Yang Cheng Fu’s Ten Important Points For Practice

Raj on February 11th, 2010

1. Hold The Head Straight With Ease
The head should be erect in order for the spirit to rise. If force is
used, the back of the neck will be stiff, and the circulation of blood
and chi will be impeded. There should be a natural, light and
sensitive feeling. If not, the spirit will be unable to rise up.
In order to achieve the above, it is important that the neck is held
straight, but very relaxed and alive. Keep your mouth natural with the
tongue touching the upper palate. Avoid clenching your teeth or gazing
out with an angry look. Keep your sacrum straight and slightly tucked
under. If not, your spine will be affected, and your spirit will not
be able to rise.

2. Sink the Chest and Raise the Back
There should be a slight drawing in of the chest which allows the chi
to sink to the “Dan Tian”. Avoid protruding the chest as this will
cause the chi to rise which will lead to top heaviness, and the soles
of the feet to float.
Raising the back means that the chi adheres to the back. If you can
sink your chest, your back will naturally rise. If you can raise your
back, your power will come from your spine enabling you to overcome
any opponent.
Sink the chest and raise the back are similar to when a cat is in
readiness to launch an attack on its prey.

3. Relax the Waist
The waist is the commander of the body. If the waist is relaxed and
loosened, the foundation, that is, your legs will be stable, enabling
you to issue power. Changes in solid and empty derive from the moving
of the waist. It is said that “the waist is the well spring of your
vital energy”. If you lack power in your movements, look for the
weakness in your waist and legs.

4. Distinguishing Solid and Empty
Distinguishing solid and empty is a fundamental principle of Tai Chi.
If your body centre rests in your right leg, then your right is solid,
and your left leg is empty. If your body centre rests in your left
leg, then your left leg is solid, and your right leg is empty. When
you can clearly make this distinction, your movements will be light,
agile, and effortless. If not, your steps will be heavy and clumsy,
and you are easily unbalanced due to the instability of your stance.
The philosophy of Yin Yang is the underlying principle of change in
stepping.

5. Sink the Shoulders and Elbows
The shoulders should relax and hang downwards. If the shoulders are
raised, then the chi rises, and the whole body cannot summon up its
power.
The elbows must relax and point downwards. If the elbows are raised,
the shoulders will become tense, inhibiting your ability to discharge
your opponent to any great distance. Raising the elbows or shoulders
is similar to breaking the jin which occurs in the external martial
art systems.

6. Use the Mind and not Brute Force
According to the Tai Chi Classics, you use the mind and not brute
force. In practice, your whole body is relaxed; not even using an
ounce of brute force. If you employ brute force, you restrict the flow
of energy through your sinews, bones, and blood vessels. This will
inhibit your freedom of movement, preventing you from achieveing
agility, sensitivity, aliveness, circularity, and naturalness.
“How can you have power without using brute force?” By making us of
the meridians in the body. (Meridians are a network of pathways which
transport chi throughout the body. They connect the superficial,
interior, upper and lower portions of the human body, making the body
an organic whole). The meridians are similar to the rivers and streams
of the earth. If the rivers are open, then the water flows freely. If
the meridians are open, then the chi flows. If the meridians are
blocked as a result of using stiff force, then the circulation of chi
and blood become sluggish. Hence, your movements will not be nimble,
and even if a hair is pulled, your whole body will be in a state of
disorder.
Although your abdomen is full and alive, there is no force being used.
For the chi to sink down to the Dan Tian slowly and naturally, the
mind needs to be relaxed. By deeply relaxing while performing your Tai
Chi movements, your chi will move freely to every part of your body.
This will benefit the body greatly. On the other hand, if you tense
your mind and forcefully try to move your chi, or use unnatural
methods to circulate the chi, it is more than likely that blockages
will occur which are harmful to your health.
When you are able to use your mind and not brute force, then wherever
your mind goes, your chi follows. After a long period of practice and
chi circulating freely everyday, you develop jin (an internal power
which is different from hard force). This is what the Tai Chi Classics
means by “from true softness comes true hardness”. The arms of one who has Tai Chi kung fu will feel extremely heavy; like steel wrapped in
cotton. People who practise external martial art systems look strong
when they exert hard force. However, when they are not bringing their
hard force into use, they are light and floating. You can see that
this merely a superficial kind of strength. Instead of using the mind,
they use brute force, which makes them easy to manipulate. Hence not
worthy of praise.

7. Coordinate your Upper and Lower Body
According to the Tai Chi Classics, “the root is in the feet; issued
through the legs; controlled by the waist; and expressed through the
fingers. From the feet through the legs to the waist forms one
harmonious chi.” When the hands, waist, and feet move, your gaze needs to follow in unison. This is what is meant by harmony of the upper and lower body. If one part of the body is not in concordance with the rest, it will result in chaos.
When you first learn Tai Chi, your movements are larger and more open
than those of a seasoned practitioner. The larger movements ensure
that your waist and legs are moving in concordance, and all parts of
the body are in harmony.

8. Unify your Internal and External
Tai Chi trains the spirit. It is said that “the spirit is the leader
and the body follows its command”. If you can lift your spirit, then
your movements will naturally be agile and alive. Postures are nothing
more than solid and empty, opening and closing. Opening does not just
involve the hands and feet, but they must work in concordance with the
opening of the heart/mind. Closing does not just concern the hands and
feet, but they should coordinate with the closing of the heart/mind as
well. When the internal and external are unified as one harmonious
chi, then there are no gaps anywhere.
The heart/spirit is like a concealed sword. From the outside, your
practice has the appearance of being relaxed and comfortable, but on
the inside, your heart/spirit is concentrated and sharp as a sword.

9. Continuity – No Stopping
The external martial art systems employ brute force which is stiff and
unnatural. This force stops and starts; moves in a jerky fashion. When
the old force is finished before the new one has begun, this is the
time when one is most vulnerable to attacks. In Tai Chi, you use the
mind and not brute force. From the beginning to the end, the movements
are continuous without stopping; like an endless circle. This is what
the Classics means by “a great river flowing continuously never
ending”, or “moving the jin like reeling silk from a cocoon”. The
above conveys the idea of stringing the movements together into one
harmonious chi.
If your movements stop and start, you will be easily taken advantage
of by your opponent because you have exhausted your old strength, and the new power is not yet born.

10. Seek Serenity in Activity
The external martial art systems consider leaping and crouching to be
of value. They exhaust their energy and after practice, they are out
of breath. Tai Chi uses serenity to counter activity. Even when you
are moving, you remain tranquil. When practising the postures, the
slower you move, the better the result. Slowness enables your breath
to become deep and long with the chi sinking to the Dan Tian. This
will naturally prevent the pulse rate from elevating. Students of Tai
Chi should think deeply on the above in order to grasp its meaning.
It is important to practise the movements slowly, so that you can
understand the meaning within the movements. Practising slowly helps
to regulate your breathing enabling your breath to become deep and
long allowing your chi to sink to the Dan Tian. Practising in this
manner also prevents the fault of top heaviness which is caused by the
chi rising up.

Note: Narrated by Yang Cheng Fu, recorded by Chen Wei Ming and
expanded upon by Fu Sheng Yuan