Tai Chi Chuan: principles and practice

Tai Chi Chuan

For a person, especially a person reared in a materialist and competitive Western culture to fully experience Tai Chi Chuan simply by reading about it in a book or even engaging in one practice sparring session would be impossible. Rather, someone must go out in life, seeking the spirit of taijiquan with an open mind and heart, and look upon ordinary experience with a new point-of-view. Then, he or she can bring that experience of flow and harmony back into his or her rigorous training in the art of Tai Chi Chuan.

The discipline and mental readiness needed to practice Tai Chi Chuan is not found simply in the pursuit of technique, but by changing one's view of daily life. Every discipline that demands total control and focus of one's body, mind, and spirit has the presence of taijiquan within its essential nature. For example, when playing a simple soccer game with friends, instead of trying to score a goal, a player seeking to discipline himself in the spirit of taijiquan should try to live in the moment, and be at one with the ebb and flow of the game. The philosophy of taijiquan would advise not seeking to make a goal, or psyching one's self up against the other team, but surrendering one's self to the game, and suddenly finding one's self in the zone. Respond to the needs of the moment, just as one would do in a sparring match.