A Presentation

“Hello, can you tell me about this T’ai Chi Chih thing I’ve been hearing about from my friends?”

T’ai Chi Chih is a slow gentle series of movements. It was created by Justin Stone when he noticed that his students weren’t particularly interested in continuing with T’ai Chi Ch’uan instruction. One difference between the two is that T’ai Chi Ch’uan has 108 movements, while T’ai Chi Chih has 19 movements and one posture. More importantly, T’ai Chi Chih is not a martial art. We have repetitive foot movements and similar arm movements, which makes them easy to learn and practice. When you practice daily, you might find that balance improves and energy levels remain consistent throughout the day.

The basics to remember: keep your spine upright, knees soft and eyes open with a soft gaze. Concentration is kept in the souls of your feet. The tan tien (the center of your “energy bank” located slightly below your naval) leads the movement forward and back.

The two “warm-up” moves are called Rocking Motion and Bird Flaps Its Wings. Most of the next eight moves have the same foot position and forward-and-back movement. Carry the Ball to the Side introduces you to the side step, which in turn, prepares you for the next four movements. Then come the four “Taffies,” as they are affectionately called, followed by Working the Pulley (which has the same foot movement of the earlier seven). Light at the top of the Head / Light at the Temples and Joyous Breath come next and have very little foot movement. Passing Clouds is similar to Carry the Ball to the Side in that the hands follow the tan t’ien but you step to the right side and don’t move your feet until you conclude. Healing Sounds has a combination of the foot movement of the earlier eight movements and the side step of the “Taffies.” We end our practice with Cosmic Consciousness Pose: Our left heel rests on our right ankle, and our hands are in front of our face, shoulder level, with our left hand inside the right and arms parallel to the floor.

Most of these movements are done nine times on the left and nine times on the right. We conclude each segment of each movement by letting our hands rest softly on each side of the tan tien. This allows the energy to settle down and the yin and yang elements come back together. I hope this gives you insight to what your friends are talking and stirs your interest in wanting to try this soft, gentle movement. It’s so calming and energizing.