When you do tai chi, you
shouldn't sweat.
Sweating is a sign that the qi is being dissipated.
It comes from tension and it's as if you are depleting your bank account.
Doing tai chi, you want to accumulate qi, not spend it.
So, if you sweat, you should stop and rest.
(Cheng Man Ching)
Tension
Beginners wear themselves out training qigong and partner work with
too much tension.
Remember to use only the minimal amount of
strength; use only
what is necessary to hold your limb in place.
Anything more is wasted.
4 ounces
When in contact with another person, 4 ounces of
pressure must be
maintained.
This is not accomplished through
effort.
Relax.
Let gravity do the work for you.
Qigong
Qigong is intended to condition your body, to
develop stamina and endurance.
But be wary of trying too hard.
If you find that your body is aching considerably and you feel really tired, you
are doing the exercise incorrectly.
Let-go of your tension and relax into the posture.
Imagine that your arms are on strings or resting on something.
Sweating
If
you are sweating, you are exerting.
Why?
This is tai chi, and tai chi does not involve
exertion of any kind.
Tao Te Ching (chapter 55) counsels you
to be like a child that can cry all day without getting hoarse.
It also speaks against aggression.
Aggression is a tool of 'pushing', of forcing - and force is not the way of tai
chi.
Relaxing deliberately
Once
you realise that conscious thought can affect tension, you can begin to let-go
of it and
relax.
Feel where your body is holding, and soften the muscles by thinking them longer,
looser and heavier.
Pushing
Impatient people push for results.
Yet, who are they really pushing, who is suffering the pressure of their
impatience?
They are.
Pushing is a form of exertion.
Over-training
Tai chi is not
dance, gymnastics or boxing. Do not
treat it like weight-lifting, either, and try to build
muscles.
Over-training can harm your body and will reduce your enjoyment of the
art.
Do less rather than more.
Stagger your training across the week and do a little every day.
If your training exceeds an hour a day then you are doing too much.
Even an
intermediate, experienced or
advanced level student should constantly
trim off unnecessary exercises and keep their daily practice time down.
Page created 2 November 2004