The Essential Principles of T’ai Chi Chuan (Taijiquan)
The Five Regulations of T’ai Chi Chuan
Our bodies are the vehicles through which we explore and experience the world. They are the sensory means of living and the tools to deepen our understanding of ourselves and our worlds
Not surprisingly body is one of the three treasures of traditional Chinese medicine, which are called Jing, Qi, and Shen, or body (in its physical essence and form), energy, and spirit. In the classics of T’ai Chi Chuan and Qigong, body is also the first of the five regulations which define the necessary focal points of authentic practice. The five regulations are:
- Regulating body
- Regulating breath
- Regulating mind
- Regulating energy (Qi)
- Regulating spirit (Shen)
Body is the necessary foundation for working with breath, mind, energy, and spirit. Regulating body focuses upon body structure, relaxation, and rooting through awareness and making any necessary corrections. (For a detailed discussion of structure, relaxation, and rooting, see the earlier two essays on structure and relaxation as well as structure and how to root the body.)
A relaxed body is key to proper abdominal breathing or what’s known as belly breathing where the breath is deep, long, slow, and soft. The breath can be visualized as a long stream of air slowly filling the lower abdomen like a balloon. Inhalation and exhalation should be equal in duration, which creates a sense of mental and physical tranquility. These breath characteristics of deep long, slow, and soft allow the inhalation and exhalation to synchronize with body movement, and the breath can be used to enhance movement, deepen the stance, generate deeper relaxation, or to amplify physical force. More, abdominal breathing massages the organs and internal pathways for health, healing, and Qi circulation. Consequently, the regulation of correct breath opens up a range of other benefits.
The mind builds upon body and breath, and we strive for the heart and mind to be at ease. With a relaxed mind and heart, we are able to concentrate and feel our bodies and breath more deeply to make any necessary adjustments. If the mind is stressed or scattered, then not only is it unfocused, it is incapable of making any positive corrections since it is not capable of feeling what is going on in the body or breath. Buddhism refers to this state as monkey mind where the attention is leaping here and there from thought to thought without purpose. When we are mentally and emotionally at ease, mental focus can be concentrated and sustained thereby achieving a level of meditative awareness.
A calm and focused mind oversees the processes of body and breath, and can sense the circulatory systems of the body, including blood, lymph, and the nervous system, which are all part of the bodies Qi or energy systems. Mind governs the overall flow of the bodies energy through the systems by feeling if the pathways are open, smooth, and balanced, and if not, making the necessary adjustments to body, breath, and mental outlook. The mind checks that the body is relaxed in order to gather Qi in the Dantien (the main energetic reservoir or storage area in the lower abdomen), thereby focusing that energy and using it for meditative awareness, physical healing, or for releasing energy through movement. The energy of the body, like proper breath technique, can be used to enhance physical movement or rooting, and it can be harnessed in other ways such as for martial power, health and healing, or meditative focus. Regulating Qi is an advanced skill, and while not impossible to achieve, it takes dedicated practice. Nevertheless, the immense benefits of learning to work with Qi is worth the necessary effort and work since it greatly enhances health and quality of life.
Each of the regulations build upon the others, and working with spirit is no exception. Governing the spirit though extends beyond the practitioner’s body to include the flow of the self and the world – what Taoism calls the yin and yang of the Tao. Regulating spirit requires understanding self and world, how we engage in living in the world, and to cultivating our individual virtue. These qualities lead to a profound awareness of purpose, which the ancients called the art of Shang Yeng, or living with personal value and understanding. Buddhism refers to such a person who is at one with Shang Yeng as an enlightened being, and Taoists say that person is a “real “human. To achieve such a state of being is lofty and arduous, and according to mythic lore, individuals who achieved the ability to regulate spirit transcend time and space and have other supernatural powers. While such goals are intriguing, unlocking a deeper sense of purpose and life value is even more profound and fulfilling.
Collectively the five regulations of tai chi are about developing self awareness, which is the foundations of any spiritual practice. And the relationship of the five regulations reveals how deeply intertwined they are with the pathway to spiritual understanding. For example, breath cannot be soft and tranquil without a relaxed body and a concentrated mind capable of gauging and responding to breath and body. The same holds true for the regulations of Qi and spirit, which depend upon body, breath, and mind. Another maxim states this interconnected relationship in this way: if the body is relaxed, then the breath is relaxed; if the breath is relaxed, the mind is relaxed; if the mind is relaxed, then QI is relaxed; and if QI is relaxed, spirit is relaxed. These five things are inextricably woven together to create the fabric of our being, and to regulate these five things is to unlock the tools of body, breath, mind, Qi, and spirit and to use them for our sustained pursuit of purposeful living.