People who have come into contact with Zhouyi and Taoism are familiar with the word "Tai Chi", but Tai Ji Chuan practitioners are exposed to it every day. But what is Tai Chi and what is Tai Ji Chuan. What are the core contents and basic principles of Tai Ji Chuan? I'm afraid not many people know why they want to practice Tai Ji Chuan. So that the shape of Tai Chi is separated from its qi, potential and strength. Lost the true meaning of Tai Ji Chuan.
Macroscopically speaking, Taiji is an ancient philosophical theory of China, a universal and fundamental viewpoint about the universe, and a law of unity of opposites about the laws of movement, change and development of things. China's simple materialistic philosophy in ancient times believed that Taiji was the root of all things in the world, and it was divided into yin and yang, from which the five elements of water, water, fire, earth and gold were produced. Everything is produced by the combination of yin and yang, and the essence of the five elements condenses to form a unified whole, which not only contains yin and yang, but also promotes the movement, change and development of things, that is, Tai Chi produces two instruments, two instruments produce four images, and four images produce eight diagrams. There is no end, everything in the universe is regarded as Tai Chi, the universe is always Tai Chi, everything is Wan Tai Tai Chi, heaven and earth are big Tai Chi, and the human body is small Tai Chi. The relationship between man and nature, things and things is also Tai Chi.
Microscopically, Tai Chi is a primitive substance with the instinct of materialization, strength and information. Is the ontology that constitutes life. All living things are produced by vitality, which contributes to the order and balance of life activities.
On the origin, naming and connotation of Taiji, as well as the physiological relationship between Taiji and human beings, the ancients elaborated this way:
"Tai Chi is born without promise, the mother of Yin and Yang, and the beginning of all things"; "From scratch, born in the name of Tai Chi." : "From infinity to existing opportunities, Tai Chi is born." Although there is no sound, it has several signs. Although yin and yang are not separated, the machine has moved. At this point, there is no name. It is named after Tai Chi. "There are two meanings here, that is, Tai Chi comes from infinity, and infinity is the foundation of Tai Chi; Second, the ancients called "metaplasia", "opportunity", "appearance" and "maneuver" Tai Chi, which is the origin of the name Tai Chi.
"Tao, congenital, Tai Chi is also called"; Congenital tai chi is one of qi, and acquired two instruments are yin and yang "; ,' tai chi is infinite in the original, and it is mixed with a sense' ". Here, the ancients took "innate foolishness", "innate Taiji Qi" and "stick vitality" as the connotation of Taiji, which showed that Taiji is a mixture of innate vitality, and the principle of Taiji and Taiji Qi are linked and unified.
The so-called innate mixed vitality is innate, so it is called "first big". "Once you have your own body, you will hide less the day after tomorrow." But where is it hidden? People who practice Tai Ji Chuan are definitely unknown. If you don't know, you can't start practicing boxing. Most of the ancient books in the past used things to create names, so they created mysteries. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and boxing experts believe that congenital mixed vitality is qi brought into the human body by the mother from embryo to birth. "At the beginning of a person's life, he is pregnant with a fetus, which is hollow, with a stem running through it, shaped like a lotus bud, a stem is an umbilical cord, and a lotus bud is two kidneys. Life is ambiguous." Life refers to the vitality, true yang and vitality in the blood communication between father and mother. When the baby is born in pants, the umbilical cord is cut off, and a little true yang returns to the human umbilical cord, that is, the innate mixed vitality returns to the human umbilical cord. The ancients said: "The true yang is there, human life is there, and the true yang is scattered." Everyone dies. "Therefore, the umbilical cord is called the pedicle of life or congenital knot, and the kidney is called the root of life or congenital root. The umbilical cavity is the location of the midabdomen.
The ancients also believed that "the life door is dominated by the two kidneys, and the two kidneys share the same qi." "Mingmen is located between the two kidneys, opposite to the navel, and it is the portal of the abdomen. It is located in the center of the human body and has a very similar position, so it is called" Tai Chi in One ". From the point of view of Yi, the two kidneys belong to water and are yin. Mingmen is a fire in water, and the Yang in Yin is like "divination". It is believed that the fire in the water is the true fire, and the yang in the yin is the true yang. " One yang is trapped in two yin. " It is the innate stick that hides its vitality in the pit.
Always stand up and say. The innate vitality of the stick is related to the umbilicus, kidney and life gate of human physiology. Congenital mixed qi belongs to navel, while human belongs to two kidneys, which are hidden in Mingmen. Umbilical cord, kidney and life gate are located in the waist and abdomen of human body, so there is also a saying of "Taiji waist". This is the foundation of practicing Tai Chi.
Boxing is a path, which originated from Taiji Avenue. Taiji theory is the theoretical basis of Tai Ji Chuan's body application, Taiji Qi is the material basis of Tai Ji Chuan's body application, Taiji waist is the physiological basis of Tai Ji Chuan's body application, and Taiji strength is the functional basis of Tai Ji Chuan's body application. The primary task of practicing Tai Ji Chuan is to practice the original mixed vitality which belongs to the navel and is hidden in the life gate of two kidneys. From the point of view of practice, you can practice the body of refining qi, transforming qi into spirit, reviving the soul, the matter of the day after tomorrow, transforming yin into yang, reversing luck, returning to the original, and Tai Chi mixing elements. From the perspective of health care, people's life activities can be normal and orderly, coordinated and balanced, protect the exterior and interior, strengthen the body resistance, strengthen the body and mind, and prolong life. From the point of view of practicing boxing, you can use your mind to get angry. Qi can move freely, move the whole body, and flow repeatedly, promoting the unified movement of the whole body bones. From the perspective of martial arts, the strength of qi and blood can be transformed into dynamic, virtual and real, rigid and soft inner strength. People don't know me, I know people alone, and the introduction failed. As the saying goes, "you are not afraid to travel all over the world if you practice your innate mixed vitality" and "you are full of gas." Without practicing your innate mixed vitality, you can't really practice Tai Ji Chuan by relying on your acquired energy and physical strength. What are the training contents of Tai Ji Chuan in the seventh section? Can you practice Tai Ji Chuan well by just practicing routines?
As a boxing, Tai Ji Chuan has a systematic theory, complete content and unique style. Tai Ji Chuan is mainly composed of Tai Ji Chuan's internal strength, Tai Ji Chuan's frame and Tai Ji Chuan's pushing hand. And instruments. Taiji internal strength is the grave foundation of Tai Ji Chuan movement, Tai Ji Chuan frame is the basic form of Tai Ji Chuan movement, and Taiji pushing hands is the final embodiment of Tai Ji Chuan movement. Orchid practitioners have their own cultivation contents and functions, which are interrelated and unified, forming a complete Tai Ji Chuan movement.
(A) Tai Chi internal strength
Internal strength is the foundation and foundation of internal boxing. Boxing proverb stone: "Boxing is useless, with a sieve"; "Strength is not equal to law, and law is not equal to work"; "Taiji crosses the middle road, and kung fu comes first"; "One skill, two brave skills and three skills". This shows the importance of internal strength. Boxing without internal work (or external work) can only be called boxing, not boxing. Without practicing internal skills, it is impossible to exert the power of internal boxing. Boxing plus internal skills is the real Taiji Kung Fu or martial arts.
Practicing internal strength is practicing qigong. Including "practicing essence, essence, spirit and internal strength". That is, pay attention to qi and blood, spiritual will, cultivation of viscera and organs and balance of yin and yang in the body. The purpose is to practice Tai Chi's inner strength, mix the vitality with innate strength, and combine rigidity with softness. Tai Ji Chuan is the product of the combination of Taiji philosophy, Wushu and Qigong. Since its creation and birth. It determines the nature of its internal boxing and the method of both internal and external training, and makes it clear that its primary task is to cultivate innate mixed vitality.
All factions in Tai Ji Chuan have their own methods and experiences in practicing internal skills. It's just that the role of internal skills is so important that the founders and direct descendants of various sects generally don't spread it easily, only to their children and disciples, and only to teach boxing routines to the outside world. The teaching time limit is oral and personal communication, and it is stipulated to practice behind closed doors. So few people know, and even fewer people get it. This is one of the reasons why thousands of people practice Tai Ji Chuan, but few succeed.
Tai Ji Chuan, an expert of Chen's mixed mind technique, has a set of special internal training methods, that is, Tai Chi mixed internal skills, which mainly include: pole-less pile, mixed pile, gas-producing pile, martial arts pile, descending qigong, abdominal abdomen work, breathing work, opening and closing work, lifting work, Sunday work, grinding work, silk winding work, grasping work, eight work, rising yang method, essence fixation method, essence refining method, and so on. Tai Chi's mixed internal skill is not only a good way to practice Tai Ji Chuan's basic skills, but also the only way for Tai Chi to reach a high level.
(2) Tai Ji Chuan frame
Boxing routine is the basic form of boxing and the main embodiment of the style characteristics of various schools in Tai Ji Chuan. Tai Ji Chuan is the earliest Tai Ji Chuan. Due to the different needs of cultivation process and function, five sets of boxing or five paths have appeared. After modern development and evolution, two sets of boxing methods, one way and two ways (gun hammer), have gradually formed. The four schools of Tai Ji Chuan, Yang-style, Wu-style, Wu-style and Sun-style, which evolved, derived and innovated from Chen-style Tai Ji Chuan, basically have only one set of boxing, or mainly one set of boxing. The formation and spread of five kinds of Tai Ji Chuan, as well as faction among factions and faction among factions, are the inevitable laws of the development of Tai Ji Chuan Movement. These five kinds of Tai Ji Chuan have * * * similarities. There are also differences, which reflect their own experiences and the exertion of Tai Ji Chuan's theory, and form their own style characteristics. For example, it is also an emotional exercise. Chen-style Tai Ji Chuan is the entanglement of luck and meaning, while Yang, Wu, Wu and Sun-style Tai Ji Chuan are the entanglement of luck and meaning: it is also the combination of emotion and emotion to promote the movement of limbs and bones. Chen-style Tai Ji Chuan shows spiral movement, while Yang, Wu, Hao and Sun-style Tai Ji Chuan show arc movement; Similarly, with Dantian as the center, Chen-style Tai Ji Chuan combines Dantian with Dantian internalization, while the other four types of Tai Ji Chuan mainly focus on Dantian. It is also from the inside out, but the posture is different. Second, the style is broad, Wu style is compact, Wu style is small, and Sun style is lively; Similarly, static movements and slow training are mainly used, and the rhythm is different. Chen's formula retains the characteristics of dynamic and static, fast and slow, storage and development, tightness and tightness, jumping and jumping, jumping and jumping, and shaking feet, while the other four formulas are uniform and slow, without jumping, shaking feet and shaking feet (except for individual exercises). Practitioners can choose a boxing frame to practice according to their hobbies and physical condition. Although the forms and styles of various Tai Ji Chuan stands are different, the contents and requirements of boxing training are the same. They are all based on the thirteen styles of Tai Chi, practicing body posture, boxing, footwork, internal qi, internal strength, internal and external integration, up and down, whole body and mixed elements.
Boxing routine is a combination of boxing single style and single potential. Routine practice is a part of boxing practice, not the only form and whole of boxing practice. Therefore, boxing practice includes routine practice, single practice, single practice, combination practice, live pile practice, fixed pile practice, symmetry practice and so on. No matter what form it takes, it must conform to the characteristics of the boxer's internal strength. Do not stick to form, do not pay attention to appearance, pay attention to air permeability, integrity and no loss, mainly inside, inside and outside.
In this respect, Tai Ji Chuan, a Chen-style mental method stick, has provided a good experience, that is, the principle of focusing on the inside, focusing on quietness and focusing on repair, and the real practice method of combining boxing with kung fu has integrated the practice method into boxing, so that practicing boxing means practicing boxing and practicing boxing means practicing boxing. From the measures and methods, the integrity and unity of Taiji Qi and Taiji shape are guaranteed, the nature of Tai Ji Chuan Neijia Boxing is guaranteed, and the cultivation quality of Tai Ji Chuan is improved.
(3) Tai Chi Pushing Hands
Taiji Pushing Hands is a unique form of fighting in Tai Ji Chuan. If practicing boxing is a self-training exercise in which a single person draws a picture of Tai Chi Yin and Yang and is familiar with the thirteen potentials of Tai Chi, then pushing hands and sparring is a movement in which two people draw a picture of Tai Chi Yin and Yang, use and exert the twelve potentials of Tai Chi, know yourself and know yourself, and be physically and mentally integrated. Tai Chi Pushing Hands is an intermediate link leading to Tai Chi Sanshou, and it is also the only criterion to test and judge whether Tai Ji Chuan's training is correct or not and whether his technical level is high or low. As a practical exercise form with both form and spirit, Tai Ji Chuan Pushing Hands can not only avoid the injuries easily caused by fighting and attacking, but also put an end to the disadvantages of being empty-handed and ostentatious.
There are many contents and methods of Tai Ji Chuan's pushing hands, which are consistent with the style characteristics of various schools of Tai Ji Chuan. The sample revolves around the core content of the thirteen potentials of Taiji. We should also follow the philosophy of Tai Chi Yin and Yang, which conforms to the nature and characteristics of boxers' internal strength. The principle, requirements and essentials of pushing hands are consistent with the practice of kung fu and boxing, and with the related principles of sports biomechanics, and have been developed and enriched.
Tai Chi Pushing Hands is the application of single form and single potential in boxing. Therefore, the practice of pushing hands includes four parts: single pushing hand, four positive pushing hands, four corners pushing hands and scattered pushing hands. Combined with the five-element footwork, there are exercises of fixed step push and moving step push. Stepping faders can be divided into stepping and stepping, as well as stepping forward and backward. Single push hand includes flat circle, vertical circle, vertical circle and spiral circle exercises. Four positive pushing hands are the methods to practice the four positive forces of grasping, grasping, squeezing and pressing, including combination exercises and individual exercises. Pushing hands with four corners is a method of practicing picking, lifting, elbow and leaning against four corners, including combination exercises and individual exercises. Letting go and pushing hands is a chaotic ring practice by comprehensively using the winding of poles and the thirteen potentials of various parts of the body. Although each faction has its own characteristics, the contents and methods of practice are nothing more than the above aspects.
Chen Shi's mood is complicated. According to Taiji Chuan, the combination of boxing and kung fu is the method of body-building, and pushing hands is the method of body-building. The unity of the two is the method of practicing and using, that is, combining the method of practicing and using, so that practicing is practicing. Pushing hands is not only a way to use boxing, but also a way to know yourself and yourself. In other words, pushing hands is also practicing boxing, kung fu, qi and energy.
Generally speaking, Tai Ji Chuan's practice is divided into internal strength practice, boxing practice and pushing hand practice, and the combination of the three is a complete training method of both boxing and practicing. Cultivating internal strength is a purposeful method of practicing Qi, aiming at practicing internal qi of Taiji, strengthening internal strength of Taiji and improving internal strength of Taiji. The training of boxing frame is a purposeful method of moving qi, aiming at the overall unified exercise of vigor and spirit, and cultivating the kung fu and flash skills of the whole body, family and miscellaneous elements. Pushing hands is a method of luck. The purpose is to give full play to the mysterious skills of the thirteen potentials of Taiji through "mastering skills, understanding, order and spirit". Boxing is based on work, work is used by boxing and boxing is the body. The two complement each other and are indispensable. If you only practice boxing without internal strength, and there is no material basis for innate mixed vitality, Tai Ji Chuan's emotion will become empty talk, and Tai Ji Chuan's inner strength of combining rigidity with softness will not be formed. When the boxer's internal nature changes, Tai Ji Chuan becomes Artest Tai Ji Chuan. If you only practice boxing and don't practice pushing hands, you won't understand the theory of Tai Chi's changeable yin and yang. You can't understand the connotation and essence of the thirteen strokes of Tai Chi, and you can't verify whether your boxing is correct, so you lose the original meaning of martial arts. Tai Ji Chuan is still a Tai Chi sport. Therefore, it is impossible to practice Tai Ji Chuan only by practicing boxing routines or only a few sets of boxing.
This article is excerpted from "Tai Ji Chuan Tutorial" (Feng Zhiqiang) and published on page 148+0998.