The study of T’ai Chi begins with a process of removing
extra movement and thereby learning to move in a more efficient manner. In the
first raising of the arms we learn not to tense or raise our shoulders as the
arms come up. When we start moving our feet we begin to become aware that if we
can stay in balance in the gravity field, then many of the tensions involved in
keeping us from falling over also become extra, and unnecessary, movements.
Many extra movements, even small ones, interfere with our balance, requiring
additional tensions and movements to adjust for their effects. Staying in
balance allows us to maintain the relaxed state characteristic of T’ai Chi, and
is facilitated by movements characterized by the use of minimal muscle group
activation. This generates an elegant simplicity of perceived movement, which
shows through when the nonfunctional movements dissipate as our practice
evolves.
When this happens, the few simple movements left often use
single pairs of muscles. And when these movements are synchronized, they appear
externally similar to ordinary movements, but they share the exceptional quality
of being generated from the center, and bring with them an internal harmony
within the body. Some examples will clarify this very practical and useful
insight. Hand and arm movements are a good place to start because they are more
easily learned than the leg, hip, and foot movements. This is because these
leg, hip and foot movements somewhat contradict some of the strongest of old
habits connected with keeping us from falling over, and because they are also
less visible at first.
The Punch – Wrist and
arm movement coordination
In the form, after the first forward walk and before carry
tiger to mountain and cross hands, we pull our fist back to our dan t’ien, lay
the fist down across the waist below the belly button, rotate the hips to the
right then back to center, and then raise the fist back up. Then, as we shift
the weight forward onto the front leg, we initiate the forward punch. (This is
a forward punch, not downward as in attack the tiger). In these movements, as
the fist (a gentle fist – imagine you are holding a butterfly, or some long
stemmed roses and don’t want to be stuck by the thorns) is drawn back to your
body, the wrist angle changes from almost straight to bent in almost a right
angle. This keeps the fist’s alignment to the walls and corners of the room (or
the compass directions, if outside) the same. The wrist is then straightened to
lay the fist across the waist. The hips are then turned to the side and back
forward, the wrist is bent again to point the fist forward, and as the punch is
initiated and the fist is moved forward, the wrist is gradually straightened so
that, again, the alignment of the fist in space is not changed. One can at this
point imagine that one is sliding the fist on a table, so that it does not go
up or down. The movement is entirely horizontal.
We are concerned here with two simple muscle activities –
the movement of the arm forward, and, exactly synchronized with this, the
bending and straightening of the wrist so as to keep the fist exactly aligned in
space, a beautiful example of stillness in motion. During this movement, the
shoulder should be relaxed and the punch can be considered a gentle stretch
from the spine through the fingers, connecting them all and allowing the flow
of Chi. One might imagine they are sawing wood with a handsaw, and that it is
necessary to keep the saw aligned in the slot it has made so that the blade
will not bind in the slot.
The Exercise
Creating Stillness
in Motion
1) Put your hands together (as in praying) with the wrists bent 90 degrees and the arms against your stomach
so that the fingers are pointing forward, the elbows are out to the sides, and the forearms are parallel to the floor. Slowly push the hands out in front of you until your arms are extended in front of you. Notice that when you start your wrists are bent. And when you finish, your wrists are straight. Bring your hands back to the start, and again, notice how the wrists unbend and bend as the arms go forward and back. We are endeavoring to take conscious control of our wrist movements as we do this forward and back motion. By contrast, usually the wrist is automatically moving according to very old habit patterns, which typically are not functional movements.
2)
Put your left hand down by your side and try
doing the same movement using only one hand. Again, pay attention to the wrist.
Watch it bend as you draw it back to you and against your body, and unbend as
you push it out. Keep the flat palm perpendicular to the front of your stomach,
with the fingers pointing straight in front of you. Do this slowly, trying to
perfect the coordination so that the alignment of the hand does not waver.3) When you are fairly comfortable with step 2, close the hand into the relaxed fist. As you push the fist forward and pull it back, again watch and take control of the wrist’s straightening and bending. This is so you can synchronize the arm movement, which moves it forward and back, with the unbending and bending of the wrist. This gives the appearance of stillness to the fist as it moves forward and back.
This exercise helps the student to take conscious control of what is usually an automatic, habitual movement. The hands are in front of us in plain sight and they do not support our weight, so they are relatively easy to work with. They are a good starting point. When we learn about this coordination and synchronization in one movement, it can easily be applied in other areas. This leads to improvement throughout the form, and generalizes to more efficient behavior patterns in our everyday life.
This same set of muscles can be used in an up/down movement similar to playing with a yoyo. Hold your right (or left) hand parallel to the floor and move your hand up and down, keeping the palm open and straight and parallel to the floor. You can put a coin on the back of your hand and do this movement up and down without dislodging the coin. When you get better at this, you can replace the coin with a golf, tennis, or ping pong ball. Again, we start with the wrist movement and eventually can take conscious control. As we do so, we have the opportunity to change from old dysfunctional habits to more sane and functional ones. This can be applied to many other movements.
One example of a more difficult movement occurs just after the first round hand, after the turn. As the hip rotates out and to the left, the left foot gradually turns inward so it appears that the foot is drawn straight back. The arm is also drawn back. However, when we do this movement at a higher level, both the arm and the leg movements are produced from the center of the body by turning the hip out as the foot turns in (the angle of the arm also changes), again creating another example of stillness in motion. These examples are much easier to demonstrate visually than to describe with words. They are perhaps much simpler to do than to describe, and I hope my attempt to describe them in words doesn’t make them appear too complicated.
The Chows offered a very high level of instruction to all who came to them, and I hope to provide the same to all who find their way here. Again, it is not necessary to perform the form perfectly to attain the benefits attributed to T’ai Chi, and these rather technical offerings should not discourage anyone from practicing at whatever level they enjoy. I present them with only a desire to aid those who may find them useful.
Thanks
to All,
Daniel
