Taiji (Tai Chi)

Originally Posted by TzuJanLi

Greetings..

I am asked sometimes, "what is Taiji"?.. i understand it as a 'process', a process of learning to live in harmony with 'Life'.. It was originally a martial art, from which other wisdoms naturally flowed: meditation, QiGong, philosoply, healing, and self-realization.. Taiji is generally considered by its different styles to be an 'Internal Martial Art', meaning its effective components are based on the 'Internal' structure and energies of the practitioner.. i am past 20 years on this 'path', and it gets better every day..

Be well..

Very good I love tai chi practice every day.

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Question for everybody. How does practicing Tai Chi differ from practicing Qigong. What are the similarities and differences.

thank you. yozhik

Greetings..

Originally Posted by Yozhik

Question for everybody. How does practicing Tai Chi differ from practicing Qigong. What are the similarities and differences.

thank you. yozhik

Taiji (Tai Chi) is QiGong, QiGong is not Taiji.. Qi = Energy, and Gong = Work, Energy Work.. there are more styles and forms of QiGong than there are of Taiji..

Taiji, is fundamentally a Martial Art, an 'Internal Martial Art'.. it relies on Qi/Energy (Lifeforce) more than hard or external force.. the practice of Taiji as an Internal Martial Art revealed several profound by-products.. enhanced health and longevity, the tangible evidence that softness and clarity/stillness produce more effective results for self-defense.. and, at the highest levels Taiji can lead to the qualities described as 'Enlightenment', but.. i am not convinced that 'Enlightenment' is a valid concept, too much disagreement as to what it means..

I hope that helps, Be well..

Originally Posted by Yozhik

Question for everybody. How does practicing Tai Chi differ from practicing Qigong. What are the similarities and differences.

Tai Chi usually consists of a series of movement which are linked together, are performed in a prescribed, continuous sequence and do not repeat themselves. Depending on the form chosen there may be over a hundred movements.
Just the time to learn the movements may put people off and working with a teacher is highly recommended.

Qigong exercises are often movements which have no direct connection, can be performed individually, in any sequence. This makes it easy to learn, can be adapted to ones time constraints, and can be done quite well without necessarily having an in-person teacher.

Your answers help a lot, I appreciate it. I probably should have given context for my question. I was looking to start practicing Qigong as a way to learn to better manage and feel energy (I currently practice Reiki andam interested in energy healing in general). There are no Qigong classes in my area, but there may be a couple of tai chi classes. And I was wondering if Qiging instructors are not accessible if I can get the same learning and benefit from Tai chi.

Originally Posted by Yozhik

And I was wondering if Qiging instructors are not accessible if I can get the same learning and benefit from Tai chi.

Because Tai Chi is so form based the focus at the beginning needs to be on that. Much of the effort will just go into thinking 'what is the next movement'? Results are likely to manifest slower than just doing Qigong.
You could look at Qigong books. I recommend
The Way of Qigong, Ken Cohen
The Healing Promise of Qi, Roger Jahnke

both books contain a number of simple Qigong exercises.

Other resource are (both websites have some commercial content but they also offer free videos and other training material)
http://www.cloudwater.com/
http://www.taichi18.com/

I am interested in both qigong and tai chi philosophy, theory, and the practice... looking forward to some interesting discussion :)

[peteyzen]

Originally Posted by Yozhik

Your answers help a lot, I appreciate it. I probably should have given context for my question. I was looking to start practicing Qigong as a way to learn to better manage and feel energy (I currently practice Reiki andam interested in energy healing in general). There are no Qigong classes in my area, but there may be a couple of tai chi classes. And I was wondering if Qiging instructors are not accessible if I can get the same learning and benefit from Tai chi.

Hi I agree with pre dawn , in most systems you wont get the `energy feel` for a while as you willbe learning to do the forms. The big difference between chi gung and Tai chias well as the movement is the breathing, Tai chi should use medititve (in and out through the nose) breathing , where as Chi Gung uses in through the nose and out through the mouth breathing. usually chi gung useus `chi locks` too, ways of closing off the outward flow of the chi, to keep the majority inside you, things like putting the tongue to the roof of the mouth and using the chinese equivalent of `mudra`s` (hand formations).
To feel what you want to feel chi gung is the quickest way.

Originally Posted by TzuJanLi

Greetings..


Hi taoistscholar: Thanks for sharing your understandings of Tai Chi, they are consistent with many of the popular interpretations.. i understand the 'force' to be 'Qi' (Chi), and Taiji (Tai Chi) to be a system of discipline, philosophy, training, forms, and study that reveals the 'principles' that govern the appropriate application of the 'force' in a healthy and peaceful Life..

Be well..

As I see it, the 'force' is not 'Qi' (Chi). 'Qi' is the energy, and the force's differential. 'Qi' is is the differential of Taiji when in motion; in stillness it is an integral part. This is why the "Treatise On Taiji Quan" attributed to Wang Tsung-Yueh [Wang Zongyue] states that "In motion T'ai Chi separates; in stillness yin and yang fuse and return to Wu Chi", or as also translated "Taiji comes from Wuji. It is the mother of yin and yang. In motion, Yin and yang differentiate. In stillness they integrate".

When yin and yang differentiate they create a potential difference, hence energy! Taiji or the "supreme ultimate" is the force which governs the flow or oscillation of yin and yang giving birth to the energy (chi). But then again, its all just semantics :P

and indeed there's not a more beautiful or more simple way to foster this energy than Zhan Zhuang.

word life...