Fundamental

Our bodies are like the four seasons in a cycle – Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, and it comes all over again. Some days the body is like the battery-charged, feeding itself from the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the blood pumps ever faster. Other days we were like a cocoon with sluggish movements, especially during the winter (with the wetness and the cold).

Lately I notice many people including myself got many aches, pain and injuries from time to time. Many, like myself, forgot the golden rule – never push yourself too far which you are unable to cope. At first, you may not notice the pain, but the pain will surface later which could be unbearable. The pain and aches are usually derived from incorrect posture.

Tai Chi, like any other sports, needs to do with caution.

Rule No# 1 – Always do sufficient warm ups on the knee, the neck, the ankle, the spine, the shoulder, the arms and the hands. If you believe you have not fully warm up in all parts of your body, do more warm up exercise before you do Tai Chi.

Rule No#2 – Listen to your body. If you feel pain in one part of the body, try to be careful and stop if you feel uncomfortable. Don’t push it too far! Our body is like a rubber band when it became cold – it won’t stretch as much as we wanted; it becomes dry and brittle. Eventually it could snap! So always make sure Rule No# 1 is checked!

Rule No#3 – Posture is absolutely vital in doing Tai Chi. Tailbone curved in; Knee never push too forward, keep the knees perpendicular 90 degree to the floor at all time! Open the shoulder wide, but relaxed. Arms relaxed. Never tense your muscle!

These are just the fundamental things we need to remember when we are doing Tai Chi. If we forget these “Rules”, we could not get the best of Tai Chi.

The winter is here! Our bodies don’t need to be like a cocoon, but we must act with basic instinct in mind. Keep body warm up, thus the blood would circulate well and making our body like an elastic band. Most all of will help improve “Qi” internal energy. Remember do it regularly, you won’t forget! Not just for Tai Chi, any exercises we do have to do warm ups!

Once your body is warm-up, your body can go beyond the limit and will not get hurt, because it is charged! But remember check your posture every time, feel it and fix it as soon as you notice it!

- Written by Shirley, 2010