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Tension and Relaxation
It is often said that one needs to be relaxed when training in Taijiquan. However, one mistake many people make upon hearing this oft-repeated maxim is to think that physical relaxation is all there is to Taijiquan.
The fact is that "being relaxed", is a means, not an end. Nor is relaxation an absolute. It is often necessary to have a bit of tension in the body to achieve the specific kind of relaxation we wish to cultivate in our practice of Taijiquan.
To "loosen up the joints", means giving the joint more room, allowing for a greater range of movement and facilitating the movement of energy throughout the body. We are, therefore, intentionally training our joints to make movements that we would seldom make in the course of our normal daily activities.
Examples include consciously rolling our shoulders back in preparation for practice, or intentionally exaggerating the hip joints' free flow of motion while performing our forms. Neither movement is common in everyday life, and simply relaxing while moving will not increase our range of motion. Some muscular tension has to be present in our bodies for us to be able to increase the flexibility and elasticity of our joints, muscles, and ligaments through our daily practice. The student needs something to work against. Thus tension gives birth to it's opposite. It's all very Taoist, very yin-yang, isn't it?
When one's joints have a high degree of flexibility, fluid motion with only minimal muscular effort becomes possible. In this sense that's when "song" or for our purposes, "true relaxation", is achieved.
- Qichen Guo
- Chief Instructor
- Los Angeles Chen Tai Chi Center
- qichen@chen-taiji-la.com
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