John’s Tai-Blog @ Camp Tai ChiTai Chi and anything I can relate to Tai Chi … like life

The Eighth Principle of Tai Chi Chuan “Internal and External Are Unified”

The Eighth Principle of Tai Chi Chuan is one of the more esoteric Principles and is sometimes subject to widely varying definitions.  I believe this Principle is what really brings everything together to make tai chi work.   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 Seventh Principle that’s geared toward beginners.

Internal and external are unified: Mind and body function together.  The movement of your body is controlled by the mind.  This may be difficult to grasp at first.  Try picturing energy as water in a hose that causes your arms and legs to move as it flows through your body.  This can help you remain loose while your body maintains the proper structure and stance.  You can also play with other images as they occur to you.  “The mind is expressed through the body.”

In tai chi it’s really all about awareness of your body.  You could say what gives you that awareness is your mind. There really are many levels to this principle, and depending on where you are at any moment in time, your understanding will change.

Most of us start out just trying to get our arms, doing two different movements, to even look coordinated.  I had a conversation with a student last night who said she has always been in her mind rather than in her body, and she thought it was taking her a long time to “get it”.  I assured her she was not alone and that she was beginning to get it, even if she couldn’t see it yet.  Although both her body and her mind both work well, they’re just not used to working together.

Our bodies have a natural energy flow whether we can feel it or not.  When we can hold the proper body structure, coordinate our movements, and our mind is at ease as it focuses on timing, we are then able to “relax with structure” into the forms.  When this happens most people begin to feel the energy flowing through their bodies.  That’s when the mind and body are working together and the student can then begin to direct the energy consciously.

This particular Principle is probably best left off to the side until the student is ready.  Trying to focus on even one more thing can be pretty overwhelming at times.  The Eighth Principle also a concept that we will come to understand in time, simply through regular practice.  If you’re just getting started in tai chi chuan, tuck this one away for a bit; you’ll know when you’re ready for it.

Your thoughts, experiences?

John