= Tai Chi Principles: A Novice Primer =

An overview of important guiding principles for Tai Chi practice.

|YIN AND YANG|

Yin and Yang represent the apparent duality expressed in the material world. This is seen in such pairings as light-dark, hot-cold, up-down, and the like.

Yin refers to the “negative” category of things. Negative does not mean bad, just as the negative side of a magnet is not morally inferior to the positive side, and zero is not evil compared to one. Yin governs things like darkness, cold, receptiveness, softness, calm, etc.

Yang refers to the “positive” category of things. Again, not a judgement or value statement. Keep that firmly in mind. Yang governs things like light, heat, assertiveness, firmness, vigor, etc.

These paired qualities are part of a rich tradition of Chinese philosophy called Daoism, which has many forms and is associated with many spiritual and physical health practices.

The art of Tai Chi Quan is ultimately the quest to cultivate the balance of Yin and Yang within one’s being, both physical and otherwise. It is a quest for *Harmony*.

|SONG|

Pronounced like the English word “song”.

Song (sometimes anglicized as “sung”) is part of the core triad of Tai Chi principles. They are expressed as simple words or phrases, but represent profound concepts that a student will continually refine and redefine as their practice deepens over time.

The Chinese word means something like “relax”. While this does reflect the meaning on a surface level, we tend to use the word “release” in our practice. What we are releasing is unnecessary tension in the body.

For most of us, our bodies harbour an unfortunate amount of stiffness and tension. What we do with our bodies, what we neglect to do with our bodies, emotional timeline events (trauma et al.), habits of gesture and expression, daily stress and anxiety, and many other apparent and hidden factors all leave their residue in our flesh.

And that residue accumulates over time. We experience discomfort or pain, we lose flexibility, we become progressively corralled into a narrow range of available physical movements and stereotyped behaviours.

Tai Chi practices seek to melt down this stiffness, clear the body of these residues, and gradually give rise to a body that is capable of a rich range of movements and self-expression, feels graceful and limber, and is generally more pleasant to abide in.

The cultivation of qualities like Song is accomplished through consistent practice over long periods of time. Though this may seem daunting to the prospective novice, the rewards that arise along the long path will provide much incentive to continue, and are themselves worth striving for.

|PENG|

Pronounced like “pung”.

Peng is the quality of fullness in the body. It is a quality that inflates the softness achieved through cultivating Song, giving it strength and integrity. Much like a well-inflated balloon, Peng implies expansion in all directions, but also suppleness and springiness.

|ZHONG DING|

Pronounced like “Jong Ding”.

Zhong Ding is typically translated as “Central Equilibrium”. It is the balancing of Yin and Yang within a being. At a novice level, the understanding of this principle will pertain to being able to maintain one’s balance and physical alignment, as well as maintaining emotional composure in the face of challenge.

As a student matures down the path of cultivation, the term will come to be associated with harmony and spiritual equanimity. These are very easy words to say, but qualities that are very seldom attained in truth. (I certainly lay no claim to their attainment, myself!) Nonetheless, for students who want to incorporate their Tai Chi into their spiritual practice, these qualities serve as worthy ideals for which to strive.

|SPIRALS|

Tai Chi movement is characterized by curved and winding patterns. We gradually cultivate a way of moving that is smooth, flowing, and connected.

There are two major types of spirals that are expressed in practice. The first consists of the paths your body takes through space as you move. The second is contained within the body, and is expressed by the body itself twisting and winding as you move from one posture to the next.

Spiral movements cultivate health and integrity through the muscular and fascial networks in the body, wringing tension from the frame and unlocking the segments of the body so that they can move with freedom and coordination.

|NO DIU, NO DING|

Diu is pronounced like “dee-oh”, and Ding is pronounced simply like “ding” (as in “ding-dong”).

The concepts of Diu and Ding represent undesirable qualities which arise in our bodies during practice, and which we seek to gradually purge. They are most obvious in the context of push hands (partner practice).

Diu arises when you break connection with the partner, as would occur if you retreated suddenly away from your partner’s advance. Instead of following and flowing with your partner’s movement, the retreat creates space that your partner is able to flow into, further compromising your own position.

Diu is an expression of “flight”.

Ding arises if you clash with your partner, causing the interaction to lock up. In this instance, instead of following and flowing with the partner an attempt to force the other person to move in a particular way or a heavy-handed attempt to off-balance them causes your body to stiffen up. This creates an opportunity for a skillful partner to put you off balance, but more importantly prevents you from cultivating flowing movement and a graceful body.

Ding is an expression of “fight” or “freeze”.

These undesirable qualities can also arise in your body during individual practices, though they can be harder to detect. Parts of your body that are behaving in a “floppy” or disconnected way during movement are expressing Diu. The parts that are stiffened up or stuck together, unable to conduct flowing movement, are Ding.

|STICK-ADHERE-JOIN-FOLLOW|

Instead of Diu and Ding, we attempt to cultivate a third option. When engaged in partner practices, we follow the principle of Stick-Adhere-Join-Follow.

At a basic level, this means that your movements should flow along with your partners. You learn how to flow into their “empty” places by expanding. You learn how to lure them into intentional emptiness yourself. Gradually, you learn to connect your body to your partner’s, which allows you to gain control over their balance without resorting to overpowering them.