Stay Signed In
Do you want to access your site more quickly on this computer? Check this box, and your username and password will be remembered for two weeks. Click logout to turn this off.
Stay Safe
Do not check this box if you are using a public computer. You don't want anyone seeing your personal info or messing with your site.
This is a new link (as of November, 2006). My plan is to start adding articles from various sources that may be of interest to Tai Chi / Qi Gong students. I'll be refining this as it develops. Keep checking back.
The Theory and Therapeutic Benefits of Tai Chi Chuan: A Brief Introduction of What Tai Chi Can Do For You
THEORY AND DESCRIPTION
Tai Chi is a therapeutic exercise which originated as a martial art. It is a slow moving martial art based on the Eastern belief that a life force (q i) or energy circulates throughout the body by way of pathways called meridians. A disruption in this flow of energy is believed to result in illness or disease. Therefore, a balance of chi is essential for health and Tai Chi is an exercise which promotes this proper flow of energy. However, it is both a physical and a mental exercise recognized as a form of moving meditation. Its philosophy emphasizes the importance of the connection between the individual's mind and body. Tai Chi is a holistic approach accounting for the entire individual rather than focusing on the localized symptoms. 3
SUGGESTED THERAPEUTIC BENEFITS
Psychological
Through Tai Chi's use of diaphragmatic breathing and focused meditation, this form of exercise has a relaxing effect on the individual. There has been scientific evidence showing that practitioners show improvements in self-esteem, self-confidence, sleep and mental health (depression, anxiety, etc.) as the result of participating in a Tai Chi program. 9
There is also evidence that improvements in friendliness and pleasantness among individuals who practiced this form of exercise. 6 An important part of Tai Chi is the prevalence of its practice within a group setting. The socialization aspect of this type of exercise is believed to play an important role in the psychological effects.
Cardiopulmonary
Benefits that have been reported within the cardiopulmonary system include decreases in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure1, more efficient breathing and in chest expansion. 7
Neurologic
The slow continuous movements of Tai Chi benefit the neurologic system by causing tonal decreases 5 in much of the same way as proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF). Tai Chi also aids in increased proprioceptive awareness 5 which is significant for the elderly population because of its importance in decreasing the number of falls. Much like other forms of treatment such as NDT (neurodevelopmental treatment), there is a focus on normal postural tone, trunk control, midline orientation and head control on the trunk. Tai Chi helps develop these through its slow movements, focus on posture, and prolonged stretches during a routine.
Musculoskeletal
Improvements in posture, strength and flexibility have been attributed to Tai Chi among those individual who practice the exercise.5 Its slow circular movements allow for gentle stretching of muscles, tendons and ligaments and are often compared to continuous passive movement which is used to increase the speed of healing. Tai Chi also allows for compression to the joint which aids in providing nutrients to the surrounding cartilage.5
Digestive
Researchers have found Tai Chi to be effective in improving conditions such as duodenal ulcers, lack of appetite, stomach pain and prolapsed stomach.4 It is believed that the "visceral massage effect" of some of the movements also assists in improving elimination.5
Endocrine
The physical activity of Tai Chi has been associated with decreases in cortisol levels within the body, thereby decreasing mood disturbances. 4 Tai Chi also causes an increase in the secretion of noradrenaline from the sympathetic nervous system which also aids in causing a physical relaxation.4
SPECIAL POPULATIONS STUDIED
Individuals with AIDS
Individuals living with an HIV+ status are turning towards alternative and complementary therapies, including Tai Chi. Students tend to feel a sense of empowerment aud greater involvement in self-care which provides a sense of power and control.8 It has been proposed that it is a source of motivation and theorized that it imparts a sense of hope among its practitioners as compared to nontraditional therapy users. 8
Geriatric Population
Among the elderly, Tai Chi has been extensively studied. It has been shown to be a safe and fun way to exercise among this population, while providing improvements in all areas of the body. This exercise provides a low to moderate level of cardiovascular activity while minimizing the stress on the joints. It is also beneficial because it is fairly easy to learn and benefits become noticable within a matter of weeks. Scientific investigation has shown that the physiological, psychological and social benefits that develop through the regular practice of Tai Chi are long lasting among this population. 6
References
1 Channer, K., Barrow, D., Barrow, P, Osborne, M., & Ives, G.(1996) Changes in hemodynamlc parameters following tai chl chuan and aerobic exercise in patients recovering from acute myocardial ininfarction. Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine 72, 349-351.
2 Davis, C. (I 997) Complementariy Therapies in Rehabilitation. New Jersey: SLACK lnc.
3 Draeger, D. & Smith, R. (1980). Comprehensive Asian Fighting Arts. New York., Kodansha American Inc.
4 Jin, P. (I 992). Efficacy of tai chi, brisk walking, meditation, and reading In reducing mental and emotional stress. Journal Of Psychosomatic Research, 36(4), 361-370.
5 Levandoski, J. L. & Leyshon, G. A. (1990). Tai chi exercise and the elderly. Clinical KJnesiology, 44(2),39-44.
6 Ross, M. C. & Presswalla. J. L. (I 998). The therapeutic effects of tai chi for the elderly. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 45-47.
7 Schneider, D., & Leung, R, (1991). Metabolic and cardiorespiratory responses to the performance of wing chun and tai chi chuan exercise. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 12,319-322.
8 Singh, N., Squier, C., Sivok., Hong. N., Wagener, M, & Yu. V. (1996). Determinants of nontraditional therapy use in patients with HIV Infection: A prospective study. Archives of lnternal Medlcine. 156,197-201.
9 Weisner, M., Kutz, I., Kutz, S. & Weisser, D. (1995). Psyshotheraputic aspects of the martial arts. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 49(1),118-127.
10 Wolf, S. L., Coogler. C., & XU, T. (1997). Exploring the basis for tai chi chuan as a therapeutic exercise. Archives of Physical Medical Rehabilitation. 78, 886-892
Do:
· relax deeply and allow the mind to be free of concerns and considerations. In China this state of mind is sometimes called "cheerful disinterest", "neutral" and "emptiness".
· practice daily if possible. The results you seek are the result of perseverance. Chinese tradition says "perseverance furthers". Carefully and correctly implemented Qigong and Taiji are safe to practice even several times a day. The practices are gentle and based on enhancing natural biological and energetic mechanisms of self restoration. If you are unwell enough to be off of work or school you have time to carefully do lots of Qigong or Taiji practice.
· in Qigong feel free to make up your own routine and change the practices to suit your needs, likes and limitations. One of the most powerful forms of Qigong is called Spontaneous Qigong and is completely intuitive.
· in Taiji it is generally less acceptable to modify the form. However, people with severe diseases should feel free to modify the practices to honor their comfort zone and potentiate self healing.
· always approach each practice from the richness of deep intention and belief in self healing. In the Health World libraries you will find research that clearly demonstrates the healing benefits of Qigong and Taiji. Keep it foremost in your mind that both Taiji and Qigong are profoundly healing practices. Rest in knowing that you have tapped a powerful pool of healing resources.
· allow the mind to rest in quiet indifference. Worry and anxiety turn off the naturally occurring, self healing resources. It is when the mind is free of concern that the profound, internal, self healing resources are spontaneously activated.
· notice that as you mature in these practices that the breath spontaneously regulates so that both the inhalation and exhalation are slow and somewhat full; not urgent, not exaggerated, just restful, intentful, conscious and notably calm.
Don't:
· do too much. Taiji and Qigong are intended to assist you in self healing and to help you become more enduring and vital. Take it very, very easy. Ease helps to activate the Qi. Extra effort and trying hard go against the natural benefits in all varieties of Qigong. Going too far, too fast may cause discomfort and may result in you saying, "This is too much." Then, the profound benefit is lost. Achieve your goal of healing by allowing yourself to be free from the stress and rush that cause the organs, tissues and glands to become deficient. Expand your practice slowly and personal improvement is guaranteed.
· be fooled by the fact that Qigong seems like nothing much. The vigilant application of these simple practices has demonstrated, over thousands of years of careful refinement, the ability to mobilize the naturally occurring healing forces within you. An ancient Chinese proverb says, "that which appears great on the outside is weak on the inside, that which appears to be inconsequential on the outside is great and powerful on the inside". Qigong is not an ever complexifying chain of details and new innovations, it is an ever simplifying and deepening practice that is refined toward perfection.
· expect too much, too soon. Know that on occasion extraordinary results occur right away. Bring Qigong into your life delicately. Too much of such a good thing and you may say, "I don't have time for this". Then the remarkable possibility for self restoration will be lost. Most often dramatic results come over time with vigilant practice.
1st Warning-
Learning Qigong from a book, a video or even a great teacher is always frustrating particularly because of your longing to perfect the practice, now. Please, go very slowly and intentfully, follow the directions the best you can. Give yourself permission to invent some things too. Remember it is not so important to do the practice just like the instructor suggests. More important is to do the practice just like it works best for you. The only way to be wrong about your implementation of these practices is to NOT do them or to not follow the rule of "go slow and easy". Therefore, the most important rule in Qigong is-DO IT!
2nd Warning-
Qigong and Taiji are hazardous to your health problems and they have the potential to alter the definition of health care. They help resolve many illnesses for no cost. They have no side effects. These practices may limit your doctor visits. They are dangerous to the conventional medical system and could have a radical impact on your personal life, your community, your society and the national debt.
Form & Function: The Challenge of Stability By Jason Yeung
Separate Leg Right and Left, and Turn and Kick with Foot, could be considered Taijiquan's "daredevil" sequence, as much of it is executed while balancing on one leg. Indeed, with one's arms thrust out to the sides for stability, the sequence can take on the look of a circus high-wire act.
This sequence is common to most styles of Taijiquan, and is representative of the most challenging moves one encounters in the form. It thus creates much frustration for the beginning student, who should take heart in the fact that it remains a substantial challenge for the experienced student as well.
The first set of moves in the sequence, Separate Leg Right and Left, or You zuo fen jiao, is a literal description of the move. The Chinese character for separate, fen, depicts the sentiment of the move perfectly: on the top half of the character, there is a line that has been cut into two, and below, the knife used in cutting. Thus the word fen means to divide, separate, or distinguish, as in the Taijiquan Classics' phrase, "Empty and Full must be distinguished clearly" (Xushi yi fen qingchu).
The next move, Turn Body and Kick with Foot, or Zhuan shen ti jiao, also literally describes the move itself. Zhuan means to turn, shen means the body, or the self. Ti is to kick, and jiao, means foot or as above, leg.
Once one is accustomed to this sequence, it can be very enjoyable to practice. There is a nice ebb and flow to it. When executed well, this whole sequence smoothly connects from section to section. When things are not going so well, one will start to wobble, and by the time Turn and Kick arrives, the wobbling will often take the form of losing one's balance and falling over. It is this subject that I will address below.
Common sense tells us that the lower one's root, the more stable the posture. This move, however, has three limbs making dramatic outward gestures, so it is logical that when coupled with the nervous anticipation that often accompanies such a move, that stability is compromised. We can then analyze this kind of move into several aspects.
1. Preparation: How stable is the transition from the prior move? Is the body in proper alignment? Are the feet and joints flexible? Is the mind settled? When one is simply taking a step, the leg is low enough to the ground that it does not disturb one's balance too greatly, and again, does not vex the practitioner, as the safety net of the ground is close by. In this sequence, however, one must prepare even more carefully, as it is not only more physically challenging, but produces among many of us a certain anxiety, before and during, in anticipation of the difficulty of the move.
2. Lifting the leg: Can you use the yi (the mind) to gather inward and send the root down even further? One must take care in this sequence to settle the weight deep into the root before lifting the empty leg outward. While the arms are used to counter-balance the leg movement as it goes up and out, one should remember that moving the whole leg outward in this manner transfers a great percentage of the body weight away from one's center of gravity. To this is added the momentum of the rising leg, also going out away from the body. It should be no surprise, then, that the balance is challenged.
3. Bringing the leg in: Can you bring it in toward your root, rather than simply letting it drop back? In other words, though gravity is the primary force at work as the leg comes back, if the focus is on the gravitational pull, it may allow the leg to drop, which may create a bounce in the body. If, however, you keep the focus on the root, the force will be tranferred into the ground and you will remain more stable.
4. Completion/Transition: Do you feel a sense of relief as you complete the move? This may imply that you were so preoccupied with the move that you now can relax. One should work toward achieving this relaxed state before and during the move as well.
We can see that Separate Leg Right and Left, and Turn and Kick with Foot above all require careful adherence to the Taijiquan principles. The dramatic challenge they present can be an opportunity for honing one's skills. The means to lifting the leg up high should be exactly the same as when stepping out comfortably low. The only difference will be the mechanics and, most importantly, the mind-set.
New hopes for an old practice By EGLE
By day, Douglas Ying runs an acupuncture clinic in Vancouver where he's had resounding success healing people with chronic pain. By night, around the stroke of 12, he sets time aside to practise ancient Chinese exercises that help him maintain his own well-being.
In a very quiet room, with a little light, he relaxes both body and mind by focusing on his breathing.
After about 10 minutes, he begins to feel the chi - the invisible vital energy that, according to traditional Chinese medicine, flows through organs and along internal pathways, or meridians, in the body.
It starts off just below the navel, in the lower tan tien, an area that is believed to be the central storage place for chi in the body.
"Chi is warm and it pushes in the spine," Mr. Ying explains. "It goes up along the spine to the head, then down inside through the chest and abdomen." One circle takes just a few seconds to complete.
But in that brief time, the chi is playing a crucial role in preventing the onset of illness, he says.
The centuries-old system of using breathing, meditation and gentle movements to release internal energy is called qigong (also referred to as chi kung).
But it is more than just exercises that people can do on their own to maintain good health. Qigong is also used as a form of medical treatment. Skilled practitioners, such as Mr. Ying, say they can use their own highly balanced chi to correct the internal energy flow of people suffering from illness or injury.
"Qigong for me is really interesting because you can treat some serious diseases, and it costs almost nothing," says the 50-year-old who used to be the vice-secretary of a qigong association in China representing more than 30,000 practitioners.
Like acupuncture, another means of releasing blocked energy, qigong is one part of traditional Chinese medicine, a system of health care that has a growing number of followers in Canada and is winning increasing mainstream legitimacy. British Columbia recently decided to recognize the practice of Chinese medicine as a licenced health profession. And other provinces might eventually move in the same direction.
Mr. Ying gets many referrals, from B.C.'s Workers Compensation Board, of people with workplace injuries that Western medicine hasn't been able to heal.
Stewart North, a driver of logging trucks from Vancouver Island, suffered a herniated disc in October, 1999. "It was the most excruciating pain I've ever experienced," he remembers. Surgeons told him the only option was to remove the disc, an operation that would have left the 53-year-old unable to return to work.
As a last resort, he turned to Mr.Ying and after 11 visits, Mr. North is back on the job, working 12 hours a day, "with not a tinge of pain."
His treatments were made up of acupuncture and qigong sessions during which Mr. Ying would gather his own chi in his palms and then direct it to Mr. North's body. The effect is like that of a strong magnet exerting its force over a weaker one, qigong practitioners explain.
For skeptics, it might sound like nothing more than pseudo-science. Because chi is invisible, it's difficult to prove exactly what it does in the body, according to Randy Wong, registrar at the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of British Columbia, the province's regulatory body.
"Chi can be seen as something very mysterious," he says, "and some people don't believe it exists."
But some Western health-care providers are finding scientific explanations for the beneficial effects of qigong. Indeed, even if the practice just helps people relax, it would lead to positive effects on the body. After all, prolonged stress leaves a person vulnerable to a host of ailments including headaches, sleeplessness and heart disease.
In the book Alternative Medicine, The Definitive Guide, California osteopathic doctor Roger Jahnke notes that various studies have suggested that qigong initiates the "relaxation response." This decreases heart rate and blood pressure. It also dilates blood vessels, allowing for greater oxygen circulation in the body.
There are thousands of ways to practise qigong, explains Warren Fisher, who has run a Chinese medicine clinic in Nelson, B.C., for the past 10 years. It can be done sitting, standing still, lying down or through a series of movements.
It's appropriate, Mr. Fisher adds, that the Chinese character for chi is made up of three lines that look like layers of clouds. This shows how qigong can vary, just as clouds are constantly shifting.
Although some people spend years perfecting their technique, qigong doesn't have to be complicated, according to Henry Lu, founder of the International College of Traditional Medicine in Vancouver.
One way of releasing chi is simply by lying down on your back, with your head slightly higher than your shoulders, and breathing in a controlled rhythm: inhale, stop, inhale, exhale.
"The essential thing is to bring your mind to a focus and to concentrate on one thing, such as the breathing, so that eventually you think about nothing," Mr. Lu explains.
The myriad preoccupations of modern life can greatly imbalance a person's chi and lead to poor health, he says. "In our daily lives, we have too many things in our minds and this can introduce many harmful side effects in the body. Our emotions are responsible in many ways for our illnesses."
With this kind of across-the-board appeal, it's not surprising that qigong is becoming increasingly popular in Canada, with classes being offered at community centres and at private tai chi schools.
Many Canadians are already familiar with tai chi, the exercise system of flowing postures that people often do outdoors in groups. Tai chi, which has its roots in martial arts, is also said to release the flow of chi in the body.
But qigong is easier to learn because it has fewer movements and more repetition, says Sheila Furness, a teacher at Toronto's Tai Chi and Meditation Centre.
In a lowly lit room that looks like a dance studio, she puts eight qigong students through an hour-long workout. There's not a lot of talking during the class. "It's a matter of internal focus," Ms. Furness says. "We do a lot of visualization."
A key principle of traditional Chinese medicine is balance between the body and the environment and much of the imagery used in qigong is inspired by nature.
"Imagine you're a tree with roots running deep into the earth," Ms. Furness tells the students during a meditation posture done standing up. "Get rid of your body's stagnant energy through your feet and to the roots. Then, imagine you're dragging pure energy back into your body."
Students rub their hands vigorously and bring them to various parts of their bodies, an act that is said to impart chi to the organs. Then they work through a series of gentle, moving postures, called the Five Element Palm exercises, designed to release chi in the liver, heart, spleen, lungs and kidneys.
It may sound easy. "But there's actually a lot more to it than it looks," says Ken Poole, 63, a fire-prevention officer at the University of Toronto. "It looks very relaxed and very flowing. But it takes a while to get the movements down."
Even though it can take years before people experience the physical sensation of chi flowing through their bodies, qigong advocates say health benefits are immediate simply because of the body's relaxation response triggered by this meditative activity.
Since the mind-body connection is an essential pillar of Chinese medicine, the state of a person's spirituality cannot be completely separated from the quest for good physical health. And some people use qigong as a means of spiritual transformation and enlightenment.
In China, this has led as far as political unrest. Falun gong, a spiritual movement based on qigong, has millions of followers so devoted that Chinese authorities perceive it as a huge threat and have outlawed it. There have been brutal crackdowns, imprisonment of falun gong members and protests, ending in violence.
Aside from falun gong, there have been other controversies in China associated with qigong. Two years ago, a man who promised cures through his powers of manipulating chi was sent to jail by a Chinese court after being accused of giving unauthorized medical treatment and causing the death of 146 patients.
The possibility of qigong being abused by charlatans is one reason why Canadian advocates of Chinese medicine say it's essential to have the practice regulated, especially since it appears to be growing at a steady pace here.
Yun Yee, a Toronto radiologist, started going to a qigong class last month. But she first witnessed its healing powers 20 years ago on her father. At the time, he had a slew of medical problems such as ulcers and chronic lower back pain.
"Then he started to do qigong," Dr. Yee remembers. "His cheeks became all rosy and he stopped complaining about his pain."
Since then, she's been interested in qigong but never found enough time to learn it. Now, at 34, she says, "I'm at a time in my life when I want to focus on preventive medicine."
Dr. Yee admits some doctors she works with are skeptical about qigong.
"It's not something that's taught in medical school here. It's a completely different medium from Western medicine," she says. "My feeling is they're complementary."
Qigong exercise
Most qigong practices can be performed anywhere at anytime, in any type of clothing. According to traditional Chinese medicine, these exercises use the body's own energy, or "chi", to heal and maintain vital organs and boost metabolism. How to start: To activate your body's chi, practitioners believe you should rub your hands together to create heat.
Once warmed, place the hands over a specific organ of the body. Move the hands in a circular motion, continuing to create heat, while breathing deeply and relaxing. At the same time, visualize the chi moving out from the hands and penetrating into the organ.
The kidneys: Move your palms around to your lower back. Chi is said to help the kidneys produce energy, eliminated waste products more efficiently and activate healing throughout the body.
The liver, spleen and pancreas: Apply your hands to the lower edges of the rib cage, where these organs are located. Chi energy is believed to help the spleen produce white blood cells, aid the pancreas with digestion and assist the liver in removing toxins from the body.
The heart: Place your hand on your breastbone, sending chi energy to the heart to help it circulate the blood. Practitioners believe the heart is the resting place of the emotional and spiritual self, so chi helps to nurture these elements as well.
Secrets of Repulse Monkeyby Don Ethan Miller
The posture to “Step Back To Drive The Monkey Away” (Tao Nien Hou) often referred to as simply “Repulse Monkey” (and in some variants as “The Retreating Monkey”) is found in almost all T’ai Chi Ch’uan systems, usually with multiple repetitions within a single form, clearly indicating its special importance. Unfortunately, it is widely practiced without a full understanding of its structural, energetic, martial, and psycho-spiritual components. In fact, Repulse Monkey is an incredibly powerful method of training oneself to develop rooted, evasive footwork, explosive striking power, and spiraling energy projection. If the single posture is “extracted” from the larger T’ai Chi form and studied intensively, immense benefits can be gained.
1. The Idea
On its most obvious level, Repulse Monkey is a withdrawing step (which may be directly back, but more commonly is an angulation off from the opponent’s line of attack), leading to a projection of energy (palm strike, fingertip jab, punch, etc.) from the front hand. The basic martial tactic addresses the problem of a “blitz” attack - multiple techniques and/or power being thrown by an opponent moving rapidly and forcefully forward into your space. Rather than attempting to “stand your ground” against superior force, you make space by moving out of danger, buying a second of time to reposition yourself for an accurate, ,explosive counterattack.
The essence of the withdrawing step is that awareness, root, and spirit must be maintained; a distinct contrast to the way an untrained person “backs up,” losing power and reducing his/her capacity to counterattack with any potency. In the philosophical sense, it is about yielding ground or space without losing one’s root, calmness, well-being, and power. It is a Yin movement (sinking and withdrawing) which maintains a powerful Yang potential inside.
2. The Posture
The end position of Repulse Monkey contains many vitally important elements and is itself a powerful standing qigong position. It is essential, over the course of training, to log many hours of time in “holding posture,” minimally, five minutes each side per day during the period one is learning (or relearning!) this posture, generally for a period of a month or two. While standing, the basic internal principles of calmness, relaxation, deep breathing and combined internal/external awareness should be maintained. But, merely standing on your back leg with the front hand extended will not produce the profound results that are the promise of this posture.
Structural Considerations: The Nine Gates:
The physical arrangement of the body must be correct with respect to nine important connections of “gates.” Bear in mind that “correct” does not refer to any external standard of a pleasing shape or form, but only to the energetic/martial function of relaxed, rooted and balanced projection for power. Thus, “correct form” is determined by testing each of the component “gates” with a partner. The basic method is for a partner to apply a steady, moderate pressure against the leading hand along the line of intention/projection. It will be immediately apparent when a component of the structure (say, the amount of bend in the elbow) is correct or incorrect. When it is wrong, the structure will either collapse (too Yin), or rigidly tip back (too Yang); when it is right, force will be smoothly and effortlessly transmitted from the hand to the ground.
The Nine Gates:
1. The Rear Foot:
(a) The rear foot should angle between 30 and 60 degrees outward from the Line of Projection (the exact direction in which a finger or palm strike would be delivered or energy is emitted towards another person). As the angle approaches zero or 90 degrees, there is significant loss of stability and/or power.
(b) The weight must not fully rest on the heel! Weighting the real heel more than 50 percent in a full rear-leg weighted stance is a form of “double weighting” which radically reduces the capacity to either absorb or discharge, and if one strikes from this position, most of the rebound force will knock the striker backwards, rather than the attacker. This is easily verified through two-person testing. Viable, non-heel weighted positions include:
i. The weight is focused on or around the Bubbling Well (yung chuen) Point.
ii. The weight is evenly distributed throughout the whole foot, which has a feeling of adhering or sticking to the ground like a suction cup.
iii. The “three nails” on the inside line of the foot (big toe, pad inside ball of foot, and inside mid-heel) are all pressing into the ground.
iv. “A piece of rice paper could be passed under the heel:” i.e., the heel floats slightly while the rest of the foot sinks into the ground.
2. The Rear Knee:
The rear knee should be slightly bent, but not extensively. The standing qigong position for this posture (and most others) represents the position of the body at the moment of discharge - or just a fraction of a second before discharge. If the leg is too bent, or too straight, the discharge capacity will be reduced. Testing with a partner will reveal the strongest position, which for most people is about three-quarters extended, i.e., almost straight but with some flexion and “spring” power reserved. The knee must not be twisted, even slightly. The knee is a hinge joint, and its stability, integrity and capacity to transfer power are all compromised by torsion of any kind. While there is turning and/or twisting of the pelvis and torso in Repulse Monkey, the rotational force should not affect the knee structure. Practice turning the waist left and right, without affecting the knee position even minutely. Even if you have observed experts or “masters” who twist the rear knee, I urge you not to emulate them in this regard!
3. Pelvis/Hips/Kua:
The hips are neither squared off to the front nor turned fully to the side. Use partner testing to reveal the optimal position of the hips relative to the front hand. A slight turn in the direction of the force (i.e., counterclockwise if one has the right hand forward) will produce natural, effortless connection. The pelvis is tucked under, but not excessively. The kua is soft, and open. Both an excessively closed hip joint (too Yin), or an overly rigid hip joint (too Yang) will produce loss of natural power.
4. Lower Back/Mingmen:
The “Life Gate,” or mingmen, must remain open. It is in the lumbar area of the lower back, and it is a critical energy point and structural crossroads. If the lower back is arced inward (toward the front), the upper and lower section of the body are severed from one another, and integrated power is lost, ideally, the lower spine is straight or even slightly “reverse-curved” (arced out backward). Testing these two methods affords dramatic proof. The two sides of the lower back should be differentiated. When standing on left leg with right hand forward, the muscles on the left side of the spine are mildly activated, while those on the right side are loosened and released. This Yin-Yang separation is essential to creating the chan ssu jin (spiral force) down to the foot and out to the hand.
5. The Back and Spine:
a) Two major variations address the position of the back and spinal column. In one, the back/spine are held as straight as possible, either with perfect vertical alignment (such as in the Cheng Man-ch’ing version of Yang style) or with a slight forward inclination. In the other, the entire spine/back forms a smooth arc, with top and bottom more forward and the apex of the curve backward, being in the mid-back. This is the central “bow” in the three or five-bows model, the other bows being the arms and legs. Ideally, I believe that a hybrid position in which one is slightly bowed but with the idea of becoming straight (a “straightening curve”) produces the maximum dynamic structure; but this can best be determined through practice and experimentation.
b) Turning or twisting: Some rotational movement of the spine is required to transfer the vertical leg force out to the arm and hand. In some styles, the entire torso rotates as a unit (like a tablet, door, or cylinder); while in others, the spine twists slightly, with greater rotation at the upper spine than the lower. Both methods are valid, with differing benefits; experiment with both and know which one you’re actually doing!
6. The Shoulder Girdle:
Both shoulders should be down, i.e., the trapezius muscles are fully relaxed. Any tension there will immediately reduce the connection of the arm to the legs, feet, and ground. The shoulder blade area of the projecting side should be rounded and the shoulder joint opened, such that the elbow is extended several inches further forward without turning the waist or back more. Compare this to the retracted or “squared off” shoulder position by testing and you will immediately understand why this structural instruction is universal in classical T'ai Chi. To test, start with the shoulders squared to the lead arm, i.e., with a 90-degree angle between the arm and the line between the shoulders. When pressure is applied, the shoulder structure will almost immediately deform and fail to transmit force. Gradually, extend the shoulder of the lead arm forward, and note how the strength and stability of the shoulder structure increase. Be sure to keep the shoulder down as you extend forward. When the optimal position is reached, it will feel as though there is not shoulder joint at all, as the force is transmitted smoothly from the arm to the torso, legs and ground.
7. The Elbow:
a) The elbow should be slightly bent. If too bent (e.g., at a 90 degree or less angle), it becomes extremely weak. If too straight (locked out or very nearly so), it becomes too rigid and “brittle,” like a dry stick.
b) Although “sunk” (with a heavy feeling connecting it to the root), it should also have some feeling of spiral going through it (counterclockwise, if the right hand is extended), which will lift the elbow up and out slightly, rather than pointing straight down.
8. Hand and Fingers:
a) The projecting hand is relaxed, but full and open. Once again, the extremes of too Yin (a completely limp hand) and too Yang (hard, stretched and tense) should be tested and an intermediate state found that produces effortless transmission of force.
b) The opposite hand should likewise be relaxed but not limp. Exact positions vary from style to style, but with a common general idea of balancing the projection of the lead hand with a “receiving” or “pulling” feeling and position of the other hand.
9. Neck, Head and Eyes:
The chin should be pulled in slightly, and the back of the neck should feel full and round. Compare this to the concave neck position by testing. The idea is similar to that of the lower back curve. Lift the top of the head. Contrast by testing with the head slumped forward, or tilted back or to the side. Although the head is not directly in the “power chain” from ground to hand, the neck and head position affect your structural integrity. Verify by testing! The eyes: Both downcast eyes (excess Yin) and intent forward stare (excess Yang) produce energetic defects. Compare their effects with those of different types of “Tai Chi gaze,” including: a) gently looking through and past the tester/opponent; (b) looking slightly off to the side but including tester/opponent in peripheral vision; and c) the “half internal, half external” gaze, the eyes partly closed though looking straight ahead.
How to Test
A player adopts the posture. The partner gently pushes (using thumbs of both hands or both palms) against the extended hand, directly backward. Pressure is gradually increased to a moderate level. If there is a defect, the structure collapses or tips back or becomes tense and effortful. If it is correct, the pressure is smoothly distributed through the power line and down to the ground. The player being tested must not move forward or backward in anticipation or reaction to the force or change the structure being tested in any way. When it’s right, you’ll know it - the force is absorbed/transmitted with no effort and no sense of localized muscular contraction or strain.
Energy and Intention (Non-Physical Structure)
Correct body structure is just the beginning. Testing reveals that how one uses the mind, and by extension, where energy flows or how it is distributed, can radically alter the effectiveness of the same posture. This is a subject worth an entire book by itself, but we will outline here the two most basic concepts; root and projection.
A. Root can be obtained/increased by directing the Yi (intentional awareness) downwards. Try each of these methods:
a) Put all your attention on the Bubbling Well Point, or the “Three Nails,” or the entire sole of the weighted foot.
b) “Think down,” through the torso, through the weighted leg, through the foot, into the ground, to a depth of one to three feet.
c) Imagine a line or flow of energy going through your body all the way to the center of the earth, connecting you to the core of molten iron there.
B. Projection entails the Yi through the leading arm, and out through the palm and/or fingertips, beyond the physical body.
C. The combination and interplay of root and projection is the most important of all. All root and no projection produces a stable body but little ability to transmit force; all projection and not root produces a hollow or top-heavy quality that is easily resisted. Things start to get really interesting, however, when you combine the two by dividing your awareness; start by sending 50 percent down for rooting and 50 percent out for projection. You will note that this is infinitely stronger than 100 percent in either direction, or that of not using your mind at all. Gradually start “playing the dials,” increasing one as you decrease the other proportionately, and not the effects by testing. Without prejudicing your experiments, I will only suggest that one of the strongest states is 70 percent root and 30 percent projection: perhaps this is the real meaning of the “70-30" stance!
3. The Step: Moving Root
Most T'ai Chi players understand that in stepping and/or shifting forward, one always sinks physically and energetically before moving forward, so that the root moves rather than simply falling onto the front leg and foot. However, when moving backwards, many lose this principle and simply allow the weight to fall onto the rear leg, once the foot has touched the ground.
This is both a martial and energetic error. Instead, practice the following Repulse Monkey Stepping Drill (leaving the hands down or in any relaxed static position):
a) Concentrate all the weight on the right foot, and touch the toes of left foot behind you (straight back or any rearward angle) lightly on the ground.
b) Without shifting any weight, sink several inches lower on the right leg. Make sure that the kua (inguinal crease/hip joint) folds as a key component of this sinking (that is, the torso inclines slightly forward); otherwise, the knee joint will take too much of the load and will experience strain. It’s okay and natural for the body to lean forward slightly during this phase!
c) Slowly shift the weight to the left foot, staying sunk at the same level and keeping the mind in the root below the feet as you move. There should be no moment, and no fraction of an inch of this movement, in which you do not feel fully rooted, balanced, and capable of exploding energy up and outward!
d) As the weight on the left foot approaches 100 percent, allow the right foot to draw in slightly towards the left (unless you’ve taken an extremely small step), straighten the body, open the kau, and rise up slightly on the left leg, without losing the deep root.
e) Repeat on alternate sides for five minutes or more, varying the angle of step, depth of sink, and length of step. Remain rooted and conscious at all times. This is moving qigong!
Once you are thoroughly familiar with this stepping method, you can incorporate it into the repetition of the Repulse Monkey movements, which should be done many hundreds of times. If space is limited, you need not travel backwards each time: simply sinking on one leg and stepping 12 inches or so to the side (with root transfer) and standing up on the other leg will accomplish the same purpose.
4. The Strike
The culmination of Repulse Monkey is a strike or projection of energy with the leading hand, exploding out from the core, from the root, from the mingmen, from straightening bow of the spine and back, from the condensed energy of the sinking and withdrawing motion.
Space limits a full delineation of this remarkable movement and all its variations, so I will instead suggest Seven Methods of training the Repulse Monkey Strike:
1. You stand in the posture and your partner hits your outstretched palm with his hand or a striking pad. You maintain root and projection and the shock goes through you but you do not move.
2. You hold the posture, then “pulse” it by coiling arm, leg, and torso inward several inches, then uncoil back out into the discharge position.
3. Do the same coiling-uncoiling, but end with a palm strike to a pad or telephone book held by partner. Be sure not to move the body weight toward the target to produce power; the Repulse Monkey jin derives from the chan ssu jin (spiral force) of the three bows (or, alternatively, from two spirals going down and out from the mingmen).
4. Starting in Wuji (arms down, natural, “empty” position like form commencement), you move back and/or sideways as your partner attacks, using the Repulse Monkey step: then suddenly explode with a lead hand strike to any target - eyes, temple, throat, ribs, etc. - again with out shifting weight off the real leg.
5. You and your partner stand approximately five to eight feet apart. As your partner advances toward you with a Brush Knee palm projection (or any other attack), you retreat/withdraw and intercept his action with your Repulse Monkey palm projection. This is all done without touching, and maintaining at least four to five feet of space between you. However, you should absolutely feel that your energy reaches your opponent!
6. Your partner stands in front of you, quite close, holding a pad or thick telephone book. You sink, sidestep and strike the pad with palm or punch, swing full rooted, twisting fajin power without moving the body weight toward the target. Your partner should feel the energy penetrating through the pad or book into his body. He’ll let you know, when you’ve got it right!
7. You practice repetitions of the movement in the air, but mentally project your energy to specific targets - points on the walls, trees, rock formations, other people, etc. Always make sure that your projection/extension is balanced by some Yi simultaneously going down to your root.
Going Further
Even mastering the martial aspects of a posture represents only a portion of its full potential. Holding postures and repeating them many times on alternate sides, slowly and consciously, can be powerful “shamanic” qigong practices that produce not only health benefits, but deeper changes of consciousness and energy. Keep a notebook nearby when you practice this way, to record observations, insights and revelations. If you are open to the experience, information and power will flow into your system every time you practice. Do not be content with merely performing the movements correctly. Ask questions, experiments, search deeply. What is the meaning of the gesture? There are many, of course, but the basic concept of yielding externally while storing power internally has many ramifications, giving others their space, not being stuck in one position, physically or psychologically; accepting change while preserving what is important. What different kinds of energy can I project through my outstretched hand? It can be destructive, as in a palm strike or finger thrust - but even this can be modified to injure severely, stun or shock, or merely to warn an attacker to back off.
In fact, combining the strong projection of energy from the hand with a loud shout, both aimed directly towards the attacker’s face, can successfully stop someone in their tracks without touching them. Beyond these, it is possible to project healing energy. It can calm when a person is agitate or frightened, and even affect specific injuries. By change our intention with regard to the other person, the n nature and quality of the energy we send out will transform.
This single posture alone warrants many hours, many years of fascinating and fruitful study. Put conscious effort into it, and it will return your investment tenfold. As 101-year-old T'ai Chi Master T. T. Liang said, “This art is so profound and abstruse! One cannot hope to master it in a single lifetime.”
Back To Home Page
