Tai Chi Sense

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Tai Chi Chuan in Our Activities of Daily Life

The principles of Tai Chi can be applied to our daily lives beyond the actual physical practice of form or other training activities, such as push hands or sword play. Theapplication of these principles can assist us in improving our overall mental, physical and emotional health and they also can be applied to activities of daily living.

How is this possible you may ask?

Tai Chi incorporates graceful, soft, circular movements. Proper body alignment of the head and spinal column to the rest of the body is essential in playing the form correctly. This positioning of the body is learned through repeated form play and the application of fundamental principles. However, movement is always generated by thought processes or reflexive action. The constant practice of Tai Chi trains the body and mind to respond with proper alignment including alignment or our breathing.

This proper alignment both in the physical practice of Tai Chi or in the day to day life activities is the subject of this discussion. Let’s look at this in the context of some basic Tai Chi principles as taught by Master Yang Cheng Fu, the originator of the Authentic Yang Style Long Form who emphasized the following 10 principles:

1. Straighten the Head

2. Correct Positioning of Chest and Back

3. Relaxation of the Waist

4. Solid and Empty Stance

5. Shoulders and Elbows sunk

6. Using the Mind instead of Force

7. Coordinating Upper and Lower Parts

8. Harmonizing the Internal and External Parts

9. Moving Continuously

10. Tranquility in Movement

Now in our daily lives, let’s take the principle of Use the Mind Instead of Force. Have you ever been in a situation where someone was very rude to you and your first reaction is to respond with anger and say something rude in return? Many of you have probably answered yes to this question. However, some of you may have answered no and if you did you probably either felt frustration, anger or even shame at not having responded to this person. What if you simply responded with a response that changed the subject, such as commenting on what a nice day it was? One of the phrases that is common in Tai Chi Circles is investing in loss. By changing the subject you may have diffused the situation and de-escalated the emotions. In this simple way you are using Mind Instead of Force.

How about the principle ‘Tranquility in Movement’ and how can this be applied to our daily activities. Driving a car can be a very stressful or enjoyable experience depending on how we approach this activity. Let’s say that your tendency is to be extremely tense and rigid when driving particularly in heavy traffic. How about if you relaxed your arms and shoulders, as you do when you play Tai Chi and let your hands feel the sensation of the movement of the vehicle on the road surface as you become aware of the activity around. Your sensation of movement in the vehicle would become more tranquil. Instead of feeling oppressed by the flow of traffic you would go with the flow of traffic and reach your destination probably much more relaxed.

The first three principles of straightening the head, correctly positioning the chest and back, relaxing the waist and the fifth principle of sinking the shoulders and elbows can all be applied to ergonomic positioning while working on a computer or doing other work activities. For example, when we work on the computer our heads must be properly aligned, our spinal column supple, our shoulders and elbows in an even position to the keyboard, the waist relaxed and of course breathing in a relaxed and natural manner. The importance of proper alignment cannot be emphasized enough in any work activity. Even when we lift a heavy load we must align our body properly as we use our leg muscles to lift rather than our back.

Now let’s apply the principle of solid and empty stance when we are negotiating purchase of a major ticket item such as a house, car or major household appliance as well as moving continuously. I would imagine that most of us have had or will have this experience sometime in our life. Let’s take the example of purchasing a car. Many of us have had this experience. Prior to actually visiting an auto retailer, you have probably researched different types of vehicles for cost, appearance, reliability or other such factors that are important to you as a consumer. On the day that you visit the auto dealer, you already have in mind how much you are willing to pay based on your financial status or desire. The auto sales person approaches you with the question of what type of car are you interested in buying? At that moment you have many options in terms of what you can say. However, you simply say that you have not made up your mind which is akin to taking an empty stance. He continues to probe you with follow-up questions such as how much are you willing to pay and you respond by saying that you want to look around for a bit and when you are ready you will request his or her assistance which is akin to taking a solid stance. When you are ready you reconnect with the sales person and continue the negotiations until you agree and a mutually satisfactory price. Not much dissimilar to when we play Tai Chi Form and we shift our body weight or position from a solid to an empty stance or the reverse in a continuous fashion.

Sifu Ho encouraged and sometimes admonished the students in his club to practice daily at least 15 minutes a day. What he was referring to was the actual practice of Tai Chi to strengthen, mind, body and spirit. Over time, he said, one will begin to develop more understanding of the movement of the body along with sensitivity and awareness of our surroundings.

What if you applied Tai Chi principles in your activities of daily living? You would probably find that your development accelerates and your fundamental understanding of Tai Chi Chuan is enhanced.

In continuous movement would you be in harmony with yourself and your surroundings?

Arthur Lopez, 4/11/2010

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Essential Tai Chi Principles

By: Dr Paul Lam and Nancy Kaye

Dr Lam's tai chi workshop in Stockholm 2006 © Copyright Tai Chi Productions 2007. All rights reserved, no part of this article may be reproduced in any forms or by any means, without permission in writing, except for non-profit educational purpose. For example: you can photocopy this article for a paying student or participant as long as this article is not included as part of your charge.

Tai chi is a sophisticated art with many different styles and forms. Despite the many variations of tai chi, its immense power for improving health and inner energy derives from a set of essential principles.

Here we present the most important ones. We've put them into simple, easy-to-understand language. By bearing them in mind as you learn and practise, you'll be able to do tai chi more effectively right from the beginning. To see if you're following these principles, you can use a video camera, a mirror, or check with a friend or instructor. Sybil and friends at Dr Lam's tai chi workshop in Sydney 2007

1. Do your movements slowly, without stopping. Make them continuous like water flowing in a river. Don't jerk. Maintain the same speed throughout.

2. Imagine you're moving against resistance. That will cultivate your inner force (qi). Imagine the air around you is becoming denser and that every move you make is against a gentle resistance-almost like moving in water.

3. Be conscious of weight transference. This is important for improving mobility, coordination, and stability. Be aware when you transfer your weight and be aware of each step of your weight transference. When you move forward, for example, put your weight on one leg while maintain an upright posture, touch down gently with the other heel first, and then gradually place the entire foot on the ground and put more of your weight onto that foot, slowly and consciously transfer more of your weight forward. Dr Paul Lam performing a tai chi posture white crane flashing wings

4. Maintain an upright posture and body alignment. Maintain the body upright supplely and keep the body well aligned in a straight line without undue tension is important. This can be more difficult than you expected, especially when you start bending your knees. Very often when people bend their knees the body alignment become distorted. Test yourself, standing side on to a mirror, don't look at the mirror, bend your knees and look at the mirror now. Is your back in a vertical line to the ground? A good way to keep a good alignment as you do this, imagine you're going to sit on an empty chair, bend both your knees and hip joints. Practice it with the mirror and check yourself every now and then. We have found many people don't keep a good body alignment, and are not aware of it. That is why we said it is more difficult than expected. However once done right, your tai chi will improve greatly because qi flows best in the aligned body. Hunching forward will hinder the qi flow, and compromise your balance and leaning backward will create extra strain to the spine.

5. Loosen or 'Song' the joints. You should relax when you do tai chi, but by relax we don't mean let your muscles get floppy. Instead, consciously and gently stretch your joints from within, almost like you're expanding your joints internally. Many people mis- translated the Chinese word 'Song' into relaxation, which is wrong. Song is both relaxed and loosened.

To loosen the spine, imagine it's a string, and that you're gently stretching it from both ends. For the lower limbs, bend your knees and stretch your hips out to form an arch as you crouched. Other lower limb joints will gently expand from within.

6. Focus on your movements. Avoid distraction. Focus on what you're doing. Be aware of all the principles mentioned above, but think of them one at a time.

Extending the Essential Principles

By: Dr Paul Lam and Nancy Kaye

© Copyrighs Tai Chi Productions 2007. All rights reserved, no part of this article may be reproduced in any forms or by any means, without permission in writing, except for non-profit educational purpose. For example: you can photocopy this article for a paying student or participant as long as this article is not included as part of your charge.

Tai Chi workshop in Stockholm by Dr Lam To improve your tai chi, it is essential to progress in four different "directions", jing, song, chen, and huo. These are extensions of the essential tai chi principles. The following repeats some of that information but explores it in different and deeper ways.

The four directions complement each other, so you don't need to be completely proficient in one before moving on to another. They also affect each other positively, so that by learning more about one you will improve your understanding of the others. Try working on one direction for a period of at least a few weeks and then move on to another. But come back to each one regularly.

Some of the concepts below might not be clear to you. Don't let that concern you. As you progress further, you'll be able to understand them. In time, as your level of understanding deepens, the words will take on a somewhat different meaning. Bear in mind that no one reaches perfection in all four directions; progression is what matters.

Jing

Jing, roughly translated, means "mental quietness or serenity". Think of the quietness in your mind; think of quietness from within. Imagine yourself in a quiet environment such as a tranquil rainforest. If you do this regularly, you'll soon become quiet from within and be able to focus on what your body is doing. Dr Lam in China practicing tai chi at the guangzhoe airport 2007

Dr Lam in China practicing tai chi at the guangzhoe airport 2007

Attaining a degree of mental quietness will take time. But once you have achieved it, it will stay with you. The next time you practise, your mind will be able to relocate the same state, and gradually you'll be able to move on to an even higher level. Jing improves relaxation; it allows you to focus. This, in turn, enhances balance and relieves muscle tension, making your tai chi practice more effective.

The mental quietness of tai chi is different from that of other forms of meditation. While you are serene from within, you are still aware of your environment and able to assess the situation around you at any time - a necessity when you're performing tai chi as a martial art. Although jing might be a more difficult mental state to achieve than, say, meditation, once attained it will help you deal with not only a martial art fight but with any crisis in real life. Even just saying the word jing quietly to yourself may help to induce the state.

Song

Song is often translated as "relaxation", but it means more than that in Chinese, conveying a sense of loosening and stretching out. Imagine all your joints opening, loosening, or stretching out gently from within. Take your shoulder joint, for example. If you gently stretch out that joint, you'll feel a small dimple on the top of the shoulder. If you tense the shoulder joint, the dimple disappears.

Now apply this technique to other joints. Visualize them loosening. In the upper limbs, loosen your elbows, wrists and finger joints by stretching them out in the opposite direction, almost like gently pulling the joint open. In the torso, the loosening should be vertical - visualize your spine as a string that you gently stretch from both ends. For the lower limbs, stretch your hip joints and knee joints gently outwards, so that your crouch forms an arch.

This method of loosening constitutes a type of controlled relaxation, because when you gently stretch your joints, you're attaining song, and you can't be tense. Song helps your qi flow, builds internal strength and also improves flexibility. It will also enhance jing. Once you develop song, your mind becomes jing as well, and as your mind becomes more jing, your song will improve, thus setting up a positive circle.

Chen

Chen (not the same word in Chinese as the name of the style) means "sinking". As you progress in tai chi, you'll come across the term "sinking your qi to the dan tian." An area three-finger width below the belly button, the dan tian is central to everything we do in tai chi.

Exhaling facilitates sinking qi to the dan tian, which in turn keeps your mind jing and loosens up your joints. You'll find using the abdominal breathing method will help you to feel the sensation of qi. This sensation differs from person to person, but for most, it's a warm, heavy feeling. As you breathe out, loosen your joints. You should feel a warm and heavy feeling in your dan tian. That's the feeling of sinking your qi. If you don't feel this initially, don't worry. Continue to practise the form. As you improve, you'll eventually feel the qi in the dan tian and learn how to sink it.

Chen enhances stability, song, and qi cultivation. Awareness of the dan tian will strengthen the internal structures of your body, and improve your inner strength, and strengthen your spine.

Huo

Huo means "agility". Being strong, having powerful qi, and being in a good mental state are essential, and these attributes will be even more effective with better agility. Agility comes from regular practice with the proper body posture, weight transference, control of movements, loosened joints, and strong internal strength. Agility aids qi cultivation and improves flexibility.

Dr. Paul Lam demonstrating Dan Tien Breathing Method

Tai Chi Breathing

By Dr Paul Lam

© Tai Chi Productions. All rights reserved. You can copy this article for educational purpose but not for any commercial gain. For example you can give a copy of this article for your fee paying students and conference attendees provided you do not charge a fee for it.

"What about the breathing?" Numerous students have asked me this question. Some teachers believe that breathing patterns should be very specific. For example, in each and every part of a movement, there is a specific breathing pattern-in and out, slowly or quickly. These teachers feel that the breathing has to be just so for each movement. I find this method difficult and think it can impede improvement for some students. It often leads to too much focus on the breathing and distraction from focusing on other essential principles. No two people are the same. They have different lung capacities and different speeds in their movements so to coordinate in the same specific pattern with others would be difficult for many. In addition, this can lead to forced or contrived breathing which can be harmful.

Correct breathing is an important part of tai chi. Here's a guide based on essential tai chi principles. The key is the storing and delivering of energy because tai chi emphasises on internal energy. Every tai chi set are comprised of movements alternates between gathering, storing and then delivering energy. Often the classics describe it as opening and closing. 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. Keep this image in your mind and the rest will be easy to follow.

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. This can be applied to almost all tai chi movements since they are, in essence, alternating opening and closing movements.

When your hands pull apart, that's an opening movement. For example, in the Sun style opening and closing movement, when your hands are in front of your chest, opening up, you breathe in to store energy. When your hands come closer, you breathe out, delivering energy. Another example is Single Whip in Yang style. At the end of Single Whip, even though your hands are opened out, it's actually a closing movement because that's where you deliver the energy, so you breathe out. Using this rationale, 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.

And then there's up and down movements. When you move your hands up, you're storing your energy, and therefore you breathe in. When you bring your hands down, you're delivering energy-shooting the arrow-so you breathe out. Likewise, when you stand up and bend down.

Use this guide throughout your tai chi forms. Whenever you're in doubt, focus on practising the form correctly: Relax, loosen your joints and free your breathing, and then you'll find your breathing most likely to be correct. Don't force or hold your breath. Simply allow your body to breathe naturally when in doubt.

I have created the Dan Tian Breathing Method based on new scientific findings and the previous known abdomenal and reverse abdominal breathing methods. It is more simple yet more powerful in energy cultivation.

The Dan Tian Breathing Method

This breathing method is created based on traditional qigong and modern medical research into the deep stabilizer muscles. It is effective to facilitate sinking qi to the dan tian and to enhance qi power, in turn improving internal energy. It can be incorporated into all your qigong and tai chi movements.

You can practise the breathing either sitting or standing upright. Be aware of holding the correct posture. Put left hand on your abdomen just above the belly button and right hand below it. Concentrate on your lower abdomen and the pelvic floor muscle.

When you inhale, expand your lower abdominal area—allow it to bulge out a little—and let your abdominal and pelvic floor muscles relax. You should feel a slight pushing out of the right hand. As you exhale, gently contract the pelvic floor muscles and the lower abdomen. Feel the contraction of the muscle with your right hand, keeping the area above your belly button as still as possible. Contract the pelvic floor muscles very gently, so gently that it’s almost like you’re just thinking about contracting them. Another good way is to imagine that you’re bringing your pelvic floor just half an inch closer to your belly button. A stronger contraction would move the left hand too much and that would mean involving different groups of muscles therefore not be as effective.

As you inhale and relax the pelvic and lower abdominal muscles, try not to relax them completely but retain approximately 10–20 percent of the contraction. This will allow you to maintain a upright posture and have the right group of muscles ready for the next phase.

Practice it regularly and you will find it easier to do, as you practice your tai chi forms, apply this method as often as comfortable to you. There is no need to be conscious of this breathing 100% of the time. Whenever you feel uncomfortable, simply let go and breathe naturally.

If you can feel the qi, gently push it down along the conception vessel on expiration, and up along the governing vessel on inspiration. Another good way is to visualise your qi move in a straight line just beneath your skin: up to middle of your sternum (the point below two nipples) on inspiration and down to the dan tian on expiration.

Tai Chi Sense

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

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