Taijiquan: A Soft - Style Martial Art with Health Benefits
Taijiquan (Tai Chi Chuan) is an internal Chinese martial art. It is considered a soft style martial art, an art applied with as deep relaxation or softness in the musculature as possible, to distinguish its theory and application from that of the hard martial art styles which use a degree of tension in the muscles. Variations of Taijiquan’s basic training forms are well known as the slow motion routines. The slow, repetitive work involved in the process of learning how that leverage is generated gen- tly and measurably increases and opens the internal circulation: breath, body heat, blood, lymph, peristalsis, etc. Taiji also boosts aspects of the immune system’s function very significantly, and it has been shown to reduce the incidence of anxiety, depression, and overall mood distur- bance. Therefore, Taijiquan is often promoted and practiced as a martial art therapy for the purposes of health and longevity.
The Origin and Training of Taijiquan
The name Taijiquan is derived from the Taiji symbol, commonly known in the West as the “Yin-Yang” diagram. It is therefore said in literature preserved in its oldest schools to be a study of Yin (receptive) and Yang (active) principles, using terminology found in the Chinese classics, especially The Book of Changes. Every movement of Taijiquan is based on circles, just like the shape of a Taiji symbol. Therefore, it is called Taijiquan.
The physical training of Taijiquan is characterized by the use of leverage through the joints based on coordination in relaxation, rather than muscular tension, in order to neutralize or initiate physical at- tacks. Laozi provided the archetype for this in the Tao Te Ching when he wrote, “The soft and the pliable will defeat the hard and strong. ” Taiji training involves learning solo routines, known as forms, and two- person routines, known as pushing hands. In addition, some traditional styles of Taijiquan involve weapons in practice. For example, weapons training and fencing applications employing the straight sword known as Jian, a heavier curved saber, sometimes called a broadsword, folding fan, wooden staff known as Gun, spear and lance. More exotic weapons still used by some traditional styles are the Dadao or large saber, hal- berd, cane, rope-dart, three sectional staff, lasso, whip, chain whip and steel whip.
The Popularity and Development of Taijiquan
Taiji has become very popular in the last twenty years or so. Hospitals, clinics, communities and senior centers are all hosting Taiji classes around the world.
As Taiji again became popular, more competitive forms were developed to be completed within a 6-minute time limit. In the late 1980s, the Chinese Sports Committee standardized many different competition forms. They developed sets said to represent the four major styles as well as combined forms. The combined forms are the 42 Form or simply the Competition Form.
These modern versions of Taijiquan have since become an integral part of international Wushu tournament competition, and have been featured in several popular Chinese movies starring or choreographed by well-known Wushu competitors, such as Jet Li and Donnie Yen.
Qigong: Coordinating Breath and Body for Health
Qigong is an aspect of traditional Chinese medicine involving the coordination of different breathing patterns with various physical pos- tures and motions of the body. Qigong is mostly taught for health main- tenance purposes, but there are also some who teach it as a therapeutic intervention. Various forms of traditional Qigong are also widely taught in conjunction with Chinese martial arts, and are especially prevalent in the advanced training of what are known as the Neijia, or internal martial arts where the object is the full mobilization and proper coordi- nation and direction of the energies of the body as they are applied to facilitate all physical actions.
Qigong relies on the traditional Chinese belief that the body has something that might be described as an “energy field” generated and maintained by the natural respiration of the body, known as qi. Qi means breath or gas in Chinese, and, by extension, the energy produced by breathing that keeps us alive; gong means work applied to a disci- pline or the resultant level of technique. Qigong is the “breath work” or the art of managing one’s breathing in order to achieve and maintain good health, and (especially in the martial arts) to enhance the energy mobilization and stamina of the body in coordination with the physical process of respiration.
There is another, older meaning of qi—energy. Before people became aware of air and its role in breathing, people understood the need to inhale and exhale something. That something was qi or energy. Therefore, the original meaning of Qigong was “energy skill”.
Attitudes toward the scientific basis for Qigong vary markedly. Most medical practitioners view Qigong as a set of breathing and move- ment exercises with possible benefits to health through stress reduction and exercise. Others see Qigong in more metaphysical terms, claiming that breathing and movement exercises can help one tap the fundamen- tal energies of the universe.
The Cultural and Traditional Associations of Qigong
Qigong and related disciplines are still associated with the martial arts and meditation® routines practiced by Taoist and Buddhist monks, professional martial artists, and their students. Medical Qigong treatment has been officially recognized as a standard medical technique in Chinese hospitals for many years. Qigong has also been listed as part of China's National Health Plan. Qigong was historically practiced extensively in Taoist and Buddhist monasteries as an adjunct to martial arts training, and the claimed benefits of martial Qigong practice are widely known in East Asian martial traditions and popular culture. In addition, the traditional teaching methods of most Qigong schools descend from the strict teacher-disciple relationship conventions inherited in Chinese culture from Confucianism.
In some styles of Qigong, it is taught that humanity and nature are inseparable, and any belief otherwise is held to be an artificial discrimi- nation based on a limited, two-dimensional view of human life. Accord- ing to this philosophy, access to higher energy states and the subsequent health benefits said to be provided by these higher states is possible through the principle of cultivating virtue. Cultivating virtue could be described as a process by which one comes to realize that one was never separated from the primal, undifferentiated state of being free of artifi- cial discrimination that is the true nature of the universe. Progress to- ward this goal can be made with the aid of deep relaxation (meditation), and deep relaxation is facilitated by the practice of Qigong.
