Question:
We do the form at different speeds to emphasize different things. What are the major transitions points in speed where the emphasis shifts?
Response:
In general, an 8 to 15 minute form focuses on co-ordination of the upper and lower body through the hip, assisting in feeling the body moving as an whole. It helps generate looseness and is a good tonic for releasing the days stress.
A 25 minute form is the middle of the road speed, good for a physical 'tune-up'.
A 30 minute form is probably the best speed for most students. It gives enough time to focus on each individual part of the form carefully. It works the circulatory system deeply. It gives enough time to focus on and relax the breathing.
A form over 30 minutes is for deep training. Concentration through the difficulty of a slow form works on the meditation aspect of the training.
Bear in mind that all speeds of training work all of the above, it is merely a matter of preponderating emphasis. 10/04/2006
Question:
I constantly strive to improve my ability in tai chi as measured by the level of more advanced students. Though it compels me to train harder, I feel on a spiritual level this can ultimately impede my progress as I become more focused on being "better than that guy" than being better with my self. Is a competitive spirit a help or hindrance when studying tai chi?
Response:
I love good, open and honest questions. The simple answer is this. You are focusing on the wrong target. If you should be striving to become better than anyone, you should be striving to become better than your teacher, not better than other students. Other students, like yourself, are working on getting things right. As a result they may or may not be on the right track in their own training. How can you know, being a student yourself, if they are doing things correctly or incorrectly?
In terms of technical knowledge, the only person to emulate is your teacher. The only person that can accurately assess your development is your teacher.
The teachers responsibility is to keep the student honest. The most common deterrent to a student's progress is 'self-graduation', meaning the student decides for themselves that they are doing well, rather than waiting, (appropriately), for their teacher to let them know how they are progressing. The root of self-graduation is the comparison of one's level with the level of others. If one sees oneself as being superior to another student false pride can stem from the condemnation of the other student. Trust me; no matter how far we progress there will always be someone better than ourselves, and someone worse.
In your question you mention the word 'spiritual'. In Tai Chi Chuan development this would be most closely equated with the development of character. Good character positively influences all aspects of a person's life, and is considered by teachers to be the most important area of development. Some of the people I teach may not have good co-ordination or comprehension of the technical aspect of the art, but their character and humility raise them above their peers in level. Some people may have excellent forms, with the outward aspect of the training coming easily to them, but they have made little progress in taming and fostering their inner nature and character, making their outward progress of little or no value. What good is form without substance?
In the martial aspect of training, if one sees the opponent as being superior in skill to oneself, then one is sure to lose, having been defeated before ever starting. If one sees oneself as superior to the opponent, one can easily make mistakes through the fault of under-estimation. The only correct positioning is to see the opponent as equal to oneself, as ultimately the opponent is our self. 10/04/2006
Question:
"Would a student have to take on a greater understanding of the culture to gain a full understanding of the practise and application of tai chi and its benefits in order to truly become a master?"
Response:
The short form of this answer is yes, but I would suggest that learning is never ending and would wish to dissuade the questioner from absolutes such as 'truly becoming a master'. It is true that the study of Tai Chi Chuan is more difficult without an understanding of Chinese culture. The art form is deeply rooted in Taoism, the indigenous philosophy of China. The texts relating to Taoism are difficult to interpret without an understanding of the culture from which they arise, however, in the case of Tai Chi Chuan the application of the principles of Taoism should be regarded as a system of logic and physics rather than a philosophy. Tai Chi Chuan is eminently learnable. The practices should be well outlined by a good teacher in a way that is clear to the student, free of conjecture and provable by demonstration. It is a physical art, not an intellectual setting up exercise. Once guided to the point that student has grasped the proper way of training the student reaches the point of self-learning meaning that on their own in training they continue to improve. At this point, having the logic of the system well in hand the root philosophic writings relating to the arts origins will be clearly accessible and understood. It is true that in passing on the logic behind the system the teacher will be covering many principles that have formed part of the development of Chinese culture for centuries. In consequence I feel the burden is on the teacher to provide the full range of knowledge needed by the student, rather than on the student to reach out into philosophic realms unguided. It is all to easy for a Western student to get lost in the woods of philosophy. Learning should be a thorough and pragmatic process. From time to time a good teacher will discuss those elements of theory needed by the student, in a clear and timely fashion. 08/31/2006
Question:
You recently discussed the role of the conscious mind in tai chi. Would it be possible to review the information?
Response:
If you ask an hundred experts in an hundred different disciplines what the conscious mind is I would be willing to bet you would get one hundred different responses. For our purposes lets us call the conscious mind the 'thinking mind' or the part of our consciousness that expresses itself in 'words' or our 'internal dialogue'. It is that part of our awareness that we use in considering options to determine preferred action. The conscious mind works on the basis of the resolution of opposites, i.e.; 'I like this and I do not like that', 'This is too long and that is too short', 'It is too hot or too cold', 'I hope for this and dread that' and so on and so forth. It is an extremely important part of our total selves. It considers the fluctuation between the polarities of Yin and Yang. It sorts through information and possible outcomes to collate the information we need to arrive at decisions, but it is only a part of our awareness.
At times we may be under so much stress that our thoughts run rampant. We have so much we are trying to process that we end up not being able to see the forest for the trees mentally. At these times we have trouble 'putting the brakes on' and we end up in cyclic patterns of thought which result in our losing our perspective and peace of mind. In this state it is difficult to see things clearly and make appropriate decisions. We need to get some distance from our rampant thought patterns at times to calm ourselves, to clear our minds and to renew our energy for the further effort required to deal with the situations in our life that demand our attention.
Many meditation methods speak of stilling the mind. The target described is to stop conscious thought. Anyone who has tried this will see the difficulty in achieving this. One sits there thinking 'I think I just stopped thinking'.
In Tai Chi Chuan we divert the attention of the conscious mind. We engross it in total focus on the body. Practicing the forms correctly requires controlling every individual piece of the body from head to foot in exact alignments. We also must be fully aware of our breathing, our co-ordination and the timing (speed) of the motions. All of this attention sets our conscious mind on a very demanding task. We cannot think of all of our problems and issues of the day while doing the forms. A change is as good as an holiday. By removing our thoughts for some time from the cyclic rut we were in our minds can relax and heal leaving us feeling renewed when we have to return to the world and its' demands. The real trick is to recognize when we are involved in endless circular thought and in that recognition realize we need to take the time out to train.
Tai Chi Chuan is not the only method of stress relief that works on this principle. Any hobby or activity that takes our minds off of our problems for a moment serves to reduce stress and evoke well-being. Tai Chi Chuan however is very effective compared to other methods as we also are working to open the circulation and breathing at the same time we are diverting our internal consciousness which greatly enhances the overall aftereffect. 08/05/2006
Question:
Somewhere, I read a very brief article about osteoporosis. It noted several activities to inhibit this condition. One of them was Tai Chi. There was no other information given. How would this be a valid claim? I can understand (in a limited way) how doing Tai Chi Chuan can affect circulation, muscles and the nervous system but how does it affect the skeletal system and bone density?
Response:
Bone density is directly linked to the amount of stress the skeletal system is exposed to. Stress on the bones triggers new bone growth. As we age joint problems may limit our mobility, thus limiting the stress carried on our skeletal system in turn resulting in loss of bone density. Loss of bone density in turn weakens the joints further, creating a cycle of deterioration that is difficult to reverse.
The movements of Tai Chi Chuan allow the practitioner a way to place stress on the skeletal system with minimum stress on the joints. (Think zero impact aerobics). This added workload combined with the increase of circulation the training encourages helps to stimulate new growth or assimilation of calcium into the bone structure, hopefully slowing or even reversing bone deterioration. Bone density falls to a large extent under the heading 'If you don't use it you will lose it'. Astronauts held in a weightless environment for a prolonged period suffer severe bone density loss from the lack of stressors on the skeletal system. (See this link for more information: Bone Loss In Space). (A partial study of Tai Chi Chuan's affect on bone density may be found at this link: Tai Chi Chuan and Bone Density). 08/05/2006
Question:
Although I normally do walking as part of my warm-up by concentrating on basic mechanics and relaxation, I have begun to try to do the walking warm-up with a more meditative intent. What are some ways to bring the walking closer in spirit and purpose to the 24 forms?
Response:
The 24 forms are single form training methods that focus on individual aspects or 'essences' of Tai Chi Chuan development. In standing out as 'solo' training, the repetitive nature of these forms allow for a high degree of concentration and correction of the coordination, breath and posture, and thus are often referred to as 'meditations'.
The 'walking' training is first introduced as a method of warm-up, and more importantly as the introduction to the basic footwork and postural alignments that will apply in the learning of the forms of the Chuan, all of which are rooted in and can be traced back to the principles outlined in the training; i.e. yin-yang separation, forward lean, proper 'gap' between heels and so on.
Before learning the walking we learn the correct alignment of posture as defined by Tai Chi Chuan; lifting the head, tucking in the chin, relaxing the shoulders, tucking in the pelvis, relaxing the chest and letting the breath sink to the Tan Tien. This 'checklist' is followed before doing any training. By following the steps in the basic checklist, the practitioner must focus on their body and calm the mind in order to prepare the correct mental and physical state for training. As a result, any training, whether it be warming up, pushing hands or training the form requires a correct level of attention and concentration. For this reason all training in Tai Chi Chuan is considered "meditation", providing the practitioner applies their attention correctly to what they are doing.
As a result, I recommend not making a separation in your mind of 24 forms being meditation, but rather realize that all training is a meditation if done correctly. This will enhance the effectiveness of everything you do.
This short response may lead to other questions on this subject which I welcome. 07/10/2006
Here is an interesting link for those who have asked about the differences between the various styles of Tai Chi Chuan. Videolink. 07/02/2006
Question:
When pushing hands and I encounter stiffness sometimes I will slow my push or change to allow some accommodation by my partner. On other occasions I will push through and the partner is pushed over. How do I know when to change or just push through?
Response:
Pushing hands is about cooperation, not about competition. We train pushing hands to develop the skills necessary for the training of the martial aspect of Tai Chi Chuan, and to enhance our health. Pushing hands improves our balance, our sensitivity and our coordination leading to the development of ‘stickiness’ meaning the ability to stay with and ‘listen’ to an incoming force as well as to stay with and follow a retreating force.
There are two major categories of pushing hands training; structured forms and freestyle training. Pushing hands is likened to questioning and answering. The individual pushing is asking a question, the question being “How are you going to deal with this incoming force?” The one receiving is giving the answer in how they follow and neutralize the push.
In the structured forms of training there are limitations set as to the appropriate technique for delivering a push; and correspondingly, there is a proper method instructed and appropriate for neutralization or receiving an appropriate push. In free style pushing hands, as the name implies, there is a free flowing format for the questioning and answering. As a result freestyle pushing hands is introduced to students later in their training, after they have developed solid technical skills in the structured forms.
The question being addressed here applies to structured forms of training.
As with any method that works to develop a skill-set, there will be persons that are more competent at the training and persons less competent, dependent on their experience and ability. The more experienced practitioner will be more easily able to detect areas of stiffness or blockage in the receiver which allows them to take advantage of the others inability to neutralize the incoming force, resulting in the receiver being ‘uprooted’. This can be tempting for the more experienced person as it feels like a ‘victory’, but succumbing to this temptation is arrogant and against the spirit and intent of the training.
To push the less capable person over again and again is punitive and non-productive. What we look for in an appropriate pushing hand method is to take the receiver to what we call their 110%, meaning to take them to the limit of their ability to receive and then backing off. By doing this the receiver develops greater stability and ‘elasticity’ over time and their level is enhanced. Repeatedly toppling the person takes away the actual training aspect of pushing hands and leaves only the humiliation aspect.
When I read this question I was tempted to say to the submitter “What does it feel like when someone better than you is pushing you and they knock you over again and again? Look to how you would feel in similar circumstances and then you will see what is appropriate and why.”
Always remember there will always be people who are more advanced than we are, and those who are less advanced. We only have the level we have because our seniors have taken the time and had the consideration to push hands with us appropriately, bringing us to our limit compassionately so that we can develop. We owe it to the upcoming generations to give them the same learning opportunity. Pushing someone over again and again teaches them nothing. 06/28/2006
The first question I have received is where a good acupuncture chart may be found. There is an interactive online chart that shows the major points fairly well. Unfortunately you cannot learn how to find the points by the charts alone. You need to be properly instructed.
You can access the online chart by clicking on this link. acupuncture chart 06/27/2006