Zeny
Blue Belt
I have been neglecting the practice of chi in my taijiquan but one day i decided i could not ignore it any longer.
Recently i tried to improve my chi by breathing deeply into my dan tian for about an hour every night before sleep. After about two weeks the chi sensation in my dan tian became very real and noticeable.
One day i was doing some push hands with my teacher. Immediately upon touching arms he said 'don't concentrate your chi in your dan tian'. Being the stubborn donkey that i am, i ignored him and kept quiet. During that push hands session i found that my equilibrium was very strong, but my body felt 'heavier' than usual and my sensitivity was not at my usual level.
After the push hands i asked my teacher, 'how did you know that i was concentrating chi in my dan tian?' He replied, 'it is very obvious. Don't concentrate your chi like that. Concentrated chi is tense. You should circulate your chi'. I asked, 'what is my usual chi like?' He said, 'on other days your chi is dispersed and relaxed. Your ph skill is already good. Are you not satisfied?' I said 'but i want to improve my chi'. He said, 'then you should learn to circulate your chi'.
I noticed that when i am concentrating on my chi, my body feels stiff, insensitive and stagnant. If i just relax, let go and forget about chi, my body feels very light and sensitive. I am amazed that chi can make such a big difference in how my body feels and reacts.
In cheng man ching's 13 treatises book, he says to channel chi into the dan tian is the path of the taoist and there is no other way. But he also said chi is not important, and if there is no chi, there is pure steel.
My present solution to this problem is, i will improve my chi, and learn to circulate it, but when doing the form or push hands, i should forget about chi and treat it as though it does not exist.
Recently i tried to improve my chi by breathing deeply into my dan tian for about an hour every night before sleep. After about two weeks the chi sensation in my dan tian became very real and noticeable.
One day i was doing some push hands with my teacher. Immediately upon touching arms he said 'don't concentrate your chi in your dan tian'. Being the stubborn donkey that i am, i ignored him and kept quiet. During that push hands session i found that my equilibrium was very strong, but my body felt 'heavier' than usual and my sensitivity was not at my usual level.
After the push hands i asked my teacher, 'how did you know that i was concentrating chi in my dan tian?' He replied, 'it is very obvious. Don't concentrate your chi like that. Concentrated chi is tense. You should circulate your chi'. I asked, 'what is my usual chi like?' He said, 'on other days your chi is dispersed and relaxed. Your ph skill is already good. Are you not satisfied?' I said 'but i want to improve my chi'. He said, 'then you should learn to circulate your chi'.
I noticed that when i am concentrating on my chi, my body feels stiff, insensitive and stagnant. If i just relax, let go and forget about chi, my body feels very light and sensitive. I am amazed that chi can make such a big difference in how my body feels and reacts.
In cheng man ching's 13 treatises book, he says to channel chi into the dan tian is the path of the taoist and there is no other way. But he also said chi is not important, and if there is no chi, there is pure steel.
My present solution to this problem is, i will improve my chi, and learn to circulate it, but when doing the form or push hands, i should forget about chi and treat it as though it does not exist.