The Tan Tien is the centre of your being. It is about 2 finger widths down from your navel (in acupuncture, the point is Chi Hai = Ocean of Chi) and about one-third way into your abdomen. The Chinese believe the Chi accumulates there.
Good health is when Chi or the energy of life circulates freely throughout the body. When Chi is blocked, ill health results. So the aim of Tai-Chi is to initiate and maintain the flow of Chi through a series of slow, graceful and continuous movements.
Do not worry about moving the Chi at the start. Worry about being so relaxed when moving that when Chi spontaneously moves, it will not be blocked. Practise the physical first. When you start a new cycle of movement by shifting your weight, start that movement from the Tan Tien.
It is interesting that Sports Science today says almost the same thing. It talks about triggering the core muscles (abdominal & back muscles) before initiating any functional moves like throwing or lifting.
2 comments:
Thank you Ben for teaching us !
Reading about balance, moving a foot with no weight and Chi's flow seems so obvious and makes sense ...
But when I practice (being a senior beginner), things are a bit different. How can you keep your balance without strong muscles? How can you tense muscles without feeling like a wooden stick -when you're not holding your breath-? How can you be relaxed to let your Chi flow when you struggle to keep your physical balance?
Sometimes I also have the feeling that it's my body which refuses to move. My brain understands but the whole body is just "out of order" led by a strong western culture and education. How frustrating!
Actually, training the body is may be easier than training the emotional balance...
Am I the only "student" with those feelings?
Being a good learner is to understand what one needs to learn. In Tai-Chi, a lot of it is learning to trust in the physical body. Like I always emphasize, trust your body because health belongs to the body. Leave your mind out of it.
So practise the physical, work on balance, let your senses (and your mind) be passive, taking a role in monitoring the moves and not in directing the moves.
One step at a time, one day at a time. That way you appreciate the small successes and will not be frustrated. Take heart, you are not as bad as you think. Ha! Ha!
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