How to Guide Overseas Students to Do Tai Chi Qigong
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Foreign Training Department, Navy Submarine Academy Shandong Qingdao 266071
Abstract: Tai Chi is a branch of the Chinese martial arts which is famous in the world. More and more foreigners love to learn it, including overseas student in China. This essay is to discuss how to teach the overseas student Tai Chi Qigong to make a good preparation for Tai Chi solo.
Key words: Tai Chi； Qigong, Wuji posture； Horse-riding stance posture
Tai Chi or Taijiquan is a branch of the Chinese martial arts which is valuable in promoting health, developing combat and self-defense skills. The practice of Tai Chi Chuan helps people to calm the mind and develop the body, by focusing on the connected practice of a prescribed set of slow moving exercises. On a physical level, learning clear principles of Tai Chi Chuan helps to develop body awareness by improving balance, posture, strength, agility and rhythm. The slow, gentle and tranquil movements of Tai Chi can therefore help people to reach harmony in mind and body, and have a greater confidence with life. When people want to practice Tai Chi, they are expected to consolidate a firm basis. Tai Chi Qigong is the most common method for that.
1 International Popularity of Tai Chi
Nowadays there are more and more people practicing Tai Chi in the world. There are many Tai Chi Clubs in different countries. At present, China is making efforts to present the Chinese martial arts vigorously to the world, even using martial arts as a break through into the Olympic Games. In August 2012, there are Tai chi delegations from 33 cities in 18 countries from five continents participating in the fourth international tournament of traditional Yang style Tai Chi. To Chinese people’s surprise, the foreigners’ performance is excellent. We can see that they love it so much that they are willing to make great efforts to learn and practice it. Another conclusion can be made that the folk or traditional arts of a country are more attractive to foreign people. The overseas students in Chinese colleges and universities also show great interest in learning Tai Chi. They think it is like yoga which can help people to reach the harmony with nature.
2 What is Tai Chi Qigong
Qigong is often interpreted to be an “Energy work”. This energy work primarily consists of developing proper posture, breathing practice and positive intent through movement, and to integrate this into our daily lives. It is the fundamental practices for beginners of Chinese Tai Chi. Which can be practiced in the form of movements or still meditation. It is to accumulate energy in Dantian which is an energy center located two inches below the navel, and guide the energy to the muscle or area of the body being used in practice. It is an accessible, low impact, sustainable method of preventative medicine, and as a result the popularity of Tai Chi Qigong is growing throughout the world.
3 Importance of Tai Chi Qigong
Tai Chi chuan traces its roots to the Taoist principles of yin and yang, soft and hard. Generally speaking, there are two styles of martial arts, namely, soft and hard style of movements. Hard styles, such as karate, rely on external energy, linear motions and direct opposition of force. Soft styles such as tai chi rely on internal energy, circular motions and redirection of force. Internal energy comes from Tai Chi Qigong.
The power behind the quiet and graceful movements of Tai Chi Chuan derives from Qigong, which is much simpler and often ignored. Qigong is evolved from ancient systems of yoga and meditation, based on energy as well as balance and physical strength. Tai chi and Qigong offer practitioners a balanced martial art and a means of healthy exercise.
With breathing exercises, Qigong provides a stable foundation and flow of Qi, which is the spiritual energy of the body and flows only when you exercise with proper breathing techniques. For Tai Chi practitioners, it is better for them to practice Qigong every day. Some of the Tai Chi masters suggest that the Tai Chi Qigong should be done at least once a day.
4 Tai Chi Qigong for overseas students
It is very important to guide foreign students to experience the Tai Chi Qigong. On one hand, they can understand the philosophy of Chinese Tai Chi, on the other hand, they can found a good basis for further learning of it. The difficulty is that the time they stay in China is short, some times half a year or one year. If they decide to learn Tai Chi, they must learn Tai Chi Wu Ji Posture firstly.
5 Requirements of Tai Chi Wu Ji Posture
Before the teaching Tai Chi Wu Ji Posture, overseas student must get familiar with certain areas of the body that will be necessary to imagine during this exercise. The first is a small point at the exact top part of your skull called the Baihui Cavity. The next location is the Dan Tian Cavity, sometimes called the Lower Dan Tian; this spot is located 2 inches below your belly button. The third location is the perineum, which is located in front of the anus; it is called the Huiyin Cavity. The fourth spot, the Yongquan Cavity, is located on the bottom of the foot; it is 3/4 of the way forward from the heel, closer to the toes, under the middle toe.
Wu Ji Posture in Tai Chi is a resting position before any motion begins. It is a state of complete emptiness. It precedes the movement of Yin and Yang logically and temporally. In Taoism philosophy, it is believed Wu Ji gives birth to Tai Chi, in other words, the emptiness transforms itself into the manifold of cyclic dualities, and gradually hundreds of thousands of things on the earth. Human bodies are still, quiet, standing, motionless, but inside our hearts, the blood moves up through arteries and veins, the mind may be calm but billions of neurons are quite busy with improving the nerve system with the Qi or energy flowing in body. People can experience special feeling in calmness under conscious condition, but they always ignore these feeling during their daily busy activities.
(1) Requirement on body: stand upright with your arms relaxed to your sides, knees slightly bent and breathing naturally. Your feet should be about shoulder-width apart, toes pointing straight ahead. Imagine you are rooting yourself deep into the Earth. There are three important points for reference, namely, Baihui Cavity, Huiyin Cavity and the mid-point of two Yongquan Cavities. These three points are expected to be on one perpendicular line. Relax from the top of your head down to your toes. It usually helps to run through a checklist to be sure you are relaxing.
(2) Requirement on thoughts: Think nothing with a blank mind. When standing still, it is very difficult for the practitioners to think nothing because of life stuff. tai chi Masters suggest treating the body just as a clothes hanger, not human body. Remember your feeling, but don’t ask your teacher about the possible occurring feeling in body. If you are eager to get the feeling, you will think of it when you practice qigong. Sometimes you have a special good feeling, and then you maybe want to keep this good feeling for longer time. Actually it is not advised to do so. Practice of Qigong must be done step by step with no haste. More haste, less speed.
(3) Requirement on breathing: Breathe with nose naturally or just forget the breathing. With two months of this Wu Ji posture practice, you will get some feeling which can only be obtained in practice by the practitioners themselves. If this is carried out successfully, they can do the next kind of Tai Chi Qigong which is in horse riding stance.
6 Tai Chi horse-riding stance Qigong
(1) Stand with feet apart with approximately length of 2 shoes of the practitioner himself, toes pointing straight ahead and knees softly bent. The knees can not exceed the tiptoes; otherwise it is likely to hurt the knees. Imagine you are rooting yourself to the Earth.
(2) Align the spine, neck and head by imagining there is a string coming out of the top of the head just like a marionette, so that your back is straight. The shoulders, hips, knees and feet are in harmony so that the body is not twisted.
(3) Raise the arms, just below shoulder height, gently curving your arms at the elbows and wrists with imagining hugging a big ball to your chest. Your palms should be facing inward with the fingertips of two hands pointing at each other.
(4) Relax from the top to toe. It usually helps to run through a mental checklist to be sure you are relaxing everywhere of the body, such as relaxing the head, the face, the neck, the shoulders, the arms, the chest, etc. and all the way to your feet. Relaxing can enable energy to flow freely through the body.
(5) Please stand as still as possible, breathing naturally and slowly in and out with nose, relaxed. At the very beginning, practice this posture for five minutes. If the arms get exhausted, lower them slightly, but maintain their curving embrace posture around the imaginative ball. The horse riding posture can enable the body to obtain and circulate new energy. The practicing time can become longer and longer gradually. When it is the time to stand up, stand up and relax the legs and knees by walking.
It will take another 2 months to practice the above posture Qigong, which will help the practitioners to consolidate a better basis for further Tai Chi training. It is also helpful for the better health even you haven’t learning the Tai Chi solo.
7 Teaching Arrangement
Teaching time can be arranged according to the curriculum for overseas student. Generally speaking, twice a week is enough for teaching, such as Tuesday and Thursday morning or afternoon. The teacher can ask them to write diary to copy down their feeling. Teachers also can make presentations on Tai Chi Qigong and Tai Chi Solo to activate the interest of learning Tai Chi. The environment of practice Tai Chi is also very important. It is better to choose a quite park with trees and flowers on the campus. Tai Chi costumes can also be made according to their body size.
8 Conclusion
This essay discusses only the Wu Ji posture and horse riding stance posture meditation which is the most fundamental practice for Tai Chi learning. Only after the basis foundation is fulfilled can they begin to learn and grasp the essential of Tai Chi. If the time is appropriate, some simple movements can be taught, such as 24 simplified Yang Style Tai Chi. Overseas student surely can learn Tai Chi With great interest, and are willing to spread this Chinese famous traditional martial art to the world.
References
1 Wen Zee.Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan: Ancient Chinese Way to Health. North Atlantic Books, 2002
2 George Avalon. Tai Chi: the Spiritual Way: From Grounding to Enlightenment. AuthorHouse, 2009
3 Trevor Carolan. Return to Stillness: Twenty Years With a Tai Chi Master. Da Capo Press, 2003
4 Ellae Elinwood. Stay Young With Tai Chi: Flexible, Mobile, and Stress. Tuttle Publishing, 2004
5 Wong Kiew Kit. The Complete Book of Tai Chi Chuan: A Comprehensive Guide to the Principles and Practice. Tuttle Publishing, 2002