T'AI CHI

The Dance of Life.

For more information, contact David Bagby of Simply Fit, fitness services (904)254-9362 or d_bagby@bellsouth.net

T'ai Chi can be categorized as a mild form of exercise that promotes fitness and builds stamina. Those who practice T'ai Chi soon realize that it is not effortless. The form demands work by the legs, since it is done with the knees bent in a semi-squat. Weight shifts from foot to foot, and we do not stand fully erect until the form is completed. As we improve, we find we are able to sink and dip lower. This process strengthens the legs and increases muscle tone. Since the form excludes extreme movements and emphasizes gradual learning, we avoid pulled muscles and injuries that may accompany more strenuous activities. A mild form of exercise, done consistently, is more healthy than an intense exercise done occasionally. T'ai Chi can be done anywhere, with no special equipment needs. T'ai Chi is always available.

T'ai Chi teaches us to fully use our body in whatever we are doing. The large muscles of the body, especially the legs, should be used in everything we do. Using our total body, not just our arms, to do our daily movements, makes us more efficient and productive. We tire quickly if we use energy to tense muscles which are not needed to do a movement. The form.s emphasis is on using the minimum amount of energy needed to accomplish an action. The fast pace at which we live causes us to waste our physical and mental energy. When we learn control over our energy use, we learn to be less wasteful. Learning to perform the form with minimum effort, promotes the conservation of our energy. T'ai Chi teaches a control that allows us to focus more fully in directions that are productive.

T'ai Chi not only yields the healthy benefits of exercise, but can be thought of as a moving meditation, because if it is to be done well, we must give it our full attention. Outside thoughts, ideas, and stresses must not be entertained. Instead the mind must focus completely on the performance of the form. Gradually, we become able to fully focus on the form for longer periods. This learned ability to focus carries over into the rest of our daily lives. We learn to fully live each moment. We gain a new perspective with which to deal with our troubles. Solutions become clear and we are no longer at the mercy of our imagination. It is of great value to spend time in an activity which relaxes us mentally and physically, allows us to pull our thoughts together, and removes us from the necessity of interaction with others. Time invested this way renews us and helps us face our lives with additional strength. In order to remain healthy, we must maintain a certain level of activity throughout our life. We must choose a time each day when we are not rushed, to practice the form. Whatever practice pattern we pick; must become habit. Only then will we reap the benefits that enable us to go the longest distance possible along our chosen path. If we are to exercise regularly, and for the rest of our lives, we must have an exercise that is interesting. Few things offer the variety and interest of the T'ai Chi form.

With its self-defense applications and varied movement, the form is never boring. Attention must be given to balance and coordination, therefore it is difficult to do the form automatically. Progress comes slowly. Everyone who does T'ai Chi will make some progress toward realizing their goals. The degree of progress varies with the nature of the goal and the mental, emotional, and physical makeup of the individual. Other factors are how often and how long we practice, and the level of concentration achieved. In measuring our advances, we should be patient and satisfied with our progress. We get back what we put in. If we begin with physical or mental handicaps, our progress may be slow, but these obstacles can be overcome by devotion to practice.

Relaxation is a major emphasis in T'ai Chi. Muscles unnecessary to a particular action are loose and free of tension. Breathing becomes deeper, and the abdomen moves in and out with each breath. The hands and wrists are never tense. The over-all effect is not slackness or collapse, but an alert relaxation. Attaining this relaxed state is not done in a matter of weeks. It takes months and even years for some students to release their stored tension. The process is gradual, but it produces a feeling of calm and wellbeing that is new and welcome. Performing T'ai Chi relieves built up tension through action. The form teaches us to stay relaxed and free from tension, not only when we practice, but at all times. This emphasis on relaxation is found in very few types of exercise and is why T'ai Chi is attractive and useful in today.s world. T'ai Chi can help us remain calm in the face of confrontation and in avoiding the negative effects of stress.

T'ai Chi contributes to health from another standpoint. In speaking of the way the body works, Chinese medicine refers to life force, or vital energy, called chi. The chi flows through the body on specific pathways, and can be trapped at hundreds of points where the pathways come to the surface. These points are used in acupuncture to correct an imbalance in the energy flow. When we do T'ai Chi in a correct and relaxed way we are opening the pathways along which the vital energy flows. Opening these pathways may correct imbalances in this energy flow with resulting benefits to our health.

T'ai Chi allows us to be more open and receptive to new ideas and other people. By relieving the tension, and accompanying hardness in our mental and emotional makeup, we can interact with others in a more positive way. Most of us have a hard time changing our way of relating to the world even if we think that our way is self-defeating. So, this change is often resisted. Our negative and fearful attitudes bring negative results. If we desire positive change in our lives, we must learn to think positively.

T'ai Chi Tips

T'ai Chi works the body and mind at the same time. The form not only relaxes muscles, it calms the nerves as well. All the movements are done slowly and gently. The pace is always comfortable and calm. In T'ai Chi, as we slow down, we improve.

GUIDELINES:

1. Keep the body perpendicular to the ground.
Maintain a straight line from the bottom of the spine through the top of your head.
2. Breath normally.
Do not coordinate breathing with movement.
3. Eliminate all unnecessary tension from the body.
Use only enough strength to complete the required movement.
4. Maintain a low center of gravity.
Except for a few positions, keep the knees bent in about a one-quarter squat. Avoid straightening the knee as weight shifts from one leg to the other. In general, the head should neither rise above or fall below a set horizontal plane as one position changes to the next.
5. Think of the lower abdomen as the body's center.
6. Maintain one continuous speed.
Do the form slowly and carefully without increasing speed at points that seem familiar or easy. The form is constantly in motion.
7. Coordinate arm and hand movements with the body movements.
8. Think of the air as possessing the tangibility of molasses.
9. Remain alert.
Become sensitive to external, as well as internal happenings.
10. Concentrate fully on performing each movement with the mind as well as the body.
Perform each movement to the utmost of your capabilities, avoid letting the mind wander.

T'ai Chi Handbook, Kauz, Herman.
Dolphin Books, Copyright 1974.

T'ai Chi Glossary

Chi Chinese word refers to the Vital Force, the Intrinsic Energy that flows through the Meridian Channels of the body.

Qi Gong The Chi can be separated into Yen Chi and Yang Chi; and the purpose of Qi Gong practices such as T'ai Chi is to circulate and balance this Chi. Qi Gong is the science of the circulation of the Chi.

Meridians Energy circulates throughout the body along minute pathways called meridians.

T'ai Chi Ch.uan Ancient Martial Art formally known as shadow boxing.

Such disciplines as Karate, Aikido, and Kung Fu were derived from it.

Tan T.ien ( pronounced dantienne ) The spot two inches below the navel. The physical center of the body.

T'ai Chi Supreme Ultimate; a synonym of Tao.

Tao Chinese word for reality, seen by Chinese sages as a moving force, as a flowing stream with which we should accord. Taoism is a philosophy that became a religion based on the concept of the all embracing Tao.

Wu-Wei Non-doing. Living in accordance with the Tao . going with the flow of life.

Yin/Yang Juxtaposition of any polarity, such as negative and positive. All Chinese cosmology is based on the interplay of these two types of energy, and the Moving Meditations attain their great benefits through balancing of the circulated Yin/Yang energies.