Why does Tai Chi Advocate Relaxation?

Nowadays Tai Chi practice is touted for promoting relaxation and other health benefits, but it is important to understand why this idea of relaxation is so important.

Tai Chi, also written as Taiji and Taiji Quan, was originally developed as a combative art, and like all combative arts, relaxation and a calm mind are necessary to allow you to react with speed and maximum efficiency. This aspect of being loose and relaxed is evident not only in combative arts but also in competitive sports.

You may ask why Tai Chi is practiced slowly if it’s a combative art? Although this is a simple and appropriate question, the answer is more complex and deals with some of the most fundamental Tai Chi principles.

Correct body alignment and proper structure; initiating actions from the ground; leading movements through the waist; integrating internal and external; proper stepping and correct breathing – all these fundamental principles are more easily obtained and mastered through slow practice.

Slow practice is challenging for beginners who usually come to class is a hurried mental state. To overcome this mental anxiety, you must start by standing correctly. This requires that you lengthen your spine and keep your head upright while dropping your shoulders. You must then shift your attention to breathing and focus on harmonizing inhalation and exhalation.

Bring your mind to bear on your posture and your breathing. Be present and feel your weight sinking into your feet. This practice is called Zhan Zhuang, which means to stand like a post planted in the ground. Zhan Zhuang, along with other loosening exercises, are a prerequisite to starting Tai Chi movements.

When you begin Tai Chi movements, it is important to understand the proper function of the joints of the arms and legs. The shoulder and hip joints are ball-and-socket joints. This means that the ball joint operates within the socket and allows for swinging and sideward motion. The elbow and knee joints are hinge joints, which means that these joints allow bending and straightening. The wrist and ankle joints are biaxial synovial joints; they allow movements on two planes. Understanding each joint’s function and moving naturally is part of the anatomy of Tai Chi.

“No excess and no insufficiency” is a fundamental Tai Chi principle that must guide all movements. This concept deals with the use of energy or force. You must use only the amount of force necessary to lift your arms or legs, to stretch your limbs out or bring them back. Your palms must flow out and flow back while remaining loose, maintaining a proper posture, and monitoring your breathing.

Correct Tai Chi practice is difficult because you are required to integrate many principles with movements. Relaxation (I prefer the word “looseness”) comes in various degrees. Keeping your shoulders down, keeping your movements slow and even, and refraining from holding your breath are all pathways to becoming ever more relaxed, ever more loose. It is a process you must learn to implement in your everyday life and not just in the classroom.

Relaxation is first learned through the solo practice of the Tai Chi Form. It is then heightened through the practice of Push Hands with a partner. In Push Hands, looseness and softness must be maintained while refraining from making it a competitive exercise.

Whether in solo practice or practice with a partner, you must cultivate stillness while moving; this fosters a calm mind. The heightened sense of looseness or relaxation and a calm mind are attributes sought by all advanced exponents of martial arts as well as world-class athletes.

Note: Follow up by referring to our other blog posts about Zhan Zhuang (post standing), Push Hands, and Qi Gong.