Learning the taiji classics

The motion should be rooted in the feet,
released through the legs,
controlled by the waist,
and manifested through the fingers. ...

If the timing and position are not correct,
the body becomes disordered,
and the defect must be sought
in the legs and waist.

Chang San-Feng (Lo/Inn/Amacker/Foe tr.)

The taiji classics are a very simple collection of sayings containing the essence of the taijiquan system. Simple on the surface! I have to admit when I first read them, having heard about them (often spoken in hushed tones, with reverence) I was disappointed. Where was the depth? "Step forward, step backward, look left, look right." Hmmm. All a bit too simple. Coming to the classics having just read Scottish philosopher David Hume, well ... if you have ever read (or tried to read) David Hume you will get the picture.
The fault was all on my part not the classics.
The classics are a different kind of writing. It is not about learning with your head. It is learning with your whole being, body, mind and spirit. Recently, I had a "whole being rvelation." It is contained in the simple phrase "controlled by the waist." I had read this many times in different books on taiji. I had heard my teacher master Jesse say it often. I did not "know it." Then all of a sudden, it clicked. My taiji took a major leap forward.
On a physiological level, the dantien is located a couple of inches below the belly button and an inch or two inside the body. The "waist" is shorthand for the dantien. Here is the center.
In meditation I have been used to placing intent on the dantien, but it had not translated into my moving forms.This week it did! The quote at the start of this blog became a whole body reality.
It makes sense on a spiritual/existential level too. A life lived from the center is a life well balanced. When life is out of balance, resort needs to be made to recover the center. A life lived from the center is a well-lived life.

Summary of the taiji classics

I found a concise and profound summary of the taiji classics in Petra and Toyo Kobayashi's Classical T'ai Chi Sword.
The book is well worth reading, even if you do not intend practicing sword forms. The underlying principles are the same.

Important Principles of Tai Chi Ch'uan

relax - release (let go) - sink

root - yield - follow - join (connect)

lively - light - natural

even - slow - continuous

directed - balanced

movement from the center

curved movement

upright-straightening from within

not going to the extreme

full and empty

open and close

keeping the essential

deep breathing

meditative state of mind

A helpful myth

So let me tell you a story. A myth really. But, I'm not using myth in the popular sense of "something that isn't true, but which many people believe" (as in "urban myth"). I'm thinking more of a way of telling that is true but not necessarily literally or scientifically true. A myth is a story that helps us make sense of life.

Once upon a time you were born. And you were born with a certain deposit of  life force, essence, vitality. Let's call it qi (and pronounce is "chee"). Each day of your life you use some of this qi until one day, after a long and happy life, when all your qi has been used, you will die. The quality of your qi when you were born depends on a bit of luck, on karma, on the health and vitality of your parents when they conceived you, and when your mother carried you in the womb. You couldn't change your inherited qi even if you wanted to or tried very hard to.

But, there is another kind of qi that you acquire each day of your life. You derive this qi from the air you breath, from the food you eat, from the quality of your life and relationships. Good food, good exercise and good relationships add to you store of qi. A poor quality of life consumes qi faster than you acquire qi. 

There is good news. If you acquire qi faster than you consume it, you store your qi and this stored qi acts as a buffer between your acquired qi and your inherited qi. In this way, you use your inherited qi at a slower rate. You live longer and the quality of your life is better.

When illness strikes, it takes a large toll on your qi. The more acquired qi you have stored, the better you will fare with illness. If you develop the skill, you can even transfer some of your stored qi to others when they need it. You can be an energizer of others. You can help them be well.

Of course, you cannot escape death when all your inherited qi is finally used, but you can have a long and fulfilled life.

Not a bad myth as far as myths go! Where does taiji fit in the myth? Taiji is a wonderful way to acquire qi. Taiji is energy work. As you develop taiji practice, you can feel qi in your body. You can feel its movement. You can feel where there are blockages of qi It takes time. It takes daily discipline. But, it is well worth the effort.