Tai Chi Chuan is often referred to as moving meditation, however, until you practise the art yourself you don't realise just how much depends on the constant flow of thought.

At first it seems like an impossible task having to remember all the theory that is required within the practice. Only with constant repetition does it slowly start to arrive and you find that what at first had to be thought of then applied, has now become an internal awareness of what is happening. An example of this would be the alternation of Yin and Yang within the legs in movement, which also combines with the pushing and pulling through the feet. This in turn links via the free turning of the waist with the upper body allowing the pushing and pulling to be felt in the arms and expressed in the hands.

There can be no time limit put on how long it will take before this starts to happen as it depends on the amount of daily practice the individual makes combined with continual guidance from your Sifu (Instructor). Each time you practise should be as if it were the first time. In other words, you should always retain that eagerness to learn and improve, never practising with the thought that repetition alone will suffice.

The combination of both mind and body follows on from the Hand Forms, which are a solo practice, into the two person routines. Again, you are taking the combination of mind and body a stage further by learning how to relax even more, both mentally and physically whilst at the same time working with a partner. Although, at this stage, it would seem that it should be a natural progression from solo practice to two person practice, we once again find that the use of the mind to guide the body has to be applied by extending the previous theory with the "5 Step Path" (Adherence, Softness, Spontaneity, Yielding, Never using Brute Force) which is the connection from solo practice into two person practice.

There are, unfortunately, no short cuts in learning how to use the mind and body in this way. Only with continual practice, with many different partners, linked to constant guidance from your Sifu, can you hope to achieve the mental and physical development required.

The combination of mind and body is like the Tai Chi, circular and never ending but, although taking a lifetime to learn, is also very enjoyable and satisfying along the way.

Hand Forms

Without doubt the hand forms are the best known part of Tai Chi Chuan as these are what everyone relates to having seen or, for that matter, practised first when starting to learn Tai Chi Chuan. The first form practised is known as the Long Square Form not because the movements are square in shape but that they are broken down into individual parts which allow us to see what is contained from beginning to end of each posture. The Square Form also allows the student to relate to each posture by name and to see where each posture starts and finishes. It is also the start of learning the techniques which are required to form good strong foundations for the further practice of Tai Chi Chuan. On completing the Square Form, after a further period of practice, the length of which is usually decided by the instructor, the student will be ready to start practising the Round Form.

The Round Form contains the same postures as the Square Form, differing in that the movements in the Round Form are performed free flowing and continuous. This means that what the student has already developed through practising the Square Form is taken a stage further in the Round Form, allowing individual expression of the feeling and interpretation of the free flowing continuous movements.

Pushing Hands

There are eight major sets of Pushing Hands. Again the student is using what has been developed through the practice of the Hand Forms and applying this through practice with a partner moving from solo practice to two person practice. The connection between solo practice and two person practice is known as "The Five Step Path". These five parts are Adherence, Softness, Spontaneity, Yielding and the Lack of the use of Brute Force.

Martial Applications

We take the two person practice a stage further by applying what has been taught and practised into the martial application of the movements contained within the Hand Form. These movements often have more than one application and can also vary greatly in appearance with regards to the Hand Forms. The Hand Forms are not a martial set of applications as in external style Katas but rather a set of free flowing movements meant to develop and enhance the basic principles.

Weapon Forms

Going from the applications we move on to the weapons ~ Spear ~ Sabre ~ Straight Sword. Two of the forms, Spear and Sabre are known as Tiger forms which are practised in a relatively low posture and are flowing and fierce in appearance. The Straight Sword, in contrast, is generally slower and more delicate in appearance. The weapons can of course be discarded, allowing practice as Hand Forms instead. This allows the student to see just how much influence the weapon has with regards to the practice of the form.

Internal Exercises

The Internal Exercises consist of Twelve Yin exercises and Twelve Yang exercises. These were originally taught first but, due to changing times and circumstances, they are generally taught at the discretion of the instructor at a later stage in the student's training.

The art of Tai Chi Chuan has in itself changed greatly since conception in the way it is taught. Whether for health or as a martial art it has stood the test of time and will continue to develop.

Yin and Yang

According to ancient Chinese thought, the universe is a vast oneness with every part of it being related to, and dependent on, every other part. They also noticed that within this all embracing oneness there is continual movement and change. Night follows day, winter follows summer and death follows life, all in an endless cycle.

The Chinese saw Tai Chi as a circle within which everything revolves and moves. In the process of this movement within the circle, the two opposite forms of energy (Yin and Yang) interact with each other in harmony. Yin symbolises the feminine, dark, soft, yielding side of things. Yang symbolises the masculine, hard, aggressive side of things.

Everything in the universe is made up of these two forms of energy. In order for things to progress well in harmony with each other, the forces of Yin and Yang must constantly interact together. While doing so, each must evolve over a period of time into its opposite, just as night will gradually evolve into day. For this reason everything that seems to be Yin will always contain within it an element of Yang and something that is Yang will always contain within it an element of Yin. If this was not the case there would not be any evolution of one into the other. This helps to explain the Yin and Yang symbol of Tai Chi Chuan.

The circle represents the Tai Chi containing the moving Yin (dark) and Yang (light). The Yang part contains within it a small amount of Yin and the Yin part contains within it a small amount of Yang.