Jade Dragon Tai Chi Topics

Before one moves into the tai chi form, one must prepare the mind to unite with the body. There are three key elements and four principles of relaxation in beginning the practice of authentic tai chi.

Three Key Elements

1. Listening inward. Initially this involves turning one’s attention inward and observing things like the heartbeat, breathing, muscle tension etc. One of the things many people may notice is that their attention wanders off onto other things quite easily. This is normal in the beginning and will just take a little practice in refocusing. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart and focus your attention on your belly region just a touch below your navel. If it’s still difficult to keep your attention inward, you can place the palm of your hand on your waist a little toward the front and tap your fingers on this region. Every time you notice that your attention has wandered off, tap this area. This will guide your attention back into your body.

2. Breathing. As you listen inward you will begin to notice your breathing and the rhythm of your in and out breath. As you follow this rhythm, your mind and body will quite naturally begin to relax.

3. Relaxation. Relaxation means to let go – to open and receive. Your in breath is considered yin, and your out breath is considered yang. Yin receives and nurtures, and yang gives and replenishes. This cycling of the breath is made deep, smooth and continuous as you relax deeper into the posture.

Four principles of Relaxation

These four principles of relaxation work together with the above three key elements.

1. Suspend from the crown. With your feet spread apart about shoulder width, imagine the feeling of hanging from a string at the top center of your head, this is your crown. If this feeling is too difficult to imagine, find a stool or a sturdy table that stands approximately at the height of your tailbone and sit on the edge. Next, relax your back and let your weight sink straight down onto the edge of the stool or table. This is a different feeling than just leaning against a table or counter because your crown is pulled upward while your weight is sinking downward. Sinking your weight involves letting go of muscle tension at the right places. This brings you to the next principle.

2. Relax Shoulders. As you let go of excess muscle tension by suspending from the crown of your head, you’ll notice that your shoulders are the first ones to relax followed by your neck muscles. This release of tension opens energy pathways and allows chi to flow more abundantly to your head. This releases a greater amount of fresh oxygenated blood which energizes the brain. Also, by relaxing the shoulders, stress on the rib cage and upper vertebrae is released, taking the pressure off the lungs and heart.

3. Relax Dan Tian. This is the area just a finger width below your naval. In Chinese, the word Dan Tian means “field of elixir”. This is a very important bio-vortex for cultivating chi. It is also recognized as the center of emotions (energy in motion) Placing our attention on the dan tain activates energy. Our mind guides this energy (chi) via rhythmic breathing along with specific movements to enhance and empower our lives.

4. Relax Waist, Sink and Root. By relaxing your waist, your chi is able to sink and flow downward into your feet. Relax your feet. This will give you a very distinct feeling of being grounded, or “rooted”. Also, with a relaxed waist you are able to neutralize spinal compression caused by a natural resistance to gravity. The waist is one of the most difficult areas to relax because it is the area of the lower abdomen, and the lower abdomen is the emotional center. Many of us know how our emotions can be felt right in the gut. So it’s no wonder why many of us hold on so tight here; it’s a way to protect ourselves from uncomfortable and hurtful feelings. Mostly it’s an unconscious resistance; normally we don’t become aware of this resistance unless we are listening/feeling inward. The four principles are meant to work together to bring us into a more balanced state. One always depends upon and flows into the others, they are interdependent. For example, suspending from the crown can make us aware of the existing tension in our neck and shoulders. Releasing excess tension in our neck and shoulders leads us to an awareness of the tightness in our bellies. Once we relax and open our bellies (dan tain) , our pelvis and lower back also relax, which allows the chi to flow down through the legs and into the feet. Relaxing the feet helps to open and connect to the ground as the chi builds a strong root.

The Chinese people have long held the belief that the universe is composed of two opposite forces called yin and yang. Ancient Chinese philosophers proposed that before the universe was formed there was wu chi. Wu chi means the void or complete emptiness. An empty circle represents wu chi then at some point there was movement, a beginning. This was the beginning of tai chi.

As movement accelerated within wu chi, two polar forces known as yin and yang emerged. These two forces then merged to form one, the tai chi, which means the grand ultimate. Although opposite in nature, yin and yang are complimentary forces. Coming from the same source they are interdependent; like night and day, up and down, cause and effect, and all other opposites. Neither one can exist without the other.

The tai chi symbol represents the balance of yin and yang. This symbol also demonstrates that within yin is a small amount of yang, and within yang is a small amount of yin. In other words, neither yin nor yang can stand alone- they are interdependent. One could not exist without the other.

Tai chi practice is about becoming sensitive to life’s excesses with the idea of working toward balance. These excesses can be understood in terms of yin and yang. For example, if your body temperature becomes too hot (excessive yang, deficient yin; you know you must cool down in order to feel more comfortable. The same can be said of being too cold (excessive yin, deficient yang; you know that you must warm up, but not too much or else you’ll move into the opposite extreme need to cool down again. As we practice the tai chi sequence or “the form” as it is called, we become progressively aware of how yin and yang manifest within the form. For example, when rising upward (yin) we simultaneously sink downward (yang). As we move forward (yang), we push backward (yin). As we expand outward (yang), we condense inward (yin). As we continue to practice we not only become aware of this duality, we also notice when we’re approaching any extreme, for example if we move too far forward, we become too heavy in the front, and too light in the back. Same thing if we move too far backward, we’re too heavy in the back and too light in the front. So as one becomes excessive the other becomes deficient. Whether excessive or deficient, both are considered extreme and we’ve lost our balance.

In our physical bodies we have an interactive process called homeostasis. Homeostasis allows our bodies to maintain physiological balance, such as our pH levels, salt concentration, body temperature, and blood sugar levels to name just a few. Each one of these metabolic processes is intimately linked to the others, in other words, they are interdependent. If any one of these processes becomes either excessive or deficient, it’ll begin to have a negative influence on the others, which will then alter the entire system and force it to find ways to rebalance itself. The process of homeostasis isn’t confined to just our physiology, it also affects our mental and emotional makeup, which rules our thinking and feeling. These processes must also maintain a relative balance; otherwise we can experience mental and emotional conflict, which will affect the chemical processes in our bodies, and can cause an even greater imbalance in our biochemistry.

These examples demonstrate that if either yin or yang becomes excessive, the other automatically becomes deficient. We can also say that if either yin or yang becomes deficient, the other automatically becomes excessive. These forces are always interacting and being affected by each other.

Any style of Tai Chi would be incomplete without the element of Qi gong. Qi is a Chinese word meaning “vital energy” or “life force” and gong meaning “essential foundation”. Qi gong is the energy gathering and transformative quality within the art of Tai Chi. Practicing Qi gong involves concentration of the mind and coordination of breathing and movements. This is why during and after the practice of tai chi one feels relaxed, energized and an overall feeling of well-being. If one performs the external moves without the qi gong, it is more like an empty dance of unconnected body parts devoid of any real expression, any real power. Qi gong practice can be likened to fine tuning an engine along with increasing the octane for greater horsepower. This not only enhances the performance of the engine, but keeps the valves clean. All this while conserving power and extending the overall life of the car.

There seem to be as many benefits to practicing tai chi as there are people that practice it. Although many of the benefits are universal such as relaxation, balance of mind and body, better concentration, and a greater awareness of one’s surroundings; each person will have his or her own unique connection to the art. The practice becomes very individual, very personal. And this is why even though the outer structure of the form is the same for all who practice it; each person will demonstrate his or her own unique expression. Those that feel a deeper connection to their practice know that the benefits of Tai Chi extend far beyond mental and physical accomplishments. One experiences ongoing life transformations that give a clear sense of direction and activate one’s warrior spirit to carry out purpose toward the fulfillment of one’s higher aspirations. These benefits are mostly unknown to the person of occasional practice.

The history of Tai Chi is very broad indeed. There are many accounts as to when Tai Chi was created, and who created it. According to one popular legend, a man by the name of Chang San-feng, who lived sometime between the ninth and twelfth century, created Tai Chi after witnessing a fight between a snake and crane. Other researchers propose that Tai Chi began as a meditation method called Qi gong (pronounced chi gong), and then later developed into a martial art. Recent research reveals that both of the above findings are most likely accurate including the legacy of a man by the name of Chen Wangting (1600-1680) who created and developed the art of Tai Chi into what is know known as Chen style Tai Chi.