All effort to meditate is the denial of meditation.
(Krishnamurti)
Qi
Qi is the energy that animates the body.
Our power supply. Like a battery.
We obtain this energy through food and breathing. We are also born with qi.
The health aspects of tai chi are concerned with cultivating
qi.
Qi is not the only kind of energy we consider in tai chi. The other kind is more
to do with physics.
It involves the storage and release of 'kinetic' energy - movement energy.
Like a rock launched from a catapult or an arrow launched from a bow...
We use kinetic energy in self defence.
Kinetic
Every aspect of the training is intended to
cultivate, store and release energy.
There are different types of energy:
Kinetic or motion
Heat
Light
Sound
Electromagnetic
Potential/stored (gravity, elastic)
In our syllabus, we utilise elasticity, gravity, sound and motion
Cultivation
Open, relaxed body shape and movement serves to encourage an unimpeded flow of
energy.
How do we know this?
One effect of energy is the opening of capillaries in the hands.
The hands become blotchy, mottled and may tingle, throb or ache.
At a more advanced level, they may feel as if water is running under or over the
skin.
This specific kind of body use encourages qi flow, and can be harness to store
kinetic energy as well.
Dead movement
With awareness it becomes possible to feel when the energy is flowing and when
it is impeded.
Certain postures performed incorrectly will create 'dead' movements - these are actual stopping points
where the kinetic energy flow is lost.
Tai chi form is designed to take one amount of energy and use it for the entire
sequence.
A variety of methods are used to encourage this, and they fall under the heading
of 'neigong'.
Impediments
It is quite easy to maintain the energy flow, just avoid the
impediments:
tension
stiffness
compressed cavities
closed joints
collapsed muscles; usually thighs and front of body
stopping
over-commitment, pushing and exertion
hands too close to the body or too far away
disconnected movement; arms and legs moving independent of the body
thinking
Awareness alone should prevent any of
these mistakes from occurring; it is essential to feel the blockage.
Neigong will ultimately make it difficult to experience these problems because
your body will react badly to any attempt to impede energy.
Gravity
To maximise the effect of storage you must use gravity.
The human body is always working against the downward pull of gravity and
typically beginners employ far too much muscular tension to keep themselves
upright.
Rather than use unnecessary tension, tai chi uses the minimum amount possible
and focuses upon improving skeletal alignment for support.
We want the spine to be absolutely perpendicular to the ground - allowing the
body weight to fall down through the centre.
This saves energy and reduces physical stress.
Relaxing into the joints allows the body to move without extraneous effort.
Relaxing the muscles helps us to work with gravity.
A strike delivered with gravity feels very heavy to the recipient and penetrates
deep within the body.
The only danger with gravity is sinking too deeply (squatting) or
mistakes; both of these can cause problems.
More...
Page created 2 April 2000