10 Essential Principles of Taiji Quan

by Nancy L. Deye

1. Suspend the Head and Keep It Straight:   Imagine a strong silk string attached to the crown of your head, suspending the body from above. Let the feeling decompress the area at the base of the neck and the feeling of relaxation fill the areas between the vertebrae.

2. Depress the Chest and Raise the Upper Back:    Simply relax the chest muscles. Extend and lengthen the spine rather than have it hunch over. If the back is extended naturally, the chest will be neither concave or convex.

3. Loosen the Waist:    The emphasis is not on relaxing the waist but working toward a strong flexable one. The fluidity and power come from movement that originates from the core of the body and translating outward to the smaller muscles of the extremities.

4. Distinguish between Substantial and Insubstantial:    Learning to differentiate what is full/heavy and empty/light translates into agility in each movement. This is the first step towards smooth coordination of movement and the development of balance.

5. Sink the Shoulders, Drop the Elbows, Sit the Wrist:    This means to relax the shoulders and release the tension. Drop the elbows means they are neither raised nor squeezed. Let them sink. "Beautiful Ladies Hands" is where the fingers are neither open or closed; neither bent nor straight.

6. Use Your Mind, Not Your Force:    The secret of Taiji's internal vigor comes from the body's sinew, the ligaments and tendons which constitute the body's connective tissue. Relaxing and loosening all the sinew, joints and muscles as fully as possible rather than using the force of the skelatal muscles, develops internal strength.

7. Coordinate the Upper and Lower Body Movements:    When the arms move, the legs should move with them. The hands and feet, the elbows and knees, the shoulders and hips should all move in concert. All the body's joints should feel that they are connected.

8. Unify Internal and External Movements:    This means not only paying attention to the external workings of movement, posture and body but also to the internal workings of the mind, inner force, and spirit. A fundamental reason to move slowly is to allow for constant monitoring and adjusting the body to make sure it is moving as a unit.

9. Must be Absolute Continuity of Movement:    Think of the circular path of each movement. In Taiji, every movement is in a curve or circle that has no beginning or ending. As one movement of the form is completed, another seemlessly begins. In practice, movements are slow and continuous, never speeding up, never slowing down.

10. Seek Stillness in Motion:    Seeking calm within movement is a primary characteristic that differentiates Taiji from any other physical exercise, where stress is placed on the body. Taiji's gentle, slow and relaxed movements invigorate the body while they simultaneosly offer the mind the benefits of rest. When practicing Taiji, we open ourselves to an awareness of inner workings and create a sense of tranquility. When we seek stillness in motion, we ask for a meditative mind. The flowing, slowly unfolding form is far more suitable for meditation than sitting motionless and struggling to control the monkey mind.