Chris Chi

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You are here: Home / Archives for Tip

Tai Chi Stance: What Goes Up Must Go Down

By Chris Leave a Comment

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.

 

 

 

Filed Under: For Beginners Tagged With: embrace the tree, Tai Chi, Tip, Training

Spear Drill: Tan Tien

By Chris Leave a Comment

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.

Filed Under: Weapons Tagged With: external strength, Spear training, Tai Chi, Tan tien, Tip

Tai Chi Tip #31

By Chris Leave a Comment

Practice facing a mirror – occasionally pause & check technique & feeling

Filed Under: Tai Chi Tips Tagged With: Tai Chi, Tip

Good Chi News – Februrary Issue coming soon

Terms

Tai Chi Chuan
A health and self defence system.

Chi
The ‘intrinsic energy’ which circulates in all living things – Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming.

Chi Kung
….. specialises in building up the Chi circulation in the body for health and/or martial purposes – Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming.

Copyright © 2025 · Chris Bennett