Feel Taiji During Form Practice

Many Taiji (Tai Chi) books and articles talk about how the mind should be emptied or concentrated when performing a Taiji form.

For example, on this web site, it says:
"The mind must be totally concentrated and absorbed in the form. The subconscious mind directs the form while the conscious mind becomes pure and empty. Mind, body and spirit are united as one and a state of selflessness exists."

In another article, the author says that the mind should not be emptied. It should be involved and move the qi.

"Tai chi chuan forms practice should calm the mind, but it should not empty it.
"The mind is always involved," Lee says. "The mind moves the chi, and the chi leads the movement. At the first stages, you have to learn to move your left foot, right foot, arms, etc., but eventually you become very fluid. You begin to express the movement. But you don't do it totally in a state of 'no mind.'"

I think both views are right. They are all about the mind should be immersed in the practice thus the tension in your head(if you have it from the work and life) can be released.

Recently, I paid attention to my mind activities during the practice. I have observed that the thoughts in my mind are different in different practice context.

Night Practice Before Going to Bed
I want to relax so I can have a good sleep. I only do Taiji Form 8 because it is really simple. I play my favorite music. Sometimes, I feel my mind, body and heart are melted with the music and the movements. Sometimes, I consciously put positive thoughts into my mind. Many times, other thoughts are flying into my mind especially when I have a deadline and/or unsolved problems, "the problem is..., solutions, debates, tomorrow,..." I have to consciously stop the thoughts and pull myself back to the practice.

Morning Practice after Getting Out from Bed
I do 20-30 min practice including warm-up and a simple form. I do it in the backyard where I can see a foggy lake, trees, grass, birds and squirrels. I feel excited and refreshed every time. My mind is usually focused on making the movements right and improvements.

Weekend Morning Practice
This is a fun time with friends. We chat before the practice, during the break and after practice. It seems we haven't seen each other for a long time. We practice in a park. The park is big and the landscaping is beautiful. I feel delightful, refreshed and relaxed. However, sometimes my mind is pulled off from the practice when we forget certain movements/transitions or our movements are not synchronized. To me, this is a pleasant excise time but not really Taiji time.

Taiji Class
Now our class starts again. During the class, my mind is really focused on the end-point postures, transitions and movements following the instructions from the teacher. This is a learning time. During the group practice, I can also feel the qi and the energy from the group. I treasure every minus with the teacher and the group practice. I also enjoy the social environment.

I think practicing on your own without any distraction is one way to feel Taiji, the qi, empty mind and the energy. Group practices can bring you the energy in a different dimension.

What's in Your Mind When You Perform a Taiji Routine?

I asked this question to my Teacher, Mr. Chen, Sitan last weekend. He replied:

"I always want to present Taiji as an art blended in with Chinese martial arts, culture and my personal understanding of Taiji. When I perform, I completely immerse myself into the routine using Yi (intend) to lead the movements. The movements are through my body but the presentation is from my heart. I present the entire routine as a whole."

He also said his performance was different now in comparison to that years ago when he was an athlete and competed for gold medals. He has a deeper understanding of Taiji now which reflects in all the movements. He is also more relaxed. In the past, his goal was to compete and win goal medals. Now, he has more time to feel the deeper meanning of Taiji.

Mr. Chen has received 32 medals in various competitions during his professional career. Whenever I was watching his live performance, either for a class demo or for an event, I was always amazed how graceful, light and powerful it was.

In the past three years, I have been impressed by Mr. Chen's patience and the willingness to give all out to the students who want to learn from him. His pleasant personality always makes me think whether it was innate or from Taiji training.

Here is an interesting article about his life in US published on worldjournal.com(in Chinese):
陳思坦來美發揚中國武術
太極拳世界冠軍傳藝授徒 著作出書 澄清人們對福州人成見

Mr. Chen's web site is under revision. In the meantime, you can learn more about him from his recent presence in San Diego for teaching and demonstration.
http://www.sdtaichi.com/chensitanseminar.html

Now, my question is: What's in your mind when you perform a Taiji routine? I will share my experience in a future blog.