What You See is Not What is Really Happening

Since my teacher accreditation three years ago I have spent a lot of time watching others practice T’ai Chi Chih at teacher renewals and conferences. Their movements appear to be so graceful, effortless, and yes, even bigger than mine. Of course, I interpreted “bigness” in the same way athletes do, exert a little more muscle power and strength to get the movements to be larger. After all, that is what my eyes saw. Yet in making the movements bigger, I didn’t seem to flow effortlessly like those I viewed. Then, at the accreditation in Minneapolis [in June, 2001], I had the following insight. I share this insight with others who might be having trouble with movements that are too big because that is what you think you see as you watch and imitate others. Hopefully, you will discover what I did, that “what you see is not what is really happening.” The movements are an optical illusion.

There are a number of dictionary descriptions of illusion. Two are appropriate for discussion here that apply to the T’ai Chi Chih movements. The first description is that an illusion is a misleading image presented to the vision (as in optical illusion). I am reminded with this description of a picture of three boys walking down a sidewalk. The viewer sees the picture from a slight angle. At this angle, each of the three boys looks a different size. The one in front appears to be smallest while the one at the back appears to be the tallest. In actuality, all three boys are the same height. The image of the boys presented by the angle of the view is really an optical illusion.

The second description is that an illusion is the perception of something objectively existing in such a way as to cause misinterpretation of its actual nature. This description becomes clearer as it is applied to the T’ai Chi Chih movements.

T’ai Chi Chih movements might be considered an optical illusion because the eyes of the person watching “see” something different than what may actually be taking place, especially if viewed at an angle. For example, when one views the movements that are performed in a small and compact manner, they appear to the eye of an observer, and interpreted by the brain, as being larger than they really are. The tendency then is to imitate that largeness in one’s own practice. Yet what one “feels” with these small, compact movements is more of the expansion portion of the movement — the time when the chi is freely expressing itself with very little “splash”. The actual nature of the movement is hidden from the observer but “felt” by the doer. The small, compact movements feel larger but require less effort. And, it feels like this everywhere in the body. This is actually part of the true nature of T’ai Chi Chih but cannot be viewed by others.

On the other hand, when the movements are made larger using more muscle strength than is necessary, there is tension. Tension makes the body feel tighter, more constrained, everywhere in the body — mostly because it is. The mind seems to focus more on the contraction phase of the chi and since chi follows thought, everything about the movement feels tighter. The chi is unable to flow freely and to freely express itself. It is here that the ego starts its chattering about what “I” am doing wrong and what “I” need to change. Although the chatter makes things interesting for the rational, logical mind, it doesn’t allow for much constructive change in the movements. As such, the true nature of the chi may never be known to the doer.

I have concluded then, that when I watch others my eyes deceive me about how the movements are actually performed and subsequently the hidden nature of what one “feels” relative to the chi. I have found this to be especially true with Bass Drum, Push Pull, Taffys, Working the Pulley, and Passing Clouds. As I focused on making my movements smaller during my practice, I have this incredible feeling of freedom, or largeness, as the chi has more of an opportunity to more fully express itself. Perhaps this is what is meant by “letting go” or “T’ai Chi Chih doing T’ai Chi Chih.” For the first time I think I understand what Ed has been saying for the last three years, “T’ai Chi Chih is not about thinking, it is about feeling.”

I believe there are two very good reasons for not getting caught up with the optical illusion these movements present. First, the illusion keeps our attention on the largeness of the movements rather than the “feeling” of the movements. The movements “feel” better when they are smaller and more effortless, the opposite of what many of us see. Second, I remember hearing Ed remark during my accreditation that one of the reasons for continually examining our own practice is to minimize aspects that our students will magnify as they “see” them. New students may not only magnify our mistakes but misinterpret what appears to be a largeness in the movements that actually isn’t there. As they magnify that largeness, they create more tension in the body which can be seen in the movements. When teaching the movements to new students we might want to share with them the idea that the movements when done well, appear to the eyes as an optical illusion. We can then encourage them to focus more on how the movements “feel” rather than trying too hard to imitate what they think they “see.” Your students may eventually be surprised to discover that “what you see is not really what is happening”.