Tai Chi Chuan Explained

By Sifu John Loupos
The Tai Chi Classics say "Tai Chi can make you Solid as a Mountain, Supple as a Willow , and Fluid as a Great River ."

In today's high tech world even the most basic of our needs have become conspicuously dependent on technological gadgets of one sort or another. In refreshing contrast to this state of affairs, we are gifted with the ancient art of Tai Chi Chuan. No designer lycra outfits, no digital thingys, no rackets, bells, or whistles - Tai Chi is decidedly low tech. Tai Chi Chuan is the most widely practiced martial art/ health care system in the world today. In China , millions of people commit to beginning each day with its practice, this due largely to the fact that Tai Chi is understood to offer those who practice it a range of benefits, tangible and otherwise, for mind, body, and soul. In China , Tai Chi has typically been indicated for back or knee problems, hypertension/ stress related issues, circulatory or nervous system disorders, addictions, arthritis, or even asthma.

Today almost everyone has had some exposure to Tai Chi via the various media. Tai Chi made its first great leap forward into the American stream of consciousness back in 1993 with Bill Moyers' critically acclaimed PBS series "Healing and the Mind." Since that time, Tai Chi's growth in this country has been exponential. Yet a clear understanding of the purpose and intricacies of this ancient art remains elusive. Tai Chi is like the proverbial iceberg in that there is more to it than meets the eye.

By way of explanation, Tai Chi Chuan is a generic term; there are several different styles of Tai Chi popularly practiced. Common to each of the different Tai Chi systems is a slow motion movement routine. Significantly, the principles of genuine Tai Chi differ fundamentally from those of harder style martial arts. Tai Chi as a martial art maintains its own autonomy.

Tai Chi's benefits are wide ranging and its practice is understood to be of particular value in four regards: 1. the cultivation of Chi, or life force energy, 2. exercising and conditioning the body on a very deep level, 3. learning to understand and apply the inner structure of the body, and 4. learning to be in the moment. Some of these ideas may seem a bit foreign and difficult to grasp at first, but concealed within these concepts is the magic that Tai Chi has to offer. It is the actual living of these principles which enables the Tai Chi practitioner to experience renewed health and wellbeing on all levels as well as a feeling of being more integrated both with one's self and with one's environment.

"Life Force Energy", or Chi, is what animates humans as individual living beings. Tai Chi Chuan exerts a gentle balance on our life force energy and promotes improved health and longevity and an enhanced quality of life.

Tai Chi body conditioning is slow, gentle, and continuous, increasing the body's range of motion while improving muscle tone and deep tissue resilience. Tai Chi students often find themselves, after just a few months of practice, able to enjoy activities and a freedom of movement thought long lost.

The "inner structure" of Tai Chi refers to the anatomically correct alignment of the skeletal frame and connective tissues. Advanced Tai Chi is quite precise. The bones, tendons, and ligaments must be aligned "just-so" in order to facilitate a mechanical advantage in movement.

Finally, we have "learning to be in the moment", which can be quite challenging to the average westerner. Tai Chi compels an enhanced state of self awareness and allows us to proceed through life in a more conscious, deliberate, and enriching manner. Tai Chi teaches us that there is another world equally vast, and equally important - the world within.

Tai Chi Chuan is indeed delightful to watch. But it is the internal experience of Tai Chi which is so valuable and yet so elusive. Navigating the process of learning Tai Chi's internal subtleties requires a qualified teacher - in this regard there is no shortcut.

Tai Chi Chuan can serve as a model for reprieve from the out of control pace of modern life. In relaxing the body/ mind and calming the spirit, Tai Chi is as an oasis from many of the stresses and distractions of life in today's world.

 
Sifu John Loupos has been teaching martial arts since 1968. He is the owner of Jade Forest Kung Fu/ Tai Chi in Cohasset, Ma., and the author of two books on Tai Chi: "Inside Tai Chi - Hints, Tips, Process & Training for Students & Teachers" and "Exploring Tai Chi Contemporary Views on an Ancient Art." He can be reached at jadeforest@comcast.net .