The Sixth Principle of Tai Chi Chuan “Use The Mind/Will to Move, Not Physical Strength”
Where the Fifth Principle has got to be one of the easiest principles of tai chi to grasp, the Sixth Principle has got to be one of the most difficult. In my e-book The 10 Principles of Tai Chi Chuan for Beginners, that I give away with my video Beginning Tai Chi Exercises, I give a brief description of the Sixth Principle that’s geared toward beginners.
Use the mind/will to move, not physical strength: The aim is to allow your mind to direct your body. Ultimately this will mean directing the energy flowing through your body. In the beginning however, your body will learn the movements faster than your mind. When you are first learning, paradoxically, it can be helpful to allow your body to move on its own when your mind does not remember what the next move is.
As with other aspects of tai chi it’s really all about awareness of your body. While your mind always directs your movements, learning to use your mind without tensing your muscles any more than absolutely necessary can be difficult. Even though there is always more to learn I think this is one of the last concepts most of us are able to grasp.
For me this principle is something I tuck into the back of my mind and “allow” to develop. Maybe I’ll feel differently about this in the future, but for now I just let awareness of this principle/concept float into my consciousness on its own. Sometimes it’s there and sometimes it isn’t.
Your thoughts, experiences?
John
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May 12, 2009 - 08:05:12A very timely post for me. A friend sent me a text on Sunday from her tai chi class where the teacher has said (cryptically), “First mind, then chi, then body follows”. I’ve been aware of the concept for a long time but feel my practice is still lacking. The detail in your explanation is most helpful.
Bev’s last blog post..GraMa is now a member of tai chi Journeys 太极旅途.
Bev,
Glad I could help. This is how are minds and bodies work together already, we’re just working at making it conscious.
John
Hi John,
Very nice blog. I like what you’re doing.
In my experience (in Chen style tai chi), it seems easy at first to learn the moves with the body rather than the mind, but when you get some good feedback on the four key internal skills — using the ground path, peng jin, whole-body connection and silk-reeling energy — it’s far easier to understand “mentally” what you’re trying to achieve, but it takes years for the body to be able to feel it and do it properly.
A couple of days ago, I held a workshop on the self-defense applications of the Chen 38 form. It was a good turnout, including 7th and 8th degree karate and TKD black belts, a Yang tai chi instructor, and many others with martial arts and boxing backgrounds. It was a lot of fun working with them, trying to get them to take me down with tai chi movements, and feeling how disconnected and twisted their bodies were — how off-balance (even the Yang teacher). But with a few little tips on using intent and whole-body connection, suddenly they would put me down without using any muscular tension. Their faces would light up and they would get a little glimpse of what all this means.
Sometimes, when I read things like “the mind directs the body,” it’s very difficult for the average tai chi student to know what that means, isn’t it? It really has to be shown. Part of “the mind directs the body” has to do with the intent of the movement, where you’re putting the ground path and exactly what you’re trying to accomplish with the movement.
I’m glad I found you on Twitter and I enjoy the blog.
Ken
Ken,
Sounds like you had a really interesting workshop. I would like to have attended. It’s always good to see different styles working together and learning from each other.
John