Be upright
During the practice of Tai Chi, it is often found that the practitioner’s body is not upright, leaning left and right, leaning forward and backward, and the whole body is awkward, especially for beginners. First of all, the “four levels” must be done well, that is, the top of the head is flat and straight, the shoulders are flat and the body is straight, the eyes are flat and the mind is straight, and the heart is calm and the breath is straight. Secondly, in order to make the body upright and comfortable and support all sides, the external three combinations must be done well, that is, the shoulders and hips are combined, the elbows and knees are combined, and the hands and feet are combined. The external three combinations are like when a carpenter is erecting doors and windows, in order to prevent deformation, he first makes an “X” to fix the frame. Of course, the external three combinations of our practitioners are mainly achieved by intention. Tai Chi’s uprightness is not to absolutely keep the center of the body perpendicular to the ground, but to keep the body balanced. Taking “Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg” as an example, the body must be slightly tilted to ensure that the body is stable, that is, “the tilt contains the uprightness”. In the process of practicing Tai Chi, keep the body dynamic balance.
Be “loose” but not “slack”
When practicing boxing, the spirit is sluggish, the joints are closed, as if they can’t support their own bodies, the head is drooping, the back is bent, the hips are loose, the knees are weak, the hands and arms are the same, and the muscles are limp. The boxing posture is loose, confused, and listless. Although I have practiced boxing for many years, my emotions are not strong. When pushing hands, I am weak and resist, and I have many problems. The above ills are all caused by not distinguishing between “loose” and “slack”. First of all, you must be spirited and pay attention to the mind. Secondly, all joints must be opened, the tendons must be loosened, the qi must be sunken, the strength above the waist goes up, the strength below the waist goes down, and the strength of the two tips must be brought out everywhere. Use the mind without strength to be loose, and do not use the mind without strength to be slack. Therefore, the boxing theory says that if you use the mind without strength, it will be stagnant if you use the qi, and it will be agile if you use the mind. The mind and qi are the king and the flesh and blood are the servants.
“Open” and “Close” should be clearly distinguished
Many people know how to open but not how to close, or know how to close but not how to open when practicing boxing and pushing hands. When the boxing moves, they are scattered when they open, and deflated when they close. The opening and closing are separated, and there is no continuity at all. When practicing boxing, there are many edges and corners. When pushing hands, they resist and lose, and are restricted everywhere. Opening and closing are two contradictory aspects. Opening is inseparable from closing, and closing is inseparable from opening. Opening and closing exist at the same time. We advocate that when opening, we should pay attention to closing without dispersing, and when closing, we should pay attention to opening without deflation, just to prevent the separation of opening and closing. The boxing theory says that it is absolutely true that there is closing in opening and opening in closing. When you practice kung fu to a certain level, you will feel that there is opening in opening and closing in closing, or you can say that you open again and open again, and close again and close again, until it is difficult to distinguish between opening and closing. This is the key to practicing Tai Chi and Tai Chi pushing hands well.
Have roots under your feet
When practicing push hands, you are always top-heavy and light-footed, standing unsteadily, and it is difficult to control one foot, or even both feet are not stable on the ground. The main manifestation is that the transformation between virtual and real is not good. The front and back virtuality and reality all depend on the forward and backward movement, and the left and right virtuality and reality also depend on the left and right swing, so this is the fundamental reason for the lack of roots under the feet. The key is to rely on loose waist and hips, lower the center of gravity, and stand naturally and steadily. Specific methods: such as bow and arrow steps, when the back foot becomes real, the back foot should push, the front foot should support, loose waist and hips, and realize the center of gravity transfer and virtuality and reality transformation in relaxation and sinking. In our words, advance and retreat in relaxation and sinking, and relax and sink in advance and retreat. This can prevent both stiff legs and soft legs, and the feet are naturally stable and rooted.
Be flexible
There are many edges and corners, the boxing stance is rigid, the movements are dull and unattractive, and there is no Tai Chi flavor. The main reason is that there is no connection and cornering. When practicing and pushing hands, at the end of opening and closing, use the relaxation and sinking force to connect the upper and lower styles seamlessly, and at the same time draw a small arc at the end of opening and closing. This small arc is called “cornering”. Just like catching a ball in basketball, you need to catch it and return it with a buffer. With the connection between the upper and lower parts and the corners, the boxing posture is naturally loose, soft, round and flexible, and continuous. When it is visible, it is like the Yangtze River flowing continuously, and when it is hidden, it is like the water flowing under the ice and invisible. With this strength, not only the boxing posture is beautiful, but also it plays an important role in pushing hands to transform the strength. This is also the key difference between “internal boxing” and “external boxing”.
It is necessary to switch lightly and avoid double.
Double is a disease, which manifests as: slow and heavy steps in the frame, unstable rise and fall, always like rebirth, difficult to control; when pushing hands, attack and defend, resist more than enough, and do not know how to transform. Although I have practiced boxing for many years, I am still restricted everywhere, all because of double. First of all, I understand the principle of yin and yang, distinguish my own emptiness and reality, and walk lightly like a cat. The transformation of emptiness and reality is mainly completed by the two kidneys and two hips. Correctly transforming emptiness and reality, the kidneys should be able to enter and exit naturally, and the entry and exit of the kidneys can achieve twice the result with half the effort in pushing hands. So, how can the kidney go in and out? For example, when riding a bicycle, one foot is relaxed and sinks down, and the kidney and hip of the leg that is pushing down will drop accordingly, becoming solid; the other foot sticks and absorbs and lifts, and the kidney and hip rise accordingly, becoming empty; if both feet push at the same time, it will be stagnant, and a double disease will occur. So in the process of practicing boxing, when taking a left step forward, the left kidney and hip rise, becoming empty; at the same time, the right kidney and hip drop, becoming solid, and vice versa. In general, the kidney and hip of the empty leg rise; the kidney and hip of the solid leg drop. This must be done in both the frame and pushing hands, and the requirement of “going out of the kidney and entering the kidney is the true secret” can be achieved.
Relax the shoulders and drop the elbows
People often understand that relaxing the shoulders and dropping the elbows means that the acromion should sink, the deeper the better, and even deliberately sink the shoulders, which makes the shoulders and back tense, like carrying a heavy burden, causing the chest to be unable to move, which has a great impact on pushing hands. The key is to understand the structure of the shoulder. The shoulder is composed of the humeral head, the glenoid cavity of the scapula, and the sternoclavicle. Shoulder pressure will close the shoulder joint, and the qi will float up, which will make you feel like you are holding your breath. To relax the shoulder, you must open the shoulder joint, relax the muscles and move forward with the intention of pulling it together. The shoulders and back will feel weightless, and the qi can flow smoothly. After practicing for a long time, the shoulder joint will open by itself, and the shoulder will be flexible and the chest will be soft, so that the qi can be transformed naturally, and the requirement of “transformation in the chest” as stated in the boxing theory can be realized.
Be round and full
When practicing and pushing hands, you often find that there is something here but not there; there is something in one place but not in many places. Concave and convex can be seen everywhere, and the boxing posture is not perfect, so you are restricted everywhere when pushing hands. You must learn to use your mind comprehensively. Under the command of your mind, the whole body must have a certain amount of shelf strength. Shelf strength cannot be simply understood as pushing and resisting forward and upward. Shelf strength is the mother strength, and everything is derived from the mother strength. If you use shelf strength well, you will feel wonderful. Using your mind is to practice your mind. Your mind can take care of the whole body and highlight the key points. To highlight the key points, you must also take care of the whole. The whole is for the key points, and the key points are the highlight of the whole. This is the overall concept of Tai Chi. Any changes in boxing postures should be preceded by changes in the mind. The mind is the commander and the vanguard. Whether it is a set frame or a push hand, the whole body always maintains a dynamic balance, and at the same time it must change in a thousand ways. This is called the theory of “the body shape does not change but changes in the middle, and the change does not change in the middle”. If we do this, the boxing posture will naturally stretch and be generous, compact and flexible. Stretching without being scattered, compact without being flat. There is no discontinuity, no defects, no bumps. After a long time of practice, you can relax and sink through, and the inside and outside will be consistent. Whether it is boxing or pushing hands, you will feel wonderful and infinite, and the flat disease will naturally disappear.
Breathe naturally
The breathing of Tai Chi is a major concern of Tai Chi enthusiasts, and some books and magazines have different opinions, which makes practitioners at a loss. I want to talk about the breathing of Tai Chi. First of all, we must understand the three major breathing systems, namely fetal breathing, hair breathing, and mouth and nose breathing. These three major breathing systems, whether you are aware of it or not, are completing the task of exchanging air with nature. All three are indispensable, otherwise it will affect health and even threaten life. Breathing through the mouth and nose enters the lungs. Only by breathing in the fetus can the air reach the sea of qi, which is the real deep and long breathing. Generally speaking, deep and long breathing means good health and long life. The shallower the breathing, the worse the health and the shorter the life. The commonly said abdominal breathing or Dantian breathing is not accurate. The correct term, I think, should be called fetal breathing. The method is to breathe with the Shenque point. When inhaling, the Shenque point (navel chakra) drives the belly to stick to the gate of life. When exhaling, the Shenque point is still used to drive the belly back to the original place. In this way, one contraction and one release, repeating over and over again, let it be natural.