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In the West, tai chi, or tai chi, as a rule, is not known very much: as if it were some kind of gymnastics in slow motion. However, tai chi is primarily a spiritual path. Learn more about the essence of this “meditation in motion”.
Tai chi is said to have been invented by Taoist monks at the turn of the millennium by observing how six different animals behave in defense and attack: a deer, a bear, a monkey, a tiger, a crane, and a snake. Thus, initially it is a kind of martial art, which includes 108 rounded movements, flowing one into another.
“Tai chi” in Chinese means “the highest level of martial arts” or “great limit”. This is both health-improving gymnastics, and martial art, and the path of spiritual self-improvement. The purpose of tai chi practice is to clarify your life energy, called qi, and thus open your mind to comprehend some higher dimension.
In the view of the Taoists, a person is an intermediary between heaven and earth. In order to manifest his true essence, inherent in him by nature, he needs to calm the body and mind. Then the so-called previous heaven will open to him, that is, the state of inner peace, which allows him to live in harmony with the outer world. To do this, we resort to two complementary practices aimed at clearing chi: one consists of a specific set of movements, and the other is a seated chan meditation (zazen).
From the origins of tai chi
According to legend, Chang San Feng saw a duel between a snake and a magpie from his window. Flying in circles above the ground, the bird watched the snake coiled below. The snake watched the bird move away and approach, threatening it more and more. Suddenly, the magpie screamed piercingly and, with a sharp flapping of its wings, rushed at the snake. She began to shake her head from side to side, dodging the claws and beak of the bird. Smoothly gliding in a spiral, maintaining its twisted shape, it suddenly rushed like lightning and killed the bird. Then Chang San Feng realized that roundness and flexibility take precedence over rigidity and directness.
What does the concept of “tai chi” include?
According to Chinese philosophy, this is the energy that breathes life into everything that exists. For the Chinese, nature is a living organism, and qi is the breath of nature itself, the breath of life itself, a source of strength for both living beings and inanimate objects. We do not have qi, we ourselves are qi! Tai chi can be thought of as a sphere consisting of two poles: one is active (yang), the other is passive (yin), like fullness and emptiness.
According to the Chinese, the harmonious balance of the world and, therefore, the balance of each individual is based on the complementarity of these two poles. The body and mind are manifestations of the same qi energy, and they cannot be separated. This is why tai chi is both a physical and spiritual practice. When the mind finds balance and calms down, it sends signals of calm to the nervous system, which reacts immediately: muscular and nervous tension is relieved and disappears, and peace reigns in the body and mind.
You can also do it in reverse order: by relaxing the body, we relieve mental tension. This is the great principle of Chinese medicine: to help the energy to circulate equally freely throughout the body, thus allowing each organ to function without interference.
The main ideas of tai chi
First of all, tai chi is the ability to coordinate movements with mental attitude and proper breathing. This idea of harmony is emphasized by the Chinese names of many movements: “The wind plucks the leaves of the lotus”, “The crane spreads its wings”, “The peacock spreads its tail”, “Dispersing the clouds”.
It is very important not to get annoyed, not to fuss, not to be nervous. Concentration of attention and will, gathering together all the forces for the correct passage of qi during the exercises is an indispensable condition for the successful mastering of the practice. Remember that tai chi is strength with a minimum of effort, power with ordinary restraint, will, gathered into a fist, in the absence of violence against oneself, action with external “non-action”.
The slight tension that you feel should be combined with relaxation – internal and external. But no violence, no overload. Taiji is not torture, not a mockery of the body, but a way to find your place in the universe. Already at the very beginning of learning tai chi, remember the golden rule: movements are like waves, like wind blows, like slow moving clouds. Breathing is calm, full.
Taichi for stress
If you practice regularly, the body gets used to the state of inner peace: it is saturated with it, enjoys it … And when external stress arises, it will not accept it. Over time, internal changes occur in a person: he is aware of the stress under which he was, and suddenly realizes that he has a huge internal harmonizing potential, which he still has not been able to use. This does not mean at all that a person closes himself from the world and its worries, he simply no longer succumbs to them.
Why practice is good for health
The movements of tai chi, very slow and always round, have a healing effect as they gently act on every muscle, every organ and every cell so that the vital energy can course harmoniously through the energy channels of our body. These movements change our well-being. Breathing becomes deeper, blood circulation improves, a healthy complexion appears, sleep becomes calm, digestive problems are eliminated.
Tai chi also makes our body more flexible. The beneficial effect of these exercises can be felt from the very beginning. Tai chi is especially valuable because it can be started at any age. This does not require any special physical training and does not set the task of achieving indispensable sports results. Everyone moves at their own pace and at the level of their abilities.
Through tai chi, we learn about ourselves
We are used to living fast: thinking fast, acting fast, and most importantly, getting what we want quickly, and we are afraid of frustration. And tai chi is a school of slowing down, detachment and patience. The movement is done in accordance with the rhythm of qi, so all our attention should be directed to follow the aspiration of the energy of life. This is how we have a direct and concrete experience of dynamic concentration.
However, these movements are not only slow, they also follow each other in a certain order. This means that the quality of the entire chain depends on the quality of each movement. This can be achieved by constant focused repetition of the techniques over several years. The main thing is not to strive for the beauty of movements, but for their accuracy.
Tai chi classes gradually help us move away from everything superficial, overshadowing our natural essence. We are less dependent on emotional swings, we are more attentive to our body and eat better, we feel better and do not want to poison our body and mind. Finally, we are aware of what is really important to us, and we realize that the more we free ourselves by giving up the unnecessary, the richer we become.
We find our teacher the moment we are ready to become disciples.
According to the Chinese, the harmonious balance of the world and, therefore, the balance of each individual is based on the complementarity of these two poles. The body and mind are manifestations of the same qi energy, and they cannot be separated. This is why tai chi is both a physical and spiritual practice. When the mind finds balance and calms down, it sends signals of calm to the nervous system, which reacts immediately: muscular and nervous tension is relieved and disappears, and peace reigns in the body and mind.
You can also do it in reverse order: by relaxing the body, we relieve mental tension. This is the great principle of Chinese medicine: to help the energy to circulate equally freely throughout the body, thus allowing each organ to function without interference.
Transmitting the teachings of tai chi means transmitting a way of life
One evening, while at his home in France, Gregorio Manzura learned of the death of Gu Me Sheng. The student lost his teacher, but his teaching remained alive for him. This is the last life lesson that his mentor taught him.
“I tell myself that there is no need to cry, that death is an integral part of our life. I understand everything, but feelings do not heed the mind. I am alone in my little house. I close my eyes. Images float, voices come to mind, our meetings, conferences, jokes, disputes, books – everything that is connected with Gu Me Sheng. Three candles are burning, the mistral is gently blowing. “Thoughts have no roots.” Consciousness is freed, empty. There is peace and clarity. All of a sudden I’m covered in heat from head to toe. It helps me strengthen my spine, it straightens my back. He makes me open my eyes and face his death. This death tells me of his presence in my life. The fact that Gu Me Sheng simply followed his natural path: he was born, matured, died. Life took place to the fullest. And now I must keep my word and share his teachings with my friends. Despite the fact that I do not know everything, despite my weaknesses and mistakes. “This is what our path goes through.” I fall asleep in a chair.”
An excerpt from Gregorio Manzur’s book Movements of Silence.
What qualities should a mentor have and how to choose one?
We find our teacher the moment we are ready to become disciples. After all, our ego usually rules us. And it does not want to change habits and does not want any radical changes. As long as the ego commands us, it chooses the teacher. But then, when we are ripe for change, we meet someone who can help us with this.
Taichi teacher means “good friend” in Chinese. A real teacher knows what is needed and useful for each of his students, he understands that each person is unique and different from others, and teaches each according to his personality. There are no standards in this kind of training. Each of us has a deep intuition, and we should rely on it when choosing a teacher. You should not proceed from considerations of an “external” order, that is, for example, look for courses based on the principle of convenient location or popularity. You have to experiment with your body and mind, try both, and you may even have to change more than one teacher until you find what you need.
A good teacher is one who himself, in his own life, in his relationships with other people, puts into practice the values that he teaches his students.
How does tai chi change people?
Early in my youth, I realized that I had a very impulsive, explosive nature, and I began to look for a discipline that could help me channel my energy. I got acquainted with many teachings and practices, I was in India and Nepal, and all this was quite beneficial, but I felt a real push in the chest (“That’s it!”) I felt at the Sorbonne, at a lecture by the one who later became my teacher of tai chi, a Chinese Gu Me Sheng. My path was long and difficult, my ego resisted incredibly, but I felt that I had found the very path, following which I could find inner peace.
At last I have learned to tame the wild horse that lives in me. My teachers helped me develop self-confidence, inner freedom and taught me to accept myself for who I am. In parallel with tai chi, I read and now I constantly read the works of the great Chinese sages: Lin Chi, Confucius, Lao Tzu. Their philosophy opened up to me a completely different way of understanding life, and most importantly, a different way of living.
About the author: Gregorio Manzur is a journalist, writer, author of the book Movements of Silence, and a master of tai chi.