Good tai chi is all about how you do it. This Chinese system of cultivating chi, or energy, requires you to use your body in a way that’s unique to eastern forms of exercise. Stuart Alve Olson, tai chi practitioner and author of “T’ai Chi According to the I Ching,” notes that Chang San-feng, the Taoist monk who, according to legend, created tai chi, recorded several key principles for tai chi movement in the treatise “T’ai Chi Ch’uan Lun.” Keeping Chang San-feng’s advice in mind as you practice may help to provide a foundation for performing excellent tai chi.
Use Good Principles to Perform Tai Chi
Step 1
Begin performing the tai chi set as you’ve learned it. As you do the first few movements, relax any areas of tension in your body. Deepening your technique is one of the most challenging and fascinating parts of tai chi. It’s best to open your mind to discovering new aspects of tai chi every time you practice.
Step 2
Bring your mind into the moment. According to Han Yang Ru Yi Gong, the website of qigong grand master Shao, chi follows thought, so it’s important to think about tai chi movements as you perform them, and refrain from allowing your mind to wander.
Step 3
Move your body as one unit. Your hands should not drag behind the direction of the movement or move independently. According to Chang San-feng’s treatise, this technique is key to using tai chi for self-defense.
Step 4
Remain centered between your feet. Tai chi masters sometimes appear to rock back and forth between their feet, but this is an illusion. The legs bend and straighten, and there is a shifting action between one foot and another, but the body never leans off balance in tai chi.
Step 5
Initiate movements from the feet. Chang San-feng’s treatise states that each motion in tai chi should move from the feet, up through the legs, turn through the waist, and express through the hands and fingers.
Step 6
Drop inside. In order to push up from the ground, you must have the intent to push downward. This means driving your foot into the ground as you push, while allowing your weight to settle downward as well.
Step 7
Flow from one movement to the next. The tai chi set should be one long, continuous motion, rather than a series of movements divided by pauses. This is the key to getting your chi moving and keeping it moving.
Tips and Warnings
- Many people prefer to do tai chi barefoot or in slippers, but if you have any issues at all with your feet or knees, wear a good pair of supportive sports shoes. They will help you keep your balance as you perform tai chi.
- Do not attempt tai chi without your doctor’s approval. It is very easy to injure yourself when trying to copy tai chi from a book or DVD, so do your best to find an instructor in your area who can help you with the more esoteric aspects of performing tai chi.
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