Explore the art, philosophy, and incredible benefits of this ancient practice for improved well-being and inner harmony.

Weapons

How to Tai Chi Long Pole

Also known as Tai Chi Long Spear (a long staff with a spearhead), the staff is usually over three meters long, with a thick end (full grip) made of white wax wood. Tai Chi Long Staff has two types of practice: routine practice (called Thirteen Rods) and solo practice. Routine practice combines rod techniques such as adhering, coiling, twisting, brushing, bouncing, dragging, hanging, sweeping, thrusting, shaking, blocking, and lifting with corresponding footwork. Solo practice focuses on repeating the main single-move rod techniques to build endurance, increase internal strength, and enhance the coordination and explosive power of the crotch, waist, arms, and entire body.

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June 7, 2024
Stances

Tai CHi feet training

Although Tai Chi Chuan is named as "Chuan" (fist), in reality, it starts with the feet, training from the feet up. In this sense, Tai Chi Chuan can also be called Tai Chi foot. Therefore, the ancients proposed the concept of "its root is in the feet." This concept, both in theory and practice, developed the martial art of Tai Chi Chuan. Who proposed this idea? Initially, I saw materials suggesting it was the work of Master Wu Yuxiang. However, later, books such as "Comprehensive Guide to Taoist Qigong" and "Oriental Cultivation Library" as well as "The Small Frame of Wudang Zhao Bao Tai Chi Chuan" reprinted content from the 1970s Taiwan Freedom Press publication "Essence of the Taoist Canon," revealing that it was Zhang Sanfeng who proposed this idea. His secrets consist of fifteen sections, and the fourth section, "Tai Chi Chuan Method," mentions "its root is in the feet." Comparing this to Wu Yuxiang's works, except for a few words, the content is entirely the same. Here is an excerpt from "The Small Frame of Wudang Zhao Bao Tai Chi Chuan":

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June 5, 2024
BeginnerGuide

Tai Chi from complicate to easy

        The Great Way is exceedingly simple, formless, and methodless. This represents a high-level state of naturalness and returning to simplicity. In this state of tranquility and non-action, selflessness and unity with nature, one does not seek to improve skills, yet skill naturally improves; one does not seek to heal, yet body and mind naturally adjust; one does not seek abilities, yet abilities naturally manifest; one does not seek the circulation of qi, yet all meridians naturally become unblocked. The most profound truths are the simplest and most ordinary. Transforming the most complex into the simplest is the highest wisdom. The greatest individuals appear noble precisely because of their simplicity.        The Great Way is exceedingly simple, and so is life. Enlightenment means that profound truths become simple, and simplicity reveals profound truths. From seeing mountains as mountains to seeing mountains as mountains again, the state is different. From simplicity to complexity and back to simplicity is the process of sublimation. The meaning of life lies in simplicity. When a person reaches a certain level of cultivation, they become indifferent to many things and simplify their lives. You may understand others, but they may not understand you; it is not about understanding, but about recognition.      Refined in mind and simple in form. Questioning the soul is the ultimate issue for humans. Simplicity is not only a form of supreme beauty but also a skill and a state of being. Seeing through but not saying through is a high realm; seeing vaguely but with clarity of mind is true insight. Knowing without knowing, seeing but deliberately not seeing through, is thorough understanding. Knowing that the world cannot be completely seen through is true insight. The clarity after the lack of clarity and the understanding after not understanding are true wisdom.

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June 3, 2024
forms

The source movement of Tai Chi

          The main focus of Tai Chi Chuan practice is to train the "dang" (crotch area). Especially in Zhao Bao Tai Chi Chuan, the dang is the key to internal strength. Whether Tai Chi Chuan is lively or not depends on the operation of the dang. If the dang is not flexible, the movements will inevitably be sluggish. The dang and hips are the secrets of Tai Chi Chuan. This so-called "heavenly mechanism" refers to the key points of mystery, and all movements and changes rely on this. Without understanding this secret, it is difficult to achieve Tai Chi skills. Therefore, practicing Zhao Bao Tai Chi Chuan primarily involves training the dang. The dang is the key to the heavenly mechanism. Without the operation of the dang, Zhao Bao Tai Chi Chuan does not exist, highlighting its importance. To inspire those who practice Tai Chi Chuan, I emphasize cloning Tai Chi, even cloning the intricate details of a Tai Chi master's form, to understand how to operate the dang and control the whole body's movements with precision.       In Tai Chi Chuan, the dang plays a leading role, and its operation is hard to express in words. In the past, teachers used the analogy of puppet theater to explain the role of the dang and hips in Tai Chi Chuan. Puppet theater is performed with hands; without hands, there is no performance. This metaphor aptly captures the importance of "using the dang instead of the hands" in Tai Chi Chuan. Practicing Zhao Bao Tai Chi Chuan requires understanding how to "operate the dang," and Tai Chi master Zheng's method is extremely subtle, appearing as if it is not there. The higher the skill, the smaller the movement circles, making the changes imperceptible, which keeps the opponent unaware of one's depth and variability.

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June 1, 2024
Principles

Tai Chi and Traditional Chinese Medicine

       Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) believes that the human body is an interconnected whole, centered around the internal organs, connected through the meridians that circulate qi and blood, linking to other bodily structures like the sense organs. Within this whole, the internal organs, meridians, and qi and blood are interrelated and mutually restrictive. Under the leadership and coordination of the "Heart - the Monarch's Palace" (the cerebral cortex and central nervous system), they perform various physiological activities, maintaining the balance of yin and yang.       Tai Chi Chuan, created based on the theories of yin and yang, internal organs, meridians, and qi and blood, can be summarized in one phrase: "Intention and qi as the ruler, bones and flesh as the ministers." The three adjustments are: adjusting the heart, adjusting the qi, and adjusting the body. The nine essentials are: stillness, concentration, connection, smoothness, sinking, fluency, relaxation, correctness, and integration. During practice, one must achieve tranquility of the mind and spirit, relax both internally and externally, move qi with the mind, move the body with qi, and unify spirit and form, intention and qi. Long-term and consistent practice will thus achieve the goal of strengthening the body.  1. Strengthening the Heart             "The heart is the master of the five internal organs and the six hollow organs." Tai Chi Chuan particularly emphasizes "calming the mind and using intention," using the mind to guide movements, thus achieving tranquility of the mind and spirit, concentration of thoughts, and relaxation of the body. This allows the internal organs to function normally and achieve relative balance. A calm mind results in quick thinking and fluent speech. Smooth circulation of heart qi enhances its function of governing blood circulation, reducing and eliminating internal blood stasis. With smooth and abundant blood flow, the complexion naturally becomes rosy.

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May 27, 2024
forms

What is Tai Chi

Nowadays, there are many people practicing traditional Tai Chi worldwide—reportedly several hundred million. As a representative of Chinese cultural heritage, Tai Chi has also been honored as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Such large numbers and market scale are indeed gratifying. It's certainly a good thing that the valuable practices left by our ancestors benefit more people.     From a health and wellness perspective, the value of Tai Chi is unquestionable. However, as a martial art, today's Tai Chi has strayed from its martial roots, becoming unrecognizable and far from authentic. With the widespread promotion of Tai Chi, there are very few who can truly be said to practice "traditional Tai Chi." Those who master the traditional skills are even rarer. The reason for this is simple: although many people practice Tai Chi, very few truly study what "Tai Chi" is. Many believe that knowing a few routines constitutes Tai Chi. Because of this, today's Tai Chi is often ridiculed as "Tai Chi exercises."

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May 25, 2024
interviews

Chen Xiaowang on Tai Chi for Beginner – A Personal Interview

What stayed with me after listening to Chen Xiaowang that Sunday morning was not a secret technique or a complicated Tai Chi theory. It was how ordinary his advice sounded: learn naturally, don't rush, and give your body enough time to understand what your mind wants it to do. 　　It was around 10 o'clock on a Sunday morning in the Tai Chi studio. The first thing that caught my eye was the blue. Chen Xiaowang was wearing a vivid royal-blue traditional Chinese training suit, the jacket cut loose through the shoulders and waist, with a standing collar and a row of simple cloth fastenings running down the front. His trousers were the same bright blue, loose enough for movement without looking oversized. Against everything happening around him in the room, the color made him immediately stand out.

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June 24, 2023