Tai Chi has five functions: fitness, self-cultivation, health care, entertainment and self-defense. It involves five major fields: philosophy, mechanics, Chinese medicine, military science and aesthetics. Tai Chi involves so many fields, plus dozens of complex movements, numerous essentials and “degree” that is neither too much nor too little. If you don’t practice slowly and evenly, you will never be able to experience its essence.
At first, I didn’t understand the connotation of Tai Chi, nor did I know how to master its essentials. When I learned boxing and sword, I only imitated the external movements. I learned one set after another, only seeking quantity and variety, but not working hard on the quality of boxing and internal strength. In the past ten years, I have given up the dozen or so boxing and sword routines I originally learned, and practiced the traditional Yang style 85-style set. Instead, I feel that there are endless things to learn and practice, and I have constantly gained new things. I have also gradually realized that slow and even practice is better than fast practice and boxing to music. In summary, there are the following benefits.
- Slow practice is conducive to understanding the essence of Tai Chi, such as standing upright and comfortable, relaxing the whole body, connecting each joint, and connecting the upper and lower parts, and overcoming the problems of upper body misalignment, leaning forward and backward, swaying left and right, and stiff limbs that are easy to appear during fast practice.
A Tai Chi professional said that relaxation is the basic requirement for getting started with Tai Chi. According to my understanding, “center” means standing upright and in a straight line from top to bottom; “fixed” means that the body cannot shake casually and must be fixed; relaxation is the soul of Tai Chi, from the mind to the body, inside and outside, you must relax. However, after understanding these, it takes a long practice process to achieve physical understanding. I had a hunchback when I was young, and the physical defect has always prevented me from mastering the essentials of standing upright. For this reason, whether I am practicing boxing or sitting, walking, reading or writing in daily life, I pay attention to keeping my head straight and my body straight, and my tailbone straight. Slowly, my waist is much straighter than before. Now I am an old man, but I am almost not hunchbacked. In the past, I hunched my chest and lowered my head habitually, and I couldn’t raise my spirit. Now I raise my head, feel energetic, straighten my body, and feel comfortable.
- Slow practice is conducive to deep abdominal breathing, that is, deep breathing and sinking the qi into the Dantian.
Yang Chengfu’s “Ten Essentials of Tai Chi” clearly pointed out: “Tai Chi uses stillness to control movement. Although it moves, it is still still. Therefore, the slower you practice, the better. Slow breathing will allow deep breathing and sinking qi into the Dantian.” There are many different opinions on breathing in the 137th page of “New Tai Chi Complete Book”. There are also various different training methods among boxing friends. Some advocate consciously sinking qi into the Dantian, some advocate focusing on the Dantian, some advocate natural breathing without focusing, and some advocate seemingly focusing but not focusing. My personal experience is that it is better to breathe naturally when you first practice. After you become proficient in the movements, when you can practice boxing slowly and evenly with your whole body relaxed, as long as you have a slight intention to relax, you can transition from natural breathing to deep abdominal breathing. At this time, the Dantian seems to be guarded but not guarded, and you will feel the internal energy filling your body and hands. All the fever, numbness, swelling, and ants crawling on the soles of the feet, body, and hands are normal feelings that should be accompanied.
- Slow practice is conducive to distinguishing between the real and the fake and stabilizing the lower body.
Yang Chengfu emphasized that “the first meaning of Tai Chi is to distinguish between the real and the fake”, “if you can distinguish between the real and the fake, then you can turn lightly and effortlessly. If you can’t distinguish between them, then your steps will be heavy and sluggish, and you will be unstable on your own.” My experience is that if you take the relaxation of the middle stability as the first step to get started, then the lower body kung fu is the second step. The upper and lower lines are in a line, and the yin and yang under your feet change. The lower body kung fu is the foundation, and a tall building rises from the ground. If the foundation is not solid, it is like a castle in the air, which will fall down when the wind blows. So how can we practice the lower body well?
I made up a formula: “Look straight ahead and calm your mind, lift your head and hang your crotch, sink your waist and hips, support your real leg like a pillar, and walk with your empty leg lightly.” I use this formula to help all my boxing friends who learn boxing from me strengthen their memory. When practicing boxing, the two legs rotate to move the center of gravity, and the whole body is like sitting on one leg to practice boxing. The movement of the center of gravity should be slow and even. If you can distinguish between the real and the fake, the real leg will become more and more stable, and the fake leg will become more and more light. If you can feel that every movement is a pile of eight-sided support, you have achieved the ideal effect of practicing both boxing and kung fu. Tai Chi’s steps are like cats walking, and the movements are like drawing silk, which are reflected in the slow and even movement of the center of gravity and the distinction between the real and the fake.
- Slow practice is conducive to the waist and limbs, and the strength is complete.
Yang Zhenji, a famous Yang style Tai Chi master, emphasized that Tai Chi must focus on waist training, “all movements must be driven by the waist, waist belt, waist pull, waist rotation, waist feet and hands.” It is also said that “If you don’t practice Tai Chi from the waist, you will never be able to practice it.” When practicing Tai Chi, the whole body should be relaxed, moving forward, backward, left and right. The feet should not be strong, and the hands should not be active or reckless. The waist (some movements also require the hips) should be used to lead the movements in an arc, that is, a large circle inside a small circle, one circle after another, and they are connected continuously. If the movement is fast, it is easy to ignore the waist leading the limbs and the complete strength. Although I realized the importance of waist training fifteen or sixteen years ago, due to lack of guidance, my body, feet, and hands still acted independently when I practiced Tai Chi, and they could not form a whole.
Tai Chi “has its roots in the feet, is generated by the legs, is dominated by the waist, and is formed by the fingers.” The strength of the hands is transmitted from the feet. If the hands move recklessly when practicing, the active strength will be dispersed. To form a whole strength, you must use the waist. My teacher once said that the waist controls the left and right (referring to the left and right movement of the hands), the hands control the up and down (the hands lead the up and down), and the legs control the front and back (the forward and retraction of the body and hands depends on the front bow and back seat of the legs). A few short and simple sentences clearly explain how Tai Chi waist, Tai Chi feet, and Tai Chi hands are coordinated. This feeling of practicing whole strength can only be felt in slow and even practice. It cannot be felt if you practice fast.
- Slow practice is conducive to carefully understanding the important boxing theory and boxing method of “using intention without force”.
Yang Chengfu’s “Ten Essentials of Tai Chi” explains it very clearly: “The meridians in the human body are like the ditches on the ground. The ditches are not blocked and water flows, and the meridians are not closed and the qi flows.” “Qi and blood flow, permeate every day, circulate throughout the body, and never stop. Long-term practice will gain real internal strength.”
Not using force means gradually reducing the clumsy strength in the body through long-term boxing practice. A master and boxing friend once reminded me not to fill the intention (too strong intention) when practicing boxing. I think that neither too much nor too little refers not only to the external movements, but also to the intention and strength. There is also a degree of intention, that is, the intention must be moderate: if the intention is too strong, clumsy force will be used unintentionally; if the intention is too weak, the Peng force (referring to the total force of Tai Chi) will be lost. Boxing emphasizes slowness and uniformity, which means that the speed should be uniform and the strength should be uniform and moderate. If you practice too fast, it will be difficult to realize the correct use of force when practicing boxing.
- Slow practice is more conducive to standardizing the boxing frame and performing it accurately, and it is also easy for boxing friends to see the shortcomings.
In other words, if you practice too fast, not only will it be difficult for you to feel right or wrong, but it will also be difficult for your peers to see whether the boxing frame is accurate. It is extremely important whether the external movements of Tai Chi are standardized. For example, if the hand position is correct, the force will be exerted, and if it is wrong, the force will be lost.
- Slow practice is conducive to self-cultivation.
In the past, my wife and I were both impatient, and it was inevitable that there would be some friction in long-term relationships. She is a typical sharp tongue and soft heart. When she is unhappy, she will hurt people. In the past, I couldn’t keep my temper when I heard harsh words and easily quarreled with her. After practicing Tai Chi slowly for a long time, I habitually practice with concentration, calmness and relaxation every day, and consciously integrate this mentality into my daily life. Even if I encounter troubles, I will not care too much. When I have conflicts with others, I can think calmly and deal with them properly. Give people some time, and things will pass quickly. Now my husband and I are closer. It is really a couple who grow old together, and the family with three generations living together is more harmonious and happy. This is a state that is difficult to achieve with fast practice.
How slow should slow practice be? This depends on the age, physique, practice stage and level, skill and purpose of the practitioner. A set of Yang style 85-style boxing can be practiced for 20-30 minutes, or more than 40 minutes or longer. Slow practice is not only about slowing down the speed of boxing, but also about paying attention to uniformity and continuity to avoid discontinuity and ups and downs. However, if the practitioner’s balance ability and leg strength are not enough, there is no need to slow down for the time being. You can often practice standing exercises and walk Tai Chi steps, and strive to transition naturally from fast to slow.
Slow practice of Tai Chi is also very beneficial for fitness, health preservation, disease prevention and treatment. Chinese medicine believes that if the body’s qi and blood are not smooth, it is easy to get sick. If it is smooth, there will be no pain, and if it is painful, it is blocked. Tai Chi’s movements are gentle and slow, and the joints are connected. It leads the qi with the mind and moves the body with the qi. It can promote the dredging of the meridians in the body, the smooth flow of qi and blood, and is conducive to metabolism. It improves the functions of various organs and systems, thereby enhancing the ability to adapt to the external environment and the ability to resist diseases. Slow practice of Tai Chi, the waist rotates left and right constantly, which can play a good massage role on the internal organs, especially requiring the whole body muscles to relax and the mind to be quiet, which can make the cerebral cortex get a good conditioning.
I was prone to colds when I was young, but I caught fewer colds after I was over 70. Even if I occasionally catch a cold, it is easy to recover. Sometimes I was in the hospital for a drip in the morning, and I went to boxing in the afternoon. More than ten years ago, I suffered from mild cerebral infarction, had transient consciousness disorders many times, and later suffered from prostate hyperplasia. Doctors believe that prostate hyperplasia is difficult to cure without surgery. Considering my age, I decided to take conservative treatment with medication and slow Tai Chi practice. The above symptoms improved significantly after two or three months and are now basically cured. I am 77 years old this year. I practice Tai Chi for 3 to 4 hours every day and do several hours of housework. I don’t feel tired at all. I eat delicious food, sleep sweetly, have normal bowel movements, and feel comfortable all over. Practicing Tai Chi has become an indispensable part of my daily life. It has formed a virtuous cycle of wanting to practice more and more. It can be predicted that practicing Tai Chi will accompany me for the rest of my life.