Teachings from the Taiji Classics

‘In motion all parts of the body must be light, nimble and strung together.’

In motion: And not in stillness. Why not begin at the beginning with stillness? The Teacher wanted to inform us that the secrets of Taiji are revealed in the form and movement, which is the separation of Yin and Yang. Later he will speak of the beginning, Wuji and stillness. In motion means continual practice!

Light: but still grounded. The root in the legs remains solid like a tree trunk while the upper body appears light like branches swaying easily in the wind.

Nimble: like a cat ready to spring in any direction and always landing on its feet.

Strung together: like a river. Muscles, tendons and sinews flow and form a contiguous physical unity so that in motion one cannot distinguish a beginning or an end.


‘The Qi (Ch’i, breath) should be excited,
The Shen (spirit) should be internally gathered.’

The Qi should be excited: Like a wind strirring up waves. How? As you move through the form, breathe deep, slow, thin, long and silent.

Internally gathered: ‘Gathered’ means concentrating the Qi. Where? In the Dan Tien to ensure that the body remains soft and supple. This follows the teachings of Laozi: ‘In focusing the Qi to attain suppleness, can you be as a newborn babe.’ The mind must focus, direct and store the Qi in the Dan Tien. To do this, the mind must remain calm as if sitting in the eye of a storm. If not, the Qi will spread throughout the body like a herd of wild horses and the spirit will transform into the seven negative emotions (such as anger, greed, lust). When the mind is hard, the body is hard.


‘Let the postures be without
Breaks or holes,
Hollows or projections,
Or discontinuities continuities of form.’

Let the postures: The Teacher did not say, ‘the postures should be….’ This is to teach us to seek the natural wholeness of the postures. Do not use force. Rather relax into the postures without collapsing like a rag doll.

Breaks: The form flows on slowly like a great river, never stopping.

Holes: Filled with the steady flow of movement.

Hollows or projections: Seek a balance of yin and yang, empty and full. Not sinking too far down or rising too far up or overly receding or extending. For example, in the ‘push’ the hands only reach the point where the Qi can easily sustain their distance from the body. The elbows do not stick out but sink naturally downward. In this way there is no separation between the hands, arms and the body.

Discontinuities: This means maintaining internal wholeness. The mind must be aware of all parts of the body at all times so that they are always connected and are never separated.

Continuities: The mind must not be in one place more than another. Even though function and form are connected, do not emphasize function over wholeness. Why is mind so important in Qi? Because it can be everywhere at the same moment.

When doing the form be like the ancient masters: subtle, mysterious, profound and responsive.


‘The motion should be rooted in the feet,
Released through the legs,
Controlled by the waist,
And manifested through the fingers.’

Rooted: The weight drops through the legs, to the bottom of the feet and merges with the ground. The foot remains flat and the weight is evenly distributed.

Released through the legs: As the weight slowly shifts, the foot pushes into the ground, sending internal energy through the legs. Pushing into the ground is like stepping on a billows. The internal energy compressed and directed through the legs.

Controlled by the waist: The waist is the conduit that guides the internal energy to the spine. When called upon, the waist can snap like whip, greatly enhancing the velocity and power of the internal energy. From the spine it passes through the shoulders to the fingers. Tension at any point along the way reduces the quality and quantity of internal energy.

Manifested through the fingers: The fingers, hands and arms are a reflection of the feet, legs and the waist. Root and branch, lower and upper, are the same. Then the body is not a body but a vessel containing one contiguous flow of internal energy.


The space between heaven and earth is like a bellows
Empty and inexhaustible,
Move it and even more comes out.
Laozi, Chapter 5