Philosophy
Grandmaster Duan Yu Chang says simply: "Train Tai Chi principles into your body and into your heart". Edward Jardine Sifu says there are only three secrets to success in Tai Chi: "Practise, practise, practise". Literally translated, Tai Chi Chuan means "supreme ultimate fist". The fist is a symbol of "using the body to train the body/mind/spirit ". The thinking behind it makes it many things for many people. For some it is a martial art; for others it is relaxation, a form of meditation, a way of expressing themselves. Still others just enjoy the movement. Tai Chi also has many health benefits.
Possibly the supreme ultimate reason for training is to understand our oneness and to learn to live in harmony with the universe, says Jardine Sifu.
Tai Chi is a complete, integrated, physical, mental and spiritual martial art that fosters the natural development of the whole person. It has influences from Taoist, Buddhist and Confucian principles.
It is also a form of exercise based on the wisdom of yin and yang (complementary opposites), that conditions body and mind at the same time.
It is classed as an internal martial art form which stresses using softness to overcome hardness. One of the common thinking of Tai Chi is to try to use four ounces to overcome a thousand pounds.
' To know others, first know self,
For heart beats like heart '
(Old Chinese saying)
There are different styles of Tai Chi, many of them identified by family names. Yang style, after Yang Lu Chan is the most widespread in the world today. There are also Wu style, Sun style and Chen style etc, each with a different emphasis on speed and size of movement.
Whatever the style, an essential aspect is the cultivation, storage and circulation of intrinsic energy called chi, in and outside for a healthier body/mind.
The Tai Chi form is a series of movements that all have martial art applications. Many of the movements have names that relate to animals and nature. Quite possibly this is because people in the past studied animals and the rest of nature. The form includes punching, kicking, locking and grappling, in fact all the elements found in other forms of martial arts such as karate, aikido, taekwondo, shaolin, etc.
Yang style Tai Chi Chuan is usually practised slowly. However, depending on the time available and purpose of training, the form can also be speeded up.
Slowing down allows students to become aware of themselves and their surroundings. There is a Chinese saying: "You can't admire the flowers on a galloping horse." Slowing down and silence are in themselves a big lesson from the hustle and bustle of modern society. They are essential elements for self-defence.
"The more quiet you become, the more you will be able to hear," says Jardine Sifu. "Tai Chi teaches you to be calm and relaxed while interacting with other people. Relaxation helps you to melt into the eternal moment - the past, present and future."
At the heart of Tai Chi training is "to know yourself", says Jardine Sifu. In so doing, you get to know others and the world around you. In this way you can be in a better position to "feel things happen before they happen", and to anticipate, pre-empt and neutralise problems and conflict situations before they arise.