Practicing Taiji - Magic Moments

I have learned and practiced Taiji for almost 10 years with different teachers and groups of Taiji enthusiasts. Initially I was attracted to Taiji by its graceful movements and potential health benefits. Later, I was also fascinated by Taiji principles and philosophy. Looking back, here are some positive impact and magic moments I have experienced:

Story 1 - My Ankle

I broken my ankle last year. After a few months of rest, I started Taiji practice again. During the practice, I felt a warm air or blood flow went from the leg to the injured ankle. The ankle was warm and became more flexible. There was no pain but warm feeling.

Story 2 - Pressure Relieve

A fellow partitioner told us that she had stomach problem. Every Saturday during the group practice, she could feel her stomach was lifted slightly which relieved the pressure to the lower abdomen. It was a good feeling.

Story 3 - Feeling Great

Amy, who has practiced Taiji for 8 years, told me a story few weeks ago. A Taiji beginner asked Amy to help her practice Taiji 24. During the practice, Amy experienced the great feeling of completing the entire form in a continuous flow. She never had that feeling before. It is from that moment, she realized the impact of years of Taiji practice.

Story 4 - Complete Relaxation

I spend 12+ hours working and commute during the week. I don't feel completely relaxed by Saturday morning. I wake up early. We practice Taiji in the park as a group. After the practice, I can feel my entire mind and body are completed relaxed. The nap I usually take on Saturday afternoon is the most relaxing nap.

I am sure there are many interesting stories and magic moments out there. As I collect them, I will share them with you.

Keep up the practice!

Tips for Taiji Beginners to Avoid Injury

You came to a park and saw a group of people doing Taiji, the slow and gentle exercise from China. You were curious about it and thought you could do it, too. It looked easy. You joined the group. After a session, you felt your knees hurt and there was some back pain, too.

As a Taiji beginner, if you do not pay attention to your body postures when you learn Taiji, you may hurt your knees and back.

Here are some tips for you when learning and practicing Taiji:

1. Warm Up

You must do some warm-ups before you start doing Taiji. Taiji routines have a lot of foot work which requires bending knees slightly and sometimes squatting. The movements are slow and the body weight shifts from one foot to another constantly. Warming up your lower body part including lower back, hips, knees and ankles is especially important to prevent injury. Suggest you do 10 - 15 minutes warm up every time you start doing Taiji.

2. Relax

You must first relax your entire body and mind before you start doing Taiji. Spend some time to check from head to toe and relax every part of your body. Completely relaxing your body is extremely important for beginners to avoid awkward postures and movements.

3. Keep Your Back Straight

Even though you should relax your body but it does not mean you should slouch your back. You must keep your back straight all the time. Check your lower back when in movements and transitions from time to time. Keep it straight and relaxed. Think about the head is leading the way making your spine straight.

4. Do Not Bend Your Knees Too Much

All most all Taiji poses and movements require bending knees. Advanced Taiji practitioners can bend their knees and squat to a very low position but you should not to do that. You should just bend your knees slightly. If you do not even feel comfortable doing that, keep your knees straight first. The goal is to be able to easily move without hurting the knees.

Make sure you do these checks every time you learn and practice Taiji. Once you have learned basic movements and can feel your body move smoothly and comfortably, you should learn more Taiji principles and incorporate them into your postures and movements. The goal is to exercise your body so that they will become more flexible, stable and can move uniformly and gracefully.

What is Yi? How to Use Yi in Practicing Taiji?

Taiji (or Tai Chi) improves both mental and physical abilities. This is a key characteristic of Taiji. In both Taiji books and lessons, teachers constantly remind us "Use Yi to lead Qi", "When you have Yi, you will have Qi. Your movement will then follow Qi". What is "Yi"? What are the benefits of practicing Yi? How to practice Yi?

Definition

Yi: Idea, Thought, Intention

Example: When dinning, when you have a thought of eating the delicious meat in the plate, you might use the chopsticks, pick up the meat and put it into your mouth. Here your Yi is the idea of eating the meat. So Yi is a thought. This thought directs your movement. You do it automatically without even thinking on how to use the chopsticks.

Another example is that when you watch a Taiji teacher demonstrating a Taiji form, you might think that when I have learned the form, I will move just like the teacher, gracefully and smoothly. If you bring this thought to your practice, it will improve your movement. When you understand some basic Taiji principles such as "Head moves upward and Qi sinks into Dantian" and put this thought into your practice, it will improve your postures and movements.

One of Taiji practice requirements is: "Your heart leads and your Qi executes". Every movement in Taiji requires using Yi instead of hard force. Your thought comes first and your body follows.

The Benefits of Practice Yi

Practicing Taiji is a mental exercise. When you becomes skillful in associating Yi and physical movements, your thought will direct Qi. When you think of a body part, your Qi will lead the way to make the movement. The coordination among brain, internal organs and limbs is strengthened. When you experience a sudden external force, your body can react naturally. From health view point, you can reduce the possibility of body injury. From defense perspective, you have a better chance of protecting yourself and defeating the opponent.

How to Practice Yi?

The first step is to learn the basic steps really well. If you cannot do the movement correctly, you will not be able to achieve your goal directed by your thought. For example, if you do not know how to use chopsticks, your muscles will be tense when picking up the meat from the plate. For Taiji practice, you must know the correct postures and transitions of basic steps very well.

Secondly, you must understand basic Taiji principles and apply them during practice. For example, when in the opening movement, you must relax, breath naturally, think about the head leading the way and Qi sinking to Dantian. If you practice Taiji for learning defense skills, the Yi might be different from heath purpose.

In summary, Yi should be in every posture and movement in practicing Taiji. By doing this, you will be able to improve your coordination between your mind and body.

How to Move Gracefully?

We practice Taiji in the park on Saturdays and Sundays. Sometimes new comers commented "Your movement is so graceful. How do you do that?"

Practice.

How?
First, you must have the intention. You want to move like cloud, slowly and smoothly; like a cat, quietly and agile; like flowing water, fluidly and continuously. You want to feel the harmony of the nature.

Second, you visualize. You see your body moves like a chain, i.e. one section moves, other sections follow. The movement starts from feet (energy coming from the earth). It is controlled by the waist then followed by arms and hands. Your whole body as well as your eyes and mind move together.

Then you practice.

Practice Makes the Qi Flow

Practice simple Taiji movements such as the opening movement (Commencement) repeatedly and pay attention to your breathing, i.e. inhale for opening movement and exhale for closing movement, you can feel the Qi flows within your mind and body. If this is difficult for you, use natural breathing initially.

Your movements should always be continuous and graceful. Lift your foot like a cat. Move your hands like clouds.

Keep practicing and you will feel it!

Taiji Sword - Form 42

Here is the Taiji Sword 42 Form demonstration by Gao Jiamin on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_apJ1xFlnt4

Notice the following:
1. Her back is straight
2. Her movement is continuous and graceful
3. Her arms open widely and rounded

These are basic Taiji practice principles.

In addition, the basic Taiji sword attacking methods such as pointing, swipping, hitting, etc. are clearly demonstrated.

How to Continue Taiji Practice after Several Years of Learning?

Some Taiji friends who practiced Taiji for several years asked these questions:

• How does Taiji improve my health?
• How come I don't feel anything?
• I've learned many forms. How do I continue practicing Taiji?

Many Taiji friends think Taiji as a magic that can improve their health miraclly. They religiously took the classes and practiced the forms every week for several years. Suddenly they found even they could skillfully perform several forms but their health condition stayed the same or even got worse.

They started questioning the benefits of Taiji. Some of them stopped coming to the class and practicing. Some still come to the class but complain not receiving the benefits.

Where is the problem?

I believe the biggest problem is that some of my friends only have learned the external forms of Taiji but not how to feel the energy flow. They did not cultivate their mind to move energy within their body. They can do the Taiji forms externally but not moving the Qi internally.

"Tai chi is a martial art that begins with cultivation of the mind, learning to discard everything except the thought of moving energy within the body, to nourish it and bring it to full health and, if necessary, to defend it. Various schools of tai chi have developed their own ways of training the body, but the aim is always to keep the joints relaxed to allow a free flow of chi." (Stanford researchers record 'optimal force' of tai chi master)

There is an old Chinese saying: Practicing Quan without cultivating Gong, you ended up with nothing. (Quan refers to Martial Art; Gong refers to Gongfu or Work). It means if you only learn external forms without cultivate your mind and spirit, you will not get any benefits.

I have learned Taiji for about 7 years. I was very interested in the external forms and slow movements initially. I thought they were beautiful and relaxed. After learning several forms, I learned Taiji Form 8. It only consists of 8 different postures with 16 movements. Since I have learned other forms, I thought Taiji Form 8 was too simple to learn and it was a little boring.

Since Taiji Form 8 was simple and it requires very little space to practice, I started doing it every day before I go to bed at night. Overtime, during the practice, I started feeling the energy flow. I felt my body moves like a chain, one joint at a time and the Qi moves from Dantian to my fingers and the toes.

Last year, I took a Yoga lesson. The instructor kept reminded us that we should be observant of our body in Yoga exercises. I started pay more attention to my body reaction and flow when practicing Taiji. I have been feeling the energy flow. I have been feeling really good after every practice.

My experience is that if you perform a simple form, empty your mind, pay attention to breathing and the movements, you can start feeling the energy flow.

The rule of thumb for breathing during Taiji practice is inhale during opening movements and exhale during closing movements. Make sure your breathing is continous and smooth. Another important tip is understanding Taiji principles and applying them to the practice. With patience, you will start feeling the energy flow and getting the benefits.

Happy Taiji Practice!