Tai Chi

At the outset, one should recognize that it is very difficult to describe the nature of tai chi practice. It is an experience that becomes more subtle over time, and which becomes further and further removed from the realm of words and ideas. Thus, different people will explain it in different ways, and they will share some ideas and sometimes contradict each other. Finally, it is up to each individual student to find out what is ¡°true¡± about tai chi, and to test his or her understanding while practicing the physical movements or when working with other students and especially when working with a highly advanced teacher. Eventually, the nonsense will fall away and some direction to the practice will appear.

At first, tai chi has some physical principles and requirements. Certain ways of moving or standing will be shown to be unhelpful, even dangerous. The position of feet, knees, back, head will be examined carefully, and the method of movement will be investigated.  The angles of the feet are of great importance. The role of the waist in moving, the way to hold the back, the angles of different joints, all these will be considered. Within a short time, students will learn that their original instincts might be incorrect, that there are better ways to move. The student will move with more confidence and smoothness.

This focus on the physical components is useful in terms of exercise, posture, health and other such considerations, but it is also the beginning of our development of concentration. By focusing on physical stances and postures, and then in learning the lengthy sequence of movements, we are forced to pay careful attention to our bodies and our performance of the sequence. The wandering mind leads to errors very quickly. Soon, we realize that balance and smoothness of movement can be improved by doing things correctly. Little by little, our concentration is focused on what we are doing each moment.The complexity and attention to detail gives us something to focus upon, and therefore helps us concentrate.

Thus, the ability to focus the mind is another stage in tai chi development. It leads naturally to the experience of energy. As the mental focus improves and becomes steady or unbroken, there is a sensation that the movements are accompanied by interesting sensations of energy in the body. Each student may find some area of the body that is particularly ¡°energized¡± – the hands and fingertips, the top of the head, the soles of the feet. This energy is experienced in the body, of course, but it does not seem like ordinary experience. It is very attractive to the mind, and it allows for a very strong and pleasant form of concentration, different from the focus on principles of posture or movement, although those requirements remain in effect. Eventually, the experience of energy also becomes unbroken.

Once the student is firmly familiar with the experience of energy, and has some confidence in its existence, another stage of practice becomes predominant. Here is where an advanced teacher is necessary. The teacher will introduce sophisticated auxilliary practices to develop and strengthen the energy. An excellent teacher will be capable of perceiving, examining, and advancing the student¡¯s energy. The practice of ¡°pushing hands¡± (two-person practice) is a powerful tool used by the teacher. The energy of teacher and student will interact, and this exchange will help the student move forward in his or her development. The teacher will perceive the quality of the energy of the student, and work to improve it, strengthen it, move it to more subtle levels. Since the student has developed the experience of his or her own energy, it is clear that the teacher¡¯s energy is on a much higher plane. To a certain extent, the student ¡°borrows¡± the energy of the teacher to provide moments of enhanced experience of energy. Over time, the student¡¯s own energy will become more sophisticated.

Our school is led by H. Won Gim, ¡°Sifu,¡± and he is a recognized disciple in the lineage of Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan. There are many tai chi schools and teachers, but very few can trace their lineage in the way that Sifu can. Yang Style is the most popular style of tai chi worldwide, and was originally developed by Yang Lu Chan in China¡¯s Henan Province in the 19^th Century. Following old family traditions, the authority to teach the system was carefully regulated and limited to designated disciples. Only male heirs were entitled to become disciples, and this process continued over the centuries, with many notable masters appearing. Perhaps the most highly recognized is Yang Cheng-fu. His principal successor was Yang Sau-Chung, who moved to Hong Kong and remained there until he passed away in 1985. He had no male heirs, and therefore designated three disciples. One of these, Gin-Soon Chu, became a prominent teacher in Boston, and he designated four disciples, one of which is Sifu Gim.

Therefore, our Sifu¡¯s credentials are quite impressive and quite close to the family ¡°roots¡± of the Yang family. For that reason, our style is called Yang Family Style to distinguish it from many other schools that don¡¯t bear this close and intimate connection with tai chi as taught by Yang descendants. Sifu is quite meticulous and fiercely loyal to the style as he received it, and regards most modifications not as improvements, but rather as diminishing the style.

Sifu prefers to teach students personally. After learning the traditional ¡°long Tai Chi Chuan form¡± sequence and receiving corrections, students can advance to practicing the Power Push Hands with Sifu.

The experience of power pushing hands with a powerful teacher like Sifu can be quite surprising and even overwhelming. For weeks or months, we must learn to relax and compose ourselves properly. At first, we react clumsily, haltingly, but over time our reactions are more explosive and dynamic. Sifu explains that a basketball without air can hardly bounce at all, but a ball full of air will bounce powerfully with a ringing sound. As our own energy increases and improves, our reactions are more like that.

At first, we might notice his power and see it as a physical push, but later the perception of energy becomes more  clear, and we notice that there is often very little in the way of a physical component to his actions. Rather, the energy is strong but the physical movement is almost imperceptible. It takes a lot of concentration to keep focused on the exchange of energy between student and teacher. Over time, it becomes fascinating, almost intoxicating. The practice becomes one of developing the energy and its quality and our experience of perceiving it. Again, there are doubtless further levels to tai chi, but there is not much more I can say about it.