Chris Chi

Wellbeing & Performance - the Tai Chi way

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Archives for July 2011

Tai Chi Cue Words

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Cue words are a good way of snapping  you back into the correct alignment when your are not practicing Tai Chi.

For example, the other night I was half asleep and felt very uncomfortable with my body in a non Tai Chi position, twisted like a pretzel.

I used my cue word of ‘spine’ to move myself back into a correct alignment for sleeping. I simple say the word ‘spine’ to myself and automatically adjust my position. I also do this when I’m walking or sitting and notice my alignment is incorrect.

It becomes an automatic response with repetition and it’s a great way of practicing Tai Chi in everyday life activities. This is important becomes Tai Chi practice is not just about practicing during specified sessions throughout the week. It’s what you do away from official practice that will determine how much you improve your Tai Chi.

I find that just one cue word is enough to remind me what I should be doing if I’m not in a correct physical, emotional, psychological  shape or state of mind.

Other cue words I use for various states include;

  • relax
  • calm
  • sink
  • yin
  • yang

Do you use cue words to maintain your wellbeing in your day to day activitie? What are they?

 

 

Posture and Balance

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Correct Posture and balance is vital when practicing Tai Chi – especially in a small space.

Whenever it rains I practice my Tai Chi form inside my house in a confined space. I’m usually in a small room, dodging furniture and tables as I move from one posture to another.

As I do this I’m continually shuffling backwards and forwards because of the lack of space available. And the problem here is it’s easy to lose your shape, posture and balance as you move throughout the form.

To compensate for this error I make sure I pause once I’ve shuffled back into space. This allows me to check my posture and balance before I continue the form.

I do a visual check and ‘feel’ check where I make sure it feels right before I go on.

The stop and start method isn’t ideal but it’s better than practicing outside in the rain. You tend to get wet 🙂 and your posture will sink into the mud probably throwing you off balance.

So be adaptable – pause – do a visual and feel check – and then move on.

 

 

Spear Drill: Tan Tien

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Here’s a Tai Chi spear exercise to test whether you are correctly using your tan tien or just muscle strength.

  • Stand with your spear beside you and then step forward.
  • Now lunge forward with your spear – chest high – until it is horizontal to the ground. As you do this slide your hands down the spear – holding the end – palms facing upward.
  • Now focus on your tan tien and move the spear to the left and then to the right and back to centre.
  • Lower the spear until the tip almost touches the ground and then raise it back up to the horizontal position.
  • Return to starting position

If you feel a strain in your shoulders and arms while you have the spear out in front of you then you are relying on external strength.

The key is to relax your body, particularly the arms and shoulders, and focus on your tan tien to initiate movements.