Marrying Sky To Earth

Where are the yang elements in our T’ai Chi Chih practice? At the recent TCC teacher conference in Nebraska, I realized how important key yang elements are in the TCC practice. I greatly appreciate the importance of grounding the Chi. Grounding the Chi is fundamental, not only in TCC practice, but in all spiritual practices. When Mara challenged Buddha’s right to Enlightenment, he touched the ground. Buddha also said, “He who keeps his attention in the soles of his feet, cures a thousand ills.”

In Japanese flower arranging, this precept is reflected in the three-pointed arrangement – sky above, man in the middle and the earth below. Martin Luther, the founder of the Protestant sects, wrote Here I Stand … not Here I Float. The Kabala, the Jewish system of theosophy, also contains a grounding principle. In the New MexicoT’ai Chi Chih News, Justin has written about the importance of both the horizontal and vertical in spiritual practice.

Where are the yang elements in TCC practice? First of all, the close between each movement series is an essential grounding point. It is important for one’s hands to descend to the earth between movements. Movements such as Pulling Taffy (and its variations) all have a very substantial grounding hand.

TCC practice is very powerful, and Justin created the movements to be performed in a certain ying and yang way for a reason. Experiencing both of these elements together can bring more power and balance to the practice.