Is Taijiquan a Type of Qigong?

Tags

Neidan, Qigong, Taijiquan, TCM

Ok, let’s speak a little about Qigong. I started this blog five years ago and I have hardly mentioned Qigong, isn’t it silly? You would believe that that Taiji and Qigong are very much related, so it would be appropriate to write about Qigong as well, right? Well, don’t be so sure about this…

For this eminent post, I am going to use Taiji and Taijiquan instead of T’ai Chi Ch’uan. I usually use Tai Chi, because I like this romanisation better and for other reasons. But I don’t like mixing different ways to “spell” Chinese characters with our alphabet, so let’s use the more modern Pinyin instead. Which right here, in this post, is most  appropriate as Qigong is a modern term.

How so? Modern? Isn’t Qigong a very old form of practice? No, no and no. I see this misconception everywhere. Everyone writes that Qigong is thousand or several thousand years old. This and any kind of similar statement is just wrong.

Qigong means to “practice qi”, to stimulate qi, or to build up skillsets based on “Qi-practice”.  In reality this is a 20th century term that was used as a general name for many different types of exercises. In general, what was meant was either many different kinds of folk practice and gymnastics with hundreds and hundreds local variations, or otherwise, so called medical Qigong was meant. Medical Qigong was also a new and a most general kind of term, meaning physical therapy used in Chinese Traditional Medical hospitals when Chinese medicine was allowed again and practiced publicly.

So isn’t Qigong old, really? Some exercises you can see people practice in the parks are old, but Qigong in general is not, and certainly not as individual systems. The term Qigong as understood today is based on a very modern thinking and a modern theory. The theory itself comes from TCM, or from Traditional Chinese Medicine. For Qigong systems, or what today that is usually defined as Qigong, the main idea is to stimulate the Qi in the body in the meridians and Acu points through physical movement. But the thing is that this idea didn’t exist in older forms of physical exercises. Even if the idea of Qi existed in traditional Neidan practice, stimulation of Qi was not the main goal. So the types of exercises modern Qigong practitioners call older forms of qigong, or the origin of Qigong, had vastly different goals.

The idea of circulating Qi through the body was developed in traditional Neidan, but this circulation of Qi was only regarded as one cog of many, or one process in a very complex system of processes. The main goal of these sometimes highly religious exercises, mostly developed through mixed ideas from Daoism and Buddhism, was often both moral and spiritual development, and sometimes either to reach the Dao and/or to attain immortality. No appreciation of Qi in traditional Neidan practice had any kind of link to the system of meridians in Chinese medicin, or to the theory of the type of exercises developed as physical therapy in Chinese medical hospitals.

This is very important to understand when we speak about Taijiquan together with Qigong, because every text from the main literature, from the so called Tai Chi classics, to late 19th century and the early 20th century, all pre-dates the term Qigong. The name of Qigong is nowhere to be seen in these texts, and their thoughts are not based on modern Qigong or the same theory as TCM. Instead, the thoughts and ideas in all of those classical books on Taijiquan are based on earlier thought, mostly derived from Daoist Neidan and Neo-Confucianism.

So no, Taijiquan is not Qigong. All of the ideas and exercises of Taijiquan are all very different from what is meant with the name Qigong. Even though Taijiquan is often turned into light-weight forms and some kind of Qigong-similar exercise by disregarding foundational principles, practical use of postures, and all of the philosophy, as well as all of the martial function, Taijiquan in its traditional meaning is not Qigong. But still, everything you possibly could want to achieve through Qigong practice is found in the older, traditional forms of Taijiquan. Traditional Taijiquan is something vastly bigger and more complex than any type of Qigong. And if speaking from personal experience only, much more rewarding.

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More on Internal vs External Martial Arts

Tags

Bagua, Internal Kung Fu, neijia, neijiaquan, Tai Chi, Taiji, Taijiquan, Xingyi

It’s somewhat wrong to call Tai Chi Chuan an “internal” art. Tai Chi focus on internal aspects and is commonly understood as Neijiaquan, this is true. But still, the concept of internal arts is a bit misleading. The discussion on nei (internal)  vs wai (external)  is actually a bit confused. A common question amongst practitioners of Chinese Martial Arts is about if there are internal and external arts. This is a false dichotomy, still, the term “Neijiaquan” is still a valid concept. Bagua, Xingyi, Yiquan, Liuhebafa and a few more arts are indeed related to Taijiquan, but they are related in a very special way. They share a history together and have often been practiced together. So what is the confusion? I have written about this problem before, but wanted to add some thoughts as I promised in this post about the same subject.  Are there internal arts or not? What is the false dichotomy about? Well, let’s see… First,

the question:

“Are martial arts either internal or external?”

is not the same as:

“Is this an internal martial art?”

There’s a difference here and they should be responded differently. A martial art can belong to the tradition of Neijiaquan (, the Internal Arts Family of Pugilism, commonly abbreviated as IMA,) but a martial art is not external art or an internal.

Martial arts are not divided into internal or external, all Chinese martial arts are both internal and external in various degrees. Much of modern wushu practice, as pure sanda practice, is mostly only external, but all traditional martial arts are both. So martial arts are not internal or external. But there is a special tradition in Chinese martial arts and certain styles that are born from this tradition, a family of styles.

Internal Martial arts, or Neijiaquan, is a definition on Chinese Martial arts that

• Are based, and have a strong focus, on Neigong (internal skills practice), internal practice mostly developed from Daoist practice.
• Have a terminology based on Daoism and Neidan.
• Focus more on internal aspects than external.
• Blend health practice, meditation and martial arts practice together.

They also tend to:

•  Use whole body connection and whole body movement to generate strength rather than from isolated limbs and isolated muscle strength.
• Generate strength from softness and from emptiness.
• Approach the attacker not directly strength against strength, but rather from an angle and the distance is carefully cared about.
• Trying to hide the body mechanics and attack from a neutral posture.

There are a few misconceptions about “internal arts”. One is that Internal martial arts goes from soft to hard and external ones from external to internal. This is partially wrong. So called external, non Neijiaquan arts can have a very strong focus on internal concepts right from the beginning. And certain schools and lineages of IMA starts off with external, apparent expression as well as focusing on hard conditioning. They don’t necessarily go towards hardness. Traditional Tai Chi does not go from soft to hard, it teaches how to generate hardness from softness and teaches how to fight while maintaining stillness.

The common denominators often used to distinguish IMA as Qi, Yi or internal practice are also not enough to distinguish “internal” from “external.” All Chinese martial arts are concerned with Qi, on a deeper or more shallow level. Yi, or intent, as well as shen and Yanshen are all very common concepts in both traditional and modern Chinese Gongfu. But in IMA, or Neijiaquan, we have a certain view on Qi and Yi that is slightly different from other martial arts as we interpret these concepts not in a general manner or in the way they are understood in Traditional Chinese Medicin, or in modern Qigong, but rather in an older way, the way these concepts are understood in Daoist practice as Neidan and Daoyin. We don’t really aim for developing or circulating Qi in general, instead the arts of IMA has an aim to develop, use and refine Post Heavenly Qi, or Xiantian Qi. It’s rather difficult to describe this briefly, but you can find more about it in this post. And more about Neidan in this post.

So, not all arts that claim to be “internal” can be completely compared to an art as Taijiquan. Southern Styles, even though some schools are very soft and have their own take on internal concepts, are not Neijiaquan as they do not share enough of the history and tradition. Some Wing Chun schools claim to be internal. They can continue to do so. But still, they do not belong to Neijiaquan. Aikido also have claims on being internal. It does share a whole lot with IMA, but is not a member of this family. So again, when people speak about an art is internal, they might have valid reasons for doing so, but this still doesn’t mean the art belong to Neijiaquan.

On the Correct Attitude For Learning and Mastering Tai Chi Chuan

Tags

Learning, Mind, Tai Chi, Taijiquan

In  my own opinion, for learning how to really understand T’ai Chi Ch’uan, the mind-set or attitude is far more important than the practice itself. Forms, drills, stance work, they can be visually perfected in every detail. But there will always be something missing if you don’t have the correct mind. If you have a certain attitude and mind-set, if you are eager to learn, always eager tio improve and to become better, to always understand more about what it really takes to master the art, then this attitude itself will help you to fill in the blanks, help you to understand details and to incorporate everything you learn in a way that will help your learning process to become the most efficient learning process as possible. When you are determined, focused, have endurance and understand how to approach the art with passion and creativity and take responsibility for your own learning process, then you have the right mind-set to understand the art and become good in it. There is hope for everyone, even the most miserable failure. The road for success is a road that you start in your own mind.

 

Determination – Set a clear goal and work towards it.

Set your goal and have it in mind. The more clear, specific and detailed this goal is, the more easy it will be for you to work to become what you will be. Every class will become like sculpturing your own progress according to your strong idea of what you want to become.

I remember my very first class when I was eleven years old. I remember exactly what I thought. I decided to become as good and better as my teacher, to achieve what he showed and what he spoke about, if it so will take twenty years to achieve. I told myself right there that I should continue to practice and never give up. The years to come, I tried to read as much on Tai Chi as I got hold on. I borrowed books from my teacher and I ordered books through Martial Arts stores. I also read a whole lot of books on Chinese philosophy, history and culture. When I was thirteen, I had already finished reading English translations on all of the major Chinese Taoist Classics,  the Yijing and a whole lot of books on Chinese martial arts in general.

Focus – keep attention on what you are doing and keep the details in mind

Always focus whatever you do. When you practice your form, pay attention to every small little details. Never let anything slip away. When you are in front of your teacher, pay attention to everything he says. Never let your mind wander or think about other things. Your Tai Chi class is the time to forget about everything else, to forget about duties, problems at your job, about your annoying Facebook friends. You need to really listen and take every word your teacher say very seriously.

When I had practiced about 8 years I started to go to summer sessions, and I think I went to them seven years in a row. The thing is that I have and I have always had a very good memory for what people say to me. Some stories and lectures from this time more than 20 years ago, I remember exactly, word for word, what my teachers said. From one summer camp to another, some of my fellow summer class mates seems to totally have forgot what a teacher said or showed a year later. I was always surprised because I had focused very deliberately on every word the teachers have said and I remember everything clearly. But some people don’t care very much, they are there, having a good summer time and don’t put effort in understanding and to make effort to consciously incorporate what a teacher say into his or her own practice. It’s a shame, but right here, most Tai Chi students own attitude really lacks.

Responsibility – Don’t blame your teacher when you suck

No one can give you success. No one can teach you but yourself. There are no shortcuts, no secret ingredient, no magic pills. The time and effort is all yours and the road is yours to walk. You have the responsibility to listen to your teacher, learn what to learn, make effort and make the time needed. No one can help you to walk the road. That is something you must do by yourself. As long as you wait to find secrets or anything that can work as a shortcuts, you don’t have the correct attitude, not the right mind-set. Because Tai Chi Chuan is all about you. It’s not about your teacher, not about style or lineage, not about gaining something you can use to show off with. It’s only about you. And the sooner you realise that all your accomplishments depend on you taking responsible, the sooner and faster you will develop in your art. This part of your overall attitude is so important that I have written a blog post only on this, about taking responsibility.

Creativity – Independent thinking & a little craziness doesn’t hurt

Creativity is a concept that lies close to responsibility. I know what you ask yourself now or would like to ask me: Oh, why? Because learning Tai Chi and come to understand what it is, well, this is a bit like putting together a puzzle where there’s a whole lot of pieces missing. Tai Chi is a cultural phenomenon, something that has grown for centuries to become what it is today. It’s from another culture and another history. The terminology and concepts come from another kind of thinking, often abstract, often very different from ours. Thus, to understand Tai Chi and develop it as your own property of your own knowledge, you really need a creative approach. You need to turn around the puzzle pieces, examine them from different directions. You need to put all of the pieces together to form a comprehensible picture. And where pieces are missing, you need to create them by yourself to make the pieces match together. It’s quite a hard work, both mentally and physically to learn how to understand the art. But it’s also a lot of fun and a  highly creative process.

Endurance – Keep the spirit & enjoy the boredom

In Tai Chi, endurance is not only to work hard or to practice a lot, but it’s more the persistence to not give up. When practice is fun and you feel like you develop rapidly or even take big leaps in the process, practicing a lot is not hard or difficult. The hardest part is in my own experience when things are going slow. Everyone experience periods when we feel that we don’t develop and everything stand still. This is the time you need endurance to stand boredom, to practice when it’s boring and keep on struggling when nothing happens. Just go on and practice and try to remind yourself of some of the other points here, as creativity, passion and humor. You will find ways to keep on struggling and find meaning in the practice as long as you don’t give up.

Humor and self distance – Be able to laugh at yourself… Otherwise everyone else will…

A very wise man said that all kind of human development is the development in a certain pattern: “Two steps forward, one step back.” How true isn’t this?  Practice becomes easier if you understand this. You don’t need to develop in the same pace all of the time and too much eagerness or trying to press yourself too much is never good. One time when I succeeded to have a private talk with best teacher I’ve ever had, I told him that I really wanted to practice and become as good as possible. He smiled and said: “Just practice and don’t take it too seriously. Development needs to grow, so let it take the time it needs.” This was the best advice I’ve ever had. Don’t take it too seriously. You need some humor and be able to laugh at all your short-comings and mistakes. Starting to practice Tai Chi can be a very painful process. You will discover that you can not move as you want, that you have a lousy body control, balance and coordination. Even later when you find people who can handle you just as easy as a wind sweeps a way a leaf, you are bound to have your self-confidence broken. Many discovered flaws and many failures in many years ahead, you will eventually become aware of what it means to become good in your art. And then you will surely have a laugh when you think back on your struggles.

Passion – Love what you do or quit

There’s a saying that endurance can take you to the top, but it’s the passion that makes you stay on top. To be frank, I don’t believe that Tai Chi becomes very difficult if you really love it. The passion for the art makes everything more easy, makes every aspects of the practice more enjoyable. However, if you don’t have the passion needed, the practice might become more hard and boring than necessary. Endurance alone won’t get you to the top in Tai Chi. You really need to love the art. The hard truth is that if you don’t find joy in the practice and don’t really love the art of Tai Chi Chuan, you should probably find something else. But if this message rings a bell within you, don’t be too sad. Try to find another teacher or another internal art. What you drove to practice Tai Chi might still be there inside you. And the world of the internal martial arts is vast and varied.

 

And Now: To Something Completely Different… (Some personal reflections on the future)

Tags

Tai Chi, Taijiquan

Nowadays I don’t write very often on this blog. And I write very seldom on it with just a few days in between. From working with other blogs and different homepages, I have learned that if you want to develop a blog consistency is the key. You should write on a regular basis and keep the same quality on everything you put in. People need to know what to expect if they are going to return frequently.

But developing a well visited blog with tons of frequent visitors has never been my goal with this blog.  I just use it like a diary or a note-book. I put down my thoughts here to collect them. Sometimes when I start writing a blog post, it turns into something completely different. Just like this post. I planned to write about Daoism in daily life. I’ll return to it later, don’t worry.

Besides sporadically keep up writing down more random thoughts on this blog, I also plan one or a few books about Tai Chi. So I use this blog to sum up my ideas and test them to myself and expose them for readers. It’s interesting to see what has interested the readers these few years, how they have searched for the information and found this blog and what they like. This blog is very personal. It’s all about my own view and my personal thoughts. And if I really write a book or two about Tai Chi, they will also not become commercial mainstream books. But they, or at least the first book I plan, will be very, very personal and be about Tai Chi solely from my own personal perspective and experience.

The best teacher I’ve had said to me that I shouldn’t take Tai Chi too seriously, that I was young and had a lot of time to explore and develop the art. Very wise words to someone who live with this art 24/7 and thinks about it every day and how to develop it further… Still, at least for some periods, I have been struggling to keep practicing. Today, I know that I will carry with me this art as long as I live and I will continue practicing. Yet, I feel stronger than ever before that there is indeed a fight, but that it’s a fight that goes deeper. How can I preserve and develop my knowledge into tools that I can give to others? I don’t know. I’ve learned a lot that I can’t fully handle yet. I have started to practice more active, found some old friends that I can practice with. If I am ever going to start a new group again I don’t know. First, I want to explore further how to better share some certain parts of my knowledge, how to develop those tools for what I want to do. Maybe writing that book I plan will be a good start. I don’t know. The future is constantly changing. So we’ll see what the future have to offer…

…I will expect nothing else except for the best…

The Tai Chi Classics – part I

Tags

Tai Chi, Tai Chi Classics, Taijiquan

The Taijiquan Jing

or The Taijiquan lilun

Attributed to Chang San-feng
Translated and explained by David Roth-Lindberg

Part 1

Passage I

一舉動，
周身俱要輕靈，
尤須貫串。

(Yījǔ dòng,
zhōushēn jù yào qīng líng,
yóu xū guànchuàn.)

Translation:
Whenever in movement
the body is light and nimble.
All of the body parts connected as stringed together.

Comment: 
When practicing a taijiquan form or when use your taiji to fight with is the same. You always make clever use of both movement and power. In movement, the body parts is always arranged from the center. If you arrange the body properly, you will move with the same agility like a skilled and professional dancer. Or similar to a cat.

Passage II

氣宜鼓盪，
神宜內斂。

(Qì yí gǔ dàng,
shén yí nèi liàn.)

Translation:
The Qi (intrinsic energy) should be excited
The Shen (spirit/vitality) gathered within

Comment:
Only when you are calm and focused, your qi can rise. In Daoism, when you are calm and have an empty mind (wuxin), the heart flame will sink to the dantian below the “water” or Jing. Then the heart flame will heat up this “stove”, and make it produce “gas” or “qi”. So only when you are focused and calm, you can circulate qi throughout your body. It is said that “the mind leads the qi, the qi leads your movement”. In western terms, you can just translate this as: “if you are calm and focused, you are in control of your movements.” In that way it makes more sense. When you fight, always be calm and focused so you know what you do with your body. The passage is not more mystical than this really, it is just explained with traditional chinese thought and old terms.

Passage III

毋使有缺陷處，
毋使有凸凹處，
毋使有斷續處。

(Wú shǐ yǒu quēxiàn chǔ,
wú shǐ yǒu tū āo chǔ,
wú shǐ yǒu duànxù chǔ.)

Comment:
This one is a bit tricky actually. People tend to translate this passage as a dichtomy of posture and form practice and it is usually understood as an advice to stance and form practice. But I think this is wrong and that it’s actually a most practical advice for fighting. The passage says that there should be: “no defect of posture, no gaps and distortions of alignment and movement should be smooth without any breaks.” I don’t really agree that this passage is meant for single practice. What is meant by “no 凸凹” or no “convex or concave” as the characters means, here actually means that there should be no place and no gaps for a punch to enter. If you take the passage as a whole, it means that alignment, stance and movement should have no gaps or holes, whether you stand or move. You should be continuous in motion and have a good frame, alignment and posture = a good guard, so that you can not be hit by your opponent. So you might just translate this passage to:

“When you are standing or in movement,
always keep your alignment and keep your guard up”.

Thats very different from for instance Scheele’s translation, isn’t it? Compare yourself:

“The postures should be without defect,
without hollows or projections from the proper alignment;
in motion the Form should be continuous, without stops and starts.”

So if you read the classics, you will have a very different translation if you read it as health theory or have a practical martial art in mind.