After so many years of practice, how do I explain to the layman what Taijiquan is? Put in very simple terms, Taijiquan is the practice of eliminating all tension, both physically and mentally. This is what the Taijquan classics meant by, "be pliable like a new born baby... and attain the peace of mind of a sage." The key here is to always maintain a clear mind, just like a well-polished mirror! It is definitely much easier said than done. The truth is, it is much easier to teach Taijiquan to someone who knows nothing about the subject because the novice's mind is clear like an empty cup, and is not filled with all kinds of pre-conceived notions about what Taijiquan is or isn't. Hence, there is a well-known saying among Taijiquan practitioners, "Xue Quan Rong Yi Gai Quan Nan  学拳容易改拳难" (To learn martial art is easy but to change an ingrained habit is very difficult indeed). Today's martial artists have a another way of putting it: "It is much harder to train a habit out of a person than into him." Old habits certainly die hard!

 

So what really is Taijiquan 太極拳 then? It is a combination of movements that follow the theory of Yin and Yang 阴阳 derived from the Dao 道. The only objective in learning Taijiquan is to attain the Taiji Mind. Since Taijiquan is a martial art, there are some principles that are specific to learning the art. To qualify as Taijiquan, each movement must match the principles and not the other way round! This therefore means the movements can vary but never the principles. That is why Taijiquan has been known by different names throughout the ages but the principles behind the movements remain exactly the same. And just like the Dao, if you use logic to learn Taijiquan you will never master the art. Today, many teachers apply logic to try and explain the principles of Taijiquan but ultimately failed because the essence of the art cannot be grasped by the intellect but rather through intuition. Every twitch of the muscle, every turn of the waist, the precise  positioning of the body or alignment of the limbs; they have all been systematically measured, analysed, and explained in minute detail. I call this paralysis by analysis because the brain becomes overloaded with so much information that the mind simply cannot cope! It becomes very confused! This is the exact opposite of a clear and relaxed mind which we want to nurture in order to learn Taijiquan. Here, I have to take a page out of Zhuangzi where he wrote, "The perfect man engages his mind like a mirror (Taiji Mind). It grasps nothing, it rejects nothing. It receives but does not hoard." This to me is the true embodiment of the Taiji Mind!

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The origin of Taijiquan is lost in myths and legends over the millennia but the point of reference in more recent times goes back to one individual by the name of Yang Luchan 杨露禅 (1799 - 1872). He was never defeated in any fights ever since he mastered Taijiquan and eventually earned the nickname, "Yang The Invincible". He was later officially appointed to the position as chief martial art instructor at the imperial palace in Beijing. Being a Han Chinese, Yang was astute enough not to pass on the combat skills to his Manchurian overlords but sought instead, to impress them with his ability to use a mere "4 ounces to defeat 1,000 pounds", or in Chinese, it is known as "Si Liang Bo Qian Jin 四兩撥千斤". In practical terms, when an adversary attacked Yang and no sooner had they made contact, with just a gentle pat of his palm, Yang would dispatch his opponent 3 to 4 metres away without hurting him. This skill is known as Fa Jin 发劲.

 

Top imperial court officials and many members of the royal household were completely awestruck by Yang's display of power with seemingly little effort, using Fa Jin 发劲, and they all wanted to learn Taijiquan from him. The effectiveness of the art for actual combat took a backseat and was soon forgotten. However, Yang did managed to pass on the combat skills of Taijiquan to his sons but this aspect of the art was eventually lost further down the generations because of the arduous training regime and the 20-plus  years of hard work and dedication necessary to acquire the skills. Furthermore, with the advent of modern weapons like guns and rifles, such skills became irrelevant. On the other hand, the Fa Jin skills survived to this day because, (a) it is relatively easier to learn, and (b) it is the prerequisite to learning the combat skills. However, the single most valuable asset that Taijiquan brings to the world is the health benefit aspect of the art. This in all probability, is something that even Yang Luchan did not foresee!

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Taijiquan comes from the word "Taiji 太極", which embodies the interplay of two mutually complementary but opposite universal forces or energies of nature known simply as Yin and Yang. In cosmology, it is known scientifically as dark matter and dark energy. Most people already know about this theory first expounded by Laozi 2,500 years ago. If there is day, there must be night; if there is life, there must be death; if there is male, there must be female, etc. Of course, everyone knows that Yin and Yang must complement and work with each other, just like we require positive and negative charges working together to produce electricity, or the zero and one in the binary code for the computer to work. These two forces must co-exist and one cannot exist without the other.

 

Most people already know of the expression that Taijiquan is the art of using just 4 ounces to repel 1,000 pounds. So are we to assume it is the use of little or no force to repel an opponent's much bigger force?  If we take this saying literally and apply the same logic, the opposite of great physical force must mean little or no force. Sadly, if you think that way (using your intellect), then I am sorry to tell you that you have missed the mark by a country mile! No wonder you see people everywhere now practising Taijiquan as if they are falling asleep because they are either being told or actually believe that they can only use little or no force in their movements!

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The Chinese word for physical force or strength is Li 力 but contrary to what most people think, the opposite of Li is not zero or no Li, but actually Jin 劲, which is refined, relaxed energy that has entirely opposite properties to Li. Let me put this in another way; what is the opposite of gravity? It is not "no-gravity" because all masses have gravity; it is in fact anti-gravity which is a completely opposite force to gravity. Just to be crystal-clear, anti-gravity has its own invisible properties and qualities except that they are entirely opposite to gravity. Similarly, when we study physics we know that the opposite of matter is anti-matter and not no-matter! As an aside, both matter and anti-matter are made up of the same particles; the only difference is the electric charge! This causes the two to have entirely opposite qualities to each other. This difference is subtle and yet, life-changing. It is just like life and death; they are inter-connected and yet they are not because if there is no life, then there will be no death. On the other hand, where there is no death then there cannot be any life! Think about it. 

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So where does Jin 劲 come from and what is it? The fundamental building block of Jin is Qi 气. The air that we breathe is literally Qi. I know people laugh when they hear it but if you ask them to stop breathing for a few minutes they quickly realize how serious it is. Most people forget that it is the air we breathe that keeps us alive and our physical bodies functioning; talk about taking things for granted! Put in a more scientific way, it is the air we breathe that allows our bodies to create energy, through the process known as oxidation and yet, oxidation is also the root cause of death! Hence, if we look at this from another perspective, we can say that by practising Taijiquan, we can accumulate Qi in our bodies and with the help of the mind, we can direct the Qi and express this as Jin 劲, which in actual fact, is the opposite of Li 力! Not many people realize that we need both Jin and Li working hand in hand in harmony to stay alive.

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Learning to harness the Qi in your body through practising Taijiquan is not a 5-minute lesson or something you can learn from a book or the internet. The journey begins with learning and practising the Solo Form exceptionally well, paying careful attention to the ten principles as promulgated by Yang Chengfu. This is the only way leading to the development of the Taiji Mind which is a mindset that embodies the ten principles of Taijiquan. The Taiji Mind can only be acquired through diligent daily practice in accordance with the ten principles over many years until it becomes second-nature. So, what is the Taiji Mind? Simply put, it is the embodiment of the ten principles of Taijiquan. Only when the Taiji Mind can be switched on at will can one then be said to have mastered the art of Taijiquan. So, what are the ten principles of Taijquan? They are as follows:

1. Clear the mind and energize the crown (Xu Ling Ding Jin 虚灵顶劲)

2. Depress the chest and raise the back (Han Xiong Ba Bei 含胸拔背)

3. Relax the waist (Song Yao 松腰)

4. Distinguish empty from full (Fen Xu Shi 分虚实)

5. Sink the shoulders and drop the elbows (Chen Jian Zhui Zhou 沉肩坠肘)

6. Use the mind and not physical strength (Yong Yi Bu Yong Li 用意不用力)

7. Top and bottom must follow one another (Shang Xia Xiang Shui 上下相随)

8. Harmonize internal with external (Nei Wai Xiang He 内外相合)

9. Flow continuously without a break (Xiang Lian Bu Duan 相连不断)

10. Seek tranquillity in motion (Dong Zhong Qiu Jing 动中求静)

 

Within the ten principles, Song 松 or being relaxed, combined with Yi 意 or the mind are considered to be the two key overriding requirements essential to learning Taijiquan. These two principal requirements are already embodied within the ten principles. The first step in learning Taijiquan is to master the first principle which is, "to clear the mind and energize the crown (Xu Ling Ding Jin 虚灵顶劲)". The energy generated from the foot must connect to the top of the head in one line, thereby causing the crown to be energized. This is known as Ding Jin (顶劲) which is the primary form of Jin that leads to the development of other different forms of Jin 劲 manifesting in the Pushing Hands exercise, derived from practising the four skills of Zhan 粘, Nian 黏, Lian 连, and Sui 随. But that is not all. When you are able to manifest Jin in your Pushing Hands you are then ready to practise the eight martial techniques of power which are Ward-off (Peng 掤 ), Roll-back (Lu 履 ), Press (Ji 擠 ), Push (An 按 ), Pull-down (Cai 採 ), Split (Lie 列 ), Elbow (Zhou 肘 ), and Shoulder (Kao 靠 ).  

 

For most people, learning Taijiquan is fraught with difficulties. First of all, the Chinese language can be a major obstacle. Then there is the problem of finding a good teacher who understands the art, and not necessarily one who has mastered it. Let us face it, there is really no one who has mastered the art and is still living today. Always bear in mind that a good teacher teaches the principles first before the movements. A poor teacher only teaches the movements but not the principles because that is all he knows! Nonetheless, I hope the roadmap below is a useful guide that will provide a clear pathway for those who are serious about learning this elusive art:

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