What are the manifestations of practicing Tai Chi to a high level?

When practicing Tai Chi to the highest level, you will feel empty, quiet and ethereal, with a focused mind, hair standing up and eyes showing a spiritual look.

The body is so soft that the qi sinks into the abdomen, and the body feels weightless. However, the limbs still maintain the strength, and the qi flows through the whole body.

When Tai Chi moves, the qi column sinks to the ground, the crotch moves down the arc, the tip leads the strength, the body turns, and the internal qi rotates.

Regardless of the school or school of Tai Chi, it requires seeking movement in stillness and seeking stillness in movement, with emptiness, quietness and etherealness as the ultimate. So, how can we achieve emptiness, quietness and etherealness?

To be empty, quiet and ethereal, the mind must be empty and quiet first

The improvement of Tai Chi Kung Fu depends on the deepening of emptiness and quiet Kung Fu. Tai Chi theory: “There is nothing in the mind, and there is nothing to think about.” What he said “there is nothing in the mind” means not to store anything in the mind, and the mind is not attached to anything, because any attachment may lose the peace of mind.

Empty and quiet

First of all, the mind can be empty and quiet. The heart is the master of the body. If the heart is quiet, the whole body is quiet. If the heart is empty, the whole body is empty, and all the organs follow the heart. If the body and mind are empty and quiet, the mind can be at peace. If the mind is at peace, the thoughts have a place to stop, the qi has a place to return, there is no thought, no object, the whole body is empty inside and outside, and the internal qi is stored in the middle.

Tai Chi is both seeking tranquility in movement and movement in stillness, waiting for it to move.

Waiting for it to move: First, when practicing boxing, when one posture is completed, wait for the “position” of the next posture to move, that is, move and then be still, there is a momentum of pre-movement in stillness, if the internal qi can be fully mobilized, the opportunity for the next posture will naturally be eager to move. Second, when pushing hands to compete, wait for “the other” to move, that is, give up yourself and follow the other, if the other does not move, you do not move; if the other moves slightly, you move first. Third, in actual combat, if the body and mind can be empty and quiet, the spirit will be solid, the qi will not be scattered, the spirit and qi will be united, the intention will be ahead of others, others do not know me, but I know others, use stillness to control movement, and arrive first after starting later.

If you want to be empty and quiet, you must focus on Dantian and then support Mingmen:

Tai Chi emphasizes Mingmen, and Qigong emphasizes Dantian. When practicing Tai Chi, you must always pay attention to the pivotal role of Mingmen acupoint. Mingmen acupoint is the center of gravity of the whole body. It reaches the four sides, the strength penetrates the spine, and the force is emitted from the spine. Mingmen acupoint is the source of original power. Only by knowing Mingmen can you know Tai Chi.

Practicing Tai Chi to sink qi into Dantian and focus on Dantian is not the purpose, but then supporting Mingmen acupoint, letting the spine swell, so that the qi generated by Dantian can spread throughout the body, so that qi and blood can flow smoothly, internal strength can be applied to the body, and self-defense and fitness are the ultimate goals. Mingmen acupoint is located between the two kidneys and belongs to the Governor Vessel. It has the meaning of the gate of life and the innate foundation. The Mingmen acupoint is symmetrical with the Shenjue acupoint (navel) of the Renmai, and intersects with the Daimai that wraps around the waist. The Daimai starts from the lower ribs of the Jimai, wraps around the waist and abdomen, and governs the straight meridians of the whole body. It has a very close relationship with the Chong, Ren, and Du meridians. The waist and abdomen are where the three meridians are emitted, and it is also the location of the lower Dantian true qi.

“One body has five bows”. “One body has five bows” means that the body is like a bow, the two hands are two bows, and the two feet are two bows. The combined force of the five bows is the overall strength of the whole body. The five bows are mainly based on the body bow, and the body bow uses the waist as the bow handle. The Mingmen acupoint on the waist and spine is always filled with mind and energy, and the center is fixed and does not swing. When moving, the Mingmen acupoint is used as the axis, and the two waist kidneys are used to change the virtuality and reality of the body. The “body bow” is very important to the body method. When the waist and spine turn, the whole body moves, which reflects the dominant role of the waist and spine. The Mingmen acupoint is located in the center of the body bow, which helps the dynamic balance of the body and plays a role in centering.

After “Qi supports Mingmen”, the internal Qi goes up through Dazhui, shoulders, elbows, and wrists, and goes down through hips, knees, and heels, so as to achieve the complete coordination state of “nothing moves without movement”. The force-generating method of Tai Chi is “Qi supports the Mingmen behind”, which is to support the “Mingmen” outward, and at the same time obtain the reaction force of the foot pushing the ground, and work together to generate explosive force, and exert force throughout the body.

To be empty and quiet, you must let the air mass rotate:

To be empty and quiet, you must let the air mass rotate, and to let the air mass rotate, you must unclog the meridians, and to unclog the meridians, you must open up the small and large circulations. By continuously improving the level of Tai Chi, Qi supports the Mingmen behind, and then you can open up the small and large circulations, dredge the meridians, and make the Qi in the body run freely throughout the body or accumulate in any part, flexibly and without stagnation, strengthen the internal strength, and cultivate the body and mind.

When it comes to the rotation of the air mass, it means to let the arms lead the internal Qi of the body to rotate, and outside the body, you feel that there is a larger air mass rotating, as if it has lifted up the sand, stones, and leaves. This requires that when practicing Tai Chi, the movements should be stretched, the ball should be held large, and there should be a sense of emptiness and tranquility that penetrates the mountains and rivers. When starting and ending Tai Chi, the small circulation of internal Qi should be reflected. When practicing Tai Chi, the large circulation of internal Qi should be reflected, the mind leads the Qi, and the Qi flows through the meridians and penetrates the whole body.

To practice Tai Chi well, you must first set up the frame well, which is the “external three combinations” of Tai Chi, that is, the combination of hands and feet, elbows and knees, and shoulders and hips, so as to achieve accurate body movements.

Tai Chi requires: the head should be suspended, the neck should be close, the eyes should be flat, the body should be straight, the shoulders should be heavy, the elbows should be dropped, the arms should be bent, the armpits should be empty (elbows should be supported outward), the hands should be extended, the fingers should be separated, the palms should be round, the fists should be empty, the chest should be relaxed, the back should be pulled, the waist should be the axis, the buttocks should be gathered, the crotch should be round, and the downward arc should be walked.

When the boxing posture is accurate, you should practice the boxing well. The so-called boxing refers to practicing Tai Chi routines well. The principle of this boxing is: “relaxed, calm, light, flexible, steady, slow and even, and harmonious with the spirit”. The key is “relaxed”. Relaxed and calm is the foundation, soft and gentle is the purpose, and the intention does not need to be strong, and the whole body is not stiff. By practicing Tai Chi, the “qi” and “blood” of the human body will be smooth.

Wang Zongyue said: “One movement is all moving, one stillness is all stillness”, and there is also the requirement of “up and down follow each other; inside and outside are in harmony” in the practice of Tai Chi. This is the “harmony” mentioned in Tai Chi, which is also very important.

In general, if you want to reach a high level of Tai Chi, you can get it from the following four points:

Quiet

The mind must be highly concentrated and there must be no distractions. However, human thinking is complex, and it is not easy to make the central nervous system highly concentrated and in a single state of excitement. So, how can you concentrate your mind? The simplest way is to focus on how to make your movements as correct as possible. In other words, it is easier to see results by seeking stillness in movement. Over time, you can gradually understand the power from familiarity, and from understanding the power to the realm of the gods.

Lightness

The “lightness” in Tai Chi cannot be explained by simply not using force. Lightness is relative to heaviness. The Tai Chi Sutra says: “If the left is heavy, the left is empty, and if the right is heavy, the right is empty.” Lightness means not using “explosive force”, and secondly, avoiding double. Lightness can also be interpreted as “softness”. “Extreme softness and then extreme hardness” just explains the flexibility of lightness. Lightness is not slackness. Slackness and explosiveness are both taboos in Tai Chi. Lightness is powerful but not used, so it is said that “seemingly loose but not loose, about to be deployed but not yet deployed” is Tai Chi power. The movements of Tai Chi, the hands, eyes, body techniques, and footwork are all between powerful and weak, showing a trend of about to be deployed but not yet deployed. It is necessary to distinguish between the real and the fake to form “Tai Chi power”. Understanding this power is the advanced stage of practicing Tai Chi. Only through long-term training and silent understanding can you do what you want.

Slowness

Practicing Tai Chi should be slow, but not paused. Slow is relative to fast. The principle of slow is to “connect” and there should be no interruption. The Tai Chi Sutra says: “If you move quickly, you should respond quickly, and if you move slowly, you should follow slowly.” Therefore, when practicing Tai Chi, you should make the movements before and after connected. The so-called “reciprocating must have folds, and advancing and retreating must have conversions” should make the whole set of movements continuous and connected, and there should be no intentional delays between movements. For well-trained people, the time for completing a set of boxing is basically the same each time, which is the concrete manifestation of deep kung fu.

Cut

“Cut” means serious. Practicing Tai Chi requires real effort, and you should not be careless. No matter which moves, you must be accurate. You must distinguish between the real and the fake, avoid missing movements, and stand upright and comfortable, “walk like a cat, and use strength like drawing silk.” Another meaning of “cut” is to study. If you don’t study when practicing, you should recall which boxing moves you practiced wrong after practice, and correct them when you practice again in the future. This is the effort of cutting, learning, polishing, and grinding. If you work hard like this, you will make rapid progress.

Heng

“Heng” means “regular” and “quantitative”. The first is perseverance, no matter it is severe cold or hot; the second is quantitative, according to each person’s physique and time, set the corresponding time and amount of exercise. Time, exercise and amount need to be gradually strengthened to gradually improve the level.

In short, to practice Tai Chi to the highest level, it is to start gently, move slowly, stop silently, open and close softly, and feel the internal qi flowing and swelling quietly, and experience the whole body without feeling, the limbs and bones are gone, and the artistic conception of “not knowing that the body is me, and I am the body”, to reach the Tai Chi state that starts from the invisible and returns to the traceless.