T’ai Chi & Kung Fu

The Ancient Art of Health, Strength, Balance and Harmony

Knowing others is intelligence, knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength, mastering yourself is true power.

- Lao Tzu

Tai Chi Ch’uan

History and Background
T’ai Chi Chuan, the 800 year old moving meditation from China, is both a healing art and system of self-defense. The translation is “grand ultimate,” named for its all-encompassing functionality. The T’ai Chi, or yin/yang symbol represents the intersection of opposing forces resulting in perpetual change and motion in the universe.

T’ai Chi Ch’uan was invented by legendary Shaolin Kung Fu master Zhang Sanfeng in the 13th century. Sanfeng was seen in the 15th century, making him over 200 years old. The main qualities that characterize T’ai Chi are: relaxation, light stepping, and slow, synchronized movements that radiate from the waist. During T’ai Chi practice, the heartbeat slows down, breathing deepens and the mind becomes very alert.

T’ai Chi Ch’uan is one of the four main systems of Chinese Kung Fu and the most powerful. Unlike the other styles of Kung Fu in which the speed and power are made visible, T’ai Chi Ch’uan forms look soft and receptive. Beneath that slow, flowing movement is a coiled spring of resilient force. More on Tai Chi Chuan history here.

All of the various T’ai Chi Ch’uan styles share the same principles. These guidelines boil down to three main themes – Slow, synchronized movements that radiate from the waist, light stepping, and relaxation. From those basic, three themes come other tenets and a myriad of incremental details.

T’ai Chi is part exercise and part meditation, and much larger than the sum of those two parts. If you meditate and exercise, or even play a sport at a high level, you will not generate the same quality of energy and awareness you would as a result of T’ai Chi training. And more to the point, you can get in the zone without risking injury, and produce Qi (pronounced chi) at will and without other players, a track, field or ball.

The meditative aspect is a product of the slowness, which allows the mind to tell the body what to do and then watch what it is doing as it’s being done. There is ample time to plan, act and observe the movement as it is carried out. Both the T’ai Chi warm-ups and subsequent forms target vital energy centers that move stagnation and circulate Qi , creating a mind/body/spirit energy stream that is the hallmark of T’ai Chi.

Style
Two styles of T’ai Chi are offered at In Forma — the Mainland 24, Yang Style, a short form that takes only seven minutes to perform, but can take up to a year to learn. This form was created by a symposium of T’ai Chi masters in the mid-20th century. It contains the most important elements of longer forms, emphasizing energy receptivity as much as energy transmission. The more strenuous long form, the 64, or “Original Yang” takes 20 minutes to perform, per side, so can result in a 40 minute T’ai Chi session if desired. This form has a deeper, more centered stance and builds up much more energy and power.

Practice

T’ai Chi can be practiced at any age and is very therapeutic. T’ai Chi heals and teaches fighting at the same time because it is the integration of Qigong and kung fu.

T’ai Chi Ch’uan is considered an internal system of kung fu, and the movements are performed slowly, constantly and smoothly, while the external systems of kung fu are done hastily, and with a show of force. Some styles of T’ai Chi Ch’uan, like Chen style and Original Yang style (aka Guang Ping Yang) have a slow build up to occasional forceful emissions of power. Other styles, like Wu style, are entirely soft, meditative and self-contained. Though Wu and Yang styles do not show force, they often produce very effective push hands players because they follow force and merely get behind what is already there.

Flowing mind/body consciousness from practicing T’ai Chi creates a method of communing with others that allows students from any style or system to communicate their level of skill called Push Hands, the interactive T’ai Chi exercise. T’ai Chi practice teaches how to exchange energy without invasive contact, and a way to repel violent force without getting tired, vexed or injured.

T’ai Chi Ch’uan moves from posture to posture like a river, flowing over obstacles — a constant flow of changes. The positions in-between each picture-perfect posture are as important as the completed movements. Practicing T’ai Chi Ch’uan form exemplifies the notion that “Life is a journey, not a destination.”

The primary distinction between the practice of T’ai Chi Ch’uan and all other martial arts styles is the self-control and constant mindful awareness created by the slowness of execution. Anyone adept at T’ai Chi can deflect most aggressive attacks without feeling or causing pain and suffering.

Benefits
T’ai Chi practice rewires our reactions to stress. Our reptilian brain is bypassed and instead we are reprogrammed to respond with a balanced integration of compassion and aggression. It is the expression of reason over reaction, and mind over matter.

Practicing T’ai Chi improves circulation, balance, breathing and coordination. It increases energy availability, muscular strength, endurance, flexibility, bone density, immunity, mental awareness and calmness. And it decreases stress, tension, fatigue and mental cloudiness. T’ai Chi aligns itself with natural law, and the same laws that prevail in physics with regard to gravity, rotation, motion and stillness. Psychology, physiology, aesthetics, and spirituality all come into play in T’ai Chi. T’ai Chi does not rely on pure strength, but rather awareness, grace and sensitivity. Women can rarely match men in strength, but we excel in these other areas. T’ai Chi uses awareness, calmness and control to counter brute force. (Article on “Benefits” from the Mayo Clinic)

Ironically, T’ai Chi, unlike sports or pure conditioning, does not exploit energy for with the goal of winning, running faster, or scoring points. T’ai Chi improves ones whole state of being by cultivating Qi, simultaneously providing youthful energy, a profound philosophy, a health care plan, a method of poetic self-expression and a system of higher communication. A step up on the evolutionary ladder of humankind, T’ai Chi represents our progress from  primates who grab, push and shove, or cower, shrink and run into balanced, civilized, enlightened people who can take care of themselves and others well into old age.

Understanding T’ai Chi philosophy helps people bond with others on this path. The intense bonding, the sense of community and friendship with ones sisters and brothers is another one of the rich rewards from practicing T’ai Chi. The far reaching and overarching goals of T’ai Chi make the patience required during the learning process a relatively small sacrifice. The cognitive sensing from slowing down even while in the learning phase provides the immediate reward of Qi flow, of feeling more centered and balanced, and over time, the higher level of skill that is attained from long-term training. Practitioners enjoy richer, wiser lives from taking the time to learn and practice T’ai Chi.

The ease of execution comes from focusing on where you are coming from to get to where you are going, not from trying to be where you are not. You always have to be firmly sunk and rooted on the back leg to achieve the light step on the other leg to advance to the next movement. You can never get ahead of yourself, literally and figuratively.

Ironically, you won’t get where you want to be – healthy, calm and youthful – by straining to be as strong as you think you should be, or struggling look as young as you once did. You will achieve this by practicing something that is designed specifically to produce youth and vitality – T’ai Chi.

About Qi (pronounced “Chi” )
We experience the Qi flow during the form by relaxing, sinking the weight, and connecting to planetary forces. Qi is always there, surrounding us and inside of us, but we choose to focus on other things most of the time. We feel more Qi by becoming aware of it. Think of how you notice other cars like your own, or how once you think about something, it affects the way you feel.

Our Teacher
We are very proud and privileged to have as a teacher one of the most renowned Tai Chi Masters in the U.S. Master Marilyn Cooper is an award winning T’ai Chi Master of national and international level.

Here’s a Tai Chi video demonstration of Master Marilyn Cooper in action.

Kung Fu

History and Background

Kung fu is a Chinese term that literally means  ”work + time = accomplishment.” Kung fu has come to mean the traditional martial forms and systems of China. Shaolin Kung Fu refers to the martial arts systems that were created in five different Chinese Buddhist temples over 3,000 years ago. Northern Shaolin is the forerunner to all the many derivative styles and systems that developed throughout the Far East. Also called Long Fist or Chang Ch’uan, it evolved in the vast Northern plains.

Northern Shaolin is the forerunner to all the many derivative styles and systems (Karate, Tae Kwon Do, etc …) that developed throughout the Far East. Also called long fist or chang ch’uan, N. Shaolin evolved in the vast Northern plains. These forms heat the body up quickly to withstand the harsh weather conditions and traverse big, open spaces.

Styles

The four main systems of traditional kung fu are called Shaolin, Tai Chi, Xing Yi and Bagua. Since the mid-twentieth century, these systems and forms have been reorganized into a highly athletic performance art known as Wushu, considered a national treasure by the Chinese government. These systems and forms progress from external –”the energy of movement” to internal – “the movement of energy.” External training develops strength and agility. Internal training develops balance, control and awareness, and cultivates “Qi,” or stores energy.

At In Forma we teach the Northern Shaolin style

These forms heat the body up quickly to withstand the harsh weather conditions and traverse big, open spaces. The movements are fully extended and dramatic, best learned from a young age while the bones are still soft. The stances are low and wide, with high kicks and jumps, and the steps are big strides. The spirit in the forms is expansive and courageous.

Like ballet is to dance, it is foundation training for all of the other styles. The extreme range of motion makes it possible to perform any other martial art.

The Classics say,“You cannot enter the gates of T’ai Chi till you pass through the halls of Shaolin.”