The study of tai chi is a commitment to being present, the very opposite of
tuned-out, addictive behaviour. It becomes increasingly difficult to lie to
oneself or escape reality if one is practicing sensitivity and balance.
Additionally, there are specific qualities of the discipline of tai chi
conducive to learning how to face life rather than run away from it.
(Wolfe Lowenthal)
Essence
Taoism
examines the
nature
of things; exploring what characteristics make a thing
unique.
What makes a tree a tree, rather than a dog?
When practicing
tai chi, it is important to be aware of the
qualities that
make your exercise tai chi, rather than karate.
Ask yourself: what is the
essence
of tai chi?
If you cannot answer this, you may need to do some serious research.
Life
Tai chi encourages students to look at life differently.
This is not a political or religious agenda.
It is a realisation that how we see the world has been shaped by our
culture, upbringing and education.
We do not see the world as it is.
Consequently, we live in a fragmented, conflictive manner.
This is not the tai chi way.
Awareness
Seeing reality without
conditioning is
not necessarily possible once you have been conditioned.
It is best to start simply - by learning to be
aware of your own body and its
relationship
with the world around you.
In tai chi this is accomplished through solo and
partner exercises designed to
increase your physical sensitivity.
Later, more challenging exercises explore how your mind
responds to a variety of situations and how the need for
security affects your choices.
The real work is beyond the class.
With your changing perception, you begin to re-consider the way in which
you live.
Uniquely tai chi
For your practice to be uniquely tai chi, it must address the
tai chi classics,
13 postures,
jing, 4 ounces of
pressure, softness and
yielding.
If it does not, you are not learning tai chi.
These aspects represent the core of the training - the what of tai
chi.
Neigong is the how.
Once these components exist, there are many different ways you can implement
them.
Every style and school of tai chi has its own approach.
Providing the
teacher follows the core principles, this diversity is healthy
and natural.
No one is right and no one is wrong - just different.
Not tai chi
If your practice of tai chi does not embody the principles of tai chi, then
it is not tai chi.
This is not a matter of
opinion or of right and wrong.
Consider: karate is not tai chi because it approaches
combat and
body usage in a
fundamentally different fashion to tai chi.
Karate is karate, just as a tree is a tree or a car is a car.
These qualities should not be present in any facet of your training:
contracted muscles/tension
locked joints
strenuous postures
independent limb movement
gaps and deficiencies of structure/flaccidity/no connection
no groundpath
strength versus strength
dependency upon speed
Tai chi can only be tai chi if it reflects the nature, the essence, the way of tai chi.
Page created 18 November 2000