What is Tai Chi Chuan? (Or Taiji Quan, depending on the translation method.) It started as a martial art, but is now practiced primarily for its health benefits. But whether practitioners recognize it or not, it is really a system of balance.
Balance? Yes, balance. Think about it. Short of a physical problem that affects either the inner ear or the strength of our bones, we all have perfect balance — including you! Do you simply fall over when you are standing? Do you fall out of a chair while sitting? Of course not! (Falling asleep while sitting in a chair doesn’t count.) So, your balance is working . . . perfectly. You just need to become aware of it.
When teaching Tai Chi Chuan, I emphasize that the student remain comfortable and balanced in all their movements. The student needs to pay attention to their balance while practicing the form. This will let them improve their balance and their form. By sensing when they are less balanced, students can improve more rapidly and do it “less wrong” the next time. Over time, the student’s sense of balance improves, and what seemed fine a few months ago suddenly feels less balanced now. This means that the student is becoming more sensitive to their balance. It also means that their “sensitivity” is improving. (More about “sensitivity” in a future post.) Being balanced is comfortable. Comfort is the other way to tell whether you are balanced. If a particular posture can be made more comfortable, then by definition it is also more balanced.
Even as a martial art, Tai Chi Chuan is about balance. If one maintains their balance while pushing an opponent, the opponent will move away. The person that maintains their balance wins! How can one maintain their balance while pushing? The secret to that is . . . revealed in my classes! Not really, the secret is not to push their weight, push their equilibrium point. This is where sensitivity comes in — being able to find your opponent’s equilibrium. Read more about sensitivity in this post titled, Lao Daoshi Teaches About Sensitivity.