Loose and Soft in Taijiquan

While studying Taijquan, also written and Tai Chi Chuan and Taiji Quan, you will often hear about relaxation. This English translation of the Chinese character 松 – Song, in my view does not properly describe the feeling that we strive for in practice. Loose, or to be Loose, is far more descriptive and appropriate than “relax.” To be loose implies to “let go.”

Taijiquan practice also emphasizes the concept of Ruan, depicted by the Chinese 软, which means Soft, as opposed to hard.

Song and Ruan, Looseness and Softness, are amalgamated and should not be thought of as separate. We seek to be loose and soft while practicing the form, but how do you know that indeed you are loose and soft?

As a teacher, I often tell my students to be loose and soft. I might even tap them on the shoulders or shake their arms and wrists to encourage them to let go, and yet many remain rigid and constrained in their movements. This is where Push Hands (Tui Shou) practice becomes an integral, and, in my view, indispensable part of Tai Chi practice.

During Push Hands practice you engage with a partner. You are encouraged to develop a light touch and to follow your partner’s movements. Students often feel that their partners are too hard or use too much force. It is here that you must reflect inward and ask yourself whether your partner is using too much force and being rigid, or whether it is you who are resisting and not sticking and yielding to your partner’s movements.

It is said that in Push Hands practice you give up yourself to follow your partner. Giving up yourself here refers to letting go of your ego. Human nature often leads a person to meet force with force, hardness with hardness, but that is not the Tai Chi way. The goal in practice is to be loose and soft physically, and to be unpretentious mentally.

By integrating Form practice and Push Hands practice in your Taijiquan, you will heighten your sense of Song and Ruan and improve both.