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.
