Justin Stone Speaks on T’ai Chi Chih (August 2023, Part 1)

Editor’s Note: This spoken word CD is available on .

So closely is Chi identified with breath, though it is not the same, that the Chinese use an identical term for the two of them. And how basic is the power of this Chi, which T’ai Chi Chih teaches us how to use? The great sage from India, Sri Aurobindo who lived in [the 20th] century, made the amazing assertion that if this world were to be abolished, the Chi would be capable of building a new world in its place. We are the product of Chi.

Habit plays a great part in how we condition the Chi, and every thought and every emotion have their effects on it. This is what is meant by the reciprocal character of mind and Chi. The heart mind is influenced by the Chi and the Chi is influenced by what we think and feel, that is the workings of the mind. The reciprocal character of mind and Chi means that a certain type of mind or mental activity is invariably accompanied by a Chi of corresponding character.

For instance, a particular mood, feeling, or thought is always accompanied by a Chi of corresponding character and rhythm, which is reflected in the phenomenon of breathing. Less anger produces not only inflamed thoughts and healing but also a harsh and accentuated roughness of breathing.

On the other hand, when there is calm concentration on an intellectual problem, the thought and breathing exhibit a like calmness. When the concentration is deep, unconsciously the breath is held. When we meet someone for the first time, we sense the state of his or her Chi, and we say the vibes are “good” or “bad.” Once we are within the aura of that particular stranger, the aura simply being the manifestation of the state of Chi, we are influenced by that Chi. And our first impressions are usually right.

There is so much to be said on this idea of the reciprocal character of mind and Chi that we could go on and on, but I think you get the idea by now.

In truth it is not necessary for you to know all this, simply practice T’ai Chi Chih and feel the results. But it is necessary to practice. The Chinese say, “You cannot appease the hunger by reading a menu.” In other words, do the finger exercises and soon you will be playing Mozart on the piano, or words to that effect.

T’ai Chi Chih has spread so rapidly that it is not always possible to say that something hasn’t been done as yet. However, I do believe athletes have yet to come to realize how cultivation of the Chi can help in bettering their performance. The young man who lost 75 lbs. in four and a half months could not swim one lap in the Olympic-sized university pool before he took T’ai Chi Chih. After four and a half months of regular practice he was doing 20 laps in the early morning before playing racquet ball or several sets of tennis.

When I eventually get the chance to work with athletes, whether it be weightlifters who want to take advantage of this new type of strength, or runners who cannot improve their time in a distance race, I will place them on what I call a maximum Chi program. T’ai Chi Chih will be the base and they will be taught how to mentally take the Chi through the meridian channels of the body. They will learn how to rub the backs of the thumbs together preliminary to certain forms of massage, and they will be asked to practice the Nei Kung taught in my book Meditation for Healing before they go to bed at night, while lying flat on their back with their eyes closed.

It is my confident belief that the results will be amazing. Also, older athletes who have not lost their skills but continually get muscle pulls, et cetera, should be able to prolong their careers by staying in shape.

These athletes will learn how a group of martial art experts in Japan, with their knowledge of Chi, quickly demolished a building in Tokyo using only their bare hands rather than the old fashion swinging iron balls, et cetera.