Some Taijiquan impressions

I am currently relearning Taijiquan. After having done some Yang style Taiji years ago I now try to learn Wu style, which is said to have extremely strong healing properties. Several things I notice when doing it:

The body basically knows how the move should go. If I start to divert from the move too much, listening to what is comfortable and what is not usually helps me to nail the move down very quickly. This can be done if you developed some ability to listen to your body or even to learn that. It surely also helps that I am not too flexible and my body will clearly tell me when I am "crossing the limit".

The opening and closing moves of Taiji, when done right (enough), have quite some effect on the joints. In my case I could hear several "trouble joints" crackle and presumably release tension while I was doing the part of the form I am familiar with. The more slowly and consciously I do it, the more this happens.

Taiji is not a "heart-lung workout" in the sense that it makes you run out of breath when starting to work your muscles. Fascinatingly enough it still works the muscles, though. In fact, I could glisten with sweat in no time without the other symptoms we commonly expect of exercise - like heightened breath or pulse rate. Taiji provides motion in the body without an aerobic component. In fact your heartbeat might just as well be lower than normal and still your muscles get a workout. This is especially important for old people and physically unfit people like me.

It's also fun to tackle these complex moves and make them your own. :)

Oliver

Love for the moves

Today my day started with a wonderful dissolving session while sitting down. Many, many things became loose within me, and more and more blockages in my body seemed workable, so I removed quite some.

At some point I felt like I wanted to sit no more, so I got up and did the Wu style short form opening moves. I nearly fell into "Gods Playing in the Clouds" on the first move (they are similar), so eager was my body to do the "Gods" set! I finished the Wu form as far as I know it, and started "Dragon & Tiger". The energy moved freely and cleared out.

Then I launched into "Gods" with an enthusiasm I haven't had for it in quite a long time. The moves were moving with me, and my body just told me how to move so that the energy moved. Especially the moves that work the Central Channel just pulled the energy through it like I have not known it before. The moves went smooth, and while I did the moves, the moves themselves helped me understand the moves better. The feeling of my body itself told me how to move.

I went into the "Open the Energy Gates" set, and the "Cloud Hands" move just pumped the energy up down my left and right sides. Even though I cannot really do the 2nd swing (there are three swinging motions that turn the body quickly called "The Three Swings" in this set), all the moves of the set went really good, and the final thorough spine stretch again was a wonderful session of dissolving of so many tense things.

I just loved doing the moves, my body wanted more. I often had this feeling during Taijiquan before that my body would tell and led me through the moves, that an intuitive understanding would build for how to turn and which move was leaving the flow and I brought myself back. It is like the body is teaching me the moves, because when I do them right I feel the love for moving itself, the joy that comes from going through these perfect exercises that work my conscious awareness of them as much as the tissues and the energies.

It's days like this when my body teaches me the way the energy flows that I really make great progress. The moves of Taiji become a wonderful vehicle to listen, to feel the changes. I think it is no accident that ever since I started to learn Taijiquan a short while ago all the moving practices have begun to take on a new meaning for me. Ever since I restarted Taijiquan a lot of things start to come together and integrate.

I just wanted to share this.

Oliver