& Aree ame Blog ‘Tai Chi: In-depth introduction to history, philosophy & benefits ape 06 2021 ‘ears ago, when wen tomy very fist Tai Chi rl class, I elly dda’ know anything abou it 1 thought it was slow martial at forthe ited and eley. Although was old {certainly dd fel very tied so Thought might be ght for me Ikwes the begining of jousy of diaoovery. Though Tai Chi, earned sbost Danie, dhe Chines plesoply ca whose principles Toi Chis Gnded, Do, or Way" tamed att be something ad instncvely fk conneted with bu never knew ow o describe, Wikipodi says tan "be oughly thw ofa the low of the Universe of as some essence or paiem bchind the atral word that keeps he Universe elence” Both patterns and the notin of fow have always appealed to me. When I frst encountered the flow that can be experienced in practicing Tal Ch, 1 recognized the pattern: bath physically and spiritually The thing about Doo is that it doesnot adverse. is there if you want its i-your-face yet obviously overlooked asthe at we beste ‘Dao docs not go out ofits way ta sey, “ey, look at me, why dont you jon me, sigh up her!” What funny oton, Da has no masketing budget and it knows no Tai Chi tan exponent and expression of Bu, therefore dd not yl me from a flashingblboard. Kt waved a modest hand at me fram within ssid very quietly, “Hel. Tam here for you i you want me.” needed something oI pid attention. saw the wave, heard he whisper. And unlike so many times ere I chon fo listen to this invitaton do connect. changed my ie At the end of this article, you will have more than basi understanding of Tai Chi, We wl go back tothe origins ofthe art form ta understand the Principles and philosophy behind this healing practice, So you'd ike to lear about wha Ta Chit and wha can mean for you, please rea on,Chi, Qi, Ji: What Are All These Chees About? A brie explanasion of the philosophy that underies Tai Chi is needed here. Tal Chis a phys ‘know what you are doing. expression or practic ofthis philosophy, sit will help you to First «brie point on language. Tei Chi comet fom China ad asthe phrse goes, “they speak diferent language there": Chinese, When we alk bout these things in English simlanties and dfereaces between these two languages can bo lp and hinder. Let me help you ot be hinered by them, ‘We wll ist lk about Qi, say “ee” asin “cheereade”—a fine image indeed for checleaders abound in Qi am (Qs vital energy It also means “boat In English, we have tken siniar words fom Latin piu and speak of ‘respiration, pin ingpt' “pial. When Someone isaive ann good mood, we say they arin high spits; when they past on, Wea Chey have given up the phox. The breath a fe as passed rom their ips there no more ile energy ne boy—no mare Ch, ust like temperature, Qi cannot be seen but the effets of changes in Qi canbe observed. Yourmay wakeup fecling fl ofthe joys of sping, ounce through the day ‘Hom this sk wo that and then, come fou o'clock, you think, What happonedo al shat energy I woke up wit? Change of Q. We cus expend it and we ean Thi Chi se one fine way of reguliting and enhancing our ie energy, oh How? Harmonizing Opposites to Make Qi Kenneth S.Caben, the author of The Hay of Digong, writes that Qt san be defined ashe energy produced when complementary, polar opposite are harmonised” (Coben's italiss). Think of how steam arises when Water and fie are uid. Steam powers engines; Qi powers ll at ives Tai Chi, in tum pratoes and stimulates tis proces of harmonization. Bath within ourselves and between ourselves and our envtonment Harmony, Kenneth Coben ‘plain, leads 1 the abil fo "make beter fe decisions, informed by the whol being rather than april, sociated prt. So what are these “polr opposites” then? Well nthe West we of think ofthe heat and he mind a separate an ofen conflicting eis Likewise, the ody and the her mind do at always seem tobe aligned. Argualy iis beneficial to harmonize these so tet your adie runing in one decom ad yout body inant In ancient Chin, however, heart and mind are considered as one and the same (Cx: “heart-and-nind” o “heart-mind”) bolt view af the lving creature. The heonization hat produces Qi therefore, is abou semcthing an. i he bay is included ina The harmonization of polar opposites that Ta Chi that Dao is founded on, ie odo with yin-yane From Chaos to Yin-Vang and Tai Chi: An Origin Story ‘To understand Ta Chi and yn-yan, we noed to brietly visit the origin of i, the univers, and everything, Daoist philosophers belived tht fit here was chaos. Not asin “sorplte disorder and confusion but simply its arigial easing of “pimordal mater before Uhre was form From Grabam Horwood’ Ta Chi Can and the Code of life. "A sate of unillerentated opposites, which existed in ape seaven sale Through the principle of Dao, chaos manifested itself and became “no-thing with romething around i”: EAL wii angled as Wu). Thi terlly means “here ino pole”, "dos ot have an not pot’. Infinity would be one way of understanding tat, agora We can understand infinity. Ove ie, Wi cae iy the "primotdial universe” The origin of everything Infinite emptiness: we dpit it as an empty cle.yi ‘Ten an unknowable process ofspartion took pce; I tend to imagine a sor of ceil pin cycle. Pethas this is what happens when you ty and contin infinite energy. Ths proves raul inthe more clay recognizable, oposite poles of yin-yan,ropresentd inthe syml of te Tl Chi, Chinese AEA, Do you seth second characte there? That is exatly the sme asin WujiEAB it. We pronounce this more like he "een “ep than the “cee” Qi- Header So the common English spelling of Ti Chi can bea bit confsing beers we wrte "Chi, which sounds ike, whi really ent The romanized speling of Chinese, pinyin, is more presse abou is For this eason, English-speaking Daoist ofen prefer to waite Taji ratber than Tei Ch. Now you know WEY you may have sen both. "iB simply mean “pire” or “agra”, his the diagram of Tai Chi, which mean “supreme ultimate”, The highes, rete, farthest extremity or poe Tai Chi ‘Yes this isthe symbol you may well ave sten before, Ona sit of someone in your yors cli, the window ofthe local estrice shop, oF tatlooed on somebody's arm. Intiively, we understand tht it expresses a kind of balance. Te to interlocking. Hish-like figures, the Black and the white, contained win the init ow of the ecto (which, you now know, is Wu). it does express harmony, does i Black and white Positive and negative, Light and dark, Wet nd else and ouside, Loft and ight Heaven and earth, Heads and tai: the two inseparable sides of a kinds of eins, Yin and Yang, although we never say i tke this. Rather: yin-yang, prciely because they are nol separate Bt forever connected and ‘complementary. We recognize the one because of the athe ‘Two interlocking Sih, then. While, a you have lard ll exstnse comes fom a state of undifferentiated bu contained chao: oneness (Wu), Daoism, therefor, ‘rcourags a relurm o hat sate of peacelal oneness tat has no end and no bepnning, Peace: harmony. By harmonizing the bw, the polar opie ha cannot exis Sot nk ter econ tan i aera Te back We The mshingmachine Ble gs spn any pining eee oe om he Anyway, ack tthe try. A History of Tai Chi: From Philosophy to Fitness iether ancient Wexter counters, Chinese philosophers of od sted out by observing th wold rod them and ying to make sense fi. How dita! begin? How does tall work? The earest Dit, as we now cal them, were nara forever feria bythe universe and everything tor All-under-Heaven 2s they call. Which includes the stars, bythe way. Al-unde-Heaven isthe Daoist em for how Dao manifests sl ‘They witnested, fr example, the perfect regularity with which the moon and sun change places in the sky How ight changes into dy and bac int the night. How people jut ike other animals have periods of activity andres. How lowers prow, wien ad de. The eycial ale of hl, hai: how anyhing Kat goes up must ome down again otal something can gop once more, ‘The carly Daoist philosophers discovered in short, that everything inthe world follows this balanced pattera of ya-yang, This is philosophy ia observable practice, Evidence of Dao, he underying principle ofthe universe From observing the universe, some shrewd Dass took o learning rom it Iitate and emt. Ho To, « Han Dynasty dctr and boxer (really) had akecn ey for the principe of bebavior i heals tat he ged. ences how the anima Ive in harmony wit thts arn naar as wel athe ate of which hey were ‘separable part. The bid flee. The ger pounce. The monkey scratches and snatches He devslped a theory tha shite tay healthy because of he harmony. ‘And because they tive nthe way tha is ost ata for them, we, as hua animals, can move ike therm he eased, we etn become and stay ealhy to. Ves, ike me, you may detect abit fs logis leap there. Hut that's how it happend the exetion of Dany, BI ddovinme ih Daoytn chart for leading and guaing people in exercise (source: Wikimedia Commons) Duoyin was probably one ofthe fist comprehensive heat-and-Stestregines is human history. Stetching, eathng, selF-massage and more to improve citation, Aexibiy, and balance. Well betore Ine Fonda di her videos. Bul kn of ealsthenes, nonetheless Hf called it ines program ‘Five Animal Play, which Some contemporaries who thought ial rather sly dubbed “Five Animal roi, to make fun of the early Daoist prationrs whom they sa iting tigers, bears, ‘monkeys, and birds inthe forest. ‘Mralang Five Animal Qi Gong with Maser Gu Lite id they know that his Qi Gong or Qi ork—work that benefits Qi—was proved to be selective tha it apy pained massive poplaity, which it eaoys to this day, Your reading of his ale is proof oa Daoyin, jong: Tai Chi ‘What stared ot, then as en expression ofa pilosopicl origin story was thus developed into a form of preventative maicine: 2 wholesome routine for young nd od alike Pople who lve in ars enviroumens or crsumstanes i he Seld, and the moun, for example, expersaced these health benefits fsa, Because it rquies se lite space and'no eer instrument or oo han one's wa body, an be done at ny time sb any place. Cerin monks inthe Shaolin temples in remote pars ofthe Chinese mountain ange took to practicing Qi Gong, to. Over tne, they recogalzed thatthe ways ‘hich animals move can algo be uefa in dangerous situation, for self-defense. And so they adapted the Qt Gong int many ferent sles of maria as, which‘we now cal kung fu ODF gona). Tiger Style, Crane Boxing, Praying Mantis, Snake Hand. From ther, eveything took fight that has given rise to what we now Ico aud, kate, ado, ehoain, ts kwon do and many others. § to. xe eh 4a’ Toes Moncey “Ssane Crave Dearion Ma ec Animal Kung Fu Sples In hese cents in which these socalled Shuang exernal mari] as (es retum to the founding intentions of Qi Gong: sehen rather han seldeens, ed fo physical combat) were developed, there were those 10, who inspite 2 (One such legendary figure was Zhang Sanfeng. We know litle of when he vod but estimates place him between 960 and 1279 CE, Some evidence points to Zhang Sanfeng having been a scolar of Confucianism swell ea gifted apd diligent student of Buddhism and of the exeroal matt ars, Zhang was «scholar who Kaew hawt throw punch ‘He went ono stody Daoism and then ved as hermit ick brought him (and now ws) othe Wodang Mountain in Mabe Province, Rs there that he founded his or internal mana ars: exercises that benefit the itera organs Qi, hear-and-mind and more ‘The author in front of the stare of Zhang Sanfeng in the Wadang Mountalns‘This show Wadang has come tobe the bintpuce of Ta Chi Chuan the mata art hat we now simply call Tai Chi or, “boxing” and Tai Chi Chuan i often refered oa “shadow-boxing” you have discovered, Ta). Chuan means 1 ome otha in bt ‘The snake and the magpie Rigour and strenuous practice were obviously no strangers o Zhang Saneng. Legend bas it tha one night he was instructed by a Daoist Immortal reform his tuning methods Instead of applying the “hard” eye that he had lemme af the Shaolin temples, he sould devises way to overcome the ha withthe sf ‘This tthe srt of ream that end to ticki one's her and mind It troubled Zhang Sanfeng until one day he witnessed fight between a snake and a magple, Some sources say a cane, but theo ressoes in Wadang temples depict a magpie so let's say it was a magpie, even ifa crane tems to corespond eter fo how We move in Te Ci 1t was id, a any rte A fesco in Purple Heaven Palace in the Wudang Mountains. ‘Note he bird and the snake nthe bottom lfshand corner “Zhang saw how the snake would mie its head and draw is body back, coiling nto a powerful spiral spring before striking. Siar, he observed how the bind sed fravityta sta dove at its enemy and how it would deflect tack with diagonal snaops of one of wings ik the Daoist tural before hi, Zhang Sanfeng tate these movements nt system of physical exerci: Tai Chi Chuan A true Qi gong form, Ta Chi (Chuan aims te benefit one's heath ard stimulate he ternal harmorizaion of Qi. Certainly, tis Chua (boxing); Whes performed fst the eteraa, "arial aspect 'Sclealy visbe Pracied slowly, Tal Chi takes ove mediate character where the gong, tbe Wet, is dane onthe inside, facilitated by pres, balanced breathing td absolute but tral onto ofthe body~—from whi, (One 1 Tmo, Two to Three, Three to Many Styles (ver he centuries, many students ame to Wisang to earths enchanting new malar style. They were shown how the soft overcomes the bard juss itis advised inthe semizal Works of Daoism, th [Jing an Lao7's Dao De Jing. Students dlscovered that the natural progression of up and dow, forward and back, Tet and right occurs sanply by letting gravy work for them and by flowing Uke water through these yin-yang changes ‘One such pretitonr was Chen Wang Ti, who lived in the Chen vilige of Chen Chia Kos in the Wen drt nthe sintenth century. Chen fuser developed nd ‘doped the techniques that had came out of Zhang Sanfeng’s inception of Tw Chi Chuan inthe Wadng Mounrnne centres before, To this cy, Caen Syl soften ‘cknowledged a the modern foundation of Tai Chrom Chen came Yang Style, through a young member ofthe Yang fanily who Sst insert, then as an accepod pupil, pont may yeas studying Chon Tal Chi with ‘he Chen amily. He woul go ont ak tt the syperal eur and overtime, Yang Stle spread allover the lobe snd practiced by age numbers of individuals 1nd groups today. For a lang tin, it ejoyed recogni asthe “oficial” style of Tat Chi Chua, Nonetheless, thet ig also Wu Sil, Sun Spl, Lu Style, and vtious other branches and ffsbots. As Master Gu likes to say, Tl Chi Chuan is tike «ee with many branches and Wudang se stem, Shadow-boxing for Health Practitioners contin tobe drawn not only bythe cultural expression that it Tai Chi but by the manifold ealth benefits haters: bythe ade years of southlnes. Tremendous sabi, balance, flexibility, and strength ean be developed inthe practice of Tal Ci. And let's not forget sbou the resultant nner peace and contemment, either As we have wuched on befor, the Chinese perspective on heath and wellbeing values nat merely the curative aspect but als, pethas even mare ardently, he peovcttive sie lath it epanded os something tht deserves our cotta tein, oo only when i dees inl situation of doctors ta lags, To this end, and combined with he holistic view or experenco—of our heath, bot Body and bear-aésmin are to be tended to ona regular bass. Compare itt he practice of brushing your teeth, You do tis at jst to havea minty breath that pleases the poople round you, but als to preven dentist rom having te coms in with theirnstents of torte and things. ‘What oral hygiene eo most of us, i overal hoitic hygiene tothe Tai Chi practioner We practice Tai Chie become and ty it exible and mere. Ard ike Hua To, the itera physician and puilist who fathered he pretice of Daoyin, we do this by shadow boxing onnected, bl, re, So why sit ealled hat? Connecting Body, Heart-and-Mind and Intention 1 Tai Chi Chutn—Chineseshadow-boring—the martial aspect is expressed because there ia distinctly recogizable intent to each movement, Asif ther isan atl ‘spponent facing. The importance of visualization, therefor, cannot be emphasized enowgh. Without vexing that "shadow opponent” ont of, we re ast performing a lovlj-looking dance. "Tai Chi dancing” as some might snicker. This may look prety, and beauty is imporan in Tai Chi, oo, ut wh bout those health benefits, then? For these, we need to conneet the body andthe her and ind. By opening ourselves ofall awareness of ourtlves and of our soundings, by both resizing and strengthening the comnetions inside and ou, e en Become one (Was) while we move tothe rythm othe yinsng change (Ta). Focusing onthe imagined opponent We visualize the opponent, we follow them with our eyes ad anticiate her moves. Our frused attention, our intention leads our Q. We use our Breath a send the sonay weve itunes ta go> Sealy te ge the oppencat's Qi postu, hal we do act aed to evereae er aeagln tll Wo seu we ealpale, respon! ‘with eu heat-andsnin, our intention oa Qi, a ou body all working i unison because they are oe Im ther words, Ti Chi has the power to reconneet ust Whal we ae: OveAnd in that experience les infinity, ora some wou pati es immoral But perhaps you prefer is Health Benefits of Tai Chi Ti Chi provides: interal massage ofthe vital organs improved citelaon and metabolism ey, fll rating that becomes the standard lower her rte and bod peste boosted immune syste hanced Roxby of muscles, tendons, and Hgamonts ‘hanced fleniblty and “openness” of oni 5 improved stance and poste * suppleness and grace of movement 1 reduced tes levels increased resilience ‘mental clanty and emotional balance steesome aby to stand on one leg 2gc8, 6g 10 1c ons shosaces These are some ofthe observable effects onthe health and wellbeing of somebody who reglaly practices Ti Chi, Centuries f the continued popularity of Tai Chi throyghout Asia and more recently nthe Oceides, to, provide evidence for these benefits, Westem sence has also Begin toma and meas what Tai Chi can do foran individual's health f you would like o reed more about this, [recommend for example the two books mentioned previously: Tai Chi Chuan and the Code of Lyeby Graham Horwood and The Way of Qigong by Kenneth S. Coben In Conclusion ‘We have journeyed fom the origin ofthe universe to martial ats ad beyond. Frm the supreme ultimate to animal folic, We have discovered that Ta Chi is an expression ofthe giding principle of eventing tha exit and hat Ti Ci fate of Qh gong, sytem of movement fr health and wellbeing [Now you have aa understanding of what “Tai Chi mens. And what ican maa fr you. Lot me conclude by siring what it eens tome. ‘Standing meditation in he Wadang woods with Master Ge Whenever practice, ai Chi helps me reconnect. el more grounded. Bett equipped to deal with the hustle and bustle of moder if. Lam calmer in the face ofthe storm. enjoy Ife mor. Its the ons thing that helped me ftom day one ofa year of bur-out Tal Chi ed moto Daoism, Wadang andthe Wudag Tuost Welles ‘eadmy, and Master Gu. To my rend, brother, and fellow traveler Goorge Thompson, to becoming a disciple of Maser Gu as a brother i the Seng Pa, the choo of Zhang Santeng Tai Chi has taken me to experiences I could never Netherlands dreamed of aa Westem,ealy-midle-aged English teacher who used tobe running nthe ratrace off inthe 1 donot exaggerate when I say that Ti Chis opened up the word for me, Outside: new places, new people rivers mountains, monkeys. Inside: new insight light, balance inprtion, inner peace. A blog, a podcast, «book. A Desist ame. A new perspective.1 can’ promise that i wil change your ie to this extent, Bu ca say with very confidence hai you const with it twill signal a now bepinning ‘Awd a peacefl, powered beau practice tat wil bring you maemo “fishin Rang ning Happiness Longevity Health Peace Have fan practicing! First steps of ene form: enjoy the experience Bit van Dantig, Toit name: FYFE ‘oun generation Sanfeng Pai disciple and Taos Wellness Instructor6 Comments Sortby Oldest ‘Aad @ comment El thanks 60 much for shaing yur ebviously dospundortancing and appreciation of hi previous paces, Let hope this apres others o explore ‘So best Tank you, El Dankje wel Ef, orastsen Robin Turner Thanks or tg this you havea beaut way of sug things. (And never ale ogo choeeaders out my haed when fm pacing gong ow! Personal, despa beng a student of Wudang liquan, my soptoal ature inclnos tte view tat equa went fem Cnenakou o Wang Father han es vera, but my romance profes ha lgendary acount (es Master G's Weles Windom dlvee straight ou ibs Sign upto the wellness wisdom newsletr and get free weekly video tps on tal el, ql-gong and matur ving to help you ive Tong and lve well foo Categories AlLCuepovies meditation ogo ti ci ao te ching anismMore Blog Posts21. a he SOUNDS introductory guideBA TY" JIN QI GONG step-by-step guide‘What you'll learn with Master Gu’s Wellness Wisdom Newsletter 4+ The Taoist method for ving heltir ie ‘+ Two important aspects to improve your Tai Chi practice 1 How to mediate lke «Toot Mester» mor! Enter your detalis below to et free weekly Taolst Wellness tips sent straight to your Inbox: (8 Wee pmo, Younus wl NEVER Be hard