Taiji Mastery - Second Easy Lesson

This lesson has to do with the separation of yin and yang in Taiji. This idea is core to the type of movement that taiji promotes. The principle of this type of movement should be in every gesture whether arm, leg or torso is moving. Eventually all parts of the body participate in this type of movement to create Peng energy.

The idea is very simple, the execution is extremely difficult. The basics of the movement are this; while moving forward we require backward movement, while moving backward we require forward movement. This idea is written in the Taiji Classics.

To see this movement in an easy format we once again start with the lower body.

Stand in a forward stance and distribute your weight so that you are sitting on your rear hip. Hips should always try to sit on feet creating a 45 degree angle from the hip to the foot. Knees adjust to allow the hip to easily sit on the foot. Most people do not have the strength or flexibility to sit in this manner but with constant training both will soon be in place.

In its simplest form separation of yin and yang means that when moving forward we must also have backward movement. When moving backwards we must have forward movement. Without this split of movement we do not have balance, center or root. Instead we have linear unseperated movement (swaying) forward or backward. This is not a characteristic of Taiji movement.

From our position sitting on the rear hip our goal is to shift our weight onto the front hip. Most people simply abandon the rear hip and sit forward ending with a heavy front leg/hip and an unweighted rear leg/hip. This type of movement not only abandons the rear leg but also abandons the principle of separation of yin and yang. What should happen is that while we shift forward our rear hip sinks a bit more and becomes heavier. As our weight goes forward we balance that movement with a rearward release, anchoring ourselves very firmly onto the rear foot. Doing this we end with slightly more leg on the forward hip and a very deep root on the rear.

Sound impossible? It is very difficult for people to wrap their heads around this idea when they it is initially encountered. It is counter intuitive and requires a lot of focus when practising. Taiji is called an internal art because it promotes different movement than normal. This exercise is core to developing this different type of movement.

Moving backwards is exactly the same in Chen style and is slightly different in Yang style.

While moving forward in Yang and Chen the rear hip should physically get closer to the rear foot. It needs a distinctive release/sink. The front leg in Yang does not allow for that much movement but we can come close with a release of the front hip onto the front foot while the leg as a whole stretches backwards. This is the opposite of the stretching push called for in postures such as Brush Knee. In my book on Yang style Taiji this movement is called short energy.

Describing this action in detail would require a lengthy article. Suffice to say that this type of movement must occur everywhere in the body at the same time. If you can get a basic idea of it through this exercise it should be helpful is defining how for instance the shoulder works. From there you can relate this to other body parts as well.

Good luck with it.

Gord Muir