Peeling Back the Layers

When students first begin learning T’ai Chi Chih they are sometimes frustrated to find that the body does not always do what they want it to. Arms and legs, hands and feet, shoulders, waist and hips…each seems to have a mind of its own. Or worse, they “team up” with one another and will not follow directions at all!

At this stage of learning it is important for T’ai Chi Chih teachers to convey that every part of the body must be allowed to move independently. In other words, just because the wrist is circling in a particular move doesn’t mean the entire arm must do so. Once this principle is learned, and gradually embodied, students will find that countless problems disappear from the practice. This eventually leads to an increased flow of the Chi and a feeling of gracefulness in motion.

Inevitably, the solution to one problem is often the source of another. Students begin by learning to break out of their hardened, habitual ways of moving to free up each part of the body, but after this has been accomplished problems seem to spring up everywhere! Now every part of the body requires great attention or it goes astray. If one examines the legs for too long the arms seem to lose their shape; if the attention is placed on the arms for any length of time one finds that the body has begun to lean, and so forth. How can anyone keep track of all these independent objects in motion?

Students may now find that the message has changed, and shake their heads in disbelief when the teacher states that no part of the body may be allowed to move independently. Is this not the exact opposite of what was learned earlier?

Once each part of the body is moving freely it is flooded with Chi, the intrinsic intelligent energy of the Universe. The fluidity of this free-flowing Chi is what unites every part of the body into an integrated whole. Students now learn that the arms, legs, shoulders and waist do not move on their own; they are moved by the Chi. The flow of this Chi is what supports each part of the body and allows it to float. But what is it that moves this Chi, and can one direct it?

This is an advanced question, and it is discussed in great detail during T’ai Chi Chih teacher training courses. This is where serious students learn even more about their practice and become accredited to teach T’ai Chi Chih. They discover that the mind cannot remain fixed on any part of the movement. “Mind” must be unhindered and allowed to flow freely and simultaneously through every part of the body. If any aspect of the movement is left untouched it will inevitably go astray. It is our attention (awareness) of the whole, not the individual parts that “guides” the Chi. As the Chi responds to this subtle influence, it supports the entire body and allows it to move without effort.

When this happens one directly experiences what Justin Stone has described on so many occasions: “T’ai Chi Chih is doing T’ai Chi Chih.” The one who practices is merely an observer! The feeling of joy that results from this experience does not come from any outside source; it comes directly from within. It is available to each and every T’ai Chi Chih student, and the point of entry is consistent and mindful practice.