Working with the Chi, Moving from the T’an Tien

T’ai Chi Chih is a mindfulness moving meditation practice that’s easy to learn. The series of 19 movements and one pose helps circulate the Vital Energy, the Chi. Practitioners experience peace, improved health and many more benefits. Our free monthly e-newsletter offers inspiration between issues of the TCC quarterly journal, The Vital Force, in which teachers and students tell stories about ways they’ve benefitted from the practice. 

“…The t’an tien, the spot two inches below the navel, is the all-important place Chi is stored.” – Justin F. Stone, TCC Originator

From a recent issue of The Vital Force:

“We are aligned, we move slowly, we are aware of our feet that support us, we flow from the tan t’ien, allowing the movements to be full before they turn into their opposite, yinning and yanging without hurrying. We let the movement unfold with softness and power, with strength and grace, and we become aware of every little nuance, freeing ourselves from trying too hard, from reaching too far or not enough; we listen inside and let each movement come alive all the way to the fingertips and the toes. Alive inside and outside, we become aware of our own self. That is love.” – CG, Lake Charles, LA

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“…The t’an tien, the spot two inches below the navel, is the all-important place Chi is stored. It is the seed of intuition and the most important spot from the Chinese (medicine) standpoint. In T’ai Chi Ch’uan the student is asked to keep his concentration in the t’an tien, but this is very difficult and often interferes with breathing. The Tu Mu meridian channel that comes down the front goes thru the t’an tien and reaches the soles of the feet, called the Chu or bubbling spring. Therefore, by concentrating on the soles of the feet, we serve the same purpose – bringing the Chi down to the t’an tien by bringing it down to the soles of the feet.” – Justin F. Stone

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Healing Effects: “My doctor’s office called to share results of a recent bone density scan. Two years ago tests indicated that osteopenia had begun to morph itself into osteoporosis…. I decided to continue eating healthily and taking vitamins – and made one change. Over the last 19 months I’ve practiced TCC, rarely skipping a day. The message his morning was, ‘Keep doing whatever you’re doing because the osteoporosis is getting better.’ What? Not only has degeneration abated, but bone is building. While I’d done TCC on and off for years, I’ve been doing a daily practice since retiring and becoming accredited to teach. This is the tip of the iceberg of amazing results from our precious mindful, meditative TCC. – LM, Lakewood, NJ

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When practicing T’ai Chi Chih, one of the essential elements to enhance Chi circulation in my experience is found within the wrists and knowing how to engage them in various movements. The opening in the wrists cultivated by lifting the hands slightly (while doing Around the Platter) is what I like to refer to as “vitality” in the wrists. This slight muscular engagement opens the meridian channels in the wrists and invites the Chi to flow much more strongly through the system…. I feel a much greater sense of aliveness in the body and flow of energy when my wrists are engaged in this way as opposed to when flowing from the tan t’ien with a more neutral wrist. – AT, Albuquerque, NM

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Where in the World? Visit our website for photos of TCC practice around the globe. Submit your own.

Want more inspiration? Want connection with the global TCC community? Want tips for a better practice? Join us:

1) Subscribe to The Vital Force. Our quarterly journal offers engaging stories, hints and insights from TCC teachers and students. We also highlight wisdom by, and photos rarely seen of, originator Justin Stone.

2) Subscribe to this monthly e-newsletter by sending an email.