An Introduction to Tai Chi
What is Tai Chi?
- A Connected Meditation - eyes open, body active, mind connected with the external world yet still and quiet.
- An Amazing Healthcare System.
- The Ultimate Martial Art.
- Beauty in Movement.
- A Great Way to Start the Day.
Tai Chi is all of these things, although different teachers may focus more or less on the various aspects in their own practice and teaching.
For me personally, I would also say Tai Chi is 'A Comfortable Body, Quiet mind, and Grateful Heart', because this is where it leads ultimately.
History
Tai Chi Chuan is one of the products of the Taoist Spiritual Tradition and Chinese Martial Art Culture with roots dating back far into the past.
There are five main styles in existence today :
- Chen Style originating in Chenjiagou Village - Chen Wang Ting (1580-1660)
- Yang Style originating from Chen - Yang Lu Chan (1799-1872)
- Wu (Hao) Style originating from Yang & Chen - Wu Yu-hsiang (1812-1880)
- Wu Style (Small Circle) originating from Yang - Wu Chuan Yau (1834-1902)
- Sun Style originating from Yang, Wu(Hao), Xinyi & Bagua - Sun Lutang (1861-1932)
Chen Tai Chi was probably the original Tai Chi. Other theories favour Zhang San Feng and Wudang Kungfu but there is no historical evidence for this.
Either way, Tai Chi was influenced by and inherited aspects of the Taoist internal energy tradition which existed much earlier and no doubt also included aspects of body movement.
Chen Wang Ting, by combining his knowledge of the Yin / Yang, Chinese Medicine Qi theory, 'Tu Na' (Exchanging Dirty Qi for Clean Qi) and Internal Qi Gong with the Chen family Kungfu, was able to create a new martial art form - Tai Chi Chuan.
Yang Style Tai Chi was originally created by Yang Lu Chan. Traditionally Chen Tai Chi was only passed on to family members but Yang Lu Chan worked as a servant for Chen Chang Xing and eventually received teaching from him. Yang Lu Chan later had contact with other martial arts including Baguazhang and his own personal style evolved forming the framework for Yang Tai Chi.
His grandson Yang Chen Fu, further softened the style producing the Yang Tai Chi that is familiar today.
Wu (Hao), Wu (Small Circle) & Sun Tai Chi all evolved after this, though they are much less widespread than Yang Style Tai Chi.
So what is it?
Tai Chi Chuan is an Internal Martial Art system which places emphasis on the development and control of Chi (Consciousness) energy within the body.
This is achieved with the aid of the Tai Chi Forms, sequences of movement practised in a meditative state of mind.
Practiced at the highest level, every movement orginates with the twisting and turning of the 'Dan Tian'. The body moving around it in relaxed, circles and spirals. Achieving this requires a body with near perfect posture and an amazing ability to relax deeply the mind, body and heart - energy channels fully open and flowing with Chi.
In Tai Chi, this state of relaxation is called 'fang sung' and can best be described as a combination of relaxation, alertness, poise and balance.
A state of being, totally in the 'Now' in body and mind.
If you were holding a glass, the tension in your body would be such that the slightest further relaxation would cause the glass to drop.
If you were to think of yourself as a glass with water in it, surrounded by an ocean. Forget the glass and become the ocean.
Tai Chi constantly brings up the challenges of polarities, of hardness and softness, of power and subtlety of yin and yang (the Tai Chi).
Committed practice teaches the practitioner to surrender to the Tao that can guide one between the yin and the yang in the truth of the moment.
This could be called natural movement, it is spontaneous and unaffected without conceptual 'faking' and the feeling when this happens deeply is extraordinary.
It can be a spiritual perfection path of the highest order for those who wish to reach for the Ultimate in their life.
For more information on Tai Chi, please visit my other website : The China Tai Chi Guide.