Understanding Tai Chi Chuan
Breathe in, breathe out. Let your chest rise, now let it fall. Shift your body weight to your left leg and stretch your arms out to the left, now slowly sway your arms and your body weight over to the right. Complementary movements; mental and physical balance; yin and yang. This is the essence of tai chi.
According to Chinese medicine, the universe is run by a single principle, the Tao, which is made up of the yin and the yang which are two opposing, yet complementary principles. For example, the yin includes femaleness, the moon, cold, and matter; while maleness, the sun, heat, and energy are relatively yang.
“Chi” refers to our energy, vitality, or life force. And ” tai chi” is translated as “all encompassing” or “supreme ultimate,” because of its embodiment of both the yin and the yang. “Chuan,” often used in the name, translates to “fist” or “boxing,” and signifies exercise.
Peter Wayne, PhD, director of the Tree of Life Tai Chi Center in Somerville, MA, describes tai chi as “moving meditation.” Through the slow and careful movements of tai chi, Dr. Wayne explains, “People learn to focus on each motion, and become aware of the processes in their bodies and mind. We strive for simple and peaceful quality of physical movement and mental thought. During special moments, practice may even generate spiritual insights.”
Achieving and Maintaining Good Health
In Chinese medicine, pain or sickness is believed to occur when the flow of the chi is blocked, and yin and yang energies are out of balance. When the chi is circulating freely, physical symptoms disappear. The joints are seen as gates that control the flow of chi; the slow, gentle, swaying movements, deep breathing, and mental focus of tai chi are designed to relieve tension, open up these joints, and allow chi to move effortlessly throughout the body.
Tai chi is purported to be good for all health concerns. A number of renowned tai chi masters are said to have experienced sickness in the past from which they could find no relief until they began to practice tai chi. Such reports, however, are merely anecdotes, and may not represent actual benefit.
The scientific research done thus far has involved small groups of people. But Dr. Wayne notes that these studies are promising and suggest specific benefits. According to many, but not all studies, tai chi can decrease the risk of falling in elderly people.
Learning to Practice
Tai chi involves virtually no impact and no equipment, and requires only your motivation and perseverance. With the supervision of a qualified instructor, people of any physical condition can begin to practice with little concern for injury. Dr. Wayne suggests starting with a group class. To find a teacher you’ll be compatible with, ask members of different classes about their teachers.
There is a great variety of styles of tai chi, and an even greater variety of teaching styles. In some traditional classes, there is little verbal communication and the students learn by watching. In other classes, the teacher may speak throughout and often use imagery to describe body movements (“let your spine hang gently like a necklace of pearls”) and to guide meditation (“let the energy flow through you like water down a stream”).
There is no national certification program for tai chi instructors, rather there is an informal hierarchy. Typically, those who call themselves “masters” have extensive experience, however, anyone can adopt this title. Ask potential instructors about their experience and their specific style, and compare sample classes if possible.
Balancing Your Chi
Whether you have a specific health condition or wish to maintain your current state of health, balancing your yin and yang energies through the practice of tai chi may bring peace and vitality to your mind, your body, and your life.
RESOURCES:
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
CANADIAN RESOURCES:
Public Health Agency of Canada
REFERENCES:
Reprint from iHerb Health Library
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If you are letting your chest rise and then fall with your breath…you are not practicing tai chi regardless of anything else you are doing.
Taijiquan, or tai chi, is an internal martial art, one of 3, which concern themselves with inner stillness of body and mind, and the building of inner force or Qi. To achieve this, abdomenal breathing is mandatory in the training. It is one of the first things, if not the first thing, that should be taught.
As authentic tai chi moves from the abdomen or “dantian”, there is no tai chi without the breath being in the abdomen. This is vital for numerous reasons not necessary to go into here. So again, chest breathing negates the activity being tai chi at all.
Furthermore, “swaying” is not tai chi either, at least not original and authentic and correctly practiced tai chi.
“Chi” does not refer to life force at all, “Qi” does. Phonetic “chi” is the ji in taijiquan (the more correct and currently accepted phonetic spelling of tai chi chuan) Tai Ji is “grand ultimate’.
Chuan is fist and it does not refer to “exercise” it refers to martial art skill and practice. Internal boxing.
Finally, there are many studies of quality size and significance supporting the health benefits of tai chi, but are based on only a short term program with limited numbers of movements and rarely of the pratice of a pure and complete system of training. And yet, significantly positive results are found in studies. Imagine what would happen if a study of a traditional curriculum were conducted!
Injury risk does exist, and can be significant if you don’t have a qualified teacher or try to learn from a video. Tai chi lunges and stretches and moves deeply and so injury risk to knees is one major concern. Improper stances over time can cause problems. The instructor MUST emphasize propler alignment of spine and joints throughout the body (or again, one isn’t practicing tai chi)
About the only thing your article has correct, is that finding a teaching should involve checking their background in tai chi and other martial arts, asking their lineage of teachers and what style of tai chi they teach, and questioning anyone who uses “master” to describe themselves. In fact, there are few who are masters, but still many good instructors that can take one far on this wonderful path.
T. Bailey
Acupuncture Physician/Doctor of Oriental Medicine
Licensed Massage Therapist
Instructor of Chen Style Taijiquan
Melbourne, Florida