Meaning of Tai Chi

The full and formal title is T'ai-chi Ch'uan the latter word meaning simply "fist" or "boxing".ﾂThe term t'ai-chi is derived from a concept of Chinese philosophy meaning "supreme ultimate".ﾂPhilosophically, T'ai-chi is said to be the primary principle of all things and is represented by a circle divided into light and dark aspects, representing the yin and yang concepts, which reflect opposite attributes such as male and female, activity and inactivity, firmness and softness, light and darkness, and positive and negative.ﾂThrough the complementary interaction of yin and yang sprang the five elements-fire, water, earth, wood, and metal.ﾂSuffice it to say that T'ai-chi was named for an ultimate philosophical principle because its early proponents felt it expressed an ultimate physical principle.ﾂ

How to practice

How should a novice begin his training in Tai Chi?  He should relax completelyr.  The aim is to throw every bone and muscle of the body wide open so that  the chi may travel unobstructed.  Once this is done, the chest must be further relaxed and the chi made to sink to the navel.  After a time the chi will be felt accumulating for mass integration in the navel, from where it will begin to circulate throughout the body.  A tornado is but the massed movement of air and a tidal wave that of water.  As a whiff,  nothing is more yielding than water.  but as tornadoes and tidal waves, air and water carry everything before them.  Mass integration makes the difference.  Later, the student will be able to direct the chi instantaneously to any part of his body by means of his mind. 

Flow of Chi

Exercise your spine so that the chi can travel this avenue to the top of your head.  Your head is held as if suspended by the scalp from the ceiling of the room.  This posture immobilizes the head and spine so that neither can move independently of the rest of the body.  I t strengthens the spine, the vital inner organs, and the brain itself.  Make a habit of concentrating on the chi.  This can be done at work or play, walking or riding.  Formation of the habit requires perseverance but is infinitely better and far less expensive than the modern practice of regular ingestion of medicines. 

Highest level

The movement deriving from  this internal generation  and circulation of the chi we call "propelled" movement.  During the exercise, limbs and other body components are moved not so much by localized exertions as by the force of the chi.  In the next, more advanced stage, the chi is absorbed by and stored in  the marrow, causing the bones to become steel hard and essentially indestructible.  When this stage is accomplished the student may be said to have reached the highest level

This is taken  from the book TAI-CHI by Cheng Man-ch'ing and Robert W Smith

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