I’m standing with my feet a comfortable distance apart, my arms at my sides. I start at the top of my head to relax my whole body. My head becomes lightened, as if suspended from a thread. I empty my mind oof all thoughts. I rest my tongue gently against the roof of my mouth. I loosen up the muscles of my neck and drop my shoulders, allowing my arms to bend very slightly so my elbows move away from my body. My palms turn inward, wrist and fingers in a gentle curve. My spine is straight but as I breath deeply and slowly I feel my back muscles relax and my energy seems to sink. I bend my knees a little to take the tension out of my legs. All of my energy seems centered just below my navel: I have sunk my Chi to the Dantian! My feet, instead of feeling all the weight of my body have rooted themselves several inches below the floor! I have completed the first movement of Tai Chi Chuan: Preparation.
But am I relaxed? What does it really mean to relax in terms of Tai Chi practice? Why is that first movement, so important?
The English translation of Fu Zhongwen’s book, Mastering Yang Style Taijiquan (essential reading) is by Louis Swaim. In his introduction he talks about translation issues and points out that the terms, song and fang song are usually translated as “relaxed” and “relax.” He says:
Etymologically the term song is based on a character for “long hair that hangs down”--- that is, hair that is loosened and expanded, not “drawn up.” Therefore, “loosened” and “loosen” are more accurate renderings for song and fang song.
Fu Zhongwen, in speaking of the Preparatory Posture, says the “…spirit of vitality (jingshen) should be naturally elevated. The mind should be calm, without a trace of distracting thoughts.” And therein lies another important element of relaxation: emptying the mind. Thinking causes stress and stress increases tension in the muscles. Therefore, it makes sense to empty the mind of daily problems.
Yang Chenfu beginning posture
Standing correctly relaxed at the beginning (or, some say, before the beginning) puts one in the proper state of mind and of body for continuing to be loose during movement: moving, as they say, like a string of pearls. The story goes that Sun Lu Tang went to study the martial art of Xing Yi Quan with the master, Li Kui Yuan. Li taught him only the Standing Posture which he practiced for a whole year. One day as Sun was in the Standing Posture, Li approached him from behind and struck him on his back. Sun was unmoved by the blow and so was allowed to advance in his studies. Sun Lu Tang (originator of Sun Style Taijiquan) wrote about Wu Ji:
Wu Ji is the natural state occurring before one begins to practice martial arts. The mind is without thought; the intent is without motion; the eyes are without focus; the hands and feet are still; the body makes no movement; yin and yang are not yet divided; the clear and the turbid have not yet separated; the qi is united and undifferentiated.
And one cannot discount the importance of placing the tongue against the roof of the mouth. This has a number of benefits. For one, a stressed person tends to grit or grind their teeth. The muscles of the jaws, when tensed in that way can transfer the tension to your whole body and even cause headaches. In addition, when the tongue touches the roof of the mouth it somewhat blocks one from breathing through the mouth and drying it out. In fact, some saliva may be generated in this way which is beneficial to other body functions. In Qigong theory there are two different energy paths which are connected by this placement of the tongue against the roof of the mouth--- but now we’re getting more complicated than I had intended in this simple discussion of relaxing!
One of the Tai Chi Classics, the Tai Chi Chuan Treatise attributed to Wang Chung Yueh in the Ming Dynasty (translated by Master T. T. Liang) says:
T’ai Chi (The Supreme Ultimate) springs from Wu Chi (The Limitless). It is the source of motion and tranquility and the mother of Yin and Yang. In motion they separate, in tranquility they fuse into one.
From this we can understand that relaxing is the path to correct movement of Qi throughout the body and hence essential to the practice of Tai Chi Chuan (The Supreme Ultimate Fist). So relax, Damnit!
Architect Mies van der Rohe once said, “God is in the details.” In talking about Tai Chi we might paraphrase this as “Chi is in the details.” Most Tai Chi classes teach the basic movements, then begin to refine the form by stressing principles, applications and philosophy and working on the details. Focusing on details too early can be distracting, but after achieving an understanding of the movements, how they follow one another, it is essential.
One important principle in Tai Chi is softness. This is practiced by keeping the limbs loose, curved and never fully extended. A crucial detail in which softness is practiced is the position of the hand. Never stiff, never extended, always soft.
Wolfe Lowenthal’s book on Cheng Man-Ch’ing, “Gateway to the Miraculous,” has been fascinating me since I first read it. On the cover is a photo close-up of the Professor’s hand in a gesture he calls, “Beautiful Lady’s Hand.” The hand is open but partially folded, the fingers lightly bent, the wrist loose and curved. It seems dossal, limp, but is actually endowed with potential energy, like a spring or a coiled whip. There is no tension in that hand, yet it is ever ready to strike. Like the “needle wrapped in cotton,” there is hardness hidden in the softness.
Early in my study of Tai Chi I held my hands flat with my thumbs sticking out. One time my teacher grabbed me by one of my thumbs: the pain was excruciating! “See,” he said, “you’re giving your opponent a handle.” What he didn’t know was that a few years before I had a severe fall in which I had partially dislocated both thumbs. I held my thumbs outward to ease the pain in my carpometacarpal joints where osteoarthritis was rapidly developing.
You may have read that Tai Chi is good for arthritis, not as a cure but as a therapy. I believe this is true. Over the years I have concentrated on holding my hands in the “Beautiful Lady’s” position, curving my thumbs and fingers slightly. I do this not only during Tai Chi practice but whenever my hands are at rest or idle. I also do finger and thumb exercises, sort of Tai chi for the fingers. Without movement a joint becomes stiff. It’s the same principle that creates some of the health benefits of Tai Chi.
Hands of the Golden Buddha in meditative position (Dhyana mudra).
The hands are not used to grasp an opponent. It may seem, for example, in Roll Back, that you have grasped each side of your opponent’s arm and you are pulling them around you. Here, however, the hands only guide as the body turns and the opponents momentum propels them forward. In Push Hands, if you grasp your opponent, you are merely increasing their control of you. In effect you have created a fulcrum for your opponent’s leverage.
Yang Chen Fu demonstrating Fair Lady Works the Shuttle
The hands are not used to block. There is no such thing as a block in Tai Chi. There is sticking, following, redirecting, but no blocking. Again, to block you must become rigid and immoveable. The outcome will depend on whose force and mass are greater. This is not Tai Chi. There is a movement called Fair Lady Works the Shuttle (or Jade Lady or Four Corners) which appears to be a series of blocks, one arm held high to guard the forehead and the other pushing outward, chest level. As you can see in this photo of Yang Chen Fu, the raised arm does appear to be a block. However, when seen as a typical “sticking and following” sequence, this interpretation changes considerably.
There is a nice description on line of the Fair Lady movement on Taichido.com (http://www.taichido.com/chi/explore/Cpt3part2.htm) including some videos. The movement can be seen as an upending of the opponent, similar to Ward Off. The author of the Taichido piece concludes with this:
As a concluding curve ball for further contemplation may I urge you investigate 'Fair Lady' as an upending trip. The foot, leading with the heel in the case of an opponent at locations other than the front, is placed behind those of the opponent and the forearm (this arm and 'leading' leg is always the same i.e. right arm/leg left arm/leg) applies 'extended (yang) ward off that becomes the push that applies the trip.
There are two other forms the hands take besides that of the Beautiful Lady: the Fist and the Hook. The fist, used during various punches, as well as Dredge Ocean for the Moon, Double Gusts Penetrate Ears, Advance to the Seven Stars, and so forth, is also formed loosely. The fingers are curved in toward the palm but only so far, as if you were holding a roll of quarters. The thumb is bent across the outside of the fist. The wrist is not curved but is able to twist and guide so that the punch strikes as an extension of the arm, guided in turn by movement of the waist. Hence there is no tension in the fist.
Cheng Man Ching demonstrating Single Whip
The Hook is formed by the right hand during Single Whip (except in Sun Style and Wu/Hao Style where it is a fist). The thumb touches the index and middle fingers and the wrist is bent. Applications of the Single Whip posture are many and variations of the stance and positioning of arms and legs vary from version to version. Examination of the Single Whip should be saved for another time except to point out that in relaxing and opening up the Hook, the hand goes easily into the Beautiful Lady form.
I see the Beautiful Lady’s Hand as a detail that embodies many of the principles of the Tai Chi Chuan form. The advanced beginner (is that an oxymoron?) can benefit from exploiting this idea as they practice, allowing the hands to relax, curve gently and move by following the actions of the arms which in turn follow the actions of the waist. Remember, Chi is in the details.
First a sad note:
Robert W. Smith passed away the evening of July 1st. He was a noted martial art researcher, writer, teacher, and practitioner. He was the author and co-author of 16 books and numerous articles dealing with the fighting arts. His work no doubt touched many martial artists regardless of style. ---Michael DeMarco
Breathe-- we all do it, but probably not to the full advance of our health and well-being. We generally breathe short, shallow, quiet little breaths and when we exercise, we pant and gasp down great gulps. Once you begin to practice Tai chi and/or Qigong, you discover breathing as if you never really knew about it before! In his Body Mechanics of Tai Chi Chuan, William C. C. Chen says of breathing:
Tai Chi Chuan is based on the natural way of breathing: it is slow, gentle and deep.…Initiate the breath with the diaphragm, not the nose…. When the breath is initiated with the nose, only the upper part of the lungs are filled with air; the chest will become tense, causing the body to lose its center of gravity.
He emphasizes that pressure in the lower abdomen causes energy to flow. This is like the saying, “to sink the chi to the ten tien,” although chi is not breath per se. It is only associated with (proper) breathing which in turn, facilitates the flow of chi. But when does this slow, gentle breathing take place during the form? I remember an early Tai Chi class at which one of the students asked, “Do I breathe here?” The instructor answered, “Yes.” He didn’t wish his students to focus so much on the ins and outs, so to speak, of breathing and lose sight of the form. Other teachers I have had have used breathing as a kind of metronome to the rhythm of the form, stressing when to breathe in (such and such direction of movement) or out (such and such other direction of movement).
William C. C. Chen again:
At this time [inhalation] the arms are moving outward or upward. During exhalation, the diaphragm is released, abdominal pressure is decreased and the flow of energy subsides. Now the arms are moving inward or downward.
He distinguishes between the natural breathing of the practice of Tai Chi and the breathing done in fighting or sparing. There is a third state of breathing called “compression.” He says:
That is holding the diaphragm downward while the thigh muscles exert force upward. This pressurization of the abdomen (Ten Tien) supports the spine and serves as a connecting link between the root and the fist. This all happens at a brief moment of impact; there is no time for breathing in or out.
Of course, Tai Chi is practiced for its health benefits, but its origins are as a martial art, with applications for each of the “movements.” So shouldn’t we be concerned with coordinating the direction of our breath (in/out) with the purpose of each posture (strike, parry, redirect, push, etc.)? In a paper entitled, “Tai Chi Breathing,” http://www.everyday-taichi.com/tai-chi-breathing-tips.html, Dr. Paul Lam expounds upon this concern. His explanations seem very logical to me. He says,
The key is the storing and delivering of energy because tai chi emphasizes on internal energy. Every tai chi movement alternates between gathering, storing and then delivering energy….When you open, it's storing energy like someone drawing an arrow in a bow; in closing, the energy is delivering so it's like shooting the arrow….When you're inhaling (storing energy), think of taking in the life energy-oxygen- into your body. When you deliver energy or force, you exhale….Using this logic, you can see in Chen style's punching movements, when you're bringing your hands closer to store up energy, that's an in breath and when you punch out, that's the out breath.
Natural Breathing = Abdominal Breathing = Buddhist Breathing = Post-natal Breathing. This means to breath by pushing out the stomach to make more room in the bottom of the lungs. It is the type of breathing recommended to most for Tai Chi Chuan. Another type of breathing is Reverse Breathing = Taoist Breathing = Pre-birth Breathing. Dai Lu in his book, T’ai Chi Ch’uan & Meditation, explains:
Before birth, the embryo does not need to inhale and exhale, for the breath is circulated through its body from the mother. The oxygen-rich blood comes to it through the umbilical cord and enters its abdomen at the navel….Most people only breath with the throat and lungs, so the prenatal breath hides in the abdomen, never joining the postnatal breath again….[M]editation and T’ai Chi Ch’uan may be said to bring about a union of prenatal and postnatal breathing.
He goes on to say that fetal-breathing, the so-called “breathing without breathing” technique, is an advanced goal of meditation. During a state called the Great Quiescence, there seems to be an absence even of pulse. The mind is used to bring oxygen in through the naval and to send the chi down to the tan tien. In Taoist Yoga a technique called Quick Breathing consists of rapid, short breaths designed to cleanse the body of germs. Short sequences of Quick Breathing can be alternated with longer sessions of slow, deep breathing to bring about a balance.
Robert W. Smith, who, we noted, recently passed away, translated and wrote about the works of Chen Man Ching and others. Doug Chen compiled exerts from these and other sources in an article on Breathing --- The Tai Chi Way (http://www.wuweitaichi.com/articles/Breathing.htm). Here is Robert W. Smith writing about his experience with Professor Cheng Man-ching's breathing:
After practicing and being minutely corrected on my form and push-hands, I asked him about breathing. Professor Cheng Man-ching said: "It should be natural and must not be forced." Then, he placed my right hand on his abdomen (he had a small "pot" there that he continually tried to erode with circular massage), and I felt it expand as he slowly inhaled. Next, he took the index finger of my other hand and placed it under his nose and exhaled. But, try as I might, I felt no exhalation from his nose, though I did feel his belly empty under my right hand. As it struck me that this was utterly impossible, and then I began to think that I felt an extremely light and wire-fine beam of air coming from his nose. I don't know which was the most astounding: the fineness of his exhalation or my utter inability to feel it. Either way, it was a most impressive performance.
Sometimes when I’m practicing the Long Form I concentrate on breathing, coordinating inhaling and exhaling with inward and outward movements. Other times I pay attention to my feet and stance, my “single-weightedness.” Or I may think about my chi and moving it up through the soles of my feet, into my upper thighs and waist. But when I empty my mind of all thought, breathe naturally (without thinking), and move almost trance-like with a softness which conceals hardness, then, and only then, do I begin to get close to the Tai Chi Chuan of my goals.
Below are several excerpts from my readings that I felt should share.
Life begins at seventy. Everything is beautiful! Health is a matter of the utmost importance and all the rest is secondary. Now I must find out how to enjoy excellent health in my whole life and discover the way to immortality.1
Man cannot live without exercise....If one has a space approximately four feet on a side and can spare ten minutes a day, he can practice T'ai-chi without spending a cent 2
If we naively follow our own traditions we may someday find out that we have made yet another mistake---the mistake of not questioning traditions 3
We know it [Qi] exists the same way we know sunlight and wind exist. We cannot capture or grasp these forces in the hand, yet we can experience them. Science does not need to prove their existence in order for us to belief in them. 4
Tai chi is an internal art, which means that you have to use your thinking ability....Using your mind also means allowing your mind to be open. If you're fixed on one idea and close your mind to others, then your mind is like a full cup: it can't take in anything else. On the other hand, an empty mind is like an empty cup, it is ready to take in or absorb new knowledge, and only then will you progress. 5
...it can be said that the external martial arts are based on the energy of movement, whereas the internal martial arts are based on the movement of energy. 6
...practicing [the sword form] leads to experiences of such a depth and fullness that reflections about the sword as a weapon become superficial....Something opens that is universal, that makes it completely unimportant what you have in your hand: a kitchen spoon, a tobacco pipe, a sword. The more that this inner dimension of strengths and energies opens, the more that the "external" retreats. 7
T'ai-chi Ch'uan is the art of concealing hardness within softness, like a needle in cotton. 8
It is not like a cotton ball, rather like a cotton bale: packed tightly with softness. 9
No pain, no pain! 10
...in movement, the sinews are soft and belong to yin; in stillness, the qi is hard and belongs to yang. In this way, softness manifest externally, while hardness is concealed within. Hardness, belonging to qi, internally collects in the bones; softness belongs to the sinews and externally winds around the four limbs. Therefore, when yin reaches its peak, yang is born; when yang reaches its peak, yin is born. Yin never leaves yang and yang never leaves yin. When each reaches its peak, it produces a change, and this is called taiji. 11
Consciously or unconsciously, we all change and adapt, hopefully growing and expanding as we do....Unless an art is stagnant, it must be a living, breathing art that also changes. 12
Everyone possesses ch'i and has possessed it since birth. Ch'i remains with the individual throughout life, dispersing only after death. Thee are two main steps involved in cultivating ch'i within your body: meditation and movement. 13
There are no secrets 14
The gentlest thing in the world
overcomes the hardest thing in the world.
The soft overcomes the hard
The slow overcomes the fast.
There is no greater illusion than fear,
no greater wrong than preparing to defend yourself,
no greater misfortune than having an enemy.
Whoever can see through all fear
will always be safe. 15
1 Ten Theorems For My Daily Principles (#7) from T'ai Chi Ch'uan For Health and Self-Defense by Master T. T. Liang
2 T'ai Chi: The "Supreme Ultimate" by Cheng Man-Ch'ing and Robert W. Smith
3 The Essentials of T'ai Chi by Waysun Lia
4 The Way of Qigong: The Art and Science of Chi by Ken Cohen
5 Strategies for Improving Tai Chi by Dr Paul Lam and Nancy Kaye
6 Warriors of Stillness Vol. 1: Meditative Traditions in the Chinese Martial Arts by Jan Diepersloot
7 Questions and Answers in Classical T'ai Chi Sword by Chiang Tao Chi
8 A Discussion of the Practice of T'ai-chi Ch'uan as dictated by Yang Ch'eng-fu to Chang Hung-k'uei found in Tai Chi Touchstones: Yang Family Secrets by Douglas Wile
9 not the exact quote as I don't remember where I read this, but I like the imagery.
10 favorite saying from Ron Pfeiffer of Midwest Tai Chi and Self Defense
11 New Theory on Taijiquan Movement by Zheng Manqing
12 Yang Style Traditional Long Form T'ai Chi Ch'uan by Gordon Muir
13 The Essence of T'ai-Chi by Waysun Liao
14 Title of book on Chen Man Ch'ing by Wolfe Lowenthal
15 Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
While practicing the Sword Form in the mirrored room at my health center, I like to listen to music through earphones from my mp3 player. Although I am an advocate of “silent running,” so as to develop natural internal rhythms that match the movements of the form, I find it very helpful to have an auditory aid, especially when first learning. When I do the Yang Long Form, the empty handed one, I prefer a sort of drone--- a non-rhythmic sound, so that the speeds of the various movements can be even and flowing. But with the sword I find a variety of speeds more appropriate to what I suppose the applications of the Sword Form would be: slashing, chopping, slicing, thrusting, momentary pauses, turns and fanes.
I’ve been listening to cuts from an album by Bela Fleck called “Throw Down Your Heart, Tales from the Acoustic Planet, Vol. 3: African Sessions.” The sessions on this album were recorded by Fleck on a trip across Africa as he traced the origins of his chosen instrument, the banjo. In Uganda, Mali, Tanzania and South Africa, he played traditional African songs and jammed with local musicians using ethnic instruments like the thumb piano and xylophone. Included are kora master Toumani Diabate, guitarist D'Gary, vocalists Oumani Sangare and Baba Maal, ngoni player Baekou Kouyate, and djembe player Madou Sanogo. (This info is from comments by Scott Williams on the Amazon.com listing for the album.) There is a DVD documentary of the trip and a trailer for it on you tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDCxaQhhL0A.
Besides the musicological insights and virtuosity represented by Fleck and friends on the African album, what interests me is how well it overlays my sense of movement for the Sword Form. They call it “the Chinese Sword Dance,” probably because it looks so graceful and so energetic. The close rhythms and sharp percussive notes of the African music allow for subtle changes in momentum so that, unlike the constant flow of the empty hand form, there is a dynamic range of accelerating or slowing, an opportunity to energize a sweeping action of the arm-plus-sword from the toes up through the thigh muscles. (Actually, this all exists in the empty hand form as well; we just try to minimize the appearance of forcefulness ---to be soft.)
Another element of my sword practice has been the use of the tassel (attached to the pommel.) An improper increase in velocity or angle will definitely wrap the tassel around your wrist. While focusing on the sword in hand you become acutely aware of the location of that tassel. There are two small brass balls attached to my tassel which will clatter against the hilt of the sword in an abrupt maneuver or sudden stop. While it sounds kind of neat, it is another help toward learning how not to use the sword. As someone once told me, when you become a Tai Chi Master you can do it however you want. For now, study and practice ---and study and practice, and study and practice, and….
Many thanks to Amy Eisenberg of the Winged Lion School of Tai Chi in Erie, Pennsylvania, for the link to this poem reading and performance by Allen Ginsberg: Poetry Spot
I spent a little (read too little) time searching the internet for other poets that wrote about Tai Chi but to tell the truth, I was unimpressed by most of what I found. I think the Tai Chi Classics are themselves wonderful poetry that not only serves to define Tai Chi practice but also raise the spirit of the reader. Ginsberg's poem has a bit of tongue in cheek but does (for me) explore the difficulty of performing Tai Chi in a state of meditation. It's like the old joke about the alchemist who said the secret of turning lead into gold was to stir molten lead WITHOUT thinking of the word, "Hippopotamus."
To see the inspiration for these shots look at my blog entry, "Virtual Volumes." I'm slowly learning the technicalities of the process... been using a digital point and shoot for so long now I've forgotten much of the discipline of good (analogue) photography. I blew the whole first role by not checking the shutter speed and the second roll, as you see here, suffers from not having cleaned the lens (see the spots and the centralized glow from reflections inside the lens.) However, I am happy as a clam with these first efforts.
These multi-colored images are made using a pair of "rave gloves" set to cycle through red, green and blue. The gloves have LEDs mounted at the finger tips and thumb tip. I am doing partial sections of Yang style Tai Chi with the camera in a fixed position.
I think the above shows from Raising Hands through Brush Knee and probably a Push. Next time I will keep some records of which movements are in which shots.
In the shot above I have added a single LED to the toe of each shoe. The sequence includes Waving Hands Like Clouds and Repulse Monkey (I think).
The above is Sword Form using a single LED at the tip of the sword.
And here I added a second LED on the pommel. I should add that these show the complete Sword Form.
I have to thank my good buddy, Bill Mego for his help in scanning the negatives. I had no luck at Walgreens getting them to figure out how to print the roll and it's just as well. There will be more to come in the future, so 'til then, Buenos Noches and be careful doing Tai Chi out there in the dark!
