What is
Tai Chi Chuan?
- A Connected Meditation - eyes open, body active, mind connected with
the external world yet still and quiet.
- An Amazing Healthcare System.
- Perhaps the Ultimate Martial Art.
- Beauty in Movement.
- A Great Way to Start the Day.
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 two main styles in existence today : |
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- Chen Style originating in ~ 1640 in
Chenjiagou Village,
China.
- Yang Style originating from Chen in ~1820
Chen
Tai Chi was originally created by Chen Wang Ting.
By combining his knowledge of the Yin
/ Yang, Chinese
Medicine Qi theory, 'Tu Na' (Exhalation of Dirty Qi, Inhalation of
Clean Qi) and Internal Qi Gong with the family Kungfu, he was
able to create a new martial art form - Tai Chi.
Yang Style Tai Chi was originally created by Yang Lu Cheng who is
famous for having struggled to persuade the Chen family teachers to
pass their knowledge onto him. In the end they agreed, but on the
condition that he didn't teach what they gave him to other students. He
accepted this condition and spent his life creating a new
style of
Tai Chi which he then passed onto others and this was Yang Style Tai
Chi.
Tai Chi has a strong tradition and
foundation yet is alive and changing
all the time with each master adapting it to the needs of the time.
In the last century a
Simplified version of the Yang Style was
created in China
(24), to make it easy to learn for the majority of people. Chen Tai
Chi also developed significantly with the
addition of Xin Jia.
And the 42 Style was created, which combines aspects of Yang
and Chen
and the other Tai Chi styles.
It is most similiar to Yang Style in practice though.
Other Traditional Styles of Tai Chi are Wu & Sun though they
are less common.
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 forms / sequences of
movements which are practised in a meditative state of mind.
The practitioner aspires to develop a state of
'fang sung' within his/her body and mind.
For Tai Chi, this state 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.
It can be described by holding a glass. The tension in
your body should be such that the slightest relaxation of your tension
level will cause the glass to drop.
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 can be called natural movement, it is spontaneous and
unaffected without conceptual 'faking'. |
The experience of this surrender is tantalising in an extraordinary way
like walking on a knife edge sometimes, yet beautifully peaceful and
pleasureable
at the same time.
It feels more like allowing then doing, like receiving rather than
giving. A very yin relationship to the Universe and space around you.
It is a spiritual perfection path of the highest order for those who
wish to reach for the Ultimate in their life.
About
Yang Style Tai Chi
Yang
Style Tai Chi is beautiful to do and to watch.
It's beauty is the simplicity of its movements which are easy to learn
and perform even when a person's health is not that strong.
The movements are more linear than Chen Style Tai Chi, the stance is
fairly high and the pace
remains fairly even and gentle.
Hence it achieves the purpose for which it was created which was to be
a tool for achieving health, accessible for the majority of people. |
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By being less demanding physically, it allows the practitioner to focus
directly on achieving softness / Fang Sung in the movement and a state
of meditative peace.
About Chen Style Tai Chi
Chen
Style Tai Chi is amazingly beautiful to do and to watch when performed
well. But it is extremely difficult.
The movements are circular, the stance is low and the pace alternates
between periods of slower and quicker movement. There are also sudden
releases of power called Fah Jing, the Chen explosive
movements.
The martial applications are quite evident in Chen yet it is a complete
internal martial art unlike Kung Fu.
Chen Tai Chi is divided up into the Old Frame (Lao Jia) and New Frame
(Xin Jia). |
|
Each
Frame consists of the
First Way (Yi Lu) and the Second
Way (Er Lu).
For each of these there are many hand and weapon Tai Chi forms.
Er
Lu is
more demanding and explosive
than Yi Lu which contains the
power more, making it harder to learn well.
The New Frame of Chen (Xin Jia) created by Chen Fake is much more
complicated to learn and practise and is only relevant to the highest
level of practitioner with a total life commitment to Tai Chi.
Tai
Chi as a
Martial Art vs
Spiritual Practice (Way of Zen or Tao).
One of the interesting aspects of Tai Chi is that
it manages to
function both as a Martial Art and a Spiritual Practice. As such it
attracts people from both backgrounds and to some extent they meet
within the practice of Chen Tai Chi.
Those from a more contemplative, meditative interest can benefit well
from the Yang Style and if they wish, they can move later into the more
'feeling' side of Chen
style.
Those from a more martial background can find their needs met in the
Chen with fast application and eventually martial
applications. |
|
In the end though both paths combine and good practice at the highest
level requires aspects of both.
From
the author's experience Tai Chi 'Masters' are reluctant to talk much
about the
Spiritual aspects of Tai Chi, unlike Yoga where much has been
written.
This is partly due to the Chinese Tradition of revealing knowledge to
apprioriate chosen and prepared students. It is also I believe because
the Spiritual aspects are more rooted in Tao and Zen which is very down
to earth and there is really nothing to say until you start to
experience it yourself.
Nb . From my personal experience though an ethical training is still
of value and this is not taught generally in Tai Chi. Choose
your own. From the Chinese tradition the I Ching and
Taoism is interesting or Zen Buddhism.
Likewise, though the Internal Energy Qi Gong and the Tai Chi is totally
meditative, I benefited greatly from sitting Meditative
retreats which developed the Hara or Dan Tien and quiet mind and
Spontaneous Qi Gong work.
Chen Style Tai Chi Lineage
 Tai Chi
has a concept of lineage. The progressive line of master teachers,
with each learning from the previous generation masters. Chen
Wang Ting (1600-1680), [9th Generation] founded Chen Tai Chi
in
the 1600's. Previous to this the Chen family practiced hard
Kungfu. For many generations
it was kept private within the Chen family. Even so over time the
lineage has branched out and so there are many lines now.
Each student's Tai Chi is subtely different from the teachers and even
students with the same teacher will make the Tai Chi their own and so
over time it has developed.
 In
the late 19th Century , the Chen family produced their most famous
practioner since
Chen Wang Ting, Chen Fake (1887-1957) [17th Generation]. He developed
the Tai Chi to a higher level,
creating Xin Jia and no doubt improved Lao Jia and the whole of the
Chen Arts. |
 One
of Chen Fake's main student was Chen Zhou Pei (1928-1981)[18th]. Chen
Zhou Pei taught many good students including Chen Xiao Wang and Wang Xi An.
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What are the Health Benefits of Tai Chi?
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Mind
Good practice requires a flowing, detached,
conscious, meditational state of mind.
This state works to free the mind from static negative mental patterns
and leads to greater consciousness.
This is
very helpful with anxiety, depression and anger patterns and probably
psychosis.
Generally one develops greater stillness of mind in every day life and
greater mental energy.
It is also normal to finish a session feeling happy!
|
Body
During practise Chi / consciousness energy
circulates throughout all of the energy merideans of the body.
Old physical tensions in the body and trapped
energy are opened up allowing the practitioner to recover their
vitality.
Performance of the forms requires a high level of relaxation which
teaches relaxation in every day life with all of its benefits.
The exercise develops strength in the legs and so is very good for
developing grounding in a persons energy and rebuilding physical health.
The body gets exercised without straining the heart or anything else
and so it is ideal for people with weak health. |
In
fact it is of all round benefit to the circulatory and digestive
systems strenghtening the internal organs including the heart and liver
and nourishing the whole body
.
Generally
it will assist in many conditions of dis-ease because it
helps the mind and body learn to be at ease together.
Chen
Tai Chi as oppose to Yang works to develop massive relaxed
strength in the legs and is a path to a state well beyond 'good health'.
The
author has been using Tai Chi as part of a self treatment for a Chronic
Fatigue illness - it works!
What
are the Benefits of Tai Chi for Bodyworkers / Therapists? - (The Author
is a massage therapist).
General
Health
One of the most obvious issues for
therapists is
the importance of maintaining ones own health and energy.
This ability to recharge and clean your energy is essential if you are
spending much time round people who by their very nature are 'low on
energy' and you've been opening yourself to them.
As your Tai Chi progresses, the time required to recharge becomes less
and less.
|
Anthony
receiving Shiatsu at the School in China
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Possibly
this can reach a state of free flow in which
one rarely gets
tired while allowing the energy to flow through you.
Flexibility, Posture and Coordinated Use of the
Whole Body
Its interesting to watch different people doing similar
physical things
because you're then able to see how well they use their body and how
well it works together as a single coordinated organism. Good Tai Chi
practice develops skillful body use.
For table based massage, the whole body
needs to be involved in each
stroke, and ones coordinated shifting body weight can provide the power
rather than just the arm and shoulder muscles. This also involves a
lowered posture which requires strength in the thighs.
The
experience of the massage is very different for the receiver when
this whole body energy is used, and I don't believe it takes so much
from the giver.
The giving experience is more relaxed and heavy rather
than tense and aching - very different for both people.
Tai Chi naturally develops all of these skills, legs build strength
gradually as one performs the forms time and time again.
Natural coordination just comes with time - this is a primary focus
with Tai Chi.
Posture improves gradually as your body learns to relax
and let go more deeply.
|
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Anthony
holding a Chen Posture to clear Qi blockages
The
Tai Chi forms are made up of many
individual stances which really
challenge bad posture (with a good
teacher and plenty of self-effort).
Shiatsu with its kneeling emphasis really requires flexibility to relax
and be comfortable.
Tai Chi works well to get Chi flowing better and
this turns into flexibility eventually. Natural conscious movement
using Chi seems to produce stillness and meditation inside, stillness
produces movement inside. Both seem to develop together and without one
noticing.
Healing Energy / Consciousness and Emptiness
The difference between Chi Kung and Tai Chi is
the greater opportunity for emptiness and surrender that Tai Chi gives.
Both cultivate Qi, but there's just something else there to be
discovered in the movement which is very interesting. It has
similarities to long meditation sittings yet allows involvement with
nature at the same time. In fact it feels very Shamanic.
The capacity for emptiness and space is probably the most subtle, yet
significant aspect of therapeutic contact and relationship. It seems to
give ones Chi a more refined quality and is not necessarily the same as
abundance of Chi. Both would be nice.
Concentration
One of the hardest skills for the therapist is to be present with the
client 100%. As a form of meditation, with an awful lot to concentrate
on Tai Chi really does develop concentration skills and the ability to
relax in the now. You really cant do it if you don't start to pick this
up.
At the same time, the concentration isn't just single pointed focus as
in some meditations, but a continuous flowing concentration that you
just have to surrender into and let go. I suspect this is particular
useful for intuitive bodywork.
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So why not learn Tai Chi....
Email me:
anthony@easternpeace.co.uk
Important! - Please write Tai Chi in the subject
Or
call me on my mobile:
07881 836359
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