The study of T'ai Chi Ch'uan is unique in the sense that it
marks the historical meeting of many centuries of Taoist study known as Chi
Kung ("Excellence of Energy"), which was primarily dedicated to physical
health and spiritual growth, with the need of the time (approximately 1,000
A.D.) for monks to defend themselves against bandits and warlords. The
result was, and is, an unusual blend of healing, martial, meditative art
which has been referred to as the internal practice of T'ai Chi Ch'uan.
In each of these expressions, this emphasis on the internal aspect of the
study is primary. This indicates that the true focus of the study is not
primarily that of the physical level, but places the emphasis of the
practice more on the mental and energetic levels. The mental component is
really most important since the number one condition that inhibits an
individual from achieving excellence in anything, including one's own
health, is a state that Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to as being
"weak-minded". This "weak-minded" state indicates one who is easily confused
or distracted. So the first quality to be developed in T'ai Chi is that of
strengthening one's concentration, or what is referred to in the martial
arts as being centered.
The ability to center the mind is really that of keeping the mind
interested and involved in the experience of the present moment. This is
understood to be the foundation of T'ai Chi because from this state of
attention comes the possibility to change, correct, and heal. To facilitate
this process T'ai Chi uses a physical location in the lower abdomen/pelvis
which is called the Tan T'ien in Chinese. This represents the true body
center in the sense that it's the natural movement and feeling center. With
this specific body awareness we can begin the process of distributing the
attention more evenly and equally throughout the body. The ability to spread
attention throughout the body is understood in Chinese medicine to be one of
the most important elements of good health because it's indicative of the
relationship between the mind and the body. Unlike the prevailing Western
view that one must work hard for the experience we call being healthy, in
T'ai Chi health is understood to be natural (and therefore effortless) to
that individual who has achieved balance and harmony between body and mind.
T'ai Chi has, during it's 1000 years of development, been considered to
be a movement art. This implies much more than just physical or even
energetic movement. It denotes a relationship with the experience of change.
The attitude which T'ai Chi seeks to cultivate is an understanding of change
as a natural life process. One is asked to look at tendencies in which we
resist change, be they phyasical, emotional, or mental. Through the practice
of T'ai Chi one allows oneself to become a more willing participant in the
process of change, understanding that it is inevitable anyway. The practice
may begin primarily as a physical experience, but given time, applies the
qualities that we seek to develop physically, including balance, good
timing, and integration, to the emotional, mental, and spiritual levels as
well.
The essence of T'ai Chi practice is not to learn a set of movements, nor
to become talented in a system of self-defense, although these abilities may
occur during the course of practice. The intention of T'ai Chi is to allow
one the opportunity to become more aware of the natural laws which govern
change; not just change in the body as affects physical, structural
movement, but rather principles of change and movement that govern every
aspect of our lives and the world around us. The exercises of the practice
simply provide us with an opportunity to explore that process of discovery.
