Tai Chi Enhances Flow of Energy

Published in Kerry Properties’ The Dress Circle May 2006

“Yield and overcome
Bend and be straight”
– Lao-Tse
Tao Te Ching

Legend has it that, while living as a hermit in the Wudang Mountains, Shaolin monk turned Taoist hermit, Chang San Feng saw a fight between a snake and a crane. In theory the crane should have killed the snake with ease, but Chang observed that every time the crane attacked, the snake would evade and hit it with its tail. When the crane went for the snake’s tail, the snake would bite the crane.

To his surprise, the snake’s agility and flexibility were sufficient to overcome the crane’s ferocious attacks. Thus were born the fundamental tenets of Tai Chi Chuan or Tai Chi boxing – evading, yielding and attacking. The legend continues that after witnessing that momentous fight, Chang composed 13 postures – based on suppleness, relaxation, inner power and the use of energy or chi – which became the philosophical basis for Tai Chi.

Chang is believed to have written: “In every movement, every part of the body must be light and agile and strung together. The postures should be without breaks. Motion should be rooted in the feet, released through the legs, directed by the waist and expressed by the fingers. Substantial and insubstantial movements must be clearly differentiated.”

He realised that one’s inner development was of great consequence, and used movements that were circular, with the emphasis placed on flowing with the force rather than on blocking and using force against force. Tai Chi underscores the importance of becoming one with nature and of harmonising oneself with the universe.

Today there are numerous variations of the art, but all the different styles trace their origins back to one man, Chen Wang Ting, a former high-ranking official in the Imperial Army, who founded the Chen style of Tai Chi about 400 years ago. Other traditional styles developed from the Chen style and, over time, there came to be so many breakaway schools that the range of alternatives available today is easily a source of confusion to the beginner.

A characteristic of most Tai Chi styles is that the forms or patterns are executed slowly with one movement flowing fluidly into the next. Some forms, however, like those of the old Chen style, alternate between slow movements and fast, explosive ones. Other styles separate their forms into slow ones done in a deliberate, unhurried pace and faster forms performed at a more vigorous speed. At the core of all Tai Chi is the need for complete relaxation and the notion that intent leads and control physical movements.

As a 2,000 year old wushu or martial art form that promotes general health and well-being, Tai Chi is revered as a cultural art. It is not uncommon to see groups of senior citizens practising the gentler, slower Tai Chi movements in public parks and common areas in the early mornings and evenings. Older adults who are advised to keep away from aerobic exercises too vigorous for the long-term welfare of their joints are often recommended Tai Chi.

As a way of keeping fit, Tai Chi has returned an excellent report card. Consumer Reports credits this “ultimate low-impact exercise” with improvements in cardiovascular endurance as well as in posture, strength and balance. Scientific studies have further found that Tai Chi may lower blood pressure, relieve stress, assist with arthritis and multiple sclerosis, improve balance and circulation, and help senior citizens feel empowered.

When practising Tai Chi every part of the body is brought into play – the central nervous system is stimulated, the muscles are toned and the internal organs are massaged resulting in their improved function.

Breath is a central element in Tai Chi. Through proper breathing we arrive at relaxation and a state of no stress, no anxiety. Students are encouraged to learn to breathe from the abdomen because abdominal breathing is relaxed breathing. When executing the forms, even movement and rhythm are fundamental, and a student soon discovers how to match breathing with movement.

One of the biggest benefits of Tai Chi is that, if done correctly, the flow of chi or energy through the meridians is enhanced. If the energy flow is strong and uninhibited, then there is balance and harmony in the body and good health follows. If, however, the internal energy flow is blocked, then disease starts to set in.

With its new-found role as a wellness exercise and a preventive medicine, Tai Chi is today promoted primarily as a means of keeping healthy, with its martial arts aspect relegated to the background.