andalsohelpshimorhertosensetheqiflow.
Furthermore, because large postures are more expanded and relaxed, the qi flow can be smoother.
Large posture taijiquan was emphasized by Yang, Chengfu and has been popularly accepted as the
besttaijiquanpracticeforhealthsince1926.
Large postures also make it easier to train jin. It is more difficult to learn jin with small postures
becausethemovesaresmallerandquicker,andtheyrequiremoresubtlesensingjins.Largepostures
buildthedefensivecirclelargerandlongerthansmallpostures,whichallowsyoumoretimetosense
theenemysjinandreact.Itisbesttofirstmasterthelargecirclesandonlythentomakethecircles
smallerandincreaseyourspeed.
Inaddition,whenyoubegintaijiquan,youshouldfirsttrainwithlowposturesandthengraduallyget
higher. When you first start training taijiquan, you will not understand how to build your root by
leadingyourqitothebubblingwellcavityonthesolesofyourfeet.Withoutthisfirmfoundation,you
will tend to float and your jin will be weak. To remedy this problem, you should first train with
postures,whichwillgiveyouarootevenwithoutqiandsimultaneouslydevelopyourqicirculation.
Onlywhenyouhaveaccomplishedgrandcirculationandtheqicanreachthebubblingwellcanyou
use it to build the internal root. This is done by visualizing the qi flowing through your feet and
extendingintothegroundliketherootsofatree.
Atthistimeyoumaystartusinghigherposturesandrelaxingyourlegmuscles.Thiswillfacilitatethe
qiflow,whichinturnwillhelpyoutorelaxevenmore.Inthehigherlevelsoftaijiquan,muscleusage
isreducedtotheminimum,andallthemusclesaresoftandrelaxed.Whenthisstageisreached,qiis
beingusedefficientlyandisthepredominantfactorinthejin.Usuallyittakesmorethanthirtyyears
ofcorrecttrainingtoreachthislevel.Trainaccordingtoyourlevelofskill,startingwiththelargerand
lowerposturesandonlymovetothesmallerandhigherposturesasyourskillincreases.
Tosummarize:buildyourqibothexternallyandinternally,andcirculateitthroughtheentirebody.
Aftertheinternalqicanreachthelimbs,usethisqitosupportyourjin.Graduallydeemphasizethe
useofthemuscles,andrelymoreandmoreonusingthemindtoguidetheqi.Traintheposturesfrom
large to small, low to high, and slow to fast. First build the defensive circle large, and then make it
smaller.Formaximumjin,strengthentheroot,developpowerinthelegs,balanceyouryimindand
qi, exercise control through the waist, and express your will through your hands. It is said in the
Zhang,Sanfengclassic:
Therootisatthefeet,[jinis]generatedfromthelegs,controlledbythewaist,andexpressedbythe
fingers. From the feet to the legs to the waist must be integrated and one unified qi. When moving
forwardorbackward,youcanthencatchtheopportunityandgainthesuperiorposition.
STANDINGPRACTICE
ByAdamBatten
Standingpractice(zhanzhuang)isalsocalledpolestanding.Itisatraditionalmethodthatcanhelp
strengthenthelegs,properlyalignthebody,andgenerallycontributetoagoodfoundationinTaiChi
Chuan. Because we are staying in one stance during standing practice, rather than moving and
steppingaswedointheforms,itispossibletorelaxandextendthebodywiththecorrectposture.
After the principles are applied to the standing posture and the body alignment is improved, it
becomes easier to apply the same adjustments to the various movements of the hand form. The
standingpracticeisalsousefulasapracticeforenergycultivation.
ThebasicstanceforstandingpracticeinYangFamilyTaiChiChuanisthehorsestance.Inthehorse
stance,thefeetarepointedstraightaheadandtheweightisevenlydistributedbetweenthem.Onboth
feet,themajorityoftheweightshouldrestonthebubblingwellpointattheballofthefoot,notonthe
heels. One difference from the hand form in the standing is that the feet should actually be slightly
widerapartthanshoulderwidth.Thekneesshouldbeslightlybent.
Bendingthekneesinthestandingpostureisimportantfordevelopinglegstrength,butastancethatis
toodeep(suchasonethatmakesthethighsparalleltothefloor),shouldbeavoided,asitmakesittoo
difficulttomaintaintheproperbodyalignment.Thearmsshouldbeheldoutasifhuggingalargetree.
Thearmshapeshouldbelargeandrounded.Thepalmsareturnedintofacethechest,withthehands
open and relaxed so that the fingertips point to the fingertips of the other hand. There should be a
spaceofonefistbetweenthetwohands,andtheheightofthe armsisatchestlevel.Thearmspull
slightlyontheshoulderstomaketheupperbackhavearoundedfeel.Thesameprinciplesapplyto
thebodyasintheform:avoidleaningtheupperbodyback,andinsteadleanslightlyforward.Relax
theshoulder,andsinkthechestslightlyinwards,andpushtheverytopoftheheadupslightlywithout
creatingtension.
As the top of the head pushes slightly up, the tailbone should relax naturally down, elongating the
spine.Itishelpfulwhiledoingthestandingpracticetoimaginethatthereisalowchairbehindyou
and gradually sink the waist as if you were to sit on the chair. It is important to relax the tailbone
ratherthanforcefullytuckitin.Ifthewaistissinkingnaturally,itisalsopossibletofeelthatthelower
backisveryslightlyroundedandpushingout.
Payspecialattentionthatthewholebodyfeelsrelaxed.Continuetofeelthatthearmsareexpanded
and rounded; the head is lifting, and the waist is sinking down. Check that the upper body is still
slightlyleaningforwardbyensuringthattheweightofthebodyrestsonthebubblingwellsofthefeet.
Itisveryeasytobeginleaningbackwithoutrealizingit.
Breathinginthehorsestanceshouldbeslowandeven.Whenbreathingin,feelthestomachgradually
expandout,andwhenbreathingout,thestomachgoesbackin.Itisimportanttofollowthenatural
patternofyourbreathingratherthantryingtoforceit.Donottrytoholdyourbreath.Thebreathing
willnaturallybecomemoredeepandevenovertime.
Formostpeopleitisgoodtostartwithabout2minutesofstandingpracticeandworkupfromthere.
Afteroneweek,trytoincreasethetimeto5minutes,thenafteranotherweekto10minutes,andso
on.
BREATHINGANDCHIFLOW
ByBrunoRepetto
Breathing, as with any physical activity, is essential for effective use of the bodys mechanics in the
hand forms, push hands and sparring. In Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan practice, understanding of
breathing and chi flow is important, as it allows the students to improve their forms, and thus, to
progressfartherintheirTaiChiChuanpractice.
For beginning practitioners, breathing should be natural and even. They should not think too much
about coordinating breathing with the movements. All the student needs to do is breathe naturally
andsinkthechitothedantian.Allmovementandbreathingshouldbesmooth,relaxedandnatural.
Thebasicbreathingmustbethroughthenoseonly,notthemouth.Commonly,peopleinhalethrough
thenoseandexhalethroughthemouth.Themouthmustbeclosed(butnottightly),andthetipofthe
tonguemusttouchtheroofofthepalatejustbehindthetwofrontteeth.
Withlongmovements,breathingmustbecontinuousandsmooth.Allthatneedstoberememberedis
thatbreathingmustnotbestoppedorheldinanywaybecausetheenergywillstopflowing,thechi
willstop,stiffnessmaytakeover,andbalancewillbeinjeopardy.
With short movements, breathing is coordinated simply: begin breathing in at the beginning of the
movement,andfinishbreathingoutattheendofthemovement.
Duringpractice,thestudentmustbeawarethattheflowofenergyshouldbeefficientandbalanced.
Thismeansthatthemechanicsofthebodymustaidintheefficientdeliveryofenergytotheopponent
throughastrike,apunch,orakick;ortoaidinthedeflectionoftheopponentsenergyorinusingthe
opponents energy against him or her. While practicing movements that require precise balance,
particularlyinthosemovementsthatinvolvestandingononelegtodeliverakick,orturningthebody
to deliver a sweeping kick, it is the flow of energy that helps the player to maintain balance and to
deliverthestrikingenergyblowinanefficientway.Twoactionsallowthestudenttomaintainbalance
andtoefficientlydelivertheenergy:breathing,andtheflowofchi.Firstly,thestudentmustbreathein
a relaxed and smooth way, and secondly, the student must sink the chi to the dantian, i.e., the
student must imagine that his or her center of gravity sinks to a level about one inch below their
navel,andaboutthreeinchesinsidetheirbellybysinkingthechestandextendingthejoints.
For the more advanced student, there are two types of breathing: chest and stomach breathing or
dantian breathing. Stomach breathing or dantian breathing is used in the hand form and when
practicingpushhands.Chestbreathingisrarelyused;oneofitsusesisinpushhands,incombination
withdantianbreathingasayieldwhentheopponentstrikesthechestarea.
In push hands, dantian breathing has two parts; the charging aspect which is the loading of the
dantian with energy, initiated by sticking, adhering and following the opponents strike, and the
explosionaspectofreturningtheattack.Breathingintothedantianwiththeadheringandfollowing
should feel like the charging of the dantian with energy when beginning standing practice. The
exhaling of dantian breathing should feel like the wave generated from breathing during standing
practice.
HOWTOINTERCONNECTTHEJOINTS
TOWORKASAWHOLE
ByYangZhenduo
Extendtheelbowsoutward;leaveahollowinthearmpits.Theelbowspulldownthetopsofthe
shoulders,Connectthewristsandcarryalongthefingers.TwentyCharacterMotto
Although only the various parts of the upper limbs are mentioned, following this motto can set in
motionachainofcausalityinwhichchangeshereaffecttheotherpartsofthebody.Thisconnectionis
notjustmental,butyoucanactuallyfeelthatpreciselythismovementoftheupperlimbscausesyouto
holdthechestin,whichinturninducesslightlyroundtheback,leadingtorelaxationofwaistand
hips and ultimately bringing about movement that proceeds from feet to legs to waist, so all the
jointsareworkinginterconnectedlyasawhole.Youcangetaninternalsensationoftheintegrationof
all these principles and how they support each other. The sense of energy created by this, and the
sensationofthewholebodyworkingtogetherarethingswhicheveryplayermustworktowardand
actually experience. This is crucial to successfully learning Tai Chi. From this we can see that the
TwentyCharacter Motto separately relates to every individual posture of Tai Chi and as a whole
determines the connected completion of the entire form. I hope that students will diligently seek to
understandthis,andexperiencethesensationofenergyinducedbythisextended,hollow,pull
down,andconnect.Thiswillaidyouroverallleveloftrainingaswellasthepracticeofconnecting
theinternalandexternal.
In martial arts, we often hear theanalogy made between steel and energy (jing). Likewise, coarse
strength(juoli)canbelikenedtoiron,becausesteelcomesfromironandthesourceofenergyis
alsonaturallyfromcoarsestrength.Coarsestrengthisnaturalstrengthandisaninherentproductof
the human body. Coincidentally, the current graph used in Chinese for energy (jing) includes
strength (li) with work (gong) added to it. I am not sure if this was really the intent of those who
designedthisgraph,butlookingatthisgraphcansurelyhelpservetoexplaintherelationshipofthe
two.Addingworkorrefining,referstothewayinwhich,duringtheprocessofproduction,weusethe
method of high temperature forging; correspondingly for coarse strength we use the method of
relaxation (fang song) to remove the stiffness of coarse strength. Both are means to an end. The
processofrefinementcausesthetwotomanifestsomethingwhichseemscontradictorytoitsoriginal
nature.Forexamplethewaterusedfortemperingsteelanddrinkingwaterseemsimilar,yetthereisa
differenceinthenatureofthetwo.Thewaterusedtotempersteelliketheremovalofthestiffnessin
coarsestrengthbringsaboutaflexibleresilience.Drinkingwater,ontheotherhand,islimp;itdoes
nothavethisnatureofbringingaboutflexibleresilience.Thereforewhenwerefertocoarsestrength
whichhashaditsstiffnessremovedassoftbutnotlimp,itisbecausesofthasthisflexibleresilience,
whichistosayitincludeswithinittheingredientforenergy.ThisisjustwhatthelateYangChengfu
meantbyTaiChiChuanistheartoflettinghardnessdwellwithinsoftnessandhidinganeedlewithin
cotton.Ifthefactorofenergyisnotpresent,thisislimp.Limpisnotthesamethingassoft.
Afterironhasbeenbeatenthousandsoftimesandrefinedhundredsoftimes,itchangesitsnatureand
becomessteel.Steelisfirminternallyandhighlyreflectiveexternally.Ironbycontrastisnotonlyless
flexiblebutitsexternalappearanceisrough.Coarsestrength,afterundergoingpersistenttrainingfor
manydays,months,andyearscanalsobemadetochangeitsnatureandbecomeenergy(jing).When
energy(jing)ismanifesteditissoft,flexibleandstrongandabletoembodythecoordinatedactivityof
theentirebody.Whencoarsestrengthismanifestedthemovementsarestiffandtheresponseisina
portionofthebodyonly,ratherthanthewholebody.Thetwoareextremelydifferent.
Relaxationandtraining should both beconscious (orpurposive). That is justwhat ourpredecessors
meantbyconsciously(purposely)relaxandunconsciously(unintentionally)createhardness.Ifone
canreallyachieverelaxation(fangsong),itwillbetransmittedintothecombiningofthebodyactivity
with the ten essentials, naturally creating the material conditions so that energy (jing) will arise
accordingtotherequirementsofthemoves.Ifyoutrytocreateenergy(jing)directly,paradoxically
youbecomelimitedbyenergy(jing).Whenwesayuseintentratherthanstrength,themainideais
thatyoushouldnotusecoarsestrengthbutratherenergy(jing).
DEVELOPINGTAICHICHUANGONGFU
ANINTERVIEWWITHGRANDMASTERYANGZHENDUOANDYANGJUN
ByJeremyBlogett
Gongfu refers to the process of ones training the strengthening of the body and the mind, the
learning and the perfection of ones skills rather than to what was being trained. It refers to
excellenceachievedthroughlongpracticeinanyendeavor.[5]Thismeaningcanbetracedtoclassical
writings, especially those of Neo Confucianism, which emphasize the importance of effort in
education. This section is an interview conducted by Jeremy Blogett with Grandmasters Yang
ZhenduoandYangJunondevelopinggongfuinTaiChiChuan.
Whatwaspracticelikeforyouwhenyouwereyoung?
My family is an old and wellknown family. Several generations have taught Tai Chi Chuan as a
profession and to make a living. After the liberation of China in 1949, the National Sports Ministry
attachedimportancetothepracticeofTaiChiChuan.ForYangJunandI,regardingthisaspect,wefeel
veryhonoredandfeelasenseofresponsibility.Formanypersonalreasons,Ihadtodevelopgongfu.
Thedevelopmentofgongfuisnotaneasything,itisverydifficulttodevelop.Oneaspectistopractice,
and another aspect is to improve in the understanding of theory. Objectively and subjectively both
require hard work. Past generations of youth had a certain foundation. When we practiced Tai Chi
Chuan, we got up before dawn, at 4 or 5 a.m. Not only did we practice Tai Chi Chuan, but we also
taught. There was no free time the whole day, not until evening when we couldnt move anymore.
Whilewewerepracticingthough,itwasverycomfortable.Doingtheformonetimecommonlytakes
about25minutesnow.Inthepast,wetook45minutestodotheform,doingtheformthreetimesina
roweachsession.Thetransitionaltimebetweenmoveswaslonger,thepostureswerelower,andthe
moveswereslower.Itwasverystrenuous,eventothepointthatsquattingonthetoiletandclimbing
outofbedwerenotpossible.Weactuallyhadtorolloutofbed.Itwasveryarduous.Butnowitisnot
likepastgenerationsandthaterahaspassed.Objectivelyspeaking,duringthattimetheyhadmore
actual combat experience. There were push hands, twoperson freestyle fighting and individual
practice,thus providing many practice and combat opportunities.For example in push hands, Iand
several students who would get up before dawn to go practice, really working at developing some
gongfu.Now,theopportunitiesarerelativelyless.Afterall,nowisdifferentthanthepasterawhenthe
emphasiswasplacedonfighting.
Manypractitionersareinterestedinpushhands,butdonotrealizethatthestaffisusedtohelp
develop in this area. Can you talk more about the how to practice with the staff, and what it
accomplishes?
TaiChiusesawhitewaxwoodstafftodeveloparmstrengthandwholebodycoordination.Inthepast
thespearwasused,butnowthestaffissubstituted.InthewholeseriesofTaiChiChuanpractice,push
hands is begun after one has learned the hand form. Push hands emphasizes pushing; it doesnt
emphasize striking. In the free form hand techniques of freestyle fighting, the stress is on striking.
Pushhandsismorecivilized.Inpushhandsyoumusthaveacertainamountofarmstrength.Ifyou
cannotpush,thenyouarenotabletousefourouncestodeflectonethousandpounds,affectingthe
opponentandleadinghimintoemptiness.Althoughitisnotentirelythateasy,thepointisthatyour
body does need to have some strength. Practicing with the special vibrating staff will be a big help
laterbecauseitcanincreasearmstrengthandgreatlybenefityourwholebodycoordination.External
martialartsworkonthebodyfromtheoutsidein,whileinternalmartialartsworkonthebodyfrom
the inside out. Both goals are the same. In Tai Chi Chuan, mutual consideration is given to both
internalenergyandthebuildingofarobustandstrongphysique.Theinternalandexternalareboth
developed.Todevelopthelimbs,oneformofpracticeisdrillingtheindividualpostures.Anotherform
ofpracticeistousethewhitewaxwoodstaff,tohelpyoubecomestronger.Fajin,thespontaneous
emissionofforce,doesnotjustconcerntheexternal.Youalsohavetohavetheinternal,coordinating
the energy from the dantien with the energy from the limbs. The internal and external must be

combined. It shouldnt be just strengthening the arms when practicing the staff. Otherwise, it is the
same as external martial arts. You also need to have the internal aspects. The external shape of the
limbs needs to be practiced, but you also need to pay attention to working on this idea of mutual
development.
WhataresomeoftheinternalaspectsofTaiChiChuan?
TheSanyademonstrationhadexpertcommentary,whichspecificallytalkedaboutdisposition.This
isbecausethepracticeofmartialartsrefersnotonlytotheexternalappearances,butalsotheinternal
aspectsofjing,qi,andshen.Cantheinternalbeoutwardlyexpressed?Cantheexpressioncomeout?If
you only practice external martial arts some aspects are not enough. Generally speaking the jing is
prenatalenergyorvigor,qiisthevitalenergyconnectedwiththeblood,andshenisthementaland
spiritual energy. These three all have a definite relationship. Because of this, performing the
movements can be extremely beautiful and spirited. When practicing Tai Chi Chuan one should be
glowingwithhealth,gracefulandnatural.WhenIwasworkingattheMineralBureau,Iparticipatedin
an amateur opera group where I gained some experience singing Beijing Opera. Beijing Opera and
martialartsarethesameinthatbothmustexpressthejing,qi,andshentodothemwell.
Forpractitionerswhodesiretobeginteaching,whatrecommendationsdoyouhave?
ThereisaChinesesayingthatateachermustserveasarolemodelofvirtueandlearning,thusbeing
worthyofthetitleofteacher.First,theteachermustsetanexample.Then,thepersonmustworkon
perfectinghimselforherself.Buttheteachermustbegenuineandtreatstudentswithsincerity.My
sincerity allows me to receive others trust. This is most important. Regardless of whether you are
fromChinaorabroad,ifIteachyouIwillteachyouveryconscientiously.Whatwearereallytalking
aboutisthecharacteroftheteacher.WeChineseplaceparticularemphasisonmorals,andnotonlyin
thepracticeofmartialarts.Inyoursocialconduct,youshouldpresentyourselfasamodelbecausenot
only do students study martial arts from you, but they also study your conduct. Be an honorable
personandafairmindedperson.InthestudyofTaiChiChuanyoushouldbemodest.ChairmanMao
said,Modestyletspeopleadvance.Youshouldbesincerewithpeopleandshouldunassuminglystudy
fromothers.Inthiswayifyouaretobeateacher,youmustfirstbearolemodel.Ifyoudonthave
thesequalities,thenyouarenotasincereteacher.
When you demonstrated at the competition in Taiyuan this summer it was the first time for
manypeopletoseethenewshortform.Whatledyoutocreatethisform?
ManypeoplewanttopracticeTaiChiChuanbutwhentheyseehowlongtheformistheyfeelitistoo
difficult. Han Hoong Wang, YCF Center Director of Troy, Michigan once told me that many of her
students could not practice the form because it was too long and too difficult for them. In order to
makeitsuitableformorepeopletopracticeTaiChi,andtorecruitmorestudents,IcreatedtheYang
Family Thirteen Posture Tai Chi Chuan Form. Other Tai Chi styles had already created a thirteen
postureformbutthisdidnothappenwithYangstyleTaiChibecausepeoplehadpreviouslydeclined
tocreateashortform.Consistingofjustthirteenmoves,itisverysimple.Inthisthirteenpostureform
there are no standingononeleg moves, and no low stances. Thus it is simpler for the elderly. In
addition, the form is very short; in one or two minutes it is finished. Therefore the form is quite
convenientforevenmorepeopletoparticipateinthepracticeofTaiChibecauseitismoresuitable
andeasiertoacceptforbeginners,especiallypeopleofmoreadvancedage.Thisisthesequenceofthe
form: Opening, Cloud Hands, Single Whip, Fist Under Elbow, White Crane Spreads Its Wings, Brush
KneePush,HandsStrumtheLute,HighPatonHorse,ThrustPalm,ChopwithFist,StepForwardParry
BlockandPunch,GraspBirdsTail,andCrossHands.RecentlywhenIwasinBeijing,thedirectorofa
Chinese martial arts magazine invited me to begin arranging another thirteenposture form for the
sword.Manypeopleliketopracticewiththesword,butbecausetheirageistoogreatandtheformis
toolongtheycannotrememberit.
WhenonebeginstolearnTaiChiChuan,whatarethegeneralstagesofpractice?
RegardingtheteachingofTaiChiChuantoanewstudent,wegenerallysaythatthetrainingisdivided
intothreesteps.Thefirststepisapproximatepractice.Thesecondstepisdetailedpractice.Thethird

step is refined practice. In the first step the student is to roughly get the form down with the main
purpose being to just become familiar with the form. In the beginning, the student does not quite
understandtheprinciples.Later,withthepassingoftime,thestudenthasabasicunderstandingand
isclearerabouttheprinciplesandcanthenconnectthemovementstogether.Thenonthisfoundation,
the student can enter the second step and go back and add again the Ten Essential Principles and
practicetothesehigherstandards.Thefinalstepisforthestudenttogobackandrefineeverything.
The foundation for a beginner is fairly weak and if the beginning requirements are too strict, the
studentcannotreachthegoal.Thedevelopmentofgongfurequiresaprocessoftime.TopracticeTai
Chiwelldoesnotjustrequireunderstanding.InthiswaythepracticeofTaiChiisnotquitethesame
as other things. It requires putting it into practice, doing it, and succeeding at doing it. But this
puttingintopracticeisdifferentforeachperson.Somepeoplearebetteratimitating,andreceivethe
training faster with less time required. Some people are less good at imitating and require a
correspondinglylongerperiodoftime.Becauseitvarieswitheachindividual,teachersmustsuitthe
instruction to each student. Generally speaking, one must follow the principles of the above three
trainingsteps.Trainingforbeginningstudentsareeasierforthosewhohaveanopportunitytospeak
toateacherortomoreablestudents.Forthosethatdonothavethisopportunityitismoredifficult
forthesestudents.Forexample,ifastudentiscorrectedonetimeforamovementanddonothavethe
followupsupportofateacherormoreablestudent,thatstudentmightreturntohisorherincorrect
way of practicing that movement. This is somewhat more troublesome. So in talking about the
practiceofTaiChi,whatreallyisrequiredisanabilitytounderstand.
Youmentionedthatgongfurequiresaprocessoftime.Whatisthemeaningofgongfu?
The simplest explanation is that the practice of gongfu, or just gongfu, includes both strength and
skill training. Through practice strength is increased. The other component of gongfu is skill. Just
knowingsomethingwillnotproduceskill;youmustputitintopractice.Regardlessofwhichmartial
artyoupractice,whetheritisLongFistforexampleoraninternalmartialart,youmusthaveskilland
youmusthavestrength.Lookingbackatthepast,alongtimeago,thepracticeofgongfuwasnotthe
sameasitisnow.Inthepastemphasiswasplacedonrigoroustraining.Now,thatkindoftrainingis
not very suitable for peoples physical health, as excessive fatigue can injure the body. In addition,
somepeoplepracticehardinaninappropriateway,andthensometimelater,ormaybenotuntilold
age, problems arise. So now, following the development of society, a more scientific approach to
practiceisadvocatedwithemphasisplacedonthepracticetechnique.But,inlookingatgongfu,you
stilldoneedtotrainhard.Tojusttalkaboutitandnotactuallyworkhardwontsuffice.Ingeneral,
practicecanbefortwotypesofgoals.Thefirstaimistoimprovehealthandcurediseaseorillness.
Practicingtheform,especiallywhendonetoourstandards,allowsonetoachievetheresultsofcuring
illnessandimprovinghealth.Howeverifyouareinterested,youmightaswellexplorethenextstep
and put some effort towards developing gongfu. Only if you are truly interested can you then have
confidenceinyourpractice.Ifyouareforcedtodosomethingyouwillnotdowellatit.Todevelop
gongfu you cant be afraid of working hard and you must have many other elements as well. It
requires the ability to recognize and distinguish, as well as good comprehension. Aside from these,
one must also have agility and the movements must have strength. The presence of all of these
conditions will allow the practitioner to develop gongfu. But everyone is different in his or her
practice. Some are a little faster, requiring just a few years to establish a good foundation. Some
requirealittlemoretime.Itreallyvarieswitheachindividual.
Given that Tai Chi was founded on the basis of Chinese culture, do you think that in general,
nonChineselearnitmoreslowly?
Ithinkthatthisisnotabsolute.BecauseChineseareraisedinEasternculture,theircircumstancesare
abitbetterwhenlearningTaiChi.AnanalogycanbemadetoChinesestudyingmodernscienceand
technology:ifWesternersareleadersinthefieldofscienceitdoesnotnecessarilymeanthatChinese
cannotbeontheforefrontaswell.IngeneralAsians,andespeciallyChinese,areabletoeatbitteror
endure hardships and work hard. The practice of gongfu is different than eating things but the
comparisonisuseful.Flavorful,goodsmellingdishesareeasytoaccept.PracticingTaiChihoweveris
moreconcernedwitheatingbitter.Atpresent,manypeoplepracticeTaiChiinordertostrengthen

the body and improve health, and for these people it doesnt really matter. But, if you look at the
practiceofgongfu,Chinesearebetterabletoeatbitter.
Besides the martial arts and health aspects of Tai Chi, what other benefits are there to
practicing?
Most people practice just to improve health and cure illness, but the practice of Tai Chi Chuan is a
multipurpose activity and there are other benefits beside these. Because emphasis is placed on
makingitlookgood,itprovidesaestheticenjoyment.Itcanalsomoldonescharacterandserveasa
cultural bridge between different peoples. It emphasizes sinking qi down to the dantian, and
combiningquiescenceandmovement.TaiChiChuanhasevolvedintoamultipurposeactivityandnot
justsimplyamartialartconcerningattackanddefense.
LOOSENINGANDSINKING,OPENINGANDEXTENDING
FANGSONGANDFANGKAITHETAICHIPARADIGM
ByDaveBarrett
ThissectionwillexaminetwokeytechniquesofYangFamilyTaiChiChuan;fangsong,theactionof
loosening and sinking and fang kai, the action of opening and extending. At first glance these
importantelementsofpracticeseemcontradictory.Howcanonerelaxthebodyandatthesametime
elongatethepostures?Ifoneistoorelaxed,theposeslackstrengthandifoneistooextendedtheform
becomestiffanddisconnected.
Resolvingthesecontradictionsthroughtheintegrationofoppositeforcesistheessentialactivitythat
makesTaiChiChuanauniquesystemofselfenrichmentanddiscovery.Byconcentratingonbalancing
andcombiningfangsongandfangkaiwecanachievetherelaxedyetresilientfeelingofstrengthand
theexpansiveyetconnectedposturesthatcharacterizeTraditionalYangFamilyTaiChiChuan.
ConsiderthisdefinitionofTaiChi:thedynamicallybalancedexpressionofoppositionalenergies.The
familiar yinyang symbol is the graphic representation of this core concept. The theories of Tai Chi
Chuan are complex and sometimes difficult to understand, but if we can keep this model clearly in
minditbecomeseasiertointegratepracticeandprinciple.
FANGSONG
Professor Cheng ManChing once remarked, Every day Master Yang Chengfu instructed me saying
song,song!Orsometimeshewouldsay,Youarenotsong;youarenotsong!Emphasizinghispoint
most strongly he would say, You must be completely song. He could not have repeatedthis fewer
than several thousand times. The importance of song is well documented and yet still remains a
difficultconcepttorenderintoEnglish.IntheEnglishlanguagethereisnoequivalenttotheChinese
character, song, which means relaxed and not using brute force,and more importantly, stretching
andlooseningallthemusclesandjointsinthebody.
Ifonereliesonthewordrelaxtointerpretsong,importantelementsofthetechniqueareleftout.
Songisnormallytranslatedas,torelax,butinEnglishthemeaningofrelaxhastoomuchoftheidea
ofcollapse.Songontheotherhandimpliesaveryhighlevelofalertness,sensitivity,andnimbleness
withaninordinatemindfulnessfortheconservationofenergy.
Inpracticaltermshowdoesonemakeuseofsuchanelusiveconcept?
Songrequiresthereleaseofallthesinewsinthebodywithouttheslightesttension.Whenweareable
tocompletelysongthisissinking.Whenthesinewsrelease,thenthebodywhichtheyholdtogetheris
abletosinkdown.
YangZhenduodescribestheprocessastwofold:
Totalkaboutthewordsong,ortobeloose,isimportantbecausethereisalotofmisunderstanding
abouttheword.Whenyoutalkaboutbeingloose,orsong,therearetwopartsaboutwhichtheperson
shouldthink.Oneismentallyandoneisphysically.
Mentally,itistobetotallyrelaxedandconcentrateonyourmotionsandyourmovements.Bydoing
that,yougetridofalltheotherthoughtsinyourmindandthenyoubecomefullyconcentrated.That
part,mostpeoplecando.
Theotherpartisthephysicalsong,beingphysicallyloosened.Mostpeoplemisunderstandthis.When
theytalkaboutbeingloose,theythinkitissoftness.Iftheydoitassoftastheycan,themusclesand
everythingbecomepowerless.ThatisthebiggesterrorapersoncanmakeinpracticingTaiChiChuan.
InpracticingTaiChiChuanthereisacontradiction:theoutsidelookssoftbutinsideisstrongandthey
are the opposite of each other. When talking about song physically, you should loosen your bones,
joints and tendons and make them long and outwardly extended. Stretch them out. That type of
loosenesswillcreateenergy.Ontheoutsidethepersonappearstobeverysoftbutontheinsidethe
personistotallytheopposite:hardassteel.Thatisthemeaningofsonginpractice.
LookingatpeoplehereinAmericabutalsolookingatpeoplearoundtheworld,thebiggestmistake
peoplemakeisnotunderstandingsongcorrectly.
FangsongisacrucialelementofTaiChipracticebutitshouldnotbecomethesolepreoccupationof
theTaiChienthusiast.

TostaylooseisoneofthemostimportanttoolsinthepracticeofTaiChiChuan.Itisatechniquebut
notthefinalgoal.Some,whoarenotquiteclearonthispoint,whentheypractice,becomesoft.The
correct practice is to be soft with resilience. The softness is not the kind that collapses or becomes
softnesswithinsoftness.Fangsongisresilient,themusclesbecomeresilient.
How does one avoid the mistakes of excessive looseness and softness withinsoftness? By usingthe
complementarytechniqueoffangkaitoextendwithintherelaxationprocess,totempertheelements
ofrelaxingandsinkingwiththoseofelongatingandopening.
FANGKAI
SeveralyearsagoataseminarinSanAntonio,TexasYangLaoshiofferedthisfascinatingmetaphorfor
fangkai,theactionofopeningandextending.Sayyouhavealengthofchainlyinginajumbleonthe
floor.Youpickuponeendandwhipitupoveryourhead.HereYangLaoshimadeasweepingcircular
motion of his arm upwards. At a certain point all the links in the chain will become extended in a
smoothcurve,eachseparatingandyetremainingapartofchain.
If we apply this image to the action of opening and extending the body there are several important
elements to describe. First the motion of the waist generates the action of opening centrifugally
outwards. Rather than pushing the frame open using muscular strength, the postures are naturally
pulled open. Secondly the correct sequenceof extending should proceed in acircular pattern, using
thecurveoftheformsmotiontoestablishanextendedposition.
DuringhisteachingYangLaoshiillustratesthisusingthefollowingsequence,Feelthefingerspulling
thepalm,thepalmpullingthewrist,thewristpullingtheforearm,theforearmpullingtheelbows,the
elbows pulling the shoulders, the shoulders dropping and rounding the back. In this way the open
and extended postures that characterize Traditional Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan remain connected
together,notpushedapart.
The challenge is to use kinetic force rather than muscular strength to arrive at the correct end
position.Inordertofeeltheopeningofthejoints,sinewsandtendonsonemustusearefinedtypeof
force,characterizedbyadynamicallybalancedintegrationofsongandkai.
COMBININGSONGANDKAI
Thephrase,songkaiisusedcommonlyinChinesetodescribeanactionthatrepresentsarelaxingor
expandingsituation.Forexampleifyouholdyourfistverytightlyandthenopenthepalm,youcould
saysongkai.Iftheskywasovercastandsuddenlyclearedtorevealthesceneryorperhapsyouwere
inthemidstofperformingWhiteCraneSpreadsItsWingsyoucouldsaytoyourselfsongkai.
The actions of the Tai Chi sequence can be understood as the continual cycling of loosening and
extendingandthenlooseningagainoverandover.Whentheendpositionofeachformisexpressed
there is an exquisite moment when song kai comes into its complete fulfillment: a dynamically
balancedexpressionofresilient,tensilebodysensationthathasjusttherightblendofrelaxationand
energeticextension.
Consider song and kai as the oppositional elements of the Tai Chi symbol. Within each there is the
smallexpressionoftheother.Asyouperformmotionsthatopenandextend,canyoufeellooseand
relaxed?Asyousink,canyoufeelexpansive?Intheendpositionscanyoufullyutilizeeachtechnique
tobalanceandrefineyourposture?
At the beginning it may be just the briefest moment that you feel the balance of song kai. My first
teacherusedtoencourageussaying,Catchthefeeling!Thengradually,daybyday,thesensationof
balance expands to other motions and postures until your whole practice becomes a marvelous
expressionofTaiChi.
TRAININGASEQUENCEEFFICIENTLY
ByMichaelVasicek
RecentlyIwasaskedtowriteanarticle.Tobeabsolutelyhonest,myfirstthoughtwas,whatcouldI
possiblywriteaboutthatwouldinterestanyoneorthatwouldntbeselfobvioustoanyonewhohas
trainedmartialartsforafewyears.AnotherfactorwastherealizationthatthelongerItrain,themore
IfindthatthingsIbelievedtobetrueortherightwayearlierinmymartialartscareerturnedoutto
beeithercompletelyfalseoratleastnotastrueasIfirstthought.Howeverhavingpromisedtowrite
an articleIhad to write about something,and so I decided to write about somethingthat may help
peoplethatareintheearlystagesoftheirmartialartstrainingsequencetraining.
Iknowthatthereisalongandzealousdiscussioninthemartialartsworldaboutwhetheritisuseful
orimportanttotrainsequences,butsincethisisanarticleforYMAAandsequencesarealargepartof
ourShaolinkungfucurriculum,itisagiventhattheyareimportanttous.
OvertheyearsIhaveseenmanypeopletrainmanytimesaweekonregularbasis,yetmakeverylittle
progress in their martial arts ability. They spend a lot of time practicing their sequences, yet after
many months of practicing their sequences they have made very little progress. I believe that the
problemisinhowtheyapproachsequencetraining.
Theylookatitasiftheyhavetotrainthesequences.Thereareusuallyseveralreasonswhytheyfeel
thattheyhavetodothesequencetrainingandthereasonssplitthepeopleintotwocategories.Ones
thathavesomeoutsidepressureforcingthemtoattendYMAAclassesbeitparentsforthechildren,
orNewYears/Exercise/Healthresolutionsfortheadults.Theypracticetheirsequencesbecausethat
is what is required of them by their teachers. These people will not make it far until they start
wanting/needingtogetbetteratkungfu,andsoIwillnotdiscussthemanyfurther.
Theothergroupispeoplewhowanttogetbetteratkungfu,butseesequencesassomethingbywhich
theyaremeasuredbeitbytheirpeersorbeitforobtainingtheirnextstripe.Theybasicallyoperate
onthebeliefthatiftheydothesequenceslongenough,thesequenceswillstarttolookgood.Thisthen
causes them to train the sequences essentially forever, since improvement will come very slowly.
When I watch these people do their sequences they do put some effort into the sequence, but the
effortismoreakintoletmebefinishedwiththis,ortheirmindisonthenextmove.Theynevertryto
concentrateonthecurrentmoveandtrytodoitfulloutmeaningwithspeedandpower.Speedand
power are an important part of any fight. I have heard Master Yang say many times that in a fight
Speedcarriesthemostweightintermsoftheoutcomeofthefight(ifoneismarkedlyfasterthenthe
opponent,thenonecanstriketheopponentatwill,withoutbeingstruckhimself).Powerisnext,and
finallyinthirdplacecomestechnique(withtechniqueonecanmakeupforsomedeficiencyinspeed
and power, but usually it takes a huge amount of skill and technique to make up for a fairly small
amountofspeedandpowerdeficiency).
The interesting part is that oftentimes these individuals when training basic punching and kicking,
willputeverythingtheyhaveintotheirstrikesandkicks,butwhenitcomestosequences,forsome
reasontheystrikeandkickatabout80%oftheircapabilities.Mostlikelytheirmindispreoccupied
withthesequence,oriftheyhavedonethesequenceforalongtimetheyjustspaceoutandwakeup
attheend.
Both may be acceptable under some circumstances. The first will be true for some time after the
sequenceislearned,butduringthattimethesequenceshouldalsobeactivelytrainedinsmallpieces
so that the student can concentrate on the individual moves without having to think about what
comes next. That way one can start developing speed and power in the individual techniques
containedinthesequence.Thespaceoutversionisreallyonlyacceptablewhendemonstratingthe
sequenceinfrontofothers.Atthatpointyouarenottryingtoimproveonitbecauseindoingsoyou
maymakeamistake,butinsteadyouarejustshowingwhatisinyourmusclememory,whichinturn
showshowandhowmuchyouhavepracticedyoursequence.
Finallytherearealsopeoplethatjustcantwaittobefinishedwiththeirsequence,sothattheycan
check it off on their mental list of things that they should review that day. This is the worst way to
practice,becausenotmuchisgainedbesidesjustrememberingthesequencebetter,butbythispoint
theyknowthesequenceverywellanyway.Thesepeoplewouldbebetterservedspendingtheirtime

practicingsomethingelse,sincedoingtheirsequencesinthismannerwillgainthemverylittlefora
largeamountoftimeinvested.
Alloftheabovewaysarewrongwhentrainingsequencesforimprovementofmartialartscapability.I
believe that one should approach sequence training as a way of training basic kicking and striking
whilemoving.Basickickingandstrikingareimportantfordevelopingspeedandpower,butarenot
adequatebythemselvessincetheydonottrainmartialapplication.Forfighting,havingstrikeswith
speed and power is useless unless they can be performed while advancing, retreating and dodging.
Becauseafightisneverastaticsituation,onemustlearntomanifestspeedandpowerintheirstrikes
andkickswhilemovinginasituationdependantmanner.
TheLongFistsequencescontainLongFistfightingstrategy,andifonewantstousethisstrategyina
fight,thenonehastobeabletoperformthemovementsoptimally.Allofthesequences(thatIknow)
simulate various fighting scenarios; usually one move defends and the following moves involve a
counterattack.Asyoucanimagineitwouldbeveryusefultobeabletoperformbothwithmaximum
speedandpowerinarealfight.
In White Crane training many if not most sequences are used for jing pattern training, where
essentiallythesequencereplacesbasicstatickickingandstrikingtraining.
So if you want to make progress in your martial arts training you have to approach your sequence
trainingnotasifyouweretrainingasequence,butratherasifyouweretrainingsetsofmovesover
andover,makingthemalittlebitbettereachtime,inthesamewayaswhentrainingbasickickingand
striking.Itwouldprobablynotbewrongtosaythatifoneknowsenoughsequences,oneshouldbe
abletofullyreplacehisorherbasickickingandstrikingtrainingwithsequencetraining.Thiswould
be better use of ones time since one would not be spending time training just static kicking and
striking and thenspending more time training footwork and moving. However as I havesaid atthe
beginning of this article, my opinions about various aspects of the martial arts have been wrong
before,soIwillrefrainfrommakinganysweepingstatements.
HOWTOPRACTICETAICHIFOR
SUBSTANTIALIMPROVEMENTS
ByChenZhenglei
Inrecentyears,onmytoursinChinaandabroad,thequestionIwasmostaskedbybothChineseand
nonChinese students is: How to practice taichi for substantial improvements? I will share my
understandinginthenextfewpoints.Isincerelyhopeforcommentsandcorrectionfromothertaichi
teachers.Likedoinganythingelse,inordertounderstandhowtopracticetaichiwell,itisparamount
to understand what taichi is. It is an important prerequisite to understand taichi from all aspects.
Without a clear understanding, it is difficult to imagine that one can gain any substantial
improvements.
Taichi was created by Chen Wangting, a ninth generation descendant of the Chens Family in Wen
County Henan Province. Based on the family style boxing systems and by absorbing essence from
other boxing systems, combining techniques of ancient energy systems such as Daoyin (internal
energy manipulation) and Tuna (breathing exercises) as well as adopting theories from Yijing (The
Book of Change) and the meridian doctrine of Chinese medicine, he created a boxing system that
focuses on both the internal and the external training. The postures and moves are designed and
structuredaccordingtobiologicalprinciplesaswellastothelawsofnature.Themaincharacteristics
arecontinuousmotionswithouthitches;interlacedfastandslowmotions;incorporatedhardandsoft
strengths; and relaxed, flexible, elastic and sometimes jerking moves. Taichi as a training system is
supportedbyasetofmatureandproventheoriesthroughoutthecompletetrainingprocesses.Wecan
alsolookattaichiasahugeengineeringsystemandthetrainingtoachievesubstantialhighlevelis
definitelynoeasytask.BasedonteachingsfromtheancestorsandwhatIveexperiencethroughout
yearsoftraining,Isummarizedthefollowingtrainingprinciples:
THREEDOSANDTHREEDONTS
Dotrainfortheoryverification,donttrainforrawpower
Dotrainforfundamentalroots,donttrainforexternalpresentations;
Dotrainforsubstantiatedabilities,donttrainforapplicationtricks.
Dotrainfortheoryverification,donttrainforrawpower
Theory consists of philosophical foundations and basic principles about taichi. Practicing taichi is
theprocessapplyingtheultimateDaotheprincipleshowYangdevelopsfullytogenerateYinand
Yin develops fully to generate Yang in the process of taichi yin and yang exchanges. Taichi practice
requiresthepractitionertoimplyhardnessinsoftnessandsoftnessinhardnessaswellastoensure
intersupportiveness between hardness and softness. One also must understand the interchange
between emptiness and solidness. Emptiness when developed fully will generate solidness; and
solidnesswhendevelopedfullywillgenerateemptiness.Practicingwithmentalconcentrationusing
themindtoguidetheqiandtheqitoguidethebodyintotalmindqibodyunity,oneshouldaimto
achieve completeness in motion, wholeness in synchronization and high level internal and external
coordination. Follow the requirements closely and aim to move naturally. Exercise great patience
without haste. Training for raw power can result in great increaseof power in isolated parts of the
body. This type of power is often clumsy and stiff, lacking thenecessary smoothness and flexibility.
Taichipractitionersdonotaimtoacquirerawpower.
Dotrainforfundamentalroots,donttrainforexternalpresentations
Fundamental Roots refer to the original core (the original qi of the kidneys) and the base of the
body.Thekidneyshousetheoriginalyinandyangenergy.Itistheprenatalsourceofenergyandthe
rootforpostnatalenergy.Ifthekidneysarefullysustainedwithqi,allotherorganswillhaveabetter
chance to be well sustained as well. Consequently, the liver, heart, spleen, lungs and kidneys all
function the way they should. The practitioner will then have high spirit, ample physical strength,

swift reactivity and better overall coordination. The abundance of internal qi is the first part of the
fundamentalroots.Thesecondpartoffundamentalrootsreferstothesolidbaseofonespostures.In
taichipractice,onthebasisofoverallrelaxation,accumulatetheqiintoDantiananddescendtheqi
further into Yongquan, so that the top portion is nimble, the middle section is agile and the base is
solidlikerootsinsoil.ExternalPresentationsrefertotrainingmainlyforpowerandtoughnessof
isolatedareasofthebody.Taichiisaninternalsystemwithboththeinternalandexternalelements.
Themainfocusshouldbeonnurturingtheinternalenergynourishingtherootsandsustainingthe
source. When the roots are nourished, branches and leaves flourish; when the source is sustained,
theriverrunslong.
Dotrainforsubstantiatedabilities,donttrainforapplicationtricks.
Substantiated abilities are overall martial skills acquired as general mental and physical abilities;
whileapplicationtricksareoffensiveanddefensiveapplicationtechniquesofindividualmoves.Ifthe
practitioneronlyfocusesonapplicationtechniquetoexplainandunderstandtaichi,he/shewillnever
gettothetrueessenceoftaichi.Highleveltaichitrainingmustincludecertainphases:gainingroutine
proficiency, correcting postures and moves and softening stiffness. As a result, the whole body is
synchronized,theinternalandexternalarecoordinated,theinternalqiisfilledfullyandsubstantiated
abilitiesaregainedonthebody.Taichiasamartialartstrainingsystemfocusesmainlyontrainingthe
selfoverallabilities.Itpromotesskillstoreacttotheopponentsattacksandselflesslyfollowingthe
opponents moves according to ever changing situations instead of limiting to applications of
individualmoves.Whentheinternalqiisfull,thewholebodyislikeawellinflatedballoon.Itreactsto
whereverisincontact.Whereverisincontact,itcanbeusedtoattack.Astheteachinggoes:When
accomplished,onerespondsautomaticallytoattacks;noneedtoponderasthebodyreactsnaturally.
ESTABLISHFIVEMINDSETS
Thefivemindsetsare:
Respect
Faith
Determination
Perseverance
Patience
Respect
Cultivate high level ethics and morality. Respect your teachers. Renowned taichi master Chen Xin
pointedoutinhisIllustratedChensTaichithat:Taichicannotbelearnedwithoutrespect.Without
respect,onewouldneglecthis/herteachersandfriendsandaswellashis/herownbody.Whenthe
heartisnotcontained,howcanonesettledowntolearnanything?
Faith
Faithconsistsoftwoaspects.Firstly,itisconfidence,believingthatonecansucceedintaichipractice.
Confidenceisthesourceofselfmotivation.Secondly,itistrust,believingintaichiandtheteacher;so
that one will settle down whole heartedly with determination. Without trust, one will end up
switchingfromsystemtosystemandteachertoteacheronadailybasisjustliketheoldsayinggoes:
servingQinatdawnandChubydusk.
Determination
Learning taichi requires determination. As Mencius said: the mind is the commander of internal
energy. Only when one is determined, he/she will not be influenced by external interference. Only
withdetermination,onecancarryontothefinaldestination.
Perseverance
Thismeansbeingpersistentintaichipracticeoveralongperiodoftime.Itcanbeyearsordecades
without slacking. Practicing by fits and starts or quitting with little achievements are bad habits to
affectperseverance.GrandMasterChenFake,17thChensfamilydescendent,practicedhisroutines

thirty times a day for decades without slacking. His taichi achievement was paramount and he was
consideredthebestatthetime.Thatshowperseveranceatwork.
Patience
When all the above four mindsets are set, youll also need patience to achieve high level in taichi
practice.Ontheonehand,taichipracticerequiresthepractitionertorelaxinpostures,softenthebody
andslowdownthemoves.Withoutthecorrectunderstandingandmentalpreparation,itisimpossible
to relax and be patiently at ease. When one becomes impatient in taichi practice, its like driving at
highspeedheadingtheoppositedirection.Ontheotherhand,taichipracticingisalongprocessfor
boththemindandthebodyandshouldnotberushed.Tryovercomeirritationandboredom.Keepa
peacefulmind.Followtherulesandrequirements.Nurturethegrandandmajesticqiintheprocessof
routinepracticetoacquiregraduatesubtlechangeofthemind andbody.Whenthewatercomes,it
willnaturallyformanaqueduct.
THREEESSENTIALFACTORS
Thethreeessentialfactorsare:
AQualifiedTeacher
InnateTalent
UntiringDiligence
AQualifiedTeacher
Themostimportantfactortoachievehighleveltaichiisaqualifiedteacher.Asourancestorssaid:A
teacher is someone who passes on principles, teaches skills and clears up confusions. Be it for
academicsormartialarts,especiallyfortaichipractice,thefunctionofateacheristhepredetermining
condition.Sofar,thereisnoprecedentofanachievedtaichipractitionerwhohasdoneitwithouta
teacher. However, one can practice taichi without a teacher for recreation purposes. In order to
achievehighlevelintaichi,onemustfindawiseteacherwhohasahighmoralandethicalstandard,
technicallyskillful,learnedintheoriesandknowshowtoteach.Awiseteachercanleadthestudents
ontotherightpathsoastoavoiddetoursandachievetwicetheeffectwithhalfthework.Withouta
wiseteacher,onemightneverreachthetempleoftaichioncehe/sheisheadingthewrongdirection.
InnateTalent
Innatetalentisthekeyfactorforhighleveltaichiachievements,especiallyforthosewhowishtobe
established.Theymusthavetheinnategift,greatdeductivereasoningandlearningability,quickmind
as well as the ability to expand their understandings. Besides the guidance of a wise teacher, the
subtletyoftaichimustalsobeexperienceandponderedfirsthand.Itcanonlybetaughtintuitively,not
becausetheteacherisholdingback,butitistrulyindescribable.Itisonlythosewhohavetheinnate
talentwithgreatabilitytocomprehendwhocantrulyunderstandthetrueessenceoftaichiandreach
to higher level. For others, despite of a wise teacher and self diligence, will still have a hard time
understanding the true essence and will only reach limited achievements. It is just as in academic
studies, people have the same teachers and all try with similar efforts, but the result can be quite
different.Thedifferenceisintheinnatetalent.
UntiringDiligence
Diligence is the deciding factor for taichi practicing. To be successful, one must also work with
untiring diligence besides the innate talent and teaching of a wise teacher. As it was stated in the
ancestors teaching: Only understanding and knowing the right methods is still not enough. It
requires daily untiring diligence. Keep moving forward without stopping day in and day out. Thats
how one can reach the destination eventually. Dont expect miracles and there is no shortcut. The
only path to high level taichi is untiring diligence. Kungfu is acquired through practice and only
untiringdiligentpracticewillensuresubstantiatedkungfuonthebody.Undertheguidanceofawise
teacher and by following the rules and requirements, one must exercise persistent effort to
accumulate and nurture theinternal kungfuin order torealize qualitative change through graduate
quantitative change. Real comprehension is built on hard work. Enlightenment is triggered after a

long process of accumulation. Instant enlightenment of the subtlety of taichi comes from persistent
diligence. If one relies only on wits and cleverness and despises hard work, he/she will never
understandtherealessenceoftaichiandwillalwaysbewonderingoutsideoftempleoftaichi.
Of course nothing is absolute. What I mentioned about is not cast in stone. Those factors have
changing effects on each other. One strong element can improve other elements. For example, with
correctunderstandingofthenatureoftaichi,ithelpsonetoestablishtherightmindset.Somepeople
may lack innate talent, but hard work can be supplementary to talent. Persistent untiring diligence
goesalongwayinthepursuitoftruetaichiessence.Ihopethisarticlecanprovidesomeclarityinthe
mindsofsometaichienthusiastsregardingtaichipractice.
SUCCESSINTAICHI
ByDaveWest
All religions, races and creeds may practise Tai Chi Chuan. It is not necessary to argue the folklore
origins of these ancient Chinese techniques. Those who can comprehend the great Laws of the
UniverseknowthatTaiChiistheperfectionofphilosophyinpractice,andthereforetakesitsrightful
place in the Divine Science of Life. God does not compel or induce us to practise Tai Chi Chuan. He
exertsnoeffortonourbehalf.WearefreetopractiseTaiChi,ornottopractiseTaiChi,aswewish.
Successdependsentirelyonourownefforts.SuccessinTaiChiChuanispurifyingthemindandbody,
releasing vast resources of spiritual energy, being mindful of every thought, speech and action, and
beinginthepresentmomentwithlove,wisdomandcompassion.Therewillbesuccessandjoyinlife,
overflowing with positive thinking and humour, consciously making positive changes and virtuous
choices in thought, speech, effort, livelihood and behaviour, and living a more meaningful and
purposefullife.IfyouknowTruth,youareatpeace.
Icannotteachyou,onlyhelpyoutoexploreyourself.Nothingmore.
BruceLee,19401973
ThepurposeofTaiChiChuanistogainpersonalexperienceofallstagesofthepathtoenlightenment.
Youcansharetheseinsightsinthewayyouliveyourlife.Althoughitisfareasiertobeinharmony
when you are sitting quietly alone, your meditation will be worthless if you do not put your
experiencestopracticaluseindailyactivities.Whenyouaremindfulofallyourthoughts,speechand
action and can create love, wisdom and compassion in every second of every minute of every day,
thenyouhavenotonlysucceededinTaiChi,butyouhavetrulysucceededinlife,inreachingyourfull
potentialasahumanbeing.TaiChiChuanisanevolutionaryprocessandlikenature,ifyoustudyit
longenough,youwillcometounderstandthatchangeisnotachoice,ithappens,andovertimeyou
are different. With patience, gentleness and determination Tai Chi can make this change a positive
one. Tai Chi introduces us to ways of seeing that create opportunities for us to recognise ourselves
better.TaiChihelpseachofustoattainwhatwaspreviouslyunattainable.Therefore,practiseTaiChi
everydaywithpositivethinkingandpersistenceundertheguidanceofaqualifiedTaiChiinstructor.
TaiChiisajourneyofselfrealisationandselfdiscoverythatcannotbeboughtbythehourinaTaiChi
class.Itmustbeearnedthroughdiligentselfpractice.ItcannotbegiveninabookorDVD;youmust
experienceitforyourself.
JOURNEYOFSELFDISCOVERY
ThejourneyofselfdiscoverythroughTaiChitakeseachofusinadifferentdirection.Aswegodeeper
anddeeperintoTaophilosophy,practiceandmeditation,webegintodiscoverourowntruth,ourown
experience of the soul, life, creation and the cosmos, and eventually it will bring us to the ultimate
truthanddivinityofallthings.Andthisisthehappiness,freedomandenlightenmentthatweallseek.
This book has offered limited explanation on the actual experience of Tai Chi. This is because
everyoneisdifferentandwillhavedifferentthoughtpatternsandinterpretations.Thisisthejourney
youmustmakeyourself,yourowndiscoveries,yourownrealisations,yourownTruth.
When we begin our journey on the path of the peaceful warrior it is important to reevaluate our
lifestyleandthedirectionweareheadingwithourlife.Weshouldexamineallactivityasithappens,
andhowourmindobservesandperceivesitsthoughts,speechandactions,howitresponds,creates
andreactsaccordingtodifferentoutsideorinsidestimuli.Itisimportanttoslowdownthemindand
actually be in the present moment, focusing fully in the here and now. In the midst of everyday
activities,themindiskeptcontinuallydistractedwithdetails.Peoplemovefromonethingtothenext
without a pause. Even at the end of the day when the mind could take some time to reflect, most
peoplefilltheirleisurehourswithstructuredactivity.Dailytensionandstressdoesnothaveanyway
toreleaseordisperse.Theycontinuetobuildandstoreupwithinus.
MEDITATION
Stillness in meditation directly relaxes the mind, releases tension and stress, and awakens it to the
potentialsthatarepresentineachandeveryperson.Inmeditationwediscoverhowthoroughlyour
lifeisshapedbyourthoughtsandthewayweinterpretwhatsgoingon.Everythought,feelingand
emotion manifests itself in one form or another in our body and in our life. We notice this with
surprisingclarityaswebecomemoresensitivetotheinnerfeelingofwhoweare.Whenweopenour
mind to meditation, change becomes possible. Problems dissolve and deeper wisdom emerges. Tao
Meditation carries us directly to the depths, steering through the continuous flow of conscious
thought,navigatingintocalmseas,andrevealingrealityinitscrystalclearreflection.TaiChihelpsus
toexperienceemptinessandundergoaprofoundtransformationofourexperienceoftheworld.Itisa
firsthandmethod;nothingcansubstituteforthepersonalexplorationofourownmind.Byregularly
practisingwecandelveintoourownconsciousnesswithmeditativeexplorationandcometoourown
profoundandmeaningfulunderstandings.
TomyselfIamonlyachildplayingonthebeach,
whilevastoceansoftruthlieundiscoveredbeforeme.
IsaacNewton,16421727
AftertheregularpracticeofTaiChiconsiderablechangesbegintotakeplaceinthemind,brainand
nervoussystem.Newnervecurrents,newcells,newvibrations,newavenuesandnewchannelsare
formed. The whole mind and nervous system become remodeled. We will have a new mind, a new
heart,newsensations,newfeelings,newmodeofthinkingandactingandanewviewoftheuniverse.
DiligentpracticeandpersistencewithTaiChiproducesresultsthatarepermanentandabiding.The
greatest minds in history, including Einstien, Gandhi, Isaac Newton, Lao Tzu, Confusius and the
Buddha, have all emphasised that the journey of selfdiscovery and spiritual evolution is mans
greatestadventure,andshouldbepursuedastheultimatesupremegoalofhumanexistence.
WHATISQIGONG?
ByTheNationalQigongAssociation
Qigong (Chi Kung) is one of the oldest exercises in Chinese history, dating back more than one
thousand years. There are numerous types of Qigong. Generally speaking, Qigong is a variety of
breathing,gymnastic,andmeditativeexercises.InChinese,Qimeansseveralthings;themostcommon
meaningofQiisair.Here,Qimeansthelifeenergyinsideaperson.Thislifeenergycomesfromthe
combinationofthreethings:theairbreathedinthroughthelungs,essentialQifromthekidney,and
theQiabsorbedfromfoodandwaterthroughthedigestivesystem.Qicirculatesthroughoutthebody,
performing many functions to maintain good health. The stronger Qi you have, the healthier and
stronger you are. The word Gong means a method of exercise that requires a great deal of time in
whichtobecomeproficient.Simplyput,Qigongisabreathingexercisethatrequiresregularpractise,
andisespeciallybeneficialforhealthandmentalrelaxation.QigongisanintegratedpartofTaiChi.
Qigong is an integration of physical postures, breathing techniques, and focused intentions. Qigong
practices can be classified as martial, medical, or spiritual. All styles have three things in common:
they all involve a posture, (whether moving or stationary), breathing techniques, and mental focus.
SomepracticesincreasetheQi;otherscirculateit,useittocleanseandhealthebody,storeit,oremit
Qi to help heal others. Practices vary from the soft internal styles such as Tai Chi; to the external,
vigorousstylessuchasKungFu.However,theslowgentlemovementsofmostQigongformscanbe
easily adapted, even for the physically challenged and can be practiced by all age groups. Like any
othersystemofhealthcare,Qigongisnotapanacea,butitiscertainlyahighlyeffectivehealthcare
practice. Many health care professionals recommend Qigong as an important form of alternative
complementarymedicine.Qigongcreatesanawarenessofandinfluencesdimensionsofourbeingthat
arenotpartoftraditionalexerciseprograms.Mostexercisesdonotinvolvethemeridiansystemused
inacupuncturenordotheyemphasizetheimportanceofaddingmindintentandbreathingtechniques
to physical movements. When these dimensions are added, the benefits of exercise increase
exponentially. The gentle, rhythmic movements of Qigong reduce stress, build stamina, increase
vitality, and enhance the immune system. It has also been found to improve cardiovascular,
respiratory,circulatory,lymphaticanddigestivefunctions.Thosewhomaintainaconsistentpractice
ofQigongfindthatithelpsoneregainayouthfulvitality,maintainhealthevenintooldageandhelps
speedrecovery fromillness. Western scientific research confirms that Qigongreduces hypertension
andtheincidenceoffallingintheagedpopulation.Oneofthemoreimportantlongtermeffectsisthat
Qigongreestablishesthebody/mind/soulconnection.
People do Qigong to maintain health, heal their bodies, calm their minds, and reconnect with their
spirit.Whenthesethreeaspectsofourbeingareintegrated,itencouragesapositiveoutlookonlife
andhelpseliminateharmfulattitudesandbehaviors.Italsocreatesabalancedlifestyle,whichbrings
greater harmony, stability, and enjoyment. There are a wide variety of Qigong practices. They vary
fromthesimple,internalformstothemorecomplexandchallengingexternalstyles.Theycaninterest
and benefit everyone, from the most physically challenged to the super athlete. There are Qigong
classes for children, senior citizens, and every age group in between. Since Qigong can be practiced
anywhereoratanytime,thereisnoneedtobuyspecialclothingortojoinahealthclub.
Qigong's great appeal is that everyone can benefit, regardless of ability, age, belief system or life
circumstances.AnyonecanenrichtheirlivesbyaddingQigongtotheirdailyroutine.Childrenlearning
to channel their energy and develop increased concentration; office workers learning Qigong to
reducestress;seniorsparticipatingingentlemovementstoenhancebalanceandtheirqualityoflife;
caregivers embracing a practice to develop their ability to help others; prisons instituting Qigong
programstorestorebalanceininmateslives;midwivesusingQigongtechniquestoeasechildbirth.
Whenanindividualorgroupassumesresponsibilityandtakesactionfortheirhealthandhealing,we
allbenefit.Itisbesttogetreferralsfrompeoplewhosejudgmentyouhaveconfidencein.
Mostimportantistodevelopaconsistentdailypractice.Itisrecommendedbyexperiencedteachers
to stay with a form for at least 100 days. A consistent practice is the most important asset you can
develop.Whenbeginnersask,"WhatisthemostimportantaspectofpracticingQigong?"Theanswer
isalways..."justdoit.
BREATHINGEXERCISESFORTAICHI
ByDr.Yang,JwingMingandDavidW.Grantham
REGULATINGTHEBREATH
Regulating the breath means to regulate your breathing until it is calm, smooth, and peaceful. Only
whenyouhavereachedthispointwillyoubeabletomakethebreathingdeep,slender,long,andsoft,
whichisrequiredforsuccessfulqigongpractice.
Breathingisaffectedbyyouremotions.Forexample,whenyouareangryorexcitedyouexhalemore
strongly than you inhale. When you are sad, you inhale more strongly than you exhale. When your
mindispeacefulandcalm,yourinhalationandexhalationarerelativelyequal.Inordertokeepyour
breathing calm, peaceful, and steady, your mind and emotions must first be calm and neutral.
Therefore,inordertoregulateyourbreathing,youmustfirstregulateyourmind.
Theothersideofthecoinisthatyoucanuseyourbreathingtocontrolyouryi.Whenyourbreathingis
uniform, it is as if you were hypnotizing your yi, which helps to calm it. You can see that yi and
breathing are interdependent, and that they cooperate with each other. Deep and calm breathing
relaxes you and keeps your mind clear. It fills your lungs with plenty of air so that your brain and
entirebodyhaveanadequatesupplyofoxygen.Inaddition,deepandcompletebreathingenablesthe
diaphragmtomoveupanddown,whichmassagesandstimulatestheinternalorgans.Forthisreason,
deepbreathingexercisesarealsocalled"internalorganexercises."
REGULATEBREATHING;KEEPLUNGSRELAXED
Deepandcompletebreathingdoesnotmeanthatyouinhaleandexhaletothemaximum.Thiswould
cause the lungs and the surrounding muscles to tense up, which in turn would keep the air from
circulatingfreelyandhindertheabsorptionofoxygen.Withoutenoughoxygen,yourmindbecomes
scattered,andtherestofyourbodytensesup.Incorrectbreathing,youinhaleandexhaletoabout70
or80percentofcapacitysothatyourlungsstayrelaxed.
You can conduct an easy experiment. Inhaledeeply so that your lungs are completely full, and time
howlongyoucanholdyourbreath.Thentryinhalingtoonlyabout70percentofyourcapacity,and
seehowlongyoucanholdyourbreath.Youwillfindthatwiththelattermethodyoucanlastmuch
longerthanthefirstone.Thisissimplybecausethelungsandthesurroundingmusclesarerelaxed.
When they are relaxed, the rest of your body and your mind can also relax, which significantly
decreasesyourneedforoxygen.Therefore,whenyouregulateyourbreathing,thefirstpriorityisto
keepyourlungsrelaxedandcalm.
When training, your mind must first be calm so that your breathing can be regulated. When the
breathingisregulated,yourmindisabletoreachahigherlevelofcalmness.Thiscalmnesscanagain
help you to regulate the breathing, until your mind is deep. After you have trained for a long time,
yourbreathingwillbefullandslender,andyourmindwillbeveryclear.Itissaid:"xinxixiangyi,"
()whichmeans"heart[mind]andbreathing[are]mutuallydependent."Whenyoureachthis
meditative state, your heartbeat slows down, and your mind is very clear: you have entered the
sphereofrealmeditation.
COMMENTSONBREATHINGBYANCIENTDAOISTS
AnAncientDaoistnamedLi,Qingansaid:"Regulatingbreathingmeanstoregulatetherealbreathing
until [you] stop." This means that correct regulating means regulating is no longer necessary. Real
regulating is no longer a conscious process but has become so natural that it can be accomplished
without conscious effort. In other words, although you start by consciously regulating your breath,
you must get to the point where the regulating happens naturally, and you no longer have to think
about it. When you breathe, if you concentrate your mind on your breathing, then it is not true
regulating because the qi in your lungs will become stagnant. When you reach the level of true
regulating,youdon'thavetopayattentiontoit,andyoucanuseyourmindefficientlytoleadtheqi.
Remember,wherevertheyiis,thereistheqi.Iftheyistopsinonespot,theqiwillbestagnant.Itisthe
yithatleadstheqiandmakesitmove.Therefore,whenyouareinastateofcorrectbreathregulation,

yourmindisfree.Thereisnosound,stagnation,urgency,orhesitation,andyoucanfinallybecalm
andpeaceful.
You can see that when the breath is regulated correctly, the qi will also be regulated. They are
mutually related and cannot be separated. This idea isexplained frequently in the Daoistliterature.
TheDaoistGuangChengZisaid:"Oneexhale,theearthqirises;oneinhale,theheavenqidescends;
realman's[meaningonewhohasattainedtherealDao]repeatedbreathingatthenavel,thenmyreal
qiisnaturallyconnected."Thissaysthatwhenyoubreatheyoushouldmoveyourabdomenasifyou
werebreathingfromyournavel.Theearthqiisthenegative(yin)energyfromyourkidneys,andthe
skyqiisthepositive(yang)energythatcomesfromthefoodyoueatandtheairyoubreathe.When
you breathe from the navel, these two qi's will connect and combine. Some people think that they
knowwhatqiis,buttheyreallydon't.Onceyouconnectthetwoqi's,youwillknowwhatthe"real"qi
is,andyoumaybecomea"real"man,whichmeanstoattaintheDao.
The Daoist book Sing [of the] Dao [with] Real Words (Chang Dao Zhen Yan) says: "One exhale one
inhaletocommunicateqi'sfunction,onemovementonecalmnessisthesameas[i.e.,isthesourceof]
creation and variation." The first part of this statement again implies that the functioning of qi is
connectedwiththebreathing.Thesecondpartofthissentencemeansthatallcreationandvariation
comesfromtheinteractionofmovement(yang)andcalmness(yin).TheYellowYardClassic(Huang
Ting Ching) says: "Breathe original qi to seek immortality." In China, the traditional Daoists wore
yellowrobes,andtheymeditatedina"yard"orhall.Thissentencemeansthatinordertoreachthe
goalofimmortality,youmustseektofindandunderstandtheoriginalqithatcomesfromthedantian
throughcorrectbreathing.
Moreover,theDaoistWuZhenRensaid:"Usethepostbirthbreathingtolookfortherealperson's[i.e.
the immortal's] breathing place." In this sentence it is clear that in order to locate the immortal
breathingplace(thedantian),youmustrelyonandknowhowtoregulateyourpostbirth,ornatural,
breathing. Through regulating your postbirth breathing you will gradually be able to locate the
residence of the qi (the dan tian), and eventually you can use your dan tian to breathe like the
immortal Daoists. Finally, in the Daoist song Ling Yuan Da Dao Ge (The Great Daoist Song of the
Spirit's Origin) it is said: "The originals [original jing, qi, and shen] are internally transported
peacefully,sothatyoucanbecomereal[immortal];[ifyou]dependon[only]externalbreathing[you]
willnotreachtheend[goal]."Fromthissong,youcanseetheinternalbreathing(breathingatthedan
tian)isthekeytotrainingyourthreetreasuresandfinallyreachingimmortality.However,youmust
firstknowhowtoregulateyourexternalbreathingcorrectly.
Alloftheseemphasizetheimportanceofbreathing.Thereareeightkeywordsforairbreathingwhich
a qigong practitioner should follow during his practice. Once you understand them you can
substantiallyshortenthetimeneededtoreachyourqigonggoals.Theseeightkeywordsare:
1.Calm
2.Slender
3.Deep
4.Long
5.Continuous
6.Uniform
7.Slow
8.Soft
These key words are selfexplanatory, and with a little thought you should be able to understand
them.
FUNDAMENTALBREAHTINGTECHNIQUES
The following will highlight some fundamental techniques required for nei gong. Nei gong is also
knownasinternalgongfu.Internalgongfocusesonregulatingthebody,breathing,mind,qi,andspirit.
Itisimpossibletocoverallofthistraininghere,soifyouareinterested,pleaserefertothebooksThe
RootofChineseQigong,TheEssenceofTaijiQigong,andQigongMeditationEmbryonicBreathing,by
Dr.Yang,JwingMing,publishedbyYMAAPublicationCenter.
First,wewillfocusonexercisesforregulatingthebreathingthatallowsyoutobuildupthequantityof
qitoanabundantlevelandsubsequentlycirculatetheaccumulatedqi.Practicetheseexercisesinthe

orderthattheyarepresented.Becomecomfortableandproficientinonetechniquebeforemovingon
tothenext.
NORMALABDOMINALBREATHING
Standwithbothhandstouchingthelowerdantianlightly.(Thedantianisfoundslightlyunderand
behindthenavel.)Thislighttouchcanhelpyoufeelthemovementoftheabdominalmusclesandthus
increasingthecommunicationlevelbetweenyourmindandthelowerdantian.Thetipofyourtongue
shouldtouchthepalateofyourmonthtoconnecttheyinconceptionandyanggoverningvessels.
Inhaledeeplythroughthenosewhilegentlypushingyourabdominalmusclesoutandhuiyindown.As
youexhale,drawyourabdomeninwardandpullthehuiyincavityupwardgently.(Thehuiyincavityis
locatedbetweenthegenitalsandanus.)
Youshouldpracticethismethodofbreathinguntilyourmindisabletocontroltheabdominalmuscles
effectivelyandefficiently.Onlythencanthisarearemainrelaxedandallowtheqitocirculatefreely.
Allowaminimumofsixmonthsoftrainingthistypeofbreathingtoallowthebodytoadjusttothe
conditioning;thenproceedontothenextformofbreathingexercises.
REVERSEABDOMINALBREATHING
Onceagain,standwithbothhandstouchingthelowerdantianandthetonguetouchingthepalateof
themouth.Whenyouinhale,drawinyourabdomenandpullupyourhuiyincavity.Whenyouexhale,
push the abdomen out and huiyin cavity down gently. Practicing reverse abdominal breathing may
causesometensioninthedantian.Ifthathappens,stopusingthismethodofbreathingandreturnto
normal abdominal breathing. You may also gently massage the abdomen to relieve the tension. As
longasabdominalareaisrelaxed,youshouldnothaveaproblem.
WUJIBREATHING
ThisbreathingisalsocalledEmbryonicBreathing(TaiXi).Inthispractice,youkeepyourmindat
thecenterofgravitythatisalsorecognizedasthereallowerdantian(zhenxiadantian).Whenyou
practice,usereverseabdominalbreathing.Theonlydifferenceiswhenyouinhale,youarealsopulling
themusclesonthelowerbackinward,andwhenyouexhale,youarepushingthemout.Thiswillhelp
youlocatethecenterofgravity.Thisbreathinghelpsyouleadtheqitotherealdantianandstoreitto
ahigherlevel.IfyouwishtoknowmoreaboutEmbryonicBreathing,pleaserefertothebookQigong
MeditationEmbryonicBreathing,publishedbyYMAAPublicationCenter.
YONGQUANBREATHING
Yongquanbreathingisalsocalledsolebreathing(zhongxi).Itwasdescribedinthebook,ZhuangZi,
aroundthefourthcenturyb.c.Itiscalledyongquanxi(yongquanbreathing)inDaoistsociety.
Inthisbreathingexercise,standwithyourlegsopentoaboutshoulderwidthapart.Again,thehands
touchtheabdominalareaandthetonguetouchesthepalateofmouthgently.First,inhaleandleadthe
qitothereallowerdantian.Next,exhale,squatdownslightlyandimagineyouarepushingthefeet
downward.Throughthisimageofpushing,youareusingyourmindtoleadtheqidownthroughthe
yongquan cavity. When you imagine pushing the feet downward, your mind should aim at least six
inchesunderthefeetsothatqidoesnotgettrapped.Avariationofthisexerciseistotwistyourtorso
toonesideasyousquatandexhale.
On the next breath, twist your torso to the opposite side. This will increase the stretching of the
tendonsandligamentsintheankles,knees,andhipsresultinginastrengtheningofthejoints.Ifyou
practicethiscorrectly,youmayfeelthehotorwarmfeelingcausedbyqiaccumulationatthebottom
of your feet in just a few minutes. To remove the qi accumulated, simply raise your heels and then
yourtoes,alternately,acoupletimesafteryouhavefinishedpracticing.
LAOGONGBREATHING
Inlaogongbreathing,useyourmindtoleadtheqitothelaogongcavitylocatedatthecenterofyour
palms.Again,standwithlegsopenedaswideasyourshoulders.Thehandstouchtheabdominalarea
andthetonguetouchesthepalateofmouthgently.UseEmbryonicBreathing.First,inhaleandleadthe
qi to the real dan tian. Next, exhale and imagine you are pushing your hands downward without

moving your hands. Through this pushing image, you are using your mind to lead qi through the
laogongcavities.Whenyouimagineyouarepushingyourhandsdownward,yourmindshouldaimat
leastsixinchesbeyondthepalms.Ifyoupracticecorrectly,injustafewminutesyoumayfeelsome
sensations,atinglingorstaticfeelingatthepalms.
FOURGATESBREATHING
Thisbreathingisacombinationofyongquanandlaogongbreathing.Thepostureremainsthesameas
in the previous two exercises. As you inhale, use your mind to lead qi to the real dan tian. As you
exhale,gentlysquatdownwardandimagineyouarepushingbothyourhandsandfeetdownward.
MARTIALGRANDCIRCULATIONBREATHING
In this breathing technique you are leading the qi into the governing vessel through the mingmen
cavity (located between the second and third lumbar vertebrae) in addition to the normal qi
circulationpath,whichpassesfromtherealdantiantotheconceptionvesselthroughtheabdomen
yinjiao cavity (which resides about one and a half inches below the navel.) This will increase the
supplyofqitothesmallcirculationpathandenhancethepowerofphysicalmanifestation.
Whenyoupractice,standwithyourlegsopenedaboutashoulderswidthapart.Allowbotharmsto
relax along the sides of the body. When you inhale, lead the qi from the real dan tian, downward
through yinjiao, pass the huiyin, and then lead the qi upward. When the qi reaches the mingmen
cavity,gentlypushbackthelowerbacktoopenthemingmencavityandleadtheqiouttocombine
withtheqifromthefront.Thisqiisthenledupwardtodazhui(locatedontheposteriormidlineinthe
depressionbelowthespinousprocessoftheseventhcervicalvertebra.)
Whenyouexhale,leadtheqioutwardthroughthearmswhilealsoleadingitfromtherealdantian
downward to the bottom of your feet. When you have reached a deeper level of taiji ball qigong
training,useMartialGrandCirculationBreathing.
TAIJIBALLBREATHING
Inthisbreathing,applytheMartialGrandCirculationBreathingintothetaijiballpractice.Inaddition,
holdbothofyourhandsinfrontofyourlowerdantianwithpalmsfacingeachother.Whenyouinhale,
drawtheabdomeninward,andthehuiyinismovingupward(i.e.,internalballiscondensing),while
thepalmsspreadapart(i.e.,externalballisexpanding.)
Thenexhaletoexpandtheinternalballwhilepressingyourbothpalmstowardeachother.
Afteryouhavepracticedforafewminutes,youmaybegintofeelaninvisibleqiballformingbetween
thepalms.Thelongeryoupractice,thestrongertheqicanbefelt.Thisisabasicfoundationoftaijiball
internal gong training. Eventually, you will apply this kind of breathing through the entire taiji ball
qigongpractice.
TAIJIQIGONG
ByDr.Yang,JwingMing
TaijiQigongisspeciallydesignedforstudentswhohavelearnedaTaijiformandwanttoreachnew
levels of skills and ability. Taiji Qigong prepares the mind and body for the great Taiji practice by
loosening your joints, warming your muscles, stimulating your Qi flow, and sharpening your
concentration.Inaddition,regularQigongacceleratesthehealthbenefitsofTaijiandthediscoveryof
internal power. Taji Qigong can help beginners feel their Qi. Beginners usually do not have a clear
understanding of what Qi is. Taiji Qigong will gradually help them understand through feeling and
experiencingtheirQi.
BEGINNER
Beginners learn how to use their Yi to lead the Qi efficiently. Once you have regulated your body,
breathing and mind you will then be able to use your concentrated mind to lead the Qi to circulate
smoothlyandeffectivelythroughoutyourbody.BeginnerscanlearnhowtocirculateQiinthetwelve
primarychannelsandalsohowtoincreaseQiinthetwomainvessels,theYin,ConceptionVesseland
theYang,GoverningVessel.
INTERMEDIATE
TaijiQigongtrainingteachesintermediatepractitionershowtoexpandtheirQitothesurfaceofthe
skinandtocondensetheQitothebonemarrow.Oncethebody'sQihasbeenbuiltuptoasufficient
level,youthenstartlearninghowtoleadQitotheskintoincreasetheskin'ssensitivity,andintothe
bones to nourish the marrow. Taiji Qigong teaches how to use Qi to energize their muscles for
maximumJinorpowermanifestation.WhenyouareabletoleadQitotheskinandcondenseitinto
themarrowefficiently,youcanusethisQitoenergizethemusclesforgreatermartialeffectiveness.
ThisisthesecretofinternalJinwhichisthefoundationandrootofexternalJin.
ADVANCED
Taiji Qigong training teaches advanced practitioner into the domain of spiritual cultivation. The
ultimategoalofTaijiQigongistoleadyouintothedomainofemptiness,whereyourwholebeingisin
the Wuji (no extremities state). When you have reached this goal the Qi in your body and the Qi in
naturewilluniteandbecomeone,andallyourhumandesireswillgraduallydisappear.
TaijiQigongteachesbeginnershowtoregulatetheirbody,breathingandmind(Yicalmmind).Once
youhavegraspedtheideaofQi,youthenstarttolearnhowtoregulateyourbody.Thisincludeshow
torelaxyourbodyfromtheskintotheinternalorgansandbonemarrow.Throughthisrelaxationyou
willbeabletofeelandsenseyourcentre,balanceandroot.Youmustalsolearnhowtoregulateyour
breathing.Mostimportantofallyoumustlearnhowtoregulateyourminduntilitcanbecalmand
concentratedwithoutanydisturbances.
REGULATINGTHEBODY
Regulatingyourbodymeanstoadjustituntilitisrelaxed,centered,balancedandrooted.Whenyou
have reached a level where you feel comfortable and natural and your body is relaxed, centered,
balancedandrootedthentheQicirculatinginyourbodywillnotbestagnant.
REGULATINGTHEBREATHING
In order to use your mind to lead the Qi efficiently you must learn how to regulate your breathing,
whichisthestrategyofTaijiQigongpractice.Ifyoubreathecorrectlyyourmindwillbeabletolead
yourQieffortlessly.
REGULATINGTHEMND
In regulating the mind you first learn how to bring your mind in attention into your body. This is
necessaryforfeelingtheQicirculation.Youneedtolearnhowtocontrolyouremotionalmindsothat

it is calm and peaceful and you can concentrate. Only then will you be able to use your Yi (wisdom
mind)toleadyourQi.
REGULATINGTHEQI
Once you have learned how to use your Yi to lead your Qi effectively you can then start working
towards several goals in regulating your Qi. First, you want to make the Qi circulate smoothly and
stronglyinyourbody.Second,youwanttobuildtheQiuptoahigherlevelinordertostrengthenyour
body. Third, you want to lead the Qi to the skin and into the bone marrow. This will keep the skin
fresh and young, and keep the blood factory in the marrow functioning at full capacity. Finally, you
wanttoleadtheQitoyourheadinordertonourishyourbrain.Yourbrainisthecentreofyourwhole
being.Ifyourbrainishealthyyoucanraiseyourspiritofvitalitywhichisthekeytolongevity.
REGULATINGTHESPIRIT
OnceyouareabletoleadtheQiandhaveitcirculatingsmoothlyinyourbody,youthenleadyourQito
yourbraintoraiseyourspiritofvitality.Nowyoucanstartworkingtobalanceyinandyangandreach
astateofWuji.OnceyouhavegraspedthisWujicentre,youwillbeabletoreturnyourspirittoits
origin.YourQiwillunitewiththeQiofnature.Yourspiritwillunitewiththespiritofnatureandyou
willbecomeonewithnature.ThisisthefinalgoalofenlightenmentandBuddhahood.
IMPROVINGQUALITYOFQI'SMANIFESTATION
ByDr.Yang,JwingMingandDavidW.Grantham
Here we will discuss how the quality of qi's circulationor manifestation can be improved. First, we
shouldrecognizethatfromChinesemartialarthistory,itwasnotuntilthefifthcenturythatChinese
internalstylesweredeveloped,recognized,andpracticed.
ThemostinfluentialpersoninthispracticewastheIndianmonkDaMo.DaMo,whoselastnamewas
SardiliandwhowasalsoknownasBodhidarma,wasoncetheprinceofasmalltribeinsouthernIndia.
HewasoftheMahayanaschoolofBuddhismandwasconsideredbymanytohavebeenabodhisattva,
oranenlightenedbeing,whohadrenouncednirvanainordertosaveothers.Fromthefragmentsof
historicalrecords,itisbelievedthathewasbornaboutA.D.483.
DaMowasinvitedtoChinatopreachbytheLiangWuemperor.HearrivedinCanton,China,inA.D.
527duringthereignoftheWeiXiaoMingemperor(A.D.16528)ortheLiangWuemperor(A.D.02
557).WhentheemperordecidedhedidnotlikeDaMo'sBuddhisttheory,themonkwithdrewtothe
ShaolinTemple.WhenDaMoarrived,hesawthatthepriestswereweakandsickly,soheshuthimself
awaytopondertheproblem.Whenheemergedafternineyearsofseclusion,hewrotetwoclassics:
Muscle/TendonChangingClassic(YiJinJing,)andMarrow/BrainWashingClassic(XiSuiJing).
The Yi Jin Jing taught the priests how to build their qi to an abundant level and use it to improve
healthandchangetheirphysicalbodiesfromweaktostrong.AfterthepriestspracticedtheYiJinJing
exercises,theyfoundthatnotonlydidtheyimprovetheirhealth,butalsotheyalsogreatlyincreased
their strength. When this training was integrated into the martial arts forms, it increased the
effectiveness of their martial techniques. This change marked one more step in the growth of the
Chinesemartialarts:martialartsqigong.
STRENGTHENTHEIMMUNESYSTEM
The Xi Sui Jing taught the priests how to use qi to clean their bone marrow and strengthen their
immune systems, as well as how to nourish and energize the brain, helping them to attain
Buddhahood. The Xi Sui Jing was difficult to understand and practice because the training methods
werepasseddownsecretlytoveryfewdisciplesineachgeneration.DaModiedintheShaolinTemple
inA.D.536andwasburiedonXiongErMountain.IfyouareinterestedinknowingmoreaboutYiJin
Jing and Xi Sui Jing, please refer to the book, QigongThe Secret of Youth, published by YMAA
PublicationCenter.
FromDaMo'smuscle/tendonchangingtheory,ithasbeenunderstoodthatinordertoconditionyour
physicalbodytoahigherlevel,youmust"usethemindtoleadtheqiandfromqi'smanifestation,the
powerandstrengthareinitiatedandconditioned."
Fromthis,youcanseethatinordertomanifestyourqitoahigherefficiency,youmustknowhowto
regulateyourmindtoahigherconcentration.Ithasbeenexperiencedandunderstoodthatmeditation
isthewaytoreachthisgoal.
This theory had divided Chinese martial training into two major fields. One was from internal to
external(i.e.,internalstyles)andonewasfromexternaltointernal(i.e.,externalstyles).Theinternal
stylists believed that in order to improve the efficiency of fighting power, they should begin with
internal mind training. However, the external stylists believed that they must first learn defensive
techniques to survive, and then gradually enter into internal mind conditioning. In Chinese martial
artssociety,thereisaproverb:"Internalstylesfrominternaltoexternal,externalstylesfromexternal
tointernal.Thoughthepathsaredifferent,bothreachthesamegoal."
Therefore, the quality of qi's manifestation depends on how the mind can be focused and also how
deepthephysicalbodycanberelaxed.Toknowmoreabouthowtoregulateyourmind,pleaserefer
tothebookQigongMeditationEmbryonicBreathing.Tolearnhowtorelaxyourphysicalbody,please
refertothebookTheRootofChineseQigong.BothareavailablefromYMAAPublicationCenter.The
result of this mind training is to make the mind more focused and this will result in the increased
sensitivity.Thismeanstheentirebody'sawarenessandalertnesswillbeincreased.Thisisthecrucial
keyofsurvivinginabattle.

MARTIALGRANDQICIRCULATION
Toapplythetaijiballqigongintomartialartsandhealtheffectively,apractitionershouldlearnand
understandmartialgrandqicirculation.Ifhedoesnotapplythiscirculationtechniqueintothetaiji
ballqigongpractice,theqiledwillbeweak.Naturally,themanifestationofqiwillnotbeasstrongas
well.ThismartialgrandqicirculationtrainingwascommonlykeptastopsecretinallChinesemartial
styles.Iftheopponentknewthissecret,hewouldhavethesameadvantageinmanifestinghisfighting
powertoitsmaximum.
Grandqicirculation(dazhoutian)isanadvancedqigongqicirculationpractice.Fromthispractice,a
practitioner learns how to exchange the qiwith surrounding objects. These objects can be common
nonlivingobjects,suchastheair,ground,ortaijiball.Theycanalsobeofthingsalivesuchastrees,
grass,animals,orhumans.
Taijiballqigongadoptsmartialgrandqicirculationtechniques.Thisisbecausetaijiballqigongwas
created and developed in martial arts society in which the original purpose of the training was to
improve fighting capability. From taiji ball grand qi circulation training, a practitioner is able to
communicateandexchangehisqiwiththeballandalsowithapartnerthroughtheball.
To understand martial grand circulation, you should understand the concepts of a human's two
polaritiesconnectedbythethrustingvessel(chongmai)(i.e.,spinalcord),andyoushouldalsoknow
thebody'ssevenpairsofcorrespondinggates(qiduixue).
SEVENPAIRSOFCORRESPONDINGQIGATES
The human body has seven major pairs of corresponding qi gates from which its qi structure is
constituted:
1.huiyin(Co1)andbaihui(Gv20);
2.yintang(mhn3)andqiangjian(Gv17)[ornaohu(Gv18)];
3.renzhong(Gv26)andfengfu(Gv16);
4.tiantu(Co22)anddazhui(Gv14);
5.jiuwei(Co15)andlingtai(Gv10);
6.yinjiao(Co7)andmingmen(Gv4);and
7.longmen(mca24)[orxiayin]andchangqiang(Gv1)[orweilu].
Amongtheseseven,thetwopairsthatarethemostimportantarehuiyin(yin)andbaihui(yang),and
yinjiao(yin)andmingmen(yang).Huiyinisconnectedtobaihuithroughthethrustingvessel,which
establishesthecentralbalanceofqidistributioninthebody.
Yinjiaoisalsoconnectedtomingmenthroughthethrustingvesselandjoinstheconceptionvesselin
thefrontandthegoverningvesselintheback,providingfrontandrearqibalancetothebody.These
fourarethemainqigates.
Tiantu controls vocal vibrations and generates the sounds of hen (yin) and ha (yang) for
manifestationofqi.Itisagateofexpression,anditsenergyisbalancedwithyintang,wherethespirit
resides.Whenspiritishighinyintang,theenergymanifestedisstrong,andalertnessandawareness
arehigh.Jiuweiandlingtaiconnecttotheheart(emotionalmind)andofferastrongdrivingforceto
elevatethespirit.Thesefourminorgatescontrolmanifestationofqiinthebody.Sotheeightgatesare
defined.
JINGENERATINGMARTIALPOWER
byDr.Yang,JwingMing
Jin,orMartialPower,cangenerallybedividedintothreecategories:HardJin,SoftHardJinandSoft
Jin.Amongthese,HardJinusesthemostmuscularpower,followedbySoftHardJinandfinallySoft
Jin.ButnomatterwhichJin,inordertomanifestmaximumpoweryoumusthaveboththestrengthof
the physical body (Yang) and a sufficient supply of smoothly circulating Qi (Yin). Qi, which is
pronounced Ki in the Japanese arts, is the Chinese word for energy, and pertains to all forms of
energyintheuniverse.Inmartialartsandqigong,itspecificallyreferstohumanQi,thebioenergyor
lifeforcewithineverycellofthehumanbody.
TheexternalphysicalstrengthmanifestedinspecificexternalmovementsiscalledExternalJin;itis
aYangmanifestationofJin.TheinternalQisbuildupandcirculationiscalledInternalJin;itisthe
Yin manifestation of Jin. When this internal and external coordinate and support each other
harmoniouslyandefficiently,itiscalledtheunificationofinternalandexternal.(Thespellingofthe
wordJinisusedtoavoidconfusionwithanotherimportantconceptinChinesemartialartswiththe
samepronunciation,"jing",whichmeans"essence".)
YoushouldalsounderstandthatJincanbeagaindividedintoYangJin(commonlycalledAttacking
Jin)whichisaggressiveandusedforanattack,andYinJin(commonlycalledDefensiveJin)whichis
defensive. There is another category of Jin, which is neither for attacking nor defending. No matter
whichcategory,whentheQiismanifestedintoaphysicalform,itiscalledEmittingJin(FaJin).
Let us define what Jin is and how different Jins are classified. Theoretically, in order to activate the
musclestogenerateforceorpower,themindmustleadtheQitotheareawherethemusclesshould
beenergized.Forexample,whenyoupushacar,youmustfirstgenerateanidea,andfromthismind,
anelectromotiveforce(EMF)isgenerated.FromthisEMFtheQiisledtothemusclesforenergization.
Throughthenervoussystem(ahighlyelectricallyconductivesystem)themusclesarestimulatedand
contract, thereby generating action. The Chinese dictionary gives two main meanings for Jin. The
first is strong, unyielding, muscular; this is usually applied to powerful, inanimate objects. For
example,JinFengmeansastrongwind.Itcanalsobeappliedtomoreabstractfeelingsofstrength,
asinJinDiwhichmeansastrongenemy.TheseconddictionarydefinitionofJinisQiLiorLiQi,
which refers to muscles which are supported by Qi. Using only your muscles is considered Li.
However,whenyouuseyourconcentratedmindtoleadthemusclestodosomething,Qiwillflowto
whereyouareconcentratingandenliventhemuscles.ThisisconsideredJin.
TherearemanytypesofJin,buttheonethingtheyallhaveincommonisthattheyalldealwiththe
flowofQi.ThemostobvioustypeofJinismanifestJin,whereyoucanseesomethinghappening,as
whenyoupushsomeone.SensinganotherpersonsmotionorenergyisalsoconsideredatypeofJin.
In fact, in the highest levels of sensing Jin, you actually sense the Qi flow of your opponent and
therebyknowhisintentions.ThesesensingJinsareenhancedbyincreasingtheQiflowtoyourskin.In
general,thehigherthelevelofJin,themoreQiandthelessmuscularstrengthisused.
Inthemartialarts,itissaidthatJinisnotmuscularstrengthalone.Thismeansthatalthoughyoumust
useyourmuscleseverytimeyoumove,Jinismorethanjustmuscularstrengthandproperalignment.
ThereareseveraldifferentkindsofmanifestJin.Whenyourelyprimarilyonmuscularstrength,but
alsouseQiandyourconcentratedmind,itisconsideredHardJin.ThiskindofJinisusuallyeasily
visibleastensedmuscles.WhenmuscleusageisreducedandbothQiandmusclesplayequalrolesin
theJin,itiscalledSoftHardJin.WhenmuscleusageisreducedtoaminimumandQiplaysthemajor
role,itiscalledSoftJin.SoftHardJinandespeciallySoftJin,areusuallyexpressedinapulse.SoftJin
isoftencomparedtoawhip,whichcanexpressagreatdealofforceinaveryshorttime,concentrated
inaverysmallarea.Whenyousnapawhip,itstayslooseasittransmitsawaveorpulseofenergy
alongitslengthtothetip.Similarly,whenyouuseSoftJinyourmusclesstayrelativelyrelaxedasyou
transmit a pulse of energy through your body. This is done with the tendons and the ends of the
muscles,supportedbyQi.
When a Soft Jin is manifested, the emission of Jin is a relatively short, smooth and relaxed pulse of
energy,withoutanyangularchangesindirection.Thepulsecanbelongorshort,nearthebodyorata

distance.Itcanbeasuddencontractionandexpansionasyoubouncetheopponentaway,oraneven
sharperspasmasyoustrikeorbreaksomething.
The "Depth of Jin" illustration may help you understand the difference between Jin and muscular
strength (Li). The vertical coordinate represents the depth to which power can penetrate and the
horizontalcoordinaterepresentstheelapsedtime.Theareasunderthecurvesrepresentthepower
generated for each curve. We assume that the areas under the curves are the same, i.e., the power
generatedforeachcurveisequal.Incurve1,thepowerisgenerated,reachesitsmaximum,staysat
themaximumforthetimeandthendropstozero.WithoutstrongQisupport,thisisatypicalexample
of Li; muscular strength predominates and penetration is limited, as in the average punch. With Qi
support, it would be considered Hard Jin. In curve 2, both muscles and Qi are involved and the
powerisatitsmaximumfortheshortertime.Sincethepowergeneratedisthesameaswithcurve1,
the peak has to reach higher, which means there is greater penetration. In order to do this, the
musclesmustberelaxedtoallowtheQifromeitherthelocalareaortheLowerDanTian(elixirfield)
toflowsmoothlytosupportthem.TheLowerDanTianislocatedinthecenterofyourabdomen,and
isknowntobethecenterofthebodysenergeticcirculatorysystem.ThisisthegeneralideaofSoft
Hard Jin. In SoftHard Jin, commonly the body is soft and relaxed so the Qi can be led to the area
where the Jin will be manifested. Once the Qi arrives, a slight but sharp muscular tension is
intentionallygeneratedandthepowerismanifested.ThisistheJinusedpredominantlyforstrikingin
softhard martial styles, such as White Crane Kung Fu. In curve 3, the time in which the power is
generated is even shorter. The muscles must be extremely relaxed to generate and express this
sharply penetrating power. In order to reach a deep penetrating power, speed is a crucial key for
successfulSoftJinmanifestation.Naturally,QiplaysthepredominantroleinthissoftJin.Curve3is
typicaloftheJinusedforstrikingintheinternalarts,suchasTaijiquan(taichi).
Fromthepointofviewofmuscleusage,curve1islikeawoodenstaff,curve2islikearattanstaffand
curve3islikeawhip.Thewoodenstaffisstiffliketensedmuscles,therattanismoreflexible,andthe
whipissoft;itspowersharpandfocused.Evencurve3,whichisaveryhighlevelofpower,isstillnot
the highest power in the martial arts. The highest level of the Qi manifestation into Jin can be
representedbyline4.Inthislevel,themuscularstrengthisreducedtominimumandtheQiplaysthe
majorroleofthepowermanifestation.Whenamartialartisthasreachedthislevel,hecantransport
hisQiintohisenemysbodythroughtheacupuncturecavitiestoshockorgansandcausedamageor
deathinstantly.Thetimeusedisextremelyshortandthepenetrationisdeeperthanispossiblewith
JinorLi.ThisisknownastheskillofPressingCavity(DianXue)orPressingPrimaryQiChannel
(Dian Mai/Dim Mak ). Detailed understanding of the bodys Qi circulatory system and which points
arevitalatwhichtimeofdayisnecessaryforthesetechniquestobeeffective.
(Editor'snote:DimMakiscontroversial,andisconsideredmythicalinmoderntimes.Manypeopledo
notbelieveittobepossible,andinfacttheydonotbelievethatQiorthebodysenergeticcirculatory
system even exists. However, in traditional Chinese martial arts society, it is well known and
understood. In addition, during World War 2, the Japanese performed extensive studies on the Qi
circulatory system, using Dim Mak techniques on captured Chinese civilians from the Manchou
territory (Northeast of China). By carefully recording the data resulting from these "experiments",
torturingandkillingmanypeopleintheprocess,theyverifiedtheaccuracyoftheirknowledgeofthe
bodysenergeticcirculatorysystemandtheeffectivenessoftheDimMaktechniques.Thisinformation
hasbeenpublishedinothercountries,andwasmadeavailableforpublicationinAmerica,butupon
reading the details after translation into English by YMAA, it was decided to be unethical and
dangeroustopublishtheinformation.)
Li can be considered closer to Hard Jin in which muscular strength plays the major role in power
manifestation.ItissaidthatLiorHardJinisderivedfromthebonesandmuscles.TheQiissupported
fromthelocalarea.SoftHardJinandSoftJinoriginatefromthetendonsandaresupportedstrongly
byQi,whichisgeneratedintheLowerDanTian.SincethetendonsareemphasizedintheSoftHard
JinandSoftJin,themusclefiberscanberelaxed,allowingtheQitoflowthroughthemandsupport
them. If your force isderived from the bones, there is a strong tendency for you to resist and meet
youropponentsforcedirectly.Whenyourforceisderivedfromthetendonsitiseasiertobeflexible
andelusive,todisappearinfrontoftheopponentsattackandtoappearathisweakspot.

In order to have stronger Qi, you need a meditative mind, which can generate a stronger EMF.
Through this concentration, your spirit can be raised to a highly focused stage from which you can
govern your entire being more efficiently. When this happens, you will be able to manifest your
physicalpowertoitsmaximum.
PUSHINGHANDS
ByDr.Yang,JwingMingandJeffreyPratt
Thereareanumberofimportantprinciplesyoushouldalwaysrememberandfollowwhenpracticing
pushing hands. Read the ancient poetry and songs of the Taiji Classics regularly throughout your
training,becausetheycanteachyoubothkeyprinciplesandideasfortraining.Theoryandpractice
continually reinforce each other, so your ability and understanding will benefit from repeatedly
readingandponderingthesewrittenrecordsofthemasters.
HerearethreeselectionsfromtheTaijiClassicswhichareconcernedspecificallywithpushinghands.
SONGOFEIGHTWORDS
Wardoff(Peng),Rollback(Lu),Press(Ji),andPush(An)arerareinthisworld.Tenmartialartists,ten
don'tknow.Ifabletobelightandagile,alsostrongandhard,(thenyougain)AdhereConnect,Stick
Followwithnodoubt.Pluck(Cai),Split(Lie),ElbowStroke(Zhou),andShoulderStroke(Kao)are
evenmoreremarkable.Whenused,noneedtobotheryourmind.Ifyougainthesecretofthewords
AdhereConnect,StickFollow,thenyouwillbeintheringandnotscattered.
SONGOFPUSHINGHANDS
BeconscientiousaboutWardoff(Peng),Rollback(Lu),Press(Ji),andPush(An).Upanddownfollow
eachother,(then)theopponent(willfindit)difficulttoenter.Nomatter(if)heusesenormouspower
toattackme,(I)usefourouncestolead(himaside),deflecting(his)onethousandpounds.Guide(his
power)toenterintoemptiness,thenimmediatelyattack;
AdhereConnect,StickFollow,donotlosehim.
THESECRETOFWITHDRAWANDRELEASE
FirstSaying:Deflectandopenopponent'sbodyandborrowopponent'sLi(strength).
SecondSaying:Lead(opponent'spower)near(my)body,Jintherebystored.
ThirdSaying:RelaxandexpandmyJin,withoutbends.
FourthSaying:When(I)release,thewaistandthefeetmustbetimedcarefullyandaccurately.
PUSHINGHANDS
Almost every Chinese martial style, both external and internal, has its own handmatching training
similar to Taiji's pushing hands. In southern external styles it is commonly called Bridge Hands or
Coiling Hands, while in northern external styles it is called Folding Hands or Opposing Hands.
Althoughthenamesaredifferent,thepurposesarethesame.Thetechniquestrainedandemphasized
byeachstylereflecttheessenceofthatstyle,andareusuallykeptsecrettopreventotherstylesfrom
copyingthemorlearninghowtocounterthem.Onceastudentisacceptedasalegitimatestudentand
istaughttheseexercises,hehasbeguntheseriousstudyofhisstyle.
InTaijiquan,therearealsomanystylesofpushinghands,sincealmosteverydifferentTaijistylehas
itsownemphasis.Somestylesareextremelysoft,andthereforeemphasizeonlythesoftJins(power
emission). Other styles emphasize harder Jin training, which tends to be more easily accepted by
beginners.Somestylesstresshighposturesandasmalldefensivecirclewhileothersemphasizelow
postures and a large circle. Even in the same Taiji style, there are often differences from master to
master,accordingtotheiremphasisandunderstanding.
Youmaystartpushinghandsanytimeafteryoufinishlearningthesolosequence,anditshouldbepart
ofyourtrainingforaslongasyoupracticeTaiji.Youlearntosenseandfollowyourpartnerwithout
resisting, so that you ultimately understand his strength and use it against him. Pushing hands also
givesyouachancetopracticetheapplicationsofthetechniques,whichincreasesyourunderstanding
ofthesequence.Withoutsuchunderstanding,thesequenceremainsdead.
DoingTaijiwithoutpushinghandsislikebuyingacarandnotlearninghowtodrive.Pushinghands
teachesyouhowtodriveinaparkinglot.However,evenifyoucandriveskillfullyinthislot,itdoes
notmeanyouarecapableofdrivingonthefreewayorinthecity.Inordertobeableto"driveinreal

traffic," you must also learn the twoperson fighting set and free fighting. The fighting set was
designedtogivefightingexperiencewhichresemblesrealfighting.Thisislikedrivingyourcarwith
aninstructor'ssupervision.Thelaststage,freefighting,isyoursolodrivingintraffic.
In pushing hands, the first step is to build up your sensitivityin the sensing Jins Listening Jin and
UnderstandingJin.ThesetwoJinsarethefoundationofallTaijimartialtechniques,andaredeveloped
through the practice of AdhereStick Jin. Until you can "hear" (through feeling) and understand the
opponent'sJin,youwillnotbeabletounderstandhisintentionandpower,andwillnotbeabletofight
effectively.
AfteryouhavegraspedthetricksofListeningandUnderstandingJins,thenextstepistolearnhowto
neutralize,lead,andcontroltheopponent'sJin.Oncethisislearned,youwillbeabletoreactwiththe
various offensive Jins as appropriate to the situation. Naturally, during all your practice you should
notforgetthefundamentals,suchaskeepingyourbodycentered,comfortable,andsteady,otherwise
you will lose your balance. You must also remember to coordinate your Qi (energy) with your Jins.
UtilizingtheHenandHasoundsisveryimportantinTaijimartialapplications,andplayamajorrole
inraisingtheSpiritofVitalityandstimulatingtheQitoreachfurtherandincreaseinstrength.Also,
TaijiballtrainingisoftenusedintheinternalstylestotrainListeningandUnderstandingJinsItisalso
usedtotrainadheringandstickingwhiledoingthecircularadvancingandretreatingmotionswhich
arerequiredintheinternalmartialarts.
At first, the student should learn the basic exercises which are the key to the door of the secret of
pushinghands.TheywillhelpyoutounderstandanddevelopyourskillatListening,Understanding,
andespeciallyNeutralizingandLeadingJins.
Onceyouhavemasteredallofthesebasicexercises,youshouldpracticethetechniquescorresponding
to the eight directions, and learn how to coordinate them with your footwork according to the
principles of the five elements and the eight trigrams. With this training you will be able to
understandtheprinciplesandgeneralrulesofpushinghands,andlayafoundationwhichwillenable
you to research and study further. Finally, a student will train the martial applications of pushing
handstechniques.Thesewillbuildafoundationwhichwillallowyoutobeginlearningfromthefrom
the88posturetwopersonfightingmatchingset.
DAOISTBREATHINGIMPROVESPUSHINGHANDS
AsaninstructorattheYMAASchoolinBoston,Mass.,mystudentsoftenask,Howcanmypushing
handsgetbetter?Weallwanttogetbetter.Manypeoplespendalotoftimelookingforsomefacetof
theartthattheyhavemissedoratricktoshortentheirpath.Ithinkoneofthebestanswerstothe
questionisDaoistbreathing.
Daoist breathing, often called reversed abdominal breathing or embryonic breathing is breathing,
whichduringinhalationthemindiskeptfocusedontheDanTian,whilethelowerabdominalarea,the
WeiYincavityandanusaredrawnin.Whenexhaling,theseareasaregentlyallowedtoexpandand
themindstaysfocusedontheDanTian.Thisisaveryshortexplanationofembryonicbreathing.
IsuggestthatyoureviewDr.YangJwingMingsbook,QigongMeditationEmbryonicBreathingfora
morecompleteexplanation.Foradditionalinformation,readanarticleinFightingArtsmagazineby
Dr.YangwhostatesthatEmbryonicBreathingistherequiredpracticeforthosewhowishtocultivate
theDaoandtraintheirQi.Itcanandshouldbeutilizedbymartialartistsofallstyles.
To my students, I pointed out that embryonic breathing was the key element in strengthening the
centralenergylineandimprovingpushinghands.Thisinturnledtothefollowingexampletodescribe
theeffectsofusingaspecificQigongtohelpyourpushinghands.
STONETABLETBODYVS.ACONCENTRATEDCENTER
Whenyoufirststartpushinghands,neutralizationisadifficultconcept.Mostofustendtotightenup
when we get pushed. It is a natural response and a difficult one to rewire. We spend a lot of time
learning to relax the torso. This rigidity offers myriad connections to the Dan Tian so newbies are
easilypushedoffbalance.Apersonwillmoveasiftheirtorsoisasolidrock.Theirentiretorsowill
rotatetoneutralizeanattack.Thespineandchestwillappearfrozen.Theirmovementwilllookmuch
likeadoorswingingonitshinges.Inapersonthehingeisthehipofwhicheverlegisbearingmostof
thepersonsweight,thisistheStoneTabletBody.

The next evolution for a practitioner is transforming the stone tablet to a line in the torso that the
person moves around. This allows a bit more neutralization and the torso can be described as
softening,butattacksagainstthislineareverydifficultfortheindividualtodealwithandresultin
the person stiffening their body and actually making neutralization more difficult. The line is
analogous with the persons spine, but is far less flexible than the actual spine. However, this shift
fromtablettolineisdefiniteimprovementandshouldbeencouraged.
ROOTINGTHEBODY
Oneleveldeeperinbuildingneutralizationcapabilityrequiresthatthelineinthetorsogetshorter.
This shrinking of the line is a nice way to describe the continued softening of the torso. The
practitionerislearningtoletthechestandspineflexandisdevelopinghisconnectiontotheground
knownasroot.
Thisisafairlyadvancedlevelofdevelopmentandmanypeoplespendagreatdealoftimehere.The
goal is to shrink that line and learn softness. The Qi in the body most flow smoothly and circulate
throughout the whole body. Your body has to be uniform in its response to the attack and act as a
whole,notastaggeredgroupofindividualpieces.
Tensionorrigidityinanypartwillbeusedagainstyou,sorelax.Wegenerallythinkofthisintegration
intermsofmovementinthesoloformandperhapsinoffensiveaction.Itisvital,however,tohavethis
connectedqualityfordefenseaswell.IfyoucannotlinktheentirebodytogetherforYin(defense)and
Yang (offense) then you dont have Taijiquan. The softer and more connected you are; the more
energyyoucandissipateaswell.
TheTaijiclassicsstatePowerisgeneratedinthelegs,controlledbythewaistandmanifestedinthe
hands.Itisjustascorrecttoreversethechainandsaythatattackingenergyisreceivedbythebody,
redirectedbythewaistandchanneledintothegroundbythelegs.Whenwesayshrinktheline,we
reallymeansoftenthebody.Sothefurtherwereducethatlinetheharderitisforanopponenttofind
ourDanTianandtheeasierwecanneutralizeincomingattacks.
ACHIEVINGTHEDANTIAN
Thelastlevelisthetrickiesttoachieve;theDanTianhasbeencondensedtoasinglepointinspace.It
isconsideredonedimensional.Nowintherealworld,wehavelittleexperiencewithsuchthings;you
couldntevenpickupaonedimensionalobject.
Whenthisstageisreachedthepersonwillbesuppleassilkandhitlikeatsunami.Anyonewhohas
condensed the Dan Tian to a single point would be virtually impossible to attack effectively. You
wouldnt find a target to aim at;such a person would be truly formidable. Most likely you wouldnt
even notice such an individual as so accomplished a person would avoid conflict as a side effect of
theirbeing.ThecondensedDanTianresultsfromgreatselfdisciplineandspiritualgrowth.Itismore
thanjusthavingsixpackabsandstronglegs.
Graphicallybelow,Ivetriedtoshowthestages,whichwillexplaintheDanTian.
IMPORTANCEOFEMBRYONICBREATHING
So now what do we do with that information; and how does it relate to embryonic breathing?
Embryonicbreathingisimportantintwoparticularways:
First,oneeffectofembryonicbreathingiscondensingtheQiintotheDanTian.
Secondly,itsetsthestageforconnectingtheDanTianwiththeThirdEye.
InChineseQigongandmartialartstherearethreeDanTians:theupper,middle,andlower.
ThelowerDanTian,alsocalledtherealDanTian,iswhereQiisgeneratedandstoredinthebody.Itis
alsothephysicalcenterofmassinthebody.
ThemiddleDanTianislocatedatheartlevelandcorrespondstothethymusgland.
TheupperDanTian,inWesternarcanelorereferredtoastheThirdEye,correspondstotheregionof
theheadjustaboveandbehindtheeyebrows.Anatomicallyitispairedwiththepituitarygland.
Embryonic breathing is part of the process used in linking the Third Eye/Upper Dan Tian to the
real/lower Dan Tian through the Thrusting Vessel (Chong Mai). This linkage is referred to as the
WaterPath(EnlightenmentMeditationXiaoDaoWuZhenJingZuo).
ImportanceoftheWaterPath

ThepurposeoffollowingtheWaterPathistogainspiritualenlightenmentbyleadingQifromthereal
DanTianthroughtheThrustingVessel(ChongMai,spinalcolumn)totheupperDanTiantonourish
thespirit.
Thesideeffectsofthepracticeareacalmmindandastrongerrelaxedbody.(ThisishowtheQigong
enables shrinking the Stone Tablet body to a single line.) The abundance of Qi needed for
enlightenmentprovidesextraenergyforpushinghandsandthestrongerrelaxedtorsoallowssubtler
andbetterneutralization.(Herethelinestartstoshrink.)
AnotherbenefitofthisQigongisfocusseriousconcentrationisneededtotraveltheWaterPath.This
samefocuscanbeputintoFaJinpracticeandmoretothepoint,astheQiissunkintotheDanTian,
theprocessofcondensingtheDanTiandowntothatsinglepoint.
Ithinkthereisalottobegainedfromembryonicbreathing.Thetopicisactuallytoobigtocoverhere
andfranklyIwouldjustbeparrotingwhatDr.Yanghassaidinotherplaces.Icansaythatmyown
practiceoftheWaterPathhasmademypushinghandsbetter.Ihighlyrecommenditandembryonic
breathingtoanyoneinterestedinimprovingtheirpushinghands.
SELFDEFENCE
ByChengTinHungandDanDocherty
The roots of Tai Chi lay in the Tao philosophy of Yin and Yang, which teaches that hardness can
overcome softness, and that softness can overcome hardness. It was originally used by Chinese
martial artists as a form of self defence. Let us have a look at this theory in practice: A common
occurrenceinafightwouldbewhereAattacksBwithallhisstrengthandBusesallhisstrengthto
blocktheattack.Herethepartiesareengagedinabattleofforceagainstforceandthestrongerside
willwin.
Inanothertypicalsituationletussupposethattwomen,oneweak,theotherstrong,gotothesame
martialartsschoolandlearnthesametechniquesforanequallengthoftime.Inafightbetweenthe
two,thestrongerwillstilldefeattheweaker.
WangChungyueh,aTaiChiChuanmaster,wholivedduringtheMingDynasty,studiedthistypeof
situation.AftermanyyearsofobservingvarioushardstylesoftheChinesemartialarts,hecametothe
conclusionthat,stylisticdifferencesaside,whenusedincombattheendresultwasalwaysthesame;
victorywouldgototheswiftestandstrongestandnotnecessarilytothosewhohadmadeanintensive
studyoftheirart.
ChangSanfenghadstudiedthesamesituation,evenbeforeWangdid.Drivenbyabeliefthatvictory
need not inevitably go to the strong, but that brain could defeat brawn, he used his knowledge of
Taoism to create a martial art based on the principles of Tai Chi the changes of Yin and Yang. He
calleditTaiChiChuan,thewordChuanmeaningFistandthusrepresentingmartialart.
CorrectapplicationofTaiChiChuantechniquesincombatwillresultinthesituationwhereaslight
applicationofforceissufficienttodeflect,divert,orotherwiserenderharmlessaforcewhichismany
timesgreaterinmagnitude.Thusthesoftovercomesthehardandtheweakneednotfeartodobattle
withthestrong.ForthepurposesofTaiChiChuanincombat,softnessisthechildofwisdom,andis
not merely a weak force which can somehow magically defeat a stronger one. The two major
principles of Tai Chi Chuan selfdefense strategy are using stillness to defeat motion, and using
softnesstodefeathardness.
STILLNESSDEFEATSMOTION
Thepracticeofthisprinciplerequiresaclearmind.Weshouldwaitforouropponenttobeginmaking
the first move then preempt him by reacting decisively, before he can complete it. We do this
because,whenfirstfacingouropponentwedonotknowhisintentions,andsowedonotknowwhich
partofourbodyhewillattack.Itisbetter,then,towaituntilhecommitshimselftoanattacksothat
wecandivertitbeforeitreachesitsconclusion,andthenweinturncancounterattackbystrikinghis
weakpoints.Wemustavoidtakingthisprincipletotheabsurdconclusionofwaitingforouropponent
tohituswithoutmovingamuscleinresponse.ThatiswhyinaclassicaltextontheThirteenTacticsit
iswritten,Iftheenemydoesnotmove,wedonotmove,butassoonashebeginstomovewemoveat
once.
In using this principle, our mind must remain clear to enable us to detect our opponents slightest
movementsandtocounteractanyintendedattack.Thekeytothisprincipleisthatonceouropponent
has committed himself to an attack it already too late for him to react to our counteraction. In the
wordsofthemilitarystrategistSunTzu,Wemustknowourselvesandouropponent.Wecanonlydo
this by remaining calm and collected until we clearly detect an impending attack to which we then
immediatelyrespond.
SOFTNESSOVERCOMESHARDNESS
Inthepracticeofthisprinciplewemustconsciouslyavoidusingbruteforceattemptingtocounteract
theattacksofouropponent.Mindandbodymustworkinharmonyinthecorrectapplicationofthe
techniquesofdefenseandcounterattack.
Theideaistodiverttheattacksofouropponentinsuchawayastoturnhisownforceagainsthim.
ThisrequirestheuseofoneormoreoftheEightPowersofTaiChiChuan,whicharediscussedbelow.
Thus,ifouropponenttriestopunchusinthechest,theuseofLu,aslightdiversiontotheside,willbe

enoughdivertevenhisstrongestattackandpavethewayforourcounterattack.IntheSongofTaiChi
PushingHandsitiswritten,Aforceoffourouncescanovercomeaforceofathousandpounds.
CONSTANTPRACTICE
Constant practice with a partner over a period of years is necessary to develop, the ability to apply
this sophisticated concept to selfdefense. Even then we still require tuition from a competent
instructor.Toputthisinsimpleterms,mostofareawarethatanoxcanbeledwithalengthofstring.
Let us take the string represent the four ounces and the ox to represent a thousand pounds. If the
stringistiedtoaringontheendoftheoxsnoseitcaneasilybeled,butifitistiedtoitshindlega
different result can be anticipated. The value then of a competent instructor is to teach the correct
applicationofsoftness,orslightforce.
Theuseofhardforcehascertainclearcutdisadvantages,evenforthemightyamongus.Itrequiresa
greater expenditure of energy, whether used in defense or attack. This affects our breathing and
increases our heartbeat which in turn puts a strain on our central nervous system, thus indirectly
slowingouractionsandreflexes.Allthisisofcourseverymuchtotheadvantageofouropponent.The
useofsoftnessontheotherhandrequirestheexpenditureofverylittleenergy;ourmusclesremain
relaxedandsupplemakingouractionsswiftandsure.Italsoservestodevelopclarityofthoughtand
sensitivity,and to reduce stress.The netresult is that when using this softness in combat against a
hardopponent,whetherinhandorbodycontactwithhim,ourbodyactsasaradarsystemfeedingus
informationaboutouropponentsintentions,whichhisownhardnessortensionallowsoursoftness
orsensitivitytodetect.
The other disadvantage in relying on strength alone is that there is always someone stronger. It
shouldalsoberecognizedthateventhestronggetoldsomeday.
To further ram home the theory and its practice we have only to look at Western history for our
vindication.PerhapsthebestexampleofitsusewasinthewarbetweenGreeceandTroy,wherefor
yearstheGreekslaidsiegetoTroyandthousandsofliveswerelostonbothsidesinabitterwarof
attrition. Finally, at the suggestion of Odysseus, the most cunning of their leaders, the Greeks
pretendedtosailaway,leavingbehindasagiftahugewoodenhorse.TheTrojanshauledthishorse
into their city in triumph, believing the war to be over. Late at night, a party of Greeks, who had
hiddeninsidethehorse,brokeout,killedtheguardsandopenedthegatesfortheircomradeswhohad
returnedandwerelyinginwait.TheTrojans,unpreparedandunarmedafteranightofcelebration,
werenomatchfortheGreeksandTroywasputtothesword.Thisillustratesthattherealmeaningof
softnessliesintheuseofintelligenceratherthanbruteforce.
ADVANCEDPUSHHANDSSTRATEGY
BeforebeingabletomasterthemartialartofTaiChiChuaninselfdefence,wemustfirstunderstand
thestrategywhichgovernstheiruse.IntheSongofPushingHandsitiswrittenaforceofonlyfour
ounces can overcome a force of one thousand pounds. This approach means that we must rely on
skillandintellectratherthanbruteforce;italsorequiresustofollowasetpathoffiveprinciples:
Adherence implies that we must maintain contact with our opponent, remaining sensitive to his
everyaction.Thusweareabletodetecthisattacksandsensehisweakpoints.
Spontaneityimpliesthatourreactionstoanyattackshouldfollowtheprinciplethatassoonasour
opponent moves (attacks)we move (counter) before he can complete his movement. Defense and
counterattackareaseriesofsmooth,unbrokenmovements.
Softness implies that, when applying the principle of adherence, we should maintain only a soft or
relaxed contact with our opponent. The sensitivity thus developed enables us to detect any in our
opponentsintentions.Itisanearlywarningsystem.Ouralso makesitdifficultforouropponentto
detectourownintentions.
Yielding implies that once we have detected the of our opponents force we must go with it, not
againstit.ThisisthekeytotheTaiChiChuantacticofusingfourouncesofforcetodiverteventhe

fiercest attack to the void. While our opponent is using all his energy to attack us we are able to
conserve.
Rejection of Brute Force implies that arm contact with our opponent must be both soft and
continuous.Wemustneitherwithdrawarmnorletitbecometense.Thisconstantsoftcontactenables
ustodetectchangeandtomakeaspontaneousresponsewithoutunnecessarilywastingenergy.
By adopting this Tai Chi Strategy we are able to achieve the ideal of using the minimum effort
necessary to produce the maximum effect. To sum up, we must intercept any attack in a relaxed
manner,adheringtoitwhileweuseonlytheminimumforcenecessarytoguideitgentlyawayfrom
its original target, and to the void. By doing this we can detect any changes that may occur in the
attackandrespondtothemaccordingly.Thiswouldbeimpossibleifweusedbruteforcetoblockthe
attack.Ouractionsmustbeharmoniousandcontinuous.
One of the special characteristics of Tai Chi Chuan is the emphasis placed on diverting attacks and
usingouropponentsownforceagainsthim.ThisiswhywefollowthefiveprinciplesoftheTaiChi
Strategy.Adherenceisuselesswithoutsoftnessaswecanonlybesensitivetoouropponentschanges
if we are relaxed. Yielding is useless without adherence as we can only monitor our opponents
movementsandknowwhentocounterattackifwekeepcontactwithhim.BruteForceusedagainst
ouropponentsforcewillpreventusfromdetectingweaknessesandthisrunsagainstTaiChiChuan
principleswhichdemandthatweknowouropponentaswellasweknowourselves.
ThisthenisthestrategywemustfollowwhenapplyingtheTaiChiChuanforselfdefence.Theyare
practiced when we do the Pushing Hands Exercise which is the first step towards developing our
abilitytoapply,inapracticalway,theselfdefencetechniquesofTaiChiChuan.Asstatedearlier,self
defenceandcombatarebeyondthescopeofthisbook.Theyhavebeenincludedhereinanattemptto
help you understand the origin and historical application of Tai Chi for internal strength and as a
martialart.However,thesetechniquesarenotjustforthequietsolitudeofyourpracticespace.They
mayalsobeappliedwithsensitivitytoyourdailylifeproblemstohelpyouavoidconflict,suchasat
work,business,relationships,family,andothernegativeenergiesthatarisethatcanbetransformed
intopositiveonesusingthisTaiChistrategy,Taowisdom,morality,modestyandlove.
BEYONDYOURBAREHANDTAIJIFORM
ByDr.Yang,JwingMing
OnceyouhavelearnedabasicTaiji(TaiChi)form,whetheryoustudyYang,Chen,oranotherstyle,
thereisstillagreatdealthattraditionalTaijiquan(TaichiChuan)trainingcanoffer.
Taiji Stationary Pushing Hands (Taiji Ding Bu Tui Shou) trains you to develop sensitive feeling, or
ListeningJin(TingJin)tosenseyouropponentsintention,understandtheirJin(power),neutralize
it,andthencounterattack.PushingHandsspecializesinteachingthestudenthowtoemitpower(Fa
Jin)andalsohowtoneutralizethecomingpower(HuaJin).Itincludessoloandpartnerpractice.The
purposeofTaijipushinghandstrainingisthesameasthatofthefightingformsintheexternalstyles.
However, Taijiquan emphasizes sensitivity to touch, or listening (Ting), understanding (Dong),
following (Sui), attaching (Zhan), and adhering (Nian). In stationary pushing hands you must learn
many fundamental techniques, such as single pushing hands and double pushing hands. These
incorporatetheenergiesofwardoff(Pengrollback(Lupress/squeeze(Ji),push/pressdown(An),pluck
(Cai),rend/split(Lieelbow(Zhou),andbump(Kao).Inaddition,otheradvancedpushingtechniques,
suchascoiling(Chan),controlling(Na),borrowing(Jie),leading(Yin),andneutralizing(Hua,)Jinsare
trained. In stationary pushing hands training, there are four basic neutralization patterns which a
pushing hands beginner must learn. Next, he/she will begin double pushing hands training, which
includessixdifferenttrainingpatterns.Normally,thesetrainingsareusedtointroducefourbasicTaiji
Jinpatterns:Peng,Lu,Ji,andAn.Next,astudentmustlearntheotherfourbasicTaijiJinpatterns,Cai,
Lie,Zhou,andKao.Theseroutinesarecommonlycalled"DaLu"(DaLu"LuJi",andsimply"Cai,Lie,
Zhou,andKao."
SilkReelingTaijiSymbolTraining(TaijiQuanChanShouLianXi)isthefoundationoftheTaijiPushing
Hands and Sparring. This training includes two portions: the Yang symbol and the Yin symbol. A
student starts with Yang symbol, solo practice first, then with a partner. Begin with stationary
practice,thenmovetoforwardandbackward.Afterastudentisabletomoveforwardandbackward
withclosedeyes,heorshethenstartstheparallelwalkingtraining.Finally,heorshewillcomplete
this symbol with the Bagua walking. When a student has mastered the Yang side, then he or she
should learn the Yin side and follow the same training procedures. When these two Yin and Yang
symbolsaremastered,astudentwillbeabletochangehisorhertechniquessmoothlyandeasilyand
applytheminthePushingHandsorSparring.
The ancient art of Silk Reeling Jin in Chen style Taijiquan is also known as Taiji Yin/Yang Symbol
StickingHandsinYangstyleTaiji.Themainpurposeofthissoftandflowingtrainingistoconnectthe
body,fromheadtotoe,sothatyoumaycoordinateyourmovementseffectively.FromthisYangside
and Yinside training, a practitioner will establish a firm foundation for understanding the martial
aspectsofTaijiquanpractice.
Taiji Moving Pushing Hands (Taiji Dong Bu Tui Shou) is the training before Taiji sparring, the final
goal of instruction. In moving pushing hands, the student must use stepping strategy with the
techniqueslearnedinstationarypushinghandsandtheTaijiFightingset.Studentswhohavereached
the level where the opponent cannot set them up, and can use their own techniques skillfully, have
completedthebasictrainingforsparring.
The Taiji Fighting Set (Taiji San Shou Tui Lian) was designed so that two people could practice
together in a situation resembling actual fighting. The main purpose of this training is to teach the
studenthowtostepandmovehis/herbodyintothemostadvantageouspositionincombat.Naturally,
italsoteachesthestudenthowtoavoidbeingchanneledintoadisadvantageoussituation.Thestudent
needs to have practiced stationary pushing hands first, so that he/she can combine that experience
withthefightingsettomakethetechniquescomealive.
PushingHands,StickingHands,andtheFightingSetcanallbepracticedforhealthpurposesonly,and
they have many benefits for your general fitness, balance, and body awareness. However, the
traditionalpurposeofTaijiquanisforfightingandselfdefense.TaijiFreeSparring(TaijiZiYouSan
ShouDuiDa)isthestageoftrainingwherethestudentusesthetechniqueslearnedovermonthsand

years oftraining inactual hand to hand combat. Pads are worn are care istaken to notinjure your
trainingpartner.
As with most other Chinese martial arts, Taijiquan also includes weapons training, including the
Saber, Staff, Spear, and Sword, as well as other lesserknown traditional weapons. Each of these
fascinatingweaponscantakemanymonthsandyearsofstudyandtrainingtomaster,andthisagain
has many benefits for your body and mind. The path of traditional Taijiquan is not easy, but the
rewardsitoffersareendless.
XINANDYI:TWOMINDS
ByDr.Yang,JwingMing
IfyouareinterestedinlearningTaijiquan,youmustunderstandYinandYang,andtheirrelationship
with Taiji. Without knowing the theory and the Dao, your Taijiquan practice will be limited to the
external forms and movements. In this case, you will have lost the real meaning of practicing
Taijiquan.BeforetheactionofTaijiquanmovement,theXin(emotionalmind)ispeacefulandtheQiis
harmonious,theXinandYi(wisdommind)areattheRealDanTianandtheQistaysinitsresidence.
ThisisthestateofextremecalmnessandisthestateofWuji.However,whentheXinandYibeginto
act, the Qi circulation begins, the physical bodys movement is thus initiated, and the Yin and Yang
accordingly divides. From this we can see that Xin and Yi are what is called Taiji in Taijiquan. That
meanstheDaoofTaijiquanistheDaoofXinandYi,ourtwominds.
TheWujistateexistsinsideeachofus.Itisthestatefromwhichallcreativeimpulsesgrow.Taijiis
generatedoutofWujiandisthemotherofYinandYang.Thus,TaijiisthecauseoftheYinandYang
division,andisitselfneitherWujinorYinandYang,butthecauseoftheseparationofYinandYang.In
thissenseitisapartofthedivineaspectoftheDao.AllthingscanbeclassifiedaseitherYinorYang.
Taijiquanwascreatedaccordingtothistheory.InthebeginningpostureoftheTaijiquansequence,the
mindiscalmandempty,andtheweightisevenlydistributedonbothfeet.ThisstateisWuji.When
yourmindstartstoleadthebodyintothepostureofGraspSparrowsTail,internal(Yin)andexternal
(Yang) aspects of Taijiquan features start to be discriminated. Moreover, the hands and feet are
differentiated into insubstantial (Yin) and substantial (Yang). This is the state of Two Polarities.
Throughinteractionofsubstantial(Yang)andinsubstantial(Yin),allofTaijiquansfightingstrategies
and techniques are generated. From this, you can see that the Taiji (i.e., the Dao) in Taijiquan is
actually the mind. It is the mind that makes the body move and divides the Wuji state into Yin and
Yang two polarities. We can conclude from this that Taijiquan is actually a martial art of the mind.
Taijimeans"grandultimate".Inthebody,themindisthegrandultimatethatinitiatesmovement,Qi
circulation,anddiscriminationbetweenyinandyang.
Xin and Yi are able to reach anywhere in the universe without being restricted by time and space.
FromXinandYi,theYinandYangareinitiatedandcontinuetomoveintounlimitedvariations.Thisis
thetheoryofmillionsofdivisionsandcreationsofTaiji.Therefore,thosewhopracticeTaijiquanmust
begin from the training of Xin and Yi. Though our physical bodies are restricted by our three
dimensionalreality,ourmindsarefreetotravelandreachanywhereintheuniverse,unrestrictedby
time,orevenbeyondthisuniverse.Allhumancreations,fromshovelstoairplanes,arosefirstinour
imaginations.Fromourthoughts,newideasarecreated.ItisthesameforTaijiquan.Itwascreated
fromthemind,anditscreationwillcontinuewithoutanend.Sinceitisanactive,living,andcreative
art,Taijiquanisaproductofspiritualenlightenmentandanunderstandingoflife.
Theemotionalmindandwisdommindarecontainedinternally,whichbelongstoYin.Themovements
(actions)ofTaijiquanaremanifestedexternally,whichbelongstoYang.WhenthefunctionsofXinand
Yi are applied to our spiritual feeling, they direct us into the correct Dao of cultivating our human
nature,througheffortstowardstrengtheningthemind,raiseupthespirit,andcomprehendthereal
meaning of human life, and from this, further to comprehend the meaning and relationship among
humans,betweenhumansandobjectsaroundus,andalsotosearchforthetruthofnatureinheaven
and earth. When the function of Xin and Yi is applied to our physical body, it is the great Dao of
cultivating the physical life for selfdefense, nourishing the physical life, and strengthening the
physical body. This is the foundation for extending our lives and establishing a firm root of health.
When Xin and Yi are acting on internal spiritual feeling, it serves to cultivate our human
temperamentsandhelpsustounderstandthemeaningofourlives.WhenXinandYiareactingand
manifested externally, it promotes physical health and selfdefense. Therefore, when we practice
Taijiquan, we should cultivate both our spiritual beings (Yin) and train our physical bodies (Yang).
TaijiquanoriginatedfromtheDaoistfamily.Itsultimategoalistoreachenlightenmentandsoasto
achieve the Dao of unification between heaven and human. Therefore, the final goal of practicing
Taijiquan is to reach the unified harmonious Wuji state of heaven and human. From practicing
Taijiquan,weareabletofurthercomprehendthemeaningofhumanlifeandtheuniverse.
TAIJIQUANTHEORYOF
REACHINGENLIGHTENMENT
ByDr.Yang,JwingMing
InthepracticeofTaijiquanpushinghands,Taijicirclestickinghands,andTaijiquanfreefighting,etc.,
youmustpracticeuntilyouhavereachedastagewherethereisnodiscriminationoftheopponent.
Thatmeansitisthestagewheretheopponentisyouandyouaretheopponent,bothareone.Asa
result, you know yourself and you also know your opponent. You are in an active position and the
opponentsactionisdrivenbyyou.Youareabletoputtheopponentinyourpalms.Whenthereisan
intention of moving, you know immediately. When this happens, you have reached the stage of
fighting with enlightenment. At the beginning, the keys of training are in listening, following,
attaching, and adhering four crucial words. If you are not able to use these four important keys
skillfully,thenyouwillnotbeabletocommunicatewiththeopponentandunderstandthesituation.
Afterward,thekeysoftrainingareonleading, neutralizing,coiling,andturning.Ifyoucannotapply
thesefourkeyseffectively,thenthecomingJinswillnotbeneutralizedanddissolvedbyyouandthus
youwillnotbeabletocontrolyouropponentinyourpalms.Ifyouareabletoreachtheabove(eight
words),thenthetechniquessuchasCai(pluck),Lie(split),Zhou(elbow),Kao(bump),Ti(kicking),Da
(striking),Shuai(wrestling),andNa(ChinNa),etc.canbeexecutedasyouwish.
When you practice Taijiquan skills to a high level and have reached a state of fight of no fight
(regulating without regulating), then every action is ultimately natural, comfortable, skillful, and
effective.Thisisthestageoffightingwithenlightenment.Inthisstage,youaretheonewhocontrols
theentirefightingsituation.
Thekeystoreachingthisstageoftrainingareintheeightcrucialpractices.Atthebeginning,youmust
practicelistening(feeling),following,attaching,andadheringuntilyoubecomeproficient.Ifyoucan
do so, you will be able to communicate with your opponent easily. Only then can you perform the
skills of leading, neutralizing, coiling, and turning effectively. In fact, these eight key words are the
crucialsecretsofexecutingalloftheTaijiquanfightingtechniquessuccessfully.
Inbeginningofyourtraining,thefocusisonregulatingthebody,andthenonregulatingthebreathing,
regulatingtheXin(emotionalmind),regulatingtheQi,andthenregulatingthespirit.Itsfinalstageis
toregulatethespirituntilnoregulatingisnecessary.Thisisthestageofregulatingwithoutregulating.
Ifyoureallyareabletoreachthislevel,yourenlightenedspiritwillbefocusedonitfully.Thisisthe
Daoofreachingenlightenment.
In order to reach the final stage of enlightenment, you must regulate your body, and then your
breathing,mind,Qi,andfinallyspirit.Onceyouareabletoreachastageatwhichyourwholespiritis
intheactionswithoutanyeffort,thenyouhavereachedthestageofenlightenment.Thisisthelevelof
actionwithoutaction.
Generallyspeaking,toreachenlightenmentistocomprehendthemeaningofphysicallife,tocherish
alllivingthings,toknowthemandateofheaven,andtofulfillthewillofheaven.Thatmeans,during
the training process of killing and surviving in Taijiquan practice, to comprehend the reasons for
humanlife,tocherishthevalueofmillionsoflivingthings,tosearchfortherulesofheavenDao,and
finally to achieve the great Dao of heaven and humans unification. This is the original meaning of
TaijiquanscreationbytheDaoistfamilyinWudangmountain.
Taijiquan was created at the Daoist monasteries on Wudang mountain. The final goal of Daoist
spiritualcultivationistoreunitethehumanspiritwiththeheavens(natural)spirit.Toreachthisgoal,
firstwemustcomprehendthemeaningofourlives,cherishalllivingthings,searchforthemandateof
nature,andfinallyfulfillthismandate.Fromthis,wecanseethat,thoughTaijiquanwascreatedasa
martialart,itdoesnotmeantodestroyortokilllife.Onthecontrary,itisthetoolforustounderstand
life.Fromselfunderstandinganddiscipline,welearnhowtocontrolourselvesandtoappreciatelife
everywhere.Onlythencanwehaveapureandkindhearttounderstandnatureanditsmandate.Allof
thesearetherequiredproceduresfortheunificationofhumanandheavensspirit.
OPENINGTHEHEARTWITHTAICHI
ByDaveWest
Openingtheheart,cultivatingloveandkindness,andawakeningthecompassionatespiritinsideour
selfisthekeytoinnerpeaceandhappiness,andtheessenceofspiritualprogress.Loveisanatural
occurrence in the world, but bringing it to the forefront of our daily thought, speech and action
involves cherishing others more than we cherish our self. This can be achieved through the regular
practiceofLovingKindnessMeditationanddailymindfulnessinallthoughts,speechandactions.here
we can control our ego, eliminate selfimportance and selfishness, and consider the happiness of
othersthroughoutourdailyactivities.Weallneedtohealourlife,tounderstandoursickness,orto
heal past traumatic experiences, for example family, romantic partners, teachers, and other
important relationships. Meditation is the ideal place where we can examine these experiences and
attitudes,andreplacenegativeattitudeswithmorepositiveones.
When we experience truth, the madness of finding fault with others disappears. Selfexploration
thoughregularmeditationallowsustorecognisethatthefaultsandfailuresinourdailylifearenotin
thedifficultsituationsthatconfrontus,orinthepeoplewithwhomwehavetointeract.Theproblems
we face arise from within. Circumstances only act as a catalyst to bring them to the surface. This
meansthateverythingwefeel,think,say,ordoiscomingupfromdeepwithin.Meditationgivesusthe
chancetoreflectonthis,andapplythenecessarychangestotakeplacewithinus.Bylettinggoofour
egos reactions and practising forgiveness and acceptance we begin to experience pure and perfect
love.Welearntogladlyallowtheenergyoflovetocirculateandshinethrough,unobstructedbyfear,
pain and hatred. The deeper we explore, the more we come to realise a very simple truth: Loving
thoughts feel good, and unloving thoughts feel bad. Unloving thoughts are like selfinflicted poison
darts, whereas loving thoughts are the natural response to realitywhen it is clearly perceived. This
simpleunderstandingwillinitiateanaturalchangeofmindthatwillculminateinthemostimportant
themeofTaiChi,Yogaandallhealingarts:Learningtoloveandbeloved.Inthiswaywecanbeginto
discoverthatsufferingisourgreatestteacher,andthatthesufferingineverydaylifegivesusmany
opportunitiestolivetheidealway.Whenweexperienceourownsufferingitisadifficulttime,andwe
tendtobecomeoverwhelmedwithgrief.Butthisisalsoagreatopportunitytobecomestronger,adapt
andevolve.Inthedepthsofoursufferingwecanlearnfromthepast,acceptthedifficultpresentand
becomestrongerforthefuture.
However,whenwehelpotherstofeellesssuffering,lessdistressfromtheinevitablenegativesoflife
andthetragiclossesandfrustrations,themomentwedoapositivethingforotherswithoutthought
orconcernforourselves,inthesemomentssufferingandenlightenmentareone.Thisteachesusnot
toliveapartfromtheworld,buttolivearealandactivepartofit.Wediscoverthatenlightenmentis
notsomegreatcosmicpeacetripformonksincaves;itisactuallyfoundrightinthemidstofourdaily
existence,andthattheultimateidealofuniversalcompassioncanbeapproachedinsmallways,not
justasallornothing.
RECYCLINGANDTRANSFORMING
NEGATIVEENERGY
ByMantakChia
Everythingisenergy.WhenTaiChimastersconfrontnegativeemotionalenergy,ratherthanseeking
to hide it or to dump it out, they use techniques to transform negative, sick energy, into positive,
loving, healing energy. The primary methods employed are The Inner Smile and the Six Healing
Sounds. Negative emotions are stored in the bodys organs. Over time, the accumulation of the
negativityerodestheorganshealthandeffectsthepersonsdisposition.TheSixHealingSoundswork
totransformthenegativeenergystoredintheorgansandtotransformthemintohealinglight.That
worksbetterthanholdingontonegativityordumpingitoutontosomeone,becausesuchemotional
ventingonlyservestopassanemotionalvirusontoanotherand,viathelawofkarma,eventuallythat
same negativity will be revisited upon the person who sent it out in the first place. When negative
emotional energy is transformed into positive energy, it can be circulated through the meridians,
sendinghealingenergythroughoutthebody.
IntheTaoisttradition,positiveandnegativeemotionsareassociatedwiththeinternalorgans.Oneof
thekeystogoodhealthistobecomeawareoftheemotionalenergiesthatresideintheorgans,andto
transformthenegativeemotionalenergiesintopositivevirtues.Taoistsbelievethatweareallborn
with the virtues of love, gentleness, kindness, respect, honesty, fairness, justice, and righteousness.
Unfortunately,aswematureandencountermorestressinourdailylives,negativeemotionssuchas
fear,anger,cruelty,impatience,worry,sadness,andgriefoftenpredominate.
Thenegativeemotionshavenegativeeffectsontheinternalorgansandglands,drainingourlifeforce
andunderminingourhealth.IntheTao,emotionalintelligenceisaprocessof
recognizing emotions by their effects on the body, and employing exercises that transform the
negativeemotionsintopositivelifeforce,orChi.TwoimportantexercisesaretheInnerSmileandthe
Six Healing Sounds techniques, as taught by Master Mantak Chia. Taoists learned the relationships
between emotional energies and organ systems over many centuries of study and meditation. They
developedthesemethodstotransformnegativetopositiveemotionsfromtheirpracticalandintuitive
understanding of the human body. Many of the Taoist insights are supported by observations and
evidence from modern psychology and medicine. The Inner Smile and Six Healing Sounds exercises
focusonfiveorgansororgansystems:theheart,thelungs,thekidneys,theliver/gallbladder,andthe
stomach/spleen.TheInnerSmileandSixHealingSoundexercisesdirectourattentionstothebody's
organs and associated qualities. We successively visualize each organ, cleansing the organ and
transforming negative emotional energies into positive virtues. In the Taoist tradition, each person
assumes responsibility for the emotions that arise within, regardless of the external events that
triggertheemotions.Taoistexercisestakeusintoourbodiesandtransformemotionsbytransforming
theassociatedphysiologicalsystems.TheInnerSmileandSixHealingSoundsexerciseshelpbalance
and integrate our sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, promoting health, resilience,
andvitality
HANDLINGSTRESSWITHTAICHI
ByMiltonHuang
Theworldseemstogetmorehecticandcomplexeveryday.Wearebeingbombardedbyamultitude
ofdifferentideas,differentculturesanddifferentconflicts.Newtechnologieschangeourjobsandour
relationshipswithinstantmessages,instantdemandsandinstantexpectations.Everythingseemsto
keepaccelerating,movingincreasinglyfaster.Thesearethefeelingsthatbringpeopletomydoorand
keepmebusyinmyjobasapsychiatrist.Everyoneisstressed,evenin"laidback"SantaCruz.Partof
myjobistohelppeoplefindrelieffromthatstress.Althoughsomereliefcanbefoundthroughherbs,
medicationsorothersubstances,Ifindthatmorelastingreliefcomeswhenpeoplerecognizepatterns
in themselves that contribute to their stress, then engage in a sustained effort to redirect those
internalforces.Thisisnoteasy,andissometimesevenstressfulinitself,butitisalothealthierand
allowsgreaterflexibilityinthelongrun.
Stress is not a oneway street that the outside world uses to make deliveries to our door. It is a
dynamic response to the conditions of our lives. When we feel stressed, we often make it worse by
worryingaboutit,blamingourselvesfornotbeing"goodenough,"orsimplytensingupandcarrying
thetensionaroundinadefensivestance.Ihavelearnedthisnotonlythroughtalkingtomypatients,
butalsothroughmyownexperience.Stress,andspecificallyanxiety,isavisceralbodyreaction.Few
other emotions remind us so directly that mind and body are inseparably connected. We feel our
anxietyinourclenchedgutsandthumpinghearts.Wegetphysicalachesandpains.Ourhandsgetcold
orsweaty.Yet,thisconnectionbetweenmindandbodyisgenerallyautomaticandunconscious.When
weareabletolookatourselvesandperceivehowthesebodyreactionsaretiedtoourfeelingsabout
ourlives,oneisstruckbythefactthatmindandbodyarenotonlyconnected,butconnectedinaway
we often cannot control. Anxiety reactions can seem to come out of nowhere or appear completely
disproportionatetoanyrationalassessmentofthedangerofaparticularsituation.Learninghowto
manage these reactions is difficult and sometimes counterintuitive. I find it a constant personal
challenge,aswellasaprofessionalone.
Although I have been trained in multiple therapeutic techniques and theories, I constantly look for
ideas and approaches to better manage and resolve anxiety. In the last yearandahalf, I have
explored one such approach in t'ai chi ch'uan, or tai chi. This ancient discipline can teach a broad
range of selfawareness and selfconnection skills that help a person understand and manage many
physicalandemotionalissues.
Thosewithapassingacquaintanceimmediatelyvisualizeagroupofpeoplemovinginslowmotionin
aparkintheearlymorninghours.Myearlierimpressionswereprimarilyderivedfromsuchimages,
aswellasvariousreadingsinChinesephilosophy.Yet,taichiisnotsimplybeautiful,slowmovement.
It is a highly refined and sophisticated martial art and selfdevelopment discipline. My current
understandingcomesfromregulartrainingwithalocalteacher,GregBrodsky.Amartialartistsince
1960, Brodsky studied with two of the most renowned tai chi masters in the United States, Cheng
ManChingandWilliamC.C.Chen.Nowinhis60s,Brodsky'semphasisisonpracticalbodymechanics
withexquisiteawarenessandpracticalcultivationofenergythroughthebody.Healwaysemploysa
characteristic gentle and humorous style, emphasizing the mental and emotional aspects in every
lesson.
One of these basic lessons is called "rooting." In this part of tai chi, one seeks to develop a solid
groundingofselftotheearth,keepingyourfeetontheground,yourfeelingsopenandyourmindclear
andfocused.Attentionmovesthroughthebodyfromearthtofoottolegstocentertohands.Youbegin
tobeawareoftheconstantrelationshipofhowyouphysicallysupportyourself,howdifferentpartsof
yourbodyareinterconnectedandhowyoureffortsandintentionscanhinderorenhancethatsupport
andconnection.Youalsobecomemoreawareofthenaturalflow ofmotionandenergythroughthe
bodyandhowtheseflowthroughourconnectiontotheworldaroundus.Thephysicalbackgroundfor
suchlessonsispracticeoftheformaseriesof60movementsthattakes10to15minutes.AsImove
through these steps, I maintain awareness from moment to moment of where I am and how I am
moving. Such attention has shown me how unconscious tensions are always present in different
placesinmybody.AlthoughbeingawareofhowtenseIamoftenmakesmeevenmoretense(sinceI

know that I "need to relax"), the process of being immersed in the flow of tai chi helps reduce the
tendency to make those judgments and selfcriticisms. Brodsky and his wife and coteacher, Ching,
worktocreateatrainingspacewherethereareno"good"or"bad"moves,encouragingtheirstudents
tojustrecognizetheirselfgeneratedstresspatternsandcultivatenewones.Theseeffortshavetaught
methatthemainbarrierstoacomfortableinnerstateandcompetenttaichipracticeareemotional.It
isthroughlearningyourownemotional"root"andcenterthatyoucanbegintorecognizeyourown
strengthsandboundariesandfeelagreatercomfortinlettinggoandrelaxing.Thisinturnallowsus
toreleasetheenergywewasteindefensivestancesandtobetterconnectwitheverythingaroundus.
Thisprocesscreatesanenergizedanddynamicrelaxationthatisnotpassive,butratheralivewitha
power that comes from our connection to the energy all around us. Although I am only a novice in
learningtheseskills,IcanunderstandwhatGregmeanswhenhequoteshisfirstteacher,ChengMan
Ching:"Stillnesswhileinmotionistruestillness."
These lessons become even more clear in another part of tai chi that is not as widely known: Push
Hands.PushHandspracticeextendsthebodyawarenessandconnectiondevelopedinsolopracticeto
a situation in which one interacts with another person. In this exercise, two people face each other
and,withinsafeboundaries,attempttopusheachotheroffbalance.Asinformpractice,onestrivesto
maintain a constant grounding and balance, as well as a smooth and natural flow this time in
coordinationbetweentwodifferentindividuals.Tobesuccessful,onemustpaycloseattentiontotheir
partner'sactionsandintentions.Youquicklylearnthatsinglemindedpursuitoftheideaofpushing
with aggressive force makes you vulnerable because your force can be used against you. It is from
knowing and blending with your partner's moves that you can learn how to recognize and redirect
them in a natural and flowing way. Tai chi practitioners call this "listening." I find that, with Push
Hands as with the tai chi form, anxious emotions create the greatest barrier to progress. I have
become acutely aware of how I tense or overreact when I sense a push coming, thereby wasting
energy or making myself more vulnerable. I also see how I inhibit my own pushes and reflexively
become passive, failing to push when I should. These are the same emotional reflexes that I always
carrywithme,whetherI'mplayingwithmykidsorworkingwithapatient.IntheexerciseofPush
Hands, I have a dynamic arena where I can learn to recognize and change unconscious patterns of
behavioranessentialpartofgrowingtobeabetterfatherandtherapist.
Personally,Ihavefoundmyworkintaichitobechallenging,yetanimportantpaththatcontinuesto
providemeopportunitiestogrowemotionally.Theemotionalselfisalwaysdifficulttochange,asit
resistswithalegionofdeceptivedevices.Obvioussymptomssuchasstressactivateusanddrawus
intolookingforimmediaterelief,sometimesleadingustomissthelargerpatternsofhowwebecome
trappedinourlives.Ialwaysencouragepeopletolooktothelargerpictureandnotrelyonthequick
fixesthatarebecomingalltooeasilyavailableinmodernsociety.Thehealthiestwaystoreducestress
aretheonesthatlast.Stressisoftenasignthatwearechallengedbythetaskofunitingourphysical,
intellectualandemotionalselves.Itisfromdiscontinuitiesbetweentheseselvesthatweoftencreate
ourpersonallifelongtrapsthatcanrepeatedlydrainus.Recognizingthesetrapsandresolvingthese
discontinuities form an ongoing, lifetime work that is essential for health and for living fully. Each
person is unique, with unique background, unique talents and a unique path to tread. Some find
assistanceinsuchataskthroughspiritualpractice.Othersthroughpsychotherapyordisciplineslike
tai chi. If you seek new ways to find how to connect to your mind and body, you should consider
findingateacheror"sifu"anddiscoverwhatthisancientpracticecandoforyou.
THETRUEQUALITYOFTAICHI
ByDr.AihanKuhn
WHATISTAICHI?HOWDOESTAICHIIMPROVEHEALTH?
People askme these questionsall the time. Some ask because theysee so many people doingthese
exercisesinthepark.Othersaskbecausetheycanhardlybelievetherecanbeanybenefitsfromsuch
slowbodymovements.We,Americans,dothingssofast.IoftenaskpeoplewhenIgivelecturesWhat
isthelifespanofadog?Whatisthelifespanofaturtle?Iguessyouknownowwhopreservestheir
energybetter.
Tai Chi is a very special, artistic, and yet gentle totalbody, internal energy workout, that provides
greathealthbenefitstoourbody,ourmind,andourspirit.
TaiChiisaformofart,amotionart,similartodancing;itislikedancingintheclouds.Youcantruly
expressyourselfthroughtheseexercisemovements.ThebeautifulflowofTaiChigivesyouasenseof
wellbeingandcomfortasyoumovetheenergy.TaiChiisatypeofmeditation,ameditationthrough
movement,whichhelpstocalmbrainactivityandpromotechemicalbalanceinthebrain.Thismakes
youfeelpositiveandpeacefulbyhelpingyoutoletgoofallthejunkinyourmindandinyourbody.
This is called energy cleansing. That is why many people use Tai Chi for stress reduction. The
originalmovementsofTaiChiweretakenfromthemartialarts.Therefore,TaiChiisalsoamartialart,
an internal martial art, which can be used for self defense. Practicing Tai Chi can be done in two
differentways:theharmoniouswayandthemartialway.Mostpeopleenjoytheharmoniousway,for
health,healing,andstressreduction.Youngerpeopleenjoythemartialway,tostrengthenthebody,
themind,andtodevelopfightingskills.ManymartialartpractitionersstarttopracticeTaiChiwhen
theygetolder,notonlyforhealingoftheirinjuries,butalsotostrengthentheirorganenergyandto
preventaging.
THEBENEFITSOFTAICHI
Tai Chi shares the same principles with Chinese medicine which areto maintain optimum health
and a strong immune system, to create wholeness and harmony in the body, and to enhance self
healingability.ThisisdonethroughthepracticeofTaiChibyenhancingthebodyenergysystemsand
energyflow.Thisiscalledthesmoothflowofqi.Thistypeofqibenefitsourorgansystems,suchas
the cardiovascular system, respiratory system, gastrointestinal system, muscular skeletal system,
andneurologicalsystem.Italsohelpstoincreasestamina,dailyenergylevels,andimmunefunction.
Best of all, it balances the two sides of the brain, promotes better learning, enhances memory, and
improvesbodyfunctions;itislikeanAdultBrainGYM.
InpeoplewhohavepracticedTaiChiformostoftheirlives,youwillnoticethesharpnessandclarity
oftheirminds.BypracticingTaiChiregularlyintuitionimproves.ThereasonforthisisthatTaiChi
works with your internal energy. There is more awareness of surrounding energies, including the
energyofpeopleandtheenvironment.
Thosethatdoenergyhealingwork,bodywork,orotherhandsontherapy,mayfindthattheirhealing
workortherapeuticworkismuchmoreeffective.FrompracticingmanyyearsofChinesemedicine,
QigongandTaiChi,Ihavereceivedsomanypositiveandrewardingcomplimentsfrommypatients.
We have more family members as patients and numerous patients have switched from Western
medicinetoEasternmedicinelookingforamorenaturalwayforhealing.Theyareveryhappywith
theresultsthattheyhavereceivedfromthetreatmentsofEasternmedicine.Why?Becauseitworks.
Anditisaveryeffectiveageoldprovenmethodofhealing.
LEARNINGTAICHI
TaiChimovements,whichareslowandcircular,coordinatewithbodymotion.Peoplehaveoftentold
methatTaiChiisdifficulttolearn.Irespond,yesandno.Ifyoulearnitcorrectly;itisnotdifficult.
OneoftheveryimportanttipsinTaiChipracticeistorelaxandletgoofeverythinginyourmindand
body. I often find that people are very tense during my teaching in classes and during instructor
trainingworkshops.Assoonastheyrelax,theycanseehowmuchbettertheydo.Thetheoryis,ifyou

relax,youallowyourenergytoflow.Ifyoutenseup,youwillcauseenergyblockages,whichwillmake
thelearningmuchmoredifficult.
Tai Chi is an advanced energy workout that needs a relaxed attitude and full concentration on the
present you. Breathing is slow and deep and coordinated with each movement. For beginners, the
breathing is not emphasized. Most practice is in walking motion, but for the new learner, some
stationary practice on Tai Chi basics can be very helpful. This kind of practice, beginners may find
easier. Before practicing Tai Chi, always do 10 to 15 minutes of warmup exercises or fast walking.
Afterpractice,dosomestretching.
Therearefivemainstylesorforms:Yang,Chen,Wu,Wu(Hao),andSun.Themostpopularstylesare
Yang,Wu,Chen,inthisorder.MorepeoplestudytheYangstyle,bigframestyle,whichiseasytolearn
and easy to share with others. Wu style, small frame style, is also easy to learn, and the older
populationlikesit.Chenstyle,Icallmartialstyle,veryenergeticandpowerful,butmoredifficultto
learn. All of them share the same principles and provide similar benefits. For those practicing the
martial way, they should incorporate some Tai Chi Push Hands, to demonstrate and test the true
understandingofTaiChi.
AlthoughTaiChioffersgreathealthbenefits;itisnotforeveryone.Itisnotpracticalforanyonewitha
severe illness. In contrast, Qigong can be used for any situation. If you have too much stress or a
chemicalimbalance,TaiChiisagoodtooltouseeveryday.OnceyoudecidetolearnTaiChi,youwill
needtohavediscipline,patience,anddiligentpractice,becauselearningTaiChitakestime.Itismore
beneficial and much more fun, if you incorporate it with the practice of Push Hands. Tai Chi Push
Hands, a form of partnership practice, can be used to gain the fundamental skills of focusing and
directingenergy.UseTaiChiskillstodefendtheexternalforce.Pushhandssharethesameprinciples
ofTaiChi.
InordertoavoidinjuryinTaiChipractice,beginnersshouldavoidlowstance,andfocusonrelaxation,
graduallyincreasethelengthofpractice,alternatethestationmovements,andwalkingmovements.
Alwayswarmupbeforepractice.
TaiChiisajourneyanditservesasaselfdiscipline.Itisalifestyle,aconstantawarenessofwellbeing
andgoodhealth.Inourfastpacedsociety,weneedTaiChitobalanceourlife,keepusuplifting,help
usfocus,keepushealthy,bringusfulfilledspirit,andhappiness.

Tai Chi Chuan - Selected Articles

Încărcat de

Informații document

Drepturi de autor

Formate disponibile

Partajați acest document

Partajați sau inserați document

Opțiuni de partajare

Vi se pare util acest document?

Este necorespunzător acest conținut?

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

Tai Chi Chuan - Selected Articles

Încărcat de

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

TAICHIBALIHealingArtsCentre

S-ar putea să vă placă și