Chris Chi

Tai Chi for health & wellbeing

 

 

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Tai Chi Stance: What Goes Up Must Go Down

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When I practice my embrace the tree stance each morning I find there is a tendency to rise up slightly from the posture, especially when I’m nearing the end of my workout.

When this occurs I focus my Chi sinking vertically into the ground, starting from my Tan Tien, coccyx (tail bone), knees, bubbling wells in the soles of my feet and into the earth.

I co-ordinate this visualisation process as I slowly exhale.

This technique helps me to stay in the correct posture for the duration of the workout.

 

 

 

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.