Overview

T'ai Chi Ch'uan (or Tai Chi) is a slow motion, moving, meditative exercise for relaxation, health and self-defense. Originally from China, Tai Chi has gained enormous popularity in America and throughout the rest of the world for its health benefits.

History

The story of tai Chi begins with its founder Chang San-Feng, a Taoist hermit who is variously reported as having lived either during the Sung (960-1279) or the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368). According to legend, one day while strolling through the forests surrounding the Wu Tang Mountains in China's Hubei Province, Master Chang witnessed a snake engaged in combat with a crane. Master Chang was impressed with the skilful way the snake was able to dodge and counterattack the larger, more powerful crane. That night, so the story goes, the art of Tai Chi Chuan came to him in a dream.

Tai Chi Chuan means "Supreme Ultimate Boxing." The Supreme Ultimate here refers to the Tao, or more specifically, the framework within which the dualities of Yin and Yang manifest themselves in the field of time. The allusion to the Tai Chi in this context suggests that the art contains within itself (in its movements, shapes and patterns of breathing) all that is necessary for these dynamic forces to interact and be reconciled. The character Chuan refers to a school or method of boxing or combat. Therefore, it can be said that Tai Chi Chuan, as it was originally conceived, is a sophisticated method of fighting based on the reconciliation of dynamically interacting forces. Structurally speaking then, the Tai Chi Chuan practitioner seeks to neutralize his opponent's use of force before applying a countering force of his own. In this give and take, this interplay of energies, Tai Chi finds its highest expression as a fighting art.

At the time of its development, Tai Chi was a deadly art, jealously guarded by a few families and used for killing. It would be unwise for the student to forget this historical fact, because it is within the context of life or death struggle that the techniques of Tai Chi were refined over the centuries. The proper shapes for the transmission of energy, the methods of single-weightedness, techniques of relaxation and breath control all were developed with the express purpose of injuring the opponent in an efficient, scientific manner. It is probably desirable then, for the Tai Chi student to be able to appreciate and understand this martial context even if one is not interested in fighting. After all, all of the major Tai Chi styles (Chen, Yang, Wu and Sun) placed a great deal of emphasis on grasping the meaning of the movements through applications training.

Today, however, we live in a less violent era. So then: what is the place of Tai Chi in modern society? Now that we have "beaten our swords into ploughshares" how are we to appreciate this precious cultural transmission? The secret lies in enlarging our understanding of who "the enemy" is. Traditionally, the enemy was the opponent in a combat situation. Today the enemy may be fatigue, stress, overwork or lack of understanding of oneself and one's body. All martial arts were designed to increase one's longevity. Sometimes this means preventing another person from killing or injuring you. Nowadays, the same system can be used to help keep stress from killing or injuring you. Daily practice of Tai Chi promotes mental clarity and a healthy body, assists with balance and helps the circulation of the blood. Tai Chi is also a vehicle for the realization of surpassing beauty.

Benefits

The essence of T'ai Chi practice is not to learn a set of movements, nor to become talented in a system of self-defense, although these abilities may occur during the course of practice. The intention of T'ai Chi is to allow one the opportunity to become more aware of the natural laws which govern change; not just change in the body as affects physical, structural movement, but rather principles of change and movement that govern every aspect of our lives and the world around us.

The exercises of the practice simply provide us with an opportunity to explore that process of discovery.

Procedure

There are two ways to enhance the benefits of Tai Chi as a postural exercise. The first is doing the Tai Chi form practice lower and slower. Slow and low transitions are more difficult to do smoothly because the load on the single weighted leg increases. The task then becomes one of smoothly transitioning between postures without bobbing up and down. This requires the practitioner to organize his or her posture between movements more carefully.

The second is “Standing in Posture”. This means holding one posture for a period of time instead of moving from posture to posture. "Standing in a Posture" puts more weight on one leg than the other. Tiring in that posture, the leg you are standing on starts to talk back. It hurts. It is under tremendous load. The proper response is to find any holding or bracing and let go, releasing those muscles. As the muscles are releasing, the spine is lengthening. Learning to release under load is an important prerequisite to doing “push hands” which cultivates the martial arts aspect of Tai Chi Chuan.

Practicing lower and slower, and “Standing in Posture”, are advanced exercises that should only be done under the guidance of a qualified teacher. Practicing any kind of Tai Chi Chuan helps posture, and practicing according to these guidelines increases the benefits considerably. Tai Chi Chuan not only improves posture and balance while doing the Tai Chi form, but in everyday activities as well.

Source of information: www.patiencetaichi.com | www.main.net | www.posturepage.com