Tai Chi Moves

Category: Chi

  • Transform Your Qi Awareness

    Transform Your Qi Awareness

    Can a two and a half minute exercise, if done for 45 days, change your feeling awareness? It basically involves relaxing and then moving the arms in a circular motion while gently bending the legs and doing several simple visualizations.

    It’s easy to learn the activity. To start, watch the video “Song In Tai Chi: Becoming A Yin Yang Superconductor (A Qigong Lesson)” on the Pacific Mountain Tai Chi site. Then, practice the movement twice a day for 45 days to “completely awaken [your] Yin and Yang,” according to Zongqing Lin.

    Any time after you start practicing, if you would like, share your experience via the Comment box below.

    Lin says that

    “In this Yin and Yang Transformation Qigong, you will learn to create the qualities of Yin and Yang in your Qi, in a manner that lets you deeply experience them and fully awaken these qualities within yourself.”

    ➡️ Lin also refers to the practice as “Yin and Yang Flowing Qigong.”

    Yin-Yang and Tai Chi

    In the description accompanying Lin’s video, he wrote this about one connection between Yin and Yang and tai chi:

    “Yin and Yang are qualities that things can have. Have you ever considered that your Qi can also have qualities of Yin and Yang? Indeed the mastery of your ability to control these polar opposite qualities of energy is the basis of the name Tai Chi, which literally means Extreme Polarities.”

  • Presence in Poetry and Tai Chi

    Presence in Poetry and Tai Chi

    An invisible thread lifts
    the crown of my head,
    its mind-made pull
    creating space
    for relaxation to grow.

    Stanza in the poem “Root, Feel, Flow” by Howard Rosenberg

    Both poetry and tai chi emphasize presence—being fully aware of and engaged in the moment. In tai chi, every movement is deliberate, connected to intention and often breath. The practitioner is not rushing to the next motion but fully inhabiting the present one. Similarly, poetry demands attention to each word, each pause, and the rhythm created by both what is said and what is left unsaid.

    Meaning in both forms is not just in the obvious actions—the movements in tai chi or the words in poetry—but also in the spaces between. In tai chi, the transition between movements, the moment before shifting weight, and the softness between exertions hold as much significance as the motions themselves. Likewise, in poetry, the silence between lines, the choice of line breaks, and the unstated emotions lingering in white space shape the poem’s impact.

    In this way, both tai chi and poetry cultivate a deep awareness of the present, where understanding comes not just from doing, but from sensing, feeling, and existing fully in the moment.

    “Root, Feel, Flow” is about the Preparation movement.

    Root, Feel, Flow

    My feet shoulder-width apart,  
    soldiers to my intent—my yi—  
    pronounced like "e" in English,
    awake, waiting . . . 

    the earth pulsing
    beneath me
    its energy radiating like ripples
    in still water,

    extending umbilical cords 
    into my two "bubbling wells," 
    one in each sole,
    connecting us,

    its message transmitted
    in a language few can feel,
    its touch grounding me.  
     
    An invisible thread lifts 
    the crown  of my head, 
    its mind-made pull 
    creating space 
    for relaxation to grow.

    An unseen weight, 
    a fisherman’s sinker, 
    anchored deep at my tailbone,  
    lowers me with the ease of a tide 
    receding, yielding 
    to the sea.

    My body settles, 
    no leaning,  
    my breath barely stirring the air, 
    ready . . .  

    my arms float 
    toward  the sky, 
    slow as a caterpillar's crawl, 
    wrists leading the rise,
    each motion fluid, unhurried,
    guided by the mighty yi.

    Allen Ginsberg, a famous poet of the Beat Generation in the fifties and sixties, was a defining voice of his era. He wrote a poem titled “Allen Ginsberg Does Tai Chi.” You can watch Ginsberg reciting the poem here and read its text here.

  • I can’t feel my chi

    I can’t feel my chi

    Feeling your chi (or “qi”) while practicing tai chi can enhance your experience, but for beginners it’s not essential. If you can’t feel your chi, don’t let that discourage you from persisting in your tai chi practice.

    1. Understanding Chi

    • Chi is often described as your life force or energy flow in traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts.
    • In tai chi, the movements are designed to cultivate and harmonize chi, promoting both physical health and mental well-being.

    2. Importance for Beginners

    • For beginners, the focus is usually on learning the movements and posture (alignments) rather than feeling chi directly.
    • As you practice, your awareness of your body and energy flow naturally improves, and the sensation of chi may become more apparent.

    3. Developing Awareness

    • Feeling chi can help deepen your tai chi practice and increase your motivation. That can result in improvements in your focus, relaxation, and sensitivity to your mind-body connection.
    • Practitioners able to feel their chi describe feeling warmth, tingling, or a sense of flow in their hands or body. These sensations are often linked to chi.

    4. Health Benefits Without Feeling Chi

    • Even if you don’t consciously feel your chi, tai chi still offers significant health benefits, including improved balance, flexibility, and stress reduction.

    5. How to Enhance Chi Awareness

    • Relaxation: Let go of physical and mental tension.
    • Breathing: Focus on diaphragmatic breathing that is slow and rhythmic.
    • Concentration: Pay attention to your movements and visualize energy flowing through your body.
    • Consistency: Regular practice will naturally enhance your sensitivity to chi over time.

    In summary, while feeling your chi can enrich your tai chi practice, it’s not a requirement to benefit from tai chi. Start by mastering the basics and, as you grow more comfortable with the movements, your awareness of chi will likely develop naturally.

    Chi “Feeling” Exercises

    These activities you can help you to sense your chi. The exercises are simple, relaxing, and designed to increase your awareness of energy flow in your body.

    The “Energy Ball” Exercise

    This exercise helps you focus on and potentially feel the energy (chi) between your hands.

    Steps:

    1. Find a Quiet Space
      • Stand or sit comfortably in a relaxed position with your head and back straight.
      • Take a few deep breaths to calm your mind and body.
    2. Warm Your Hands
      • Rub your palms together briskly for 10–15 seconds until they feel warm.
    3. Position Your Hands
      • Hold your hands in front of you, about 6–8 inches apart, as if you’re holding an invisible ball.
      • Keep your hands relaxed and slightly curved.
        • One way to get your hands in the right position is to hold both of them in front of you, palms down, fully extend all your fingers, and then release them. Your hands should then be in the correction position.
    4. Focus on Your Breathing
      • As you inhale, imagine energy flowing into your body.
      • As you exhale, imagine energy gathering in your palms.
    5. Move Your Hands Gently
      • Position your hands so they are facing each other.
      • Slowly move your hands closer together and then apart, as though compressing and expanding a soft, invisible ball.
      • Pay attention to any sensations, such as warmth, tingling, a magnetic pull, or subtle resistance between your palms.
      • I can increase the sensation in my hands by slowly and gently elongating my fingers as my hands move apart and curling my fingers when my hands move toward each other.
    6. Experiment with Distance
      • Gradually increase the distance between your hands and bring them closer again, noticing if the sensations change.
    7. Reflect on the Experience
      • Continue for a few minutes, staying relaxed and focused even if you don’t feel anything at first. Regular practice can heighten your sensitivity.

    What to Expect

    • You might feel sensations like warmth, tingling, or a gentle magnetic force.
    • These feelings may be subtle at first, but with practice, they often become more pronounced.
    • If you don’t notice anything immediately, don’t worry. Sensitivity to chi develops over time with mindful and consistent practice.

    By practicing exercises like this, you can improve your ability to sense your chi. But make sure to be patient. Even after I started feeling my chi, there were times when I could not feel it or feel it as strongly. Just accept those times and continue to enjoy your tai chi practice.