Tai Chi Science
Tai Chi Concepts
Standard thoughts & misconceptions
Tai Chi has different forms and there are two different versions of Tai Chi (health & martial)
Tai Chi does not offer Strength Training or Aerobic conditioning
It's not necessary to understand the philosophy and concepts to enjoy the health benefits of Tai Chi
Qi is a mystical energy force that flows through the body; Tai Chi will unblock and encourage the proper flow of Qi
Yin and Yang represents opposing elements thought to make up the universe which need to be kept in harmony - Tai Chi promotes this balance
Meditation is a sitting or slow moving practice of calming the mind
by Dmitry GrinbergTai Chi, Qi Gong, & Yin-Yang
History, Philosophy & Common Misconceptions
While Tai Chi is commonly associated with an art form or a set of exercises, 'Tai Chi' is actually a term for a philosophical concept, and all Chinese Kung Fu strive to achieve Tai Chi. Approximately three hundred years ago, one particular Kung Fu system was cleverly branded as 'Tai Chi Chuan' and today, the words Tai Chi have become mistakenly synonymous with that very system. The popularity of this particular system can be attributed to several key elements.
The name, translated as, “Grand Ultimate Boxing”, and the claim that it uses the old Taoist concept of non-resistance to overcome any opponent is an appealing one. One of its well known Masters, Yang Lu Chan, taught Chinese royalty, and that brought popularity to the art in China. The art was also aggressively promoted in Taiwan by a well known and respected professor, Chen Manch’ing, who had strong connections with the Taiwanese government. Chinese government elite proceeded to orchestrate a campaign that was designed to label "Tai Chi Chuan" as a superior culturally Chinese art to increase China’s popularity internationally.
Tai Chi is represented by the familiar symbol containing two fish, the black and the white. The black represents the Yin and the white symbolizes Yang. As we use our muscles to move, for every muscle or combination of muscles exerting force in one direction, there is a muscle group that can exert force in the opposite direction; Yin and Yang.
A rough generalized analogy would be to say that all flexors are Yin while all extensors are Yang. This generalization comes in very handy when training the body to optimize movement and power. For example, if both the Yin and Yang muscles are contracting, much of our energy will be wasted on self-resistance. On the other hand, if the Yin is contracting and the Yang muscles are releasing tension too quickly, then the Yin muscles will not be able to build up the needed tonus to express and release power.
The closer you can synchronize the release of Yang with the contraction of Yin the more power you can generate and the less energy you will waste. This is one type of Yin/Yang balance that is sought after in Kung Fu. It is this particular skill that was a source of incredible fitness and health for some practitioners, who were able to reach a very high degree of ‘Yin & Yang’ control at varied accelerations and under heavy loads. It is difficult to call such training not athletic, or mildly aerobic.
Achieving Tai Chi is not just about voluntary muscle control. It is just as much about optimizing metabolic processes. That includes oxygenation, digestion, hormonal activity, with special attention to 'fight or flight' feedback loops. It is essentially all about balance and harmony. We use the concept of Tai Chi to identify antagonistic actions and processes within the human body, learn to observe the interaction between these forces and develop the ability to function with minimal discord and interference.
To reach this and other goals certain mental abilities and skills are required. Without these special mental qualities Tai Chi cannot be achieved. These mental qualities are not easily trained, and in the past it was hard to understand how they were attainable at all. However, with modern neurological research, such potential is at last becoming comprehensible. The methods for developing these unique and rare mental abilities were maintained secret and were the prized secret possessions kept within families for generations, passing the “jewel” from father to first-born son. These mental exercises cannot be observed and can easily be mistaken for quiet sitting and calming the mind, when in fact they are strenuous rigorous training regiments. This is just one of the reasons why thousands of practitioners appear to make the same movements as the master, without being able to demonstrate the same healing or martial effect.
The effect, often termed as Qi (also spelled Chi or Ki), is not “magical energy” as some would have you believe. Nor is it an “ether” that penetrates all matter, ever-present, but never measured. Qi is energy in the very sense that modern science uses this term. In particular, when speaking about martial applications or the physical sensations associated with power or health, Qi often means kinetic energy. The human body experiences kinetic energy through changes in pressure within the sensory mechanisms embedded throughout the connective tissue—a function known as proprioception. When highly refined, proprioception can provide us with an extremely high degree of precision in movement.
Think of a person walking a tight rope suspended in mid-air. Now imagine utilizing that same capacity to sense and observe the inner spaces of your body. Imagine that you can feel how the spine is "falling" out of alignment, or how the intestines are "pushing" on the bladder. Once you begin to bring your attention to these intricate physiological phenomena, you have what it takes to begin training the ability to manipulate all types of musculature, align your body more optimally within the field of gravity, and start on the road to mastery, health and vitality.
If you would like to use this article, please include our credit information: Written by Dmitry Grinberg. © Copyright 2010.