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Taijiquan (T'ai Chi) and Other Internal Martial Arts
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Tai Chi Secrets of

the Wu Style
Qi Journal by Yang, Jwing-Ming
Available by direct ... So subtle; so subtle; as if there is no sound.
subscription or in health & Immortal, immortal; as if there is no shape..."
speciality shops, Barnes &
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Noble and other fine
bookstores. Prior to producing momentum, the body gesture should be stable and the
Current Issue: Spring
2013. balance completely centered. The mind and body should be relaxed. There GO
should be no hesitation, no rigidity. Remove all distracting thoughts from the mind
and allow the return of the body gesture to that state of being natural. With this, Index of Online Articles
Online Articles: you can start to move.

Index to selected free Online
Articles from the journal. When moving, use your heart/intention and qi to do the moving, to do the

operation. Use your spine and waist as an axis in producing the boxing sequence.
Our Community: Your moving momentum should be like that of a moving cloud, like running water,

like pulling a thread, and like a hanging thread. Usually twenty minutes to a half
Calendar of Events: hour is about right to complete the frame. After practice your mind and spirit
Schedule your vacations now, so
you don't miss these important should feel uplifted; your mind and perception, clear. This will show that your
events. (updated weekly) practice is on the right track. Once you reach this level, you should quietly reach

awareness. Reaching this level is really not difficult. Avoid rigidity and hardness in
Listing of
the body. Avoid moving the four limbs independently, by themselves. Use your
Professionals: intention and qi to carry the movement. The whole body should be relaxed.
Looking for teachers, clinics and
schools? (updated weekly) Sinking your qi and momentum to the lower place is taiji's correct rule. I (Teacher
Li) have often seen taiji practicioners allowing their four limbs to move completely
by themselves and to move without guidance. This may look fancy but it is a
Return to Home Page mistake.
After practicing awhile you should feel your palm and
the inside of your fingers, i.e., the belly of the fingers,
should feel the fullness of qi and intention. This proves
that qi and blood have already reached the tip, the
recesses, of your body. Based on this achievement, if
you continue to practice your skill, you will eventually,
spontaneously reach the level of awareness and
connection. If you practice for a lengthy time without
being able to feel this sensation, that means that your qi
and intention and skill frame are incorrect. In that case,
you should immediately seek a good teacher to guide
you further, otherwise, if you continue to practice
incorrectly too long, it will not be possible to ever make Master Li Ya Xuan
the corrections needed.
Use your mind to operate your qi. Use your qi to operate your body. Use your
eyes to look inside, to sense how the body and the mind are connected; to see
how your spirit and qi are relaxed. After awhile, you will automatically reach the
level of unity of inside with outside; unity of upper with lower. If you pay attention
only to the external skill movement, you are focusing only on external skills. Your
http://www.qi-journal.com/Taiji.asp?Name=The Key to Practicing Taijiquan's Skill & Form&-token.D=Article[5/23/2013 10:49:00 AM]

spirit and intention should stay inside to facilitate, to reserve the quiet energy.
When you use energy, the correct method is to have a harvest before you start.
Remember, every movement should be clean and relaxed. With this your
perspicacity, alacrity, and flexibility can grow. Avoid becoming angry and
displaying combative signs such as clenching teeth and staring angrily with your
eyes. Those intentions and mannerisms are harmful; avoid them.
Some may ask, "If you do not have intention during the practice, when you
need it during combat, how can you then use it?" Actually, practice is the time for
building and accumulating your qi and spirit. If you consolidate your qi and spirit,
when you need them, they will easily come out. If during practice you become
extremely angry and show such energy and qi externally, you will exhaust your qi
and spirit. In this case, since your qi then cannot accumulate, when needed you
will not have a sufficient supply to be able to make a truly surprising movement.
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Page 2 - The Key to Practicing Taijiquan's Skill & Form
Your upper body should have an empty and flexible spirit. Your middle body
should have the energy of the waist and spine. Your lower part should have the qi
of the dantien. These three parts are combined. The external and internal are
connected. With these your movement will be appropriate. Everything should be
natural. Do not pay attention to any single, particular part of your body. If you
think only of sinking your qi then your qi will hesitate. If you think only of making
your spirit higher, of lifting up your spirit, your spirit will be restricted. That is not a
Taoist natural quality. Hsing-I
Qi Journal What do we mean by empty, flexible, top of head energy? This means when by James W. McNeil
Available by direct your body gesture is comfortable and straight, settled, your empty, flexible qi will
subscription or in health &
speciality shops, Barnes & automatically reach the top. This is not something you can simply, intentionally Google this site
Noble and other fine cause by thinking a force to the top. If you intentionally use force to reach your
bookstores. top, you will have the characteristic of being straight and hard but without the
2013.
empty and flexible. Intentionally, trying to force a quality is something that must be GO
avoided in acquiring tai qi skill.

Online Articles: To practice taiji skill, you should first rely on a good teacher to show the use of Index of Online Articles

Index to selected free Online these skills. Secondly, you should understand the theory of the great Teacher
Articles from the journal. Chang San Feng and Wang T'sungYueh. You should have no distraction during

the practice, otherwise, you will go the wrong way. In addition, when you do
Our Community: taijiquan you should not practice external skill boxing, otherwise, your effort will be

without achievement.
Calendar of Events:
Schedule your vacations now, so This skill is called "relaxed and flexible energy". Therefore, when you use this
you don't miss these important energy there is no sound. When a person is hit, externally there is no sign but
events. (updated weekly)
internally, the penetration has already been made. The external skill is a so-called
Listing of tense and hard energy. When this is used, you hear a "thump", "tung", "whap"
Professionals: sound. When a person is hit, externally they show a red welt, or a red and blue
Looking for teachers, clinics and wound but internally there may be no penetration. Some say that the taijiquan skill
schools? (updated weekly) must be combined with other skills in order to be useful. This really shows their

lack of true teaching, of true learning of taijiquan. This person does not
understand taijiquan theory and really is showing ignorance.
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When people first learning the boxing frame, within a few days they will feel
muscle pain in their legs. After a month, they may feel knee pain. After that they
may feel some shoulder soreness. Learners should not be surprised with this.
This is a natural process. This also is how a good teacher gives correct guidance.
Continue the practice and the soreness and pain will heal. Later, your skill will be
much improved. If people fear soreness and pain and then stop practicing, only to
re-start after the pain goes away, thus are only doing a sporadic, start and stop
practice, they are really wasting their time. If you learn taiji boxing but never feel
any leg pain, knee pain, or shoulder soreness, then the teacher is not giving
correct guidance. You must select another teacher, a good teacher.
When you relax, first relax your mind. This is most important because the mind
is the host of the entire body. After the mind is relaxed, the whole body then also
is relaxed. If you use your mind to influence the body after awhile you will
automatically achieve real relaxation. This will allow production of your internal
energy.
The whole body, the qi, and momentum should be relaxed and open. With this
the empty and flexible can reach the top. Every movement is like that of a river
and the sea. Every step is like that of a cat. The lower and upper should follow
each other. Inside and outside should cooperate completely with one another.
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With this, internal energy will be produced.
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When doing the skill, do not just move your four

limbs. Rather, use your mind to move them; use
your qi to carry them; use your waist to guide them;
use your intention to induce. With this the upper, the
lower, the internal, and the external can become
connected by one qi; this is needed.
If you make even just a single gesture, not only
must your four limbs open but also your mind, your Teaching Tai Chi
Qi Journal
Available by direct
intention, your chest, should be closed first; then all Effectively
open together. All movement always starts from by Dr. Paul Lam
speciality shops, Barnes & inside and goes towards the outside. This is why tai
Noble and other fine qi is called an internal skill, an internal kung. Google this site
bookstores.
Current Issue: Spring Internally you should use your mind and
2013. intention as the host, the head. Externally you
should use the waist and the spine as the axis; be GO
Online Articles: Master Li Ya Xuan completely centered. Internal/ external, upper and

Index to selected free Online lower parts all become one. With this there is Index of Online Articles
Articles from the journal. something whose wonder is beyond understanding.

Seek coordination of the upper and lower. This is the beginning step of
Our Community: practice. Next, try to sense gingerly, look for something very light, flexible, like

Calendar of Events: cotton - soft. This is the middle level skill. Finally, seek the empty and nothing in
Schedule your vacations now, so there. This is the last research focus. When your body is light and flexible, there is
you don't miss these important still something there. If you reach the level of empty and nothing, then actually
everything will follow your intention. This really is reaching the most wonderful,
Listing of mysterious level.
Professionals: When Teacher Chengfu pushed hands and used his launching energy, his
Looking for teachers, clinics and eyes would give a certain extremely stern and dark look that caused fright. The
schools? (updated weekly)
opponent then would feel stunning surprise and deep fear of loss of life or
eminent death. This shows how the spirit and body can become one within a
Return to Home Page moment; how the whole body force can be mobilized, concentrated, focused and
produced within an extremely short period of time. Because this happens within
the briefest of moments with the quickness of a thought, so suddenly, the
opponent is not able to make a defense. Besides that, there is no way to defend
against this.
Everyday, when we practice, we practice slowly. This slow practice helps
accumulate the spirit, qi, and intention. This is how the internal and external
cooperate to show such wonder. If you practice too fast, not only will you not
accumulate spirit and qi but, internally and externally, the parts can not cooperate
to the appropriate degree needed. Therefore, even if you do the launching energy,
it will not be full. In addition, neither will your force be capable of surprise.
When the whole body relaxes, the upper and lower parts must be completely
relaxed. This is one of the necessary conditions of taijiquan. If your movement is
not complete, or is complete but not relaxed; or if you only relax your shoulder but
your waist, kua, belly, and back do not know what is relaxed; or after practice,
your palm does not feel inflated, then this shows you did not have the right
teacher. I have often seen practicioners shake their body and make lots of
sounds. Their heads are like those of sale-pitching people; swollen, manicured,
proper, everything in place, and with a look of arrogance and a condenscending
attitude. They think taiji only "talks" about being soft and does not "speak" of
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force. Actually, these types of arrogant, over-confident people do not know that
taijiquan has it's own theory and can only be learned from a teacher. It is not
something you can learn by mere observation. Taijiquan is not something you can
just figure out by yourself at home.
In the practice, you should feel the whole body relax and also feel the
movements being clean. If the whole body is stable and sunk then the whole body
will be comfortable and connected. In every movement you should quietly think of
how to use your intention, of how to send your intention to the other's body, and
of how to enter inside the other's body. With this method, after a long period of
practice, you will see progress.

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When your spirit and qi return inside and are reserved in your bones, the
whole body will be full of empty and flexible qi. If you then want to be light, you
will be light; if you want to be heavy, you will be heavy. For skilled people who feel
light - it is as if there is nothing there. For skilled people who feel heavy - it is as if
the weight would break a mountain.
This is how you should practice your essence and transform your qi; this is The Beginner's
how you then practice your qi to transform your spirit. Upon reaching the spiritual,
you can reach the level of emptiness. To reach the level of empty and flexible,
Guide to Tai Chi
Qi Journal you must start with being solid. If you want to be light and quick, you must start
by Ray Pawlett
Available by direct with being heavy and stable. After you practice the skill for quite a long time, you
subscription or in health & Google this site
speciality shops, Barnes & can then reach the level of extremely light, extremely quick, empty, and flexible.
bookstores.
In the very beginning, if you try too soon to acquire the empty and flexible, light
Current Issue: Spring and quick, then your whole body movement will be full of confusion. If at the very GO
2013. beginning, you talk too much of empty and flexibility you will then acquire floating

and be of no use. In taiji these types of people are the so-called "those who do
Index of Online Articles
Online Articles: not go out of their house for ten days." Actually, if you do not have a true teacher,

Index to selected free Online a truly good teacher, ten years, or even after all your life you will not be able to
Articles from the journal. "go out of your house" with the skill.

Taijiquan is a skill of reaching a maximum result via a minimum movement.
Our Community: When they move the hand, there is no comparison. They are empty and

Calendar of Events: wonderful. All phenomena are incorporated therein. Regardless of how the other
Schedule your vacations now, so attacks, I rely on my empty and flexible qi.
you don't miss these important
events. (updated weekly) I can change according to any opportunity presented. I can follow the

momentum and respond accordingly, appropriately. Each and every response is
Listing of just right. People should not focus merely on just one gesture, just one hand. If
Professionals: they do that they will miss the larger picture. If you use the great Dao (Tao) to
Looking for teachers, clinics and connect every movement, to learn just one thing really, really well then everything
will be okay. If you only think of using one gesture, one momentum, one qi, then
the 10,000 changes are always possible. The intelligent person will do that.
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SIDEBAR
Li YaXuan
Teacher Li YaXuan was senior, early disciple of the profound master Yang Chengfu.
Teacher Li later taught government and military officials frankly and was highly respected by
all for his unselfish attitude, high martial ethic, and high level skills. When reading the late
Teacher Li's descriptions, his excellent martial ethic, a critical key to receiving profound
knowledge, soon becomes crystal clear. In fact, in one descriptive story to be shared later, his
ethic and morality is both emotionally touching and nearly beyond normal comprehension.
Within the following explanation Teacher Li discusses the highest levels of achievement in
taijiquan, namely, acquiring levels of awareness, achieving the light and flexible skills, and
finally, acquiring the empty and flexible qi. In earlier times, taiji at these levels was also called
"qi boxing" or "spirit or immortal boxing". Li YaXuan was born in 1894 and died in 1976. He
was an ardent, devoted student of Yang Chengfu and, although much lesser known in the
west, he was actually senior in all aspects to better-known non-family students established in
the USA after 'liberation'. Teacher Li also knew and taught in association with Yang ShaoHao
and was associated with and taught at the highest level of martial art in China.
Special gratitude is due and given Teacher Chen LongXiang and Teacher Li MinDi, son-
in-law and daughter of Master Li, for their wonderful gift, on a recent visit, of Teacher Li's
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explanations and his stories, of which the following is merely a small part. Mr. Chen and Ms.
Li, husband and wife, carry on Teacher Li YaXuan's excellent tradition of martial ethic and
unselfish, noncommercial devotion to the original tradition of taijiquan.



There are five taboos of practice in the

acquisition of this skill:
1. Those not selecting the right teacher, enter
the wrong school and the external skill tops and is
dominate. Once acquired, this habit, even if the
learner later meets a truly skilled person, will be
ingrained and not be correctable for internal use. Tai Chi Walking
by Robert Chuckrow
Qi Journal 2. Those not believing their teacher strongly,
Available by direct completely enough. They do not completely follow Google this site
subscription or in health & the teacher's theory of practice. These people
speciality shops, Barnes & pretend they are smarter and think east, think west,
bookstores.
and attempt to use other theories in combination
GO
Current Issue: Spring with this skill. Their minds and spirits become a
2013. Master Li Ya Xuan mess. All sorts of problems manifest. These
problems are extremely difficult to correct. Index of Online Articles
Online Articles: 3. Those who indulge in bad habits like smoking, gambling, and prostitution.

Index to selected free Online These exhaust energy, qi, and spirit. They confuse minds. These people will
Articles from the journal. never understand and can never reach a good level of awareness.

Our Community: 4. The over-practice of external family skills, hard skills, like breathing qi,
making strong, exertion and effort, and the clinching of teeth. Intense staring with
Calendar of Events: the eyes, making the belly full and then striking the belly. The use of an
instrument to hit the body or the use of a hammer to hit the head. These hard,
events. (updated weekly) external practices and abuses severely harm and deaden our most valuable

nervous system. This causes parts of the nervous system to become numb,
Listing of deadened, and to be without awareness. People who have done this type of
Professionals: training cannot reach good levels of taijiquan practice.
Looking for teachers, clinics and
schools? (updated weekly) 5. Those people who only learn a little bit of taiji then leave their teacher and

go out and show off in front of other people in an attempt to falsely gain respect.
These types of people are often induced into learning other types of skills. Their's
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is a show of mere ego, not skill. After they start on the wrong path, they can never
be corrected.
The above five types of people are those who cannot reach the awareness
level of taji. The true skill, the main skill, is to make your mind clear, and to focus
your mind. But in order to clear your mind and to concentrate, to focus, you
should first become very stable and very quiet. Only after becoming quiet can you
become clear. At that point you can focus, meditate. This is the way to reach
awareness. After achieving beginning awareness, you can reach an even higher
level of awareness. You can then reach understanding. Later, you can reach the
level of precise understanding. So, if you want to clear your mind, before settling
your mind, you must have the intention of restoring your mind to the state of
being without thought; your body without action; to feeling no body, no mind.
Once reaching this state of "no action" your mind is able to become enlightened.
After reaching enlightment, any awareness, any sensation, any perception of
conscious is that claimed by the scholars of Confucious. That consciousness does
not come from continual thinking. If you use your mind to think of penetrating a
wall without a door, you just visualize going through the wall; if you think of
working in poison ivy, you visualize just passing through as if there is no road - if
you practice in this manner, the more you practice this way, the farther you will be

from taijiquan. A true teacher is needed.

In practicing taijiquan, you need to be quietly contemplative while practicing
the operation. If not, you will not be able to understand what is correct. If you do
not practice, then your arm, your whole body, will not be able to follow the mind to
move. Therefore, the two aspects must be done together. This means you
cultivate both your mind and your body. If you just spend time vigorously,
physically practicing, working the body, even if you make your tendons, your
bones, your skin, and your flesh suffer, your mind and spirit will only be confused
and, although you may sweat profusely, you will be wasting your energy, your qi,
and your spirit. You will only harm your attempt to acquire the internal skill. You
will receive little real benefit.
Cultivating the empty and flexible produces a high spirit, alertness, readiness,
eagerness, perspicacity, high energy, and profound judgment. This keen judgment
then used to acquire awareness of internal boxing's method. If you use these
methods to defend yourself, you will have an excellent self-defense and you will
also be able to handle any bully. If you use this skill in business, you will
understand the business very clearly, with perspicacity, and will always succeed.
If you use this method to cultivate your body, you will achieve longevity beyond
that normal.



This skill is made up of three aspects: your spirit, qi, and body. The main
emphasis is on enhancing your spirit. Afterwards comes the practice of qi. Last in
importance is the practice of your physical body.
What is the meaning of spirit? Spirit here refers to something in addition to our
whole body, it is empty, it is flexible, there is momentum, a function of mind,
controller of intention. The movement cannot be predicted, thus, in addition to the
flexible, there is quickness and the concept of changing. Spirit is really not Tai Chi Secrets of
involved with clenching of teeth, intensely staring, or the use of physical effort to the Wu Style
Qi Journal produce qi. by Yang, Jwing-Ming
Available by direct
subscription or in health & What is the meaning of qi? qi may refer to breathing. It is that that sinks
speciality shops, Barnes &
Google this site
downward when you acquire stability. It is not something seen in muscle or use of
bookstores.
effort to breathe. The body is stable and comfortable. Movement should be
Current Issue: Spring flexible and light. Merely taking a standing position to strike sand bags, beating
GO
2013. the body, or striking objects with the hands will enhance neither spirit nor qi.
Those people who practice the spirit cannot be without qi and the body - they
Online Articles: have all three. Rather, there is merely an emphasis on spirit development. For Index of Online Articles

Index to selected free Online those people who merely practice qi, they may have some qi, they may have
Articles from the journal. some body, but their spirit is lacking. Those who only practice the body aspect

also have some spirit and some qi, however, they can not completely know the
Our Community: wonder of the spirit.

Calendar of Events: In the practice, if your intention does not completely reach the breadth of your
Schedule your vacations now, so mind, your body gesture cannot be relaxed. Without proper relaxation, the upper
you don't miss these important and lower will not follow or be coordinated. Thus, your internal and external
cannot match. Then your breathing may not be comfortable. At this point, with
Listing of these problems, you should seek a good teacher for guidance otherwise, you will
Professionals: harm and worsen your practice.
Looking for teachers, clinics and If the mind thinks of relaxing after awhile the body gesture will also relax.
Every movement should be followed by heart and qi. Then your four limbs will
follow nature and the internal/external will become fit. With this your boxing
Return to Home Page intention can reach your hand. Stillness and contemplation will allow you to reach
the level of your mind controlling everything. Everything should follow slowness,
being stable, being quiet, and reaching stillness. If the mind is not clear and the qi
floats, the more you practice with these illnesses, the farther you will go from
boxing's intention. In this case, even if you practice like this for your whole life,
you qi will not reach your hand. Learners should persevere, should have talent,
and should have a true teacher in order to achieve success. Even with these
qualities, in addition, the teacher and theory must be respected. With all these
present, perhaps in one or two years you may reach some success. However, if
you leave the teacher too early, you may have some problems and attain no
awareness. One way to avoid this is to be open, to sense how the body and mind
are connected. Quietly think about what the teacher advised you about the
practice. Also, think of and visualize how the teacher practiced the gesture. With
this your problem may not become too deeply rooted. Otherwise, if you make just
a small mistake early there will be no end. It is like a horse without a rein, it
cannot be guided.
People's practice problems may be visible or invisible. The visible problem is
easily corrected, however, those invisible are very difficult to rectify. For example,
some of these types of problems may be the hand and the feet being high or low,
or not in balance, or not matching, or the direction is not correct, or the waist or

kua are not straight, not horizontal, or the spine is not relaxed. These are visible
problems. They are easily corrected. But, if your mind and intention are in the
wrong way and, thus, your movement and spirit do not follow one another and
your mind and body, internally/externally, do not match; these are invisible
diseases. These diseases sometimes appear, sometimes do not appear. You can
sense it but it is difficult for you to describe or pin down. It is very difficult to
correct and eliminate these problems.
For people internally ill, regardless of how they spend their practice, the
gesture and momentum will always show ugliness. That is because they do not
listen to the teacher's words of how to practice. Again, they spend too much time
thinking of east, thinking of west. That is how they go down the wrong path.
Learners, in particular, should be aware of these problems.



I have often seen people who already have practiced for many years but still
cannot produce internal energy. They cannot respond appropriately. Their hand is
confused; their feet do not know what to do; they are unable to sense. Their eyes
show hesitation or hastiness and they just fight without preparation. These are
further examples of the internal diseases. They are very difficult to cure.
Every movement should follow the breathing. Use breathing to facilitate
opening and closing. This is the so-called "using the qi to move the body". Every
movement should have "quan" (martial) intention. For example, when the fist Fu Zhongwen:
Qi Journal comes out, carry the fist with intention. When pulling the fist back, use intention to
Available by direct Mastering Yang
take it back.
subscription or in health & Style Taijiquan
speciality shops, Barnes & Practice with the saber, sword, or spear should also follow this advice. You by Translated by Louis Swaim
bookstores.
cannot throw away your intention and simply allow your four limbs to move
Current Issue: Spring independently. Internal movement is a combination of mind controlling the body Google this site
2013. and the body controlling the hand. Every hand and leg movement starts with your
mind. From first the internal the external is reached. This is the so-called "internal
Online Articles: skill". GO

Index to selected free Online Once expertness is reached then a mere thought, i.e., the mind just thinking in
Articles from the journal. one direction is able to cause just single movement that starts and Index of Online Articles

instantaneously encompasses the whole body. With this, the whole body force will
Our Community: be permeated completely throughout the body. Yet, without a good teacher

Calendar of Events: people cannot reach this level. External skill only heeds external gesture; it is
Schedule your vacations now, so external movement. Their gesture and frame often may be very big and often may
you don't miss these important look very quick. In reality, however, it may not be so quick.

Internal skill emphasizes awareness based upon understanding energy.
Listing of Understanding energy internally makes awareness go inside. Although movement
Professionals: may appear slow, actually, it may not be slow. In addition, in combat we decide
Looking for teachers, clinics and how big the energy is, the appropriate time, the movement--low and quick, and
the target. Since everything, including direction, is calculated, this calculation is
based on hearing energy. This hearing energy comes from relaxed, soft, sinking,
Return to Home Page stillness, and slow practice daily. Boxing skill is an individual, bare-handed
strategy. The mind and head represent the headquarters. The waist and chest are
main but smaller fighting groups. The hands and feet are the smallest and lowest
level of the fighting groups. The skin may be comparable to guards. The nervous
system may be considered the system of communications.
Once you have contact with the enemy, the nervous system will pass the news
to the head and heart. The head and heart make a decision, according to the
situation, to guide the waist and body; to guide the four limbs and head and legs.
If the nervous system cannot transfer this information, it is impossible to know
from which direction the enemy is coming from or his magnitude. An appropriate
response will then be impossible. Even if you have great force, if you do not use it
appropriately you will be defeated. Use your hands and feet to protect your heart
and body. If you cannot use your gesture appropriately you will not be able to
reach your goal. The waist and spine are the axis for the use of the hands and
legs. If transitions are not done flexibly a good result is not possible. The head and
heart are the headquarters of the whole body. Therefore, awareness must be very
clear and flexible, otherwise, a good command cannot be made.
During combat, if you need to be quick, you must be quick; if you need to be
slow, be slow. In this art not even a single mistake is allowed. Move forward,
move backward, left, right, you can not have even one hesitation, otherwise, all

may be lost. So we can see the importance of the nervous system being clear.
Therefore, taiji skill mainly emphasizes making your mind quiet and your temper
concentrated and focused. This keeps the nervous system clear. Some do not
understand this and place strong emphasis on the exercise of their muscles.
Actually, this also damages the most valuable nervous system. This is a tragedy.
Those who like large muscles and strength probably have only two chances in
combat. First, during an attack, regardless whether moving back or forth, they
must be very quick. They will want their muscles to respond very quickly. The
question is whether or not their muscles are very sensitive; yet even if they are
quick, they cannot attack at the correct time. This may only create confusion.



SIDEBAR
Crouching Tiger...
Crouching tiger, hidden dragon is not merely the title of the recent blockbuster movie.
This expression actually is borrowed from the Chinese language. In Chinese it refers to
coming across a heretofore, unknown, 'hidden' individual of high skill; hidden, crouching,
ready to pounce on the over-confident, innocent. In one sense, the late Li YaXuan could be The Beginner's
considered to be a crouching tiger, hidden dragon in the west. This is because he is so
Guide to Tai Chi
unknown here. In China, however, Teacher Li's work and words are far from hidden. In fact,
Qi Journal he was well known and widely respected in China prior to his death in 1976. His story and
by Ray Pawlett
Available by direct
advice merit careful reading. The Yang's divided their teaching into three basic phases:
subscription or in health & Google this site
speciality shops, Barnes & learning the external, learning the internal, and finally training the mind. Teacher Li hits all
Noble and other fine three in his discussions and even touches very briefly on the last, the most advanced training
bookstores. methodology.
Current Issue: Spring GO
2013. Original taiji learners at the source often use the term "frame" for what most westerners

call the "form" or "set". Considering construction, be it a house or building a skill, the term is
Index of Online Articles
Online Articles: both more precise and descriptive, therefore, this use is most appropriate. This term is used

Index to selected free Online frequently.
Articles from the journal.

Our Community: Secondly, when these people hit others, they obviously hope the other feels
great pain. In addition, these people often want their muscles large enough and
Calendar of Events: strong enough to absorb the pain of being hit by others. The question here is
during the attack, if the timing is not correct, they will use a lot of strength but will
events. (updated weekly) hit empty space. If you make a defensive gesture at the incorrect time, this only

shows weakness to others. This results in much more harm. So then, what is the
Listing of use of having large, strong muscles? Further, when you are attacked, you must
Professionals: be very quick. You must move with suddenness. In combat there is not enough
Looking for teachers, clinics and time to think of producing strength in your muscles. Finally, when others attack
the most vulnerable parts of your body, strong muscles are of no use for defense
or to respond.
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Taijiquan is a skill with shape and without shape. Although it has shape when
an opponent attacks you, your whole body must be very reserved and display
nearly nothing in there. This will make the opponent catch an empty shadow so to
speak and, thus, not harm you. If the enemy thinks you are empty and, on the
other hand, if you show your emptiness but can suddenly attack like thunder,
thunder so quick and strong that people must duck and cover their ears, so as to
make them totally scared, scared for their life, then this is enticing into emptiness.
Taijiquan is a skill based on unpredictable opportunity. If the other thinks you
cannot attack, you should just move your mind suddenly to attack. If others think
you will come then you should transform as if you have nothing to attack. This is
the so-called "being suddenly visible; suddenly invisible".
The practice frame was designed to cultivate your mind and qi. Push-hands is
done to acquire listening energy. Scatter-hands is practiced to acquire skill of
hand, eyes, body, and the step method. So, this boxing practices heart, physical
essence, qi, and spirit. When you practice the skill, your qi must be sinking. Do
not intentionally sink it, that is, do not think of sinking the qi. Rather, use true,
fundamental intention to infuse the qi during your breathing.
Emptiness is so empty it's as if it is solid. Being solid is so solid it's as if it is
empty. There is something there but it's as if there is nothing there. Relax, let go,

softness--use these to produce the empty and flexible qi. This will enhance your
perspicacity. Place your mind and body in the right place to establish the
fundamental source. With this you can show gesture and seriousness. If your
body and mind are not correct, your gesture will show shallowness and be overly
light, floating. These qualities too easily tempt bullies.



Emptiness and flexibility are the first key to the skill. Understand this theory
like a genius then in one or two years full awareness may be reached. An
unintelligent person may spend their whole life in practice and study but will still
not be able to reach this level. Thus, a person's achievement, deep or shallow, is
also a function of a person's innate talent and intelligence. Not everyone can be
placed in the same category. Practice the skill in the early morning or in the quiet
of the night without disturbance from others practicing. Do not show off in front of Tai Chi Walking
other people. A poem entitled, "Poem of Movement" explains, "The Great Dao by Robert Chuckrow
Qi Journal (Tao) cannot be removed from even the smallest, lowliest piece of ground."
Available by direct Do not have intention. Do not have the mind. Do not rely on your chest to Google this site
speciality shops, Barnes & move the energy and qi. Your mind should completely relax and follow nature.
Noble and other fine Allow all parts of the body to naturally rely on one-another. Once you are without
bookstores. intention, once you are without mind, the true mind is then in the place where GO
2013.
there is no mind. Once you do not have mind in the middle, you will not have a
shape. At that time, emptiness will produce the true empty and flexible. Feel the Index of Online Articles
connection with the universe. Everything comes from nature.
Online Articles:

Index to selected free Online In a discussion on boxing, while there are many different schools, it is
Articles from the journal. noteworthy that they also have many similarities. Externally they practice the hard

and quick and use force; they attempt to make qi strong, leave the spirit and talk
Our Community: about severity. For those people, however, who place emphasis on the quick,

hard, their mind can hardly be still, can hardly be quiet. For those who use qi to
Calendar of Events: try to inflate their qi, their breathing cannot be comfortable. For those who
you don't miss these important emphasize severity, they cannot cultivate a harmonious qi. These methods really
events. (updated weekly) will harm the tendon, harm the flesh, and will exhaust the spirit and qi. These

practices will harm the empty and flexible skills and prevent their acquisition. That
Listing of kind of boxing cannot cultivate longevity.
Professionals:
Looking for teachers, clinics and When practicing be stable and quiet, comfortable and relaxed, in order to
schools? (updated weekly) cultivate the empty and flexible qi. Thus, when you use this qi, it is cold, it jumps, it

is sudden, it is quick, as if you spit out the energy from your dantien. Always sense
the empty and flexible qi and momentum. Then, during combat you can be fully
Return to Home Page
aware of the other's force. With this, the road to victory is already half traveled.
Without the empty and flexible qi and momentum, if someone attacks, you will
have no awareness of his situation. In this case, in the confrontation your
movement will create confusion and you will attempt to hit the other without any
plan. This is not taiji skill.
If you have the empty and flexible qi, momentum; if your waist and legs are
light and wonderful; if you have spirit and qi, if they are full; then externally you will
be able to show the qi gesture. Then, if your movement is also cold and quick;
then, if you then use this qi to cultivate the body, you will have longevity. If, on the
other hand, you use these internal skills to defend yourself, you will be able to do
so. With this awareness and these high skills, challenges in both your personal
life and business life may be handled easily./p>
---------------------
Li YaXuan, From a speech on February 6, 1956. Translated by Key Sun, Ph.D., private student
of Master Yang SongQuan born and raised in Chen Village. Edited by LeRoy Clark, private
student of Master Fu ShengYuan.
©2001 Qi Journal
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