People are often not quite as fit as they may imagine.
This fact might not seem important in tai chi because a lot of the work is slow, but the truth is that you cannot reasonably hope to defend yourself if you are out of shape.Tense muscles are in fact weak muscles. They are not healthy, balanced and toned. They are over-working and straining. Your nervous system is sending and receiving faulty information from the muscles.
This is not good for your tai chi.
Not all forms of exercise are necessarily good for you. For example, running may improve cardiovascular health but is also very hard on the joints.
Lifting heavy weights can cause significant tension to accumulate and - if the muscles are large enough - adversely affect the skeleton. Most forms of exercise have pros and cons; especially sport.
There are a number of martial classics, including:
36 Strategies
The Art of War
The Book of Five Rings
The Methods of the Ssu-ma
Questions and Replies Between T’ang T’ai-tsung and Li Wei-kung
T’ai Kung’s Six Secret Teachings
Three Strategies of Huang Shih-kung
Wei Liao-tzu
Wu-tzu
Talk is cheap in the modern world, so we encourage direct experience instead. Nobody in the class is expected to take the instructor's word for it. Find out for yourself through practical exercises.
Belief is not a requirement, nor is faith. You are not a 'disciple'. We adopt a scientific approach. The evidence is to be found in the doing and the proof in the effect.
This is called 'empiricism'. Discover the facts for yourself. Feel it for yourself. This is the heart of Zen.
Tai chi is the one exercise that can universally help solve our growing health crisis. It has stood the test of thousands of years. We have a generation of baby boomers with increasing health problems; old people who are sick, in pain, fearful, and cranky; a middle class that is increasingly incapable of affording most of the drugs that are prescribed for their ailments; children that are flaccid, diabetic and asthmatic. People of all ages are addicted to drugs, alcohol, sugar, cigarettes, and caffeine. Stress follows almost everyone like a shadow.
(Bruce Frantzis)
Most adults lose flexibility in their hands as they grow older. This is often the result of neglect and misuse. In our tai chi school we often ask new people to try and use baoding balls.
This is usually quite telling. Baoding balls are 2 metal spheres held in the palm of the hand and rotated using the movement of the hand and thumb.
Often people are exceedingly inept. Their hands simply will not move adequately to perform the exercise.
Modern technology is re-shaping how we use our bodies. Jerky, sharp movement is coarse and unrefined; clumsy. The joints of the body are capable of a wide range of movement.
Excessive use of toys is limiting those movements; emphasising the same actions repeatedly.
e.g. if you watch an Asian dancer, the hands perform intricate shapes and minute movements which look simple but are very hard to replicate.
A keyboard, mouse and monitor are interfaces that enable you to use the computer. The same is true of a mobile phone or videogame controller.
They were not designed with health in mind.
Be aware that your health must be your own concern. Continual use of a restricted number of muscles leads to muscular tension in the arms, wrists and hands.
Form teaches economy of movement, centre, range & reach, coordination, footwork, balance, timing, synchrony, flow, natural body use, healthy body use, strong skeletal alignment, power generation, stance and positioning.
Every tai chi form movement has a purpose. The student must understand why they are doing the movement, otherwise that movement is meaningless and most likely incorrect.
What is the movement for? How does it operate? Look at different forms in the syllabus - armed and unarmed - and consider the way in which the body is being used.
Examine the purpose, the method and the outcome.
As a precursor to tai chi, qigong offers the student an opportunity to explore crude body mechanics without the need of direct application.
Structure, balance, stance (foot position), mobility, coordination, use of energy, alignment, posture and poise are all explored using simple exercises.Lower back problems can be caused by various things but the main problem is sitting too much. Sitting causes the muscles to shorten. It is then harder for them to relax and lengthen.
Pelvis problems occur because the spine has lost its natural curvature and the muscles pull the pelvis out of alignment.One common back problem many students exhibit is called a 'posterior pelvic tilt'. It is caused by standing badly and sitting badly.
As such it's a 'lifestyle problem' and not something we can address in class. We're not therapists. Students are responsible for remedying the problem themselves.
People who go to the gym promote massive tension in their shoulders. The shoulders are pulled up towards their ears by the unnecessary shortening of the muscles.
This is the outcome of failing to relax. The shoulder joint is pulled up out of its natural position and the skeleton is distorted.Not many people make the time to rest properly. They watch TV. They go out for meals. They run. But they do not rest.
It is quite common for people to damage their back by stretching too far in everyday life or twisting the wrong way.
Stretching and twisting are normally safe as part of a slow, controlled, supervised exercise program. In everyday life, avoid both.
Rather than stretch, step closer. Use a stool if you need to reach high. Instead of twisting, keep your spine vertical, and turn your entire body to face the object/subject.
Remember that humans are forward-facing beings.
The main problem with sitting is gravity, loss of circulation and the tightening/shortening of your muscles. Muscular tension stops your joints and vertebra from moving freely.
When the hips, groin and sacroiliac freeze-up, the overall skeletal mobility is reduced.Your head weighs almost a stone. When you let it hang forwards it acts as an anchor; pulling your spine downwards. The chest caves in. The abdominal muscles collapse.
Most people are quite aware of how to lift things correctly but many people ignore the advice. Hurried, sloppy lifting - with little or no adhesion to good structure and alignment - can lead to problems.
Take the time to learn how to lift things properly. There is a bounty of free information on-line. It is not complicated.There are calm places to be found in every town. A tai chi class is a good example. Calm voices, settled emotions and an atmosphere of friendship and camaraderie will be immediately apparent.
This may feel most unfamiliar to you, odd even. Don't panic. Give yourself time to adjust to something different. Just stay with it and enjoy. A feeling of serenity and peace may settle upon you.
The first indication of a calmer mind lies in your capacity to notice the world around you. Instead of driving past in your noisy car, you walk slowly. You see.
Insignificant-seeming things catch your attention: a butterfly, a leaf, a flower, the sound of an insect or the call of a bird. If you experience genuine awe and delight, then you are learning.Suppose you buy a car in 2020 and use it very rarely. In 2026 you decide to sell the car and take it to a dealership. The mileage is unusually low for a car of its age.
Yet the car is still 6 years old chronologically. In terms of wear and tear the car is 6 months old.
Tai chi is about spending your energy frugally. That way, as you get older, your wear and tear is unusually low for a person of your age.
Tai chi combines mind, body and spirit in every action. The student feels acutely alive and alert; energy-filled and passionate.
By using the body more efficiently, you can become less tired and feel more lively.Neurotic conduct is not youthful. Look at small children, unhindered by adult interference. They are usually curious about their immediate environment.
Taste, smell, touch, sounds, sights. The child is not fidgeting or restless, bored or emotional. They are filled with awe and wonder.