Two of the most important parts of the form are the walk and cloud hands (round hands). In both of them we encounter overtly the principle of shifting the weight, which is just as important in the rest of the form, but not always so obvious. This principle allows beginners to “make sense” of and simplify in their understanding, parts of the form which often seem complicated. The practitioner is shifting the weight, moving from the hips (center), moving the arms and legs, and changing the position of the feet, all in the same movements.
In the square form (Chow Chian Chiu), the walk is broken into eight parts for each forward step (Six when walking backwards). Leaving out hand and arm movements drops this to four parts in each forward step (Three parts in each backward step). In its most simple form this can be further reduced to two parts, as follows.
1) Shift the weight off of one leg and
2) Move that leg forward (or back). Then
1) Shift the weight to the other leg and
2) Move the unweighted leg forward (or back).
Once the difference between “ordinary” walking and T’ai Chi walking is understood, the purpose and obvious “common sense” of shifting the weight while remaining in balance unifies a complicated series of movements into the one, more easily comprehended (and remembered) principle.
When we first learned to walk, it was a scary experience. We learned by raising our foot and starting to fall in the desired direction, then moving our foot out to catch ourselves and keep from falling down. Naturally we tense up to keep from falling and also from the fear of falling. We are out of balance from the time when we start leaning until the foot lands. We still walk this way.
In T’ai Chi, we shift our weight first, with both feet solidly planted, from one foot to the other. We are never out of balance and thus don’t have to tense up to keep from falling. We then shift the foot and leg that have no weight on them, and thus can remain in a state of relaxation while walking.
When we learn the walk in T’ai Chi, it usually takes some time because we are changing a lifetime of habits. This is made even more difficult because although these habits are a less efficient way of moving, they have served us well for all these years, and have kept us from falling down.
As we change the way we move, we tend to let go of residual tensions associated with fears from the time when we learned to walk. This allows for a new calmness and sanity to appear in many other parts of our lives.
Thoughts on Economy & Synchronization of Movement
When the unnecessary extra movements associated with tension and the residue of past physical and emotional traumas drops away, the essential components of each movement, and their relations to each other, become more apparent. Often the synchronization of two simple movements performs an action which -- when unembedded from the myriad of dysfunctional extra movements we carry from old habits, tensions, injuries, and/or other subtle psychological affectations -- can lend a simple elegance and beauty to our every movement.
Specific physical examples of both economy and efficiency of movement, and the synchronization of essential movements can and are applied/generalized also to the emotional, intellectual and spiritual components of all our feelings, thoughts and endeavors.
Each T’ai Chi movement can and does teach by analogy a valuable lesson. These physical “Teaching Stories”, by which we become less dysfunctional and more sane, become part of our repertoire, which we then pass on to others. T’ai Chi can thus be likened to a catalyst, which transforms and crystallizes an entire solution, without being used up in the process.
As balance improves and artifacts of the tension required for out of balance movement drop away, what is left becomes increasingly clear and obvious and this allows us to sharpen the focus of our attention on the more functional aspects of all our activities. This meditative perspective can subtly transform the quality of our lives and that of those around us and all we come in contact with, and by its effect fosters truly spiritual work.
