He lives long who enjoys life and who bears no jealousy of others;

whose heart harbours no malice or anger;

who sings a lot and cries a little;

who rises and retires with the sun;

who likes to work and knows how to rest.

(Mislimov)

Large movement

It is easy for most people to perform large, extended movements that rotate the shoulder joint or bend the elbow.

No particular skill is involved.

Our students are not taught to practice in this way.

Whilst large movements may indeed exercise some of the muscles and the joints, they fail to address the full range of potential movement.

The real skill lies in the small, in the subtle.

Thirty spokes converge in a single hub;

It is the centre hole that allows the wheel to turn.

(Lao Tzu)

Mind, body, spirit

Instead of feeling apart from what is happening, we feel the physics of the movement, the kinetic flow.

Our own body and our self-consciousness is lost in the event itself.
There is no more self or other, just movement, just sensation/feeling.

When your mind/body/spirit integration is complete, you act so unconsciously that you no longer really feel the movements as such.
It is spontaneous and natural. It just happened.

Too slow?

If you go too slowly it can be counter-productive. Instead of loosening and relaxing, you stiffen up. This occurs because the muscles are working too hard to carry the weight of the body. Find a pace that is slow but still smooth.

Beginners find it quite difficult to move slowly. This is understandable. In our class, beginners move at a comfortable, easy pace. They are not encouraged to be too slow at first. 

Skilled students are asked to slow down considerably. This makes the practice far more potent. The body must work harder, and excellent balance is necessary.

Whole-body strength

Almost every beginner struggles to understand the application of strength in tai chi.

They wrestle with the subject, believing that they cannot reasonably apply the system without tensing their muscles and using force.

For each and every tai chi movement, the muscles of your body must work in unity to produce the effect.
Not just the shoulders or arm.
Not just the waist.
You must feed power through the frame using every muscle of the body combined.
This is far harder than it sounds but well worth the effort.

Your muscles must never tense. They need to remain soft and loose, with a subtle stretch.

Natural range

In tai chi you must always remain within your natural range of movement.

Any stretching is done subtly and never forced; the body is allowed to open by itself, rather than be forced.

By encouraging the joints to be free, mobility increases radically and the body can move more comfortably.

Tai chi should never strain or hurt the body.

Some movements may feel uncomfortable if you have bad postural habits and this is to be expected - your body is already used to set patterns of movement and poise - and the tai chi is gently changing these.

Gravity

The loose flowing movements of tai chi are very deliberately slow because gravity is maintained when you move slowly. You can align the body to work with gravity and improve your balance. Leaning of any kind will destabilise the body.

It is fairly easy to move quickly. Try lifting a leg in slow motion... the leg feels very heavy and hard to move. When your body submits to gravity, it can feel as if you are lifting weights every time you practice tai chi. Stronger bones and muscles are developed as a consequence.

Nervous system

Moving slowly is quite difficult. New students cannot sustain a slow, even movement. They jerk.

The remedy to this is to practice. Gradually, your body changes from within.
Slowing your movements entails the release of tension and the softening of the nerves. A calm, relaxed body can move softly and evenly without effort.

 The equivalent process to seeking the "Holy Grail" in internal arts is the ability to move more slowly than your opponent and consistently win.

Slower speed that wins out requires three types of speed coming together simultaneously:

1. Timing.

2. The signals required to maintain some level of conscious power.

3. The ability to release the internal gears of your body, which, if they freeze up, can create a momentary mental gap that breaks the connection between you and your opponent.

This method is referred to in the Tai Chi Classics in the form of a question:

"How is it possible that an old man can defeat a group of younger men?"

Obviously, elderly men, even the most talented, are not physically capable of moving at the speed of young men. Virtually, by definition, the elderly move with slowness, and yet those old men internal arts masters by slipping in between the gaps, are justifiably well-known for defeating younger and faster men.

(Bruce Frantzis)

Feeling

Our approach to tai chi places emphasis upon feeling/physically sensing. You must be totally present in order for the system to work effectively for health, meditation and self defence.

This entails feeling every part of your body consciously as it moves. Immersing yourself in the 'here and now' heightens your awareness and reduces the risk of injury.

Led astray

In your quest for martial power, it is very easy to be led astray. Gimmicks, short-cuts and secrets will promise you everything you desire. The danger lies in the fact that you are inexperienced.

Your quest is based on your perception of what is important, of what is necessary. To a more experienced student, those same concerns may seem irrelevant or misguided.

Being human

When you remove any notions of being perfect, you can relax and get on with the practice. Everyone is flawed. Everyone makes mistakes. This is part of what makes us human. 

Don't be so worried about 'getting it right'. Just be.

Internal

 Skill in tai chi is internal, within the body - and can always be improved upon. The outward form should reflect the energy of each movement. Every movement should be like a wave, rippling out of the body and then returning. This is shown by the water-like undulation of the body as you move. 

Posture is a framework for shaping the movement, nothing more. It is the scaffolding, not the substance.

Outward form

Accurate form postures do not necessarily reflect skill in tai chi. They demonstrate accuracy, memory and spatial awareness. Do not be caught up in how nice your form looks.

Perfection

Some people seek to 'perfect' their tai chi practice. They seek a condition of faultless excellence with nothing lacking. This idea of completeness has the connotation of finality. Yet, tai chi is not about reaching a goal.

Tai chi is the process, the means, the nature; not the end.

Taoism considers 'perfection' to be a condition of uncontrived naturalness. Yet, the very notion of perfection is simply a concept... Your tai chi can only ever be a work-in-progress. The learning will never end.

Tortoise/turtle

Pre-natal breath is held on the in-take and then then exhalation continued for as long as possible.

This is specifically used as a qigong breath.

Pre-natal

The front of the body ripples as you breathe.

This is the advanced version of reverse breathing and incorporates a more powerful action of the diaphragm.

Reverse

Breathe in and the abdomen comes in, breathe out and the abdomen goes out.

This is Taoist breathing. It is also essential for energy release.

Abdominal

Breathe in and the abdomen goes out, breathe out and the abdomen comes in.