From car seats to constrictive clothing, from
chairs to shoes that distort posture,
many features of modern life curtail our natural movement patterns.
(Liz Koch)
Body work
'Body work' is the
term applied to any form of treatment that is concerned with
retraining the body's posture and movement for optimal functioning.
Tai chi is a form of body work.
To practice tai chi skilfully, you must dynamically balance muscles within
the body and use the bone
structure in a healthy way.
We aim to combine energetic awareness
and body work, offering a well-balanced class.
Relax?
The word 'relax'
is frequently used in tai chi but what is meant by it?
Should you be flaccid, limp, slumped or crumpled?
Being flaccid is just as bad as tensing your muscles.
Contracted muscles limit joint mobility and slack muscles fail to offer
the necessary support.
Your muscle tissue needs to be toned and engaged.
'Relax' means neither tense nor flaccid.
Not tensed
Imagine that you are wearing layers of clothing and you are soaking wet...
The wet clothing makes movement difficult.
Gravity drags you down; your limbs feel heavy.
This is one facet of being relaxed in tai chi.
Another definition of 'relax' could simply be: not tensed.
Physicality
Tai chi may be an
internal martial art but it still involves an awful lot of
external movement.
The movement of your limbs should originate in the
centre and the outward spiralling motion
should continue outward to the fingertips.
Fuelling the movement is energy.
Yet the thing that moves is physical.
In tai chi, it is very important that
the physical aspects of the training not be ignored.
Alignment, opening the
joints and lengthening muscle tissue should not be sidelined or forgotten.
Your body needs to support the tai chi movements.
Passing
energy through a tensed or slumped body is
not sensible at all.
Detail
Detail is a key concern in tai chi, but are you looking at the right detail?
Being internally aware of joint
alignment, muscle balancing and core stability is just as important as
feeling energetically receptive and relaxed.
If your body is not toned, balanced, safe and healthy whilst it performs tai
chi, you may well be damaging yourself.
Other disciplines
If you lack an understanding of body
work, you may want to consider taking one-to-one
pilates or alexander technique sessions.
A skilled body work teacher will
increase your physical awareness, so that your bones and muscles work more
harmoniously.
As a supplement to your tai chi training, pilates or alexander technique could help you
considerably.
Be aware that one-to-one sessions may be expensive.
With greater sensitivity and physical understanding, you can feel
what is happening to your body during tai chi; where you can move
comfortably, what feels good and what doesn't.
Optimal body
The aim of body work is not to
produce a yoga body, an alexander technique body, a pilates body or a tai
chi body.
You need an optimal body.
A body that is capable of spontaneous movement in any direction;
comfortably, safely, with the necessary support and core stability.
Page created 8 May 2002