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Tai chi lessons
The qigong exercises that begin a typical tai chi class focus upon
lengthening and strengthening the major
muscle groups that support the body.
Form practice continues this, with the added
benefit of mobilising the joints.
Many students are not so keen on qigong because the exercises require stamina
and endurance.
Very few people give
form practice the time, effort and
mindful training it requires.
Standing qigong
Standing qigong can offer a fairly straightforward method for encouraging the
body to adopt better habits.
Often though, people exaggerate the arms or sit deeply into the legs.
This is unnecessary. A comfortable 70% stretch will serve just fine.
When not to stand
A student with bad knees should avoid performing standing qigong for a
long
duration. Moving qigong sets are a suitable alternative.
Biomechanics
The key to understanding joint health is to commit time to
the exploration of
biomechanics.
Set aside opinions,
habits and ideas.
Pay attention to what the human body actually does.
Discover what is strong and
what is weak. What is supported and what is vulnerable.
There is a tangible difference between good body use and poor, and the results
are quite easy to demonstrate and
prove.
How
Every movement made by the human body begins under the skin; nerves activate
muscles and muscles move the bones.
There is nothing special about this; it is the normal process.
Tai chi simply reconsiders the way in which the movement
is generated; they explore the how.
No strain
A student aims to move without becoming tired or straining the body.
This is quite different to exploring the entire range of possible joint
movement, as with yoga or Pilates.
Subtle action is necessary.
Connection
For every tai chi movement, the student has the opportunity to sustain
length and cultivate the optimal configuration of unified body parts.
This is a real challenge.
Mindful, slow,
careful practice
is essential.
There is no scope for
spacing out.
Disconnection
Over-stretching pulls
the joints adversely and therefore represents one extreme of
'disconnection'.
The other extreme is sagging; whereby insufficient connection prevents
whole-body
movement.
70%
The problem with range
and reach is that a student may feel quite comfortable operating at a
particular distance without being aware that they are exerting.
Familiarity leads to habit and habits feel right.
Often this is 'false sensory appreciation' whereby our interpretation of the
physical action is awry.
Proof
A good way to test 70% reach is to test the posture; the joints should
always have play and balance should never be affected.
Often the elbow joint is too open and the arms too straight, rather than
rounded.
The shoulder joint is under strain but the student is unaware of it.
Frame
'Frame' refers to structure - the placement of your body.
Your frame can be large, medium or small.
Copying the shape of another person does not guarantee that your structure will
be strong.
You must find out for yourself.
Everyone's body is different, so you must explore the strengths and
weaknesses of your own frame.
Stance
Stance is about the position of the feet relative to one another.
Think of it in terms of balance, stability and mobility.
When stood normally, the feet are beneath the body so the legs are not fatigued.
Your tai chi stances should emulate this as closely as possible.
Form
A lot of tai chi people emphasise
form practice.
Generally speaking this is a good thing.
However, without good awareness and an understanding of biomechanics it can do
as much harm as good.
The body needs to be balanced at all times. It needs to free, relaxed,
spontaneous and comfortable.
Form knowledge
Form is great if you know what the
movements are
for (combat)
and how to employ the body to generate
power (jing).
But if your
knowledge is lacking... be cautious.
Copying a fancy sequence is unwise if you
are just wafting your arms around and stepping without body control
and good balance.
Impact
Martial artists commonly
block, brace and
tense-up.
These practices prevent the skeleton from
moving freely.
Shock absorption is reduced. Impact adversely affects the joints.
Repetition
Avoid high repetition. It will wear out your joints.
If a students knows a lot of qigong, form and drills... stagger it across a
week. Don't do too much in any given day.
Once you have plenty of form to practice, de-emphasise less important
concerns.
Learn
A good
tai chi class will teach the student how to perform everyday actions
in a healthy way. Whole-body strength shares the
workload across the body and reduces stress on individual
joints.
Awareness, sensitivity,
balance,
understanding and
medically sound
principles
enable the individual to use their body more
skilfully. Just make
sure that
your teacher really
knows what they are doing?
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Page created
18 April 1995
Last updated
16 June 2023
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