Holistic Healthworks

The History and Principles of Tai Chi

By: Dan Halpain, ABT/HHP

Part one: A Brief History

Tai Chi has a very long history of development.  Around 500 A.D. the Indian Buddhist monk Bodhidarma developed Shaolin boxing in order to strengthen the monks at the monastery in Honan who were weakened by long hours of meditation and physical neglect.  It was also a time when martial skills were necessary to protect the monks who sometimes came under attack in the remote mountains.  Although martial skills were not previously unknown, Bodhidarma brought in the elements of health, spirit, and virtue.

The legend behind Tai Chi is that near the end of the Sung Dynasty (960-1278 A.D.) a Taoist by the name of Chang San-feng applied the concepts of Yin-Yang, proper breathing, and Taoist philosophy to Shaolin boxing.  He noted that of the five animals; tiger, dragon, leopard, snake, and crane, the movements of the snake and crane are most able to overcome strong and unyielding opponents.  Chang San-feng thus replaced strength with flexibility and suppleness.

Legends abound and one is that Chang San-feng came up with Tai Chi Chuan in a dream.  Another is that while wandering Wudang mountain he observed a crane and a snake locked in combat and was inspired in the creation of Tai Chi Chuan.  Regardless of the legends' lack of historical evidence, the Tai Chi legend has endured through the centuries by a long oral tradition.

There are many styles and variations of Tai Chi practiced but the main four are the Chen, Yang, Wu, and Sun.  The Chen style is the oldest and is the documented true origin of Tai Chi Chuan. It was created in the village of Chengiaguo by Chen Wangting in the the late 1500's.  The traditionally closely guarded family secrets were taught to the first non-family member, Yang Luchan, in the late eighteenth century.  Yang style was passed down through many family generations, one of the last being Yang Chen-fu who died in 1935.  Yang Chen-fu taught Cheng Man-ching who’s simplified form is known as the "Yang style short form," or the "37 form", and is one of the most widely practiced in the United States.

Part two: The Six Principles- Proper Breathing, Relaxation, Awareness, Posture, Movement, and Yin-Yang.

In order to obtain the complete benefits of Tai Chi, six key principles must be understood and implemented.  The first key principle is proper breathing.  In Tai Chi the focus of breathing is on the Tan T’ien, the area between the navel and the pubic bone.  This area is both our literal and figurative center.  To focus the breath in this area the tongue is kept lightly on the roof of the mouth and the lips are kept closed.  Breathing is done through the nose.  The lungs are filled just as you would fill a cup, beginning at the bottom.  The abdomen should be allowed to expand naturally like that of a small child.  Exhalation is like the emptying of the cup and is done without force.  In this way the entire lung capacity is utilized.  Breathing in this way increases the exchange of gasses in the lungs, massages the internal organs, increases peristalsis and improves venous blood flow.  In Chinese anatomy one function of the lungs is to help regulate the chi of the entire body. The lungs take in the chi of the air, mixes it with the chi from the food we eat to form nutritive and defensive chi.  Chi circulates through our bodies, nourishes our organs allowing for their proper function, holds things in their proper place, allows for movement and transformation, warms us, and protects us from external pathogens.

The imagery involve in proper breathing can be likened to the old saying, “In with the good air and out with the bad air.”  As one breathes they should feel that they are breathing in positive energy and exhaling all of the tension, stress, bad thoughts, worries, and illnesses of the day.  By concentrating on the breath these things will disappear like a mist.  During Tai Chi practice the breath is coordinated with movement so that the muscles do not develop tension.  During practice focus the breath into the Tan Tien so that the form is performed slowly and smoothly.  Deep, relaxed breathing during the form will prevent becoming winded and fatigued. The deep breathing and slow movements of Tai Chi will have a calming effect on the nervous system.

Relaxation is the second key principle.  It is very closely linked to the first.  To relax during Tai Chi practice does not mean to go limp.  It means that all unnecessary muscular tension is eliminated.  Relaxation means efficiency.  It allows the body to feel connected to the center of the earth.  Relaxation helps the movements to be coordinated and precise.  It allows for the free flow of chi through the meridians and thus reduces areas of stagnation and pain.  Relaxation also increases the muscles’ ability to react quickly.  Tense muscles burn energy unnecessarily.  Tension in opposing muscle groups slows and decreases the strength of muscular contractions.  In Tai Chi, relaxation gives us the “rooting” that is important to our ability to maintain balance during moments of adversity, either mental or physical.  The ability to relax during moments of mental and physical stress can literally save one’s life.

The third key principle, awareness, follows naturally from the first two.  When the breath is focused in the Tan T’ien and the mind is cleared of all extraneous thoughts, the mind is then receptive.  It is said that it is the empty part of a bowl which makes it useful.  So it is with the mind.  In Tai Chi the mind should first be cleared so that it can be receptive.  This improves awareness.  During the practice of Tai Chi one must be aware of the subtleties of movement, balance, muscular coordination, spatial orientation, and the flow of chi all at once.  If you focus too much on just one aspect the others are lost.  Through proper practice a heightened sense of awareness can be developed.  This is an important skill for self preservation.  Most victims of robbery are caught by surprise.

Their minds were focused on something other than “the moment” and their surroundings.  Most people have had the experience of becoming suddenly aware that someone has benignly snuck up on them.  Awareness is something that can be trained through Tai Chi.  When practicing Tai Chi, open your mind and breathe.

Posture is the fourth principle.  In Tai Chi practice it means that the upper body is held erect as though there is a string that extends out the top of the head and connects to the heavens.  The legs are like the base of a mountain.  The shoulders, chest, arms, wrists, and fingers should be held in a slightly curved and relaxed position.  The joins should never be locked.  This position allows for the free flow of chi through the meridians.  It also counteracts the force of gravity by keeping the weight of the upper body over the hips.  This in turn keeps the practitioner’s balance from being easily broken.  Holding the spine erect also helps with the natural turning of the waist which is one of the fundamental sources of power in Tai Chi as well as other martial arts.  Remember that posture is a form of communication.  Posture not only sends a particular message but influences the kinds of messages you receive.  It is true that mood can affect your posture but more importantly, your posture can affect your mood.  The principle of posture can be extended to our mental posture as well.  Being upright mentally can counteract the many negative forces that constantly confront us.

The fifth principle is Movement.  Tai Chi movement is like a string of pearls, undulating through the joints from the heel to the tips of the fingers. The joints are never locked.  Remember the childhood game of taking one end of a long rope and making a wave travel down its length.  The movement of chi through the body from the heels to the fingers is like a snake.  This synchronization of movement is beneficial to the preservation of the neuromuscular system.  The movement of the waist massages the internal organs.  The gentle rhythmic movement of Tai Chi activates all of the major muscle groups.  It improves muscle tone and circulation, stimulates the nervous system, lubricates the joints, and acts as a pump for the lymphatic system.   During the practice of Tai Chi great emphasis is place on the ability to flow.  “Flow” in Tai Chi is like the flow of water.  Hold this image in your mind as you practice.  Think of your limbs as being like hoses charged with water.  The water, your chi, flows through the string of pearls (your joints) beginning at the soles of your feet and out through the tips of your fingers.  The image of water is very important to Taoist philosophy because water is both soft enough to take the shape of any vessel and yet is powerful enough to wear down even the greatest of mountains.  In life as well as in the practice of Tai Chi, it is good to be like water.  When someone says to, “Go with the flow” it is sage advice.

The sixth key principle is Yin-Yang.  Yin-Yang is a conceptual framework in which all things can be categorized by their opposites, for example, night and day, light and dark, or cold and hot.  Yin is that which has the characteristics of being like water; coolness, darkness, stillness, inward and downward directions.  Yang is characterized by fire.  Upward and outward movement, heat, light, and action are all Yang in character.  An important characteristic of the Yin-Yang concept is that Yin transforms into Yang, and visa-versa, in a continuous state of change.  This is symbolically represented by the Tai Chi circle.  In the symbol the light and dark portions seem to be flowing one into the other and each contains a small portion of the other.  In the practice of Tai Chi Chuan, the Yin-Yang principle is represented by the weighing and un-weighing of the legs.  While one leg is Yang, or full, the other is Yin, or empty.  The flow is continuous like the Tai
Chi symbol.  The arms move in synchronization and counterbalance.  These transforming movements of Yin and Yang improve balance, coordination, and muscle tone as well as having a soothing effect on the nervous system.  It takes great concentration to separate Yin and Yang and still allow one to flow into the other.  If the transformation is not complete then balance is broken.  A foot must be empty before it can be picked up and moved.

The awareness that the world can be viewed in terms of Yin-Yang can help us deal with the stresses of our daily lives and bring us peace.  Remember that all things are in a constant state of transformation.  Suffering is part of the human condition, but so is happiness!  They cannot exist independently.  The practice of Tai Chi Chuan teaches us that by yielding we can overcome forceful attacks.  Yang flows into Yin.  We can turn the energies that oppose us and redirect them so that they defeat themselves.  Yin transforms into Yang.  This is the harmony of Yin and Yang.  By the diligent practice of Tai Chi, both the physical and philosophical practice, we can maintain good health and achieve peace of mind.