General
The following is a cursory explanation of the art of Taijiquan. For more in-depth reading on this subject, please visit www.ymaapub.com
Taiji is a philosophy. The words 'Tai-ji' mean Grand Ultimate. Quan means fist and implies martial art or technique. So, Taijiquan is a martial art based on the philosophy of Taiji and means Grand Ultimate Fist. It originated in China around 700 to 1,000 years ago. It combines the martial techniques of the Snake and White Crane styles with internal power or “Chi” also written as Qi (Chee). Taijiquan is a very fluid and graceful art comprised of slow, relaxed movements in coordination with deep breathing, having improved health and increased energy as a side benefit. In today’s society, the need for the martial applications of Taijiquan has diminished and the focus for the vast majority of practitioners is on the healthful benefits, both mental and physical.
The practice of Taijiquan enhances and increases our internal energy or "Qi" flow. Qi is a bioelectric energy, which is produced by the body, through breathing, eating and movement. Everyone has Qi flow. It is the energy on which everything in our body operates. When the Qi flow to a particular part of our body is stagnant, diminished or out of balance, we experience illness, disease or even death. Qi flows throughout the body through “channels.” Through our natural body movements, these channels are manipulated constantly throughout the day. The “quantity” of the Qi flow depends on our body position as well as our mental and/or physical state. Additionally, the “quality” of the Qi itself depends on the quality of the air we breath, the type and amount of food we eat and how well we deal with the “external” pressures of every day life. Dr. Wu Chengde once said, "We get Qi from heaven and Qi from the earth." Which means, we get Qi from the air we breathe (heaven) and from the food we eat (earth).
In practicing Taijquan we learn to regulate the breath, relax the muscles and calm the mind. In the process of doing this, our energy level increases, we feel better and chronic problems such as high blood pressure or stomach problems gradually subside. In some cases these chronic ailments have completely disappeared. We also learn to “live in the present.” This means we do not “worry” about what is going to happen tomorrow or what happened yesterday. We are not thinking about what we will be doing when we get finished practicing. Our only focus is on the here and now, the movement we are doing right now, not even thinking about the next movement. In so doing, we are better able to regulate the breath, relax the muscles and calm the mind in turn improving our health and vitality. The deeper our understanding of these concepts, the more we are able to apply them to everyday life situations. This does not mean we don’t plan for future events or remember the past, we simply don’t anguish or agonize over them. Things which would normally annoy us don’t even seem to warrant our attention. This is not to say we never worry, get angry, upset or frustrated, but through the practice of Taijquan we will tend to return to a state of balance or “let go of things” more quickly and focus on what needs to be done right now. Getting out of our initial emotional state and back to a state of calmness allows us to think clearly. Since we can’t think clearly when we are overly emotional, the sooner we get back to calm, the sooner problem solving can begin. In life we cannot control the words or actions of others, but through the practice of Taijquan we learn to better control our own reaction to these external forces, keeping our head while all those about us are losing theirs.
Taijiquan Form
Although there are several styles, they are all based on the same principles and all follow the Classics. The particular style taught here is the Yang Style. There are many variations of Yang Style even as there are variations of the other styles as well. The student will learn the Yang Style108 movement long form over a period of about 1 year (1 day per week). The initial focus is on teaching the physical movements, and very gradually emphasizing the fine details as progress is made. This includes proper breathing methods, body movement coordination and the martial applications of the movements. As one's energy flow and blood circulation increases, one's physical and emotional health improves.
Push Hands
Stationary and Moving
Push Hands is a 2-person exercise that involves the practice of redirecting each others' forces by way of manipulating the opponent's hands, arms and shoulders. Although Push Hands is part of the Taijquan curriculum, it is separated out into its own course. Physically, as a martial art, Push Hands teaches the ability to redirect physical forces by first "rooting" that force into the ground. Through sensitivity training, the force is "sensed" at such an early stage, that the redirection process begins when the slightest amount of force is recognized. Once the force is redirected, an opponent is vulnerable to counter attacking and/or control. The Taijquan form also helps in this training in that the Qi circulation is improved, which also allows one to "connect" to the energy of an opponent.
Another benefit of Push Hands is, on an emotional level, it trains how to "redirect" emotional forces acting upon us from an outside source. Emotional forces can come from personal verbal or social situations, environmental conditions, etc., all of which can cause stress. Push hands trains us to "root" the situation by NOT allowing the situation to control our emotions but, rather treat that situation as something happening outside of us rather than happening "to" us. Self confidence and self esteem are developed and increased with Push Hands practice. The "physical" pushing in push hands also represents emotional forces acting upon us, so this training has much benefit in the concept of "emotional rooting".
Stationary Push Hands is available to all beginner students. Moving Push Hands will be taught to students who have completed at least 1 year of Stationary Push Hands and can demonstrate a good grasp and understanding of it's principles. In moving Push Hands, the same principles of rooting and force redirection apply, but in addition, proper stepping training is emphasized to allow a wider variety of options, both in martial applications and in emotional situations.
The practice of Push Hands, both Stationary and Moving, will greatly benefit the student's balance and stability in practicing and understanding the Taijquan form and the art itself.
As with the Kung Fu training, Chin Na techniques will be taught and incorporated in the Push Hands training as well as when demonstrating the martial applications of the various movements in the Taijquan form.