T’ai Chi is built upon two principles: proper body structure and dynamic physical relaxation known as “Song.” These are the poles of strength and flexibility that support a solid T’ai Chi practice. Not coincidentally, flexibility and strength are also the inherent qualities of the I Ching’s primary trigrams of Heaven and Earth, which are the Father and Mother from which all else springs—including T’ai Chi.
In T’ai Chi (as well as in Qigong and seated meditation), we build the frame of the body like we do for a house—from the bottom of the foundation up—making sure the structure is properly supported and aligned. We construct the physical frame in the following way:
- Feet are parallel to one another and shoulder width with the weight evenly distributed, which is known as Wu Ji stance
- Knees are relaxed and open (slightly bent)
- Hips are relaxed with the tailbone slightly tucked under, which slightly elongates the lower back (mingmen)
- Waist and lower back are soft so that rotation can be maximized
- Diaphragm is relaxed to deepen and soften breathing
- Middle of the chest (middle Dantian) is relaxed and slightly concave
- Shoulders are relaxed downward (further softening the diaphragm for deeper breathing)
- Chin is slightly tuck inward so that the neck is aligned with the spine
- Top of the head (Baihui) is suspended upward as if you are a few inches taller
With the body properly aligned, the muscles should feel as if they are hanging off the bones with the weight of the entire body flowing downward to the feet and into the ground. The body’s weight should feel effortlessly distributed throughout with no excessive tension anywhere. Like a well-constructed house, there should be no danger of a collapse anywhere since every part is both firm and flexible, supported and soft.
To test the solidity of the body’s stance (which is known as Wu Ji), gently rock back and forth with the feet flat on the ground. If the structure is solid and with no tension, no part of the body should be listing or tipping in any direction. More, the toes and/or the heels do not lift from the ground, but rather the rocking anchors the body even further.
Once the body is structured and aligned, we can focus upon “song”—a feeling of relaxation of body and mind where we remain in a heightened state of softness. Such softness is dynamic and not to be mistaken for a blissful “zoning out” but rather one of heightened awareness. The state of softness of the body allows us to amplify our awareness of the body and its processes more acutely. We can feel any muscular tension and thereby release that tightness; we are aware of the subtle shifting of our weight in any movement; we can attune our attention to the ebb and flow of the breath.
Our goal is to maintain this state of dynamic awareness and softness as much as possible, which illuminates the central goal of T’ai Chi which is deeper feeling and consciousness of our bodies, our processes and our mental machinations. Song allows us to feel more deeply and is not an escape from ourselves but, rather, is a heightened awareness.
These two principles of body structure and Song are interrelated and interdependent. The body needs to be properly aligned so that there is minimal strain, muscular tightness, and/or discomfort, and this creates the physical space to relax more intensely and to feel with greater depth and precision.
Together, structure and song are the fundamental foundations of authentic T’ai Chi practice, and they are the groundwork upon which the strength and flexibility of all movements are built. Even more importantly, these two principles are the lesson that transforms T’ai Chi into a living practice of depth and substance.