Center and Balance

                                              adapted from The Tao of Tai Chi Chuan , by Jou, Tsung Hwa                                     and the teachings of Master William Ting and Dr.Yang, Jwing-Ming

 

       Balance is an essential principle in Tai Chi, and is practiced using the combination of a calm mind, correct posture and the smooth and even flow of qi. If your mind is not calm, it is difficult to correct your posture, which upsets your balance. Furthermore, your qi can't flow smoothly, which also affects balance and harmony. If there is no balance, nothing else is very effective.

       To be centered and balanced, practice with the following points in mind.

       1)   You must know where the center of gravity in your body is located, like the center of a rotating sphere. According to Taoist theory this point is called the Dan- Tien, which is located about two inches below the navel, in the center of your lower torso. As a beginner you are instructed to concentrate the mind and will on the Dan- Tien, so that the center of your focus and the physical center of your body are one. You will eventually learn to maintain this awareness at all times. The purpose of focusing on the Dan-Tien is to become centered and more calm and relaxed.

       A basic feature of training in Tai Chi is to think of yourself as a sphere, with the Dan Tien as the center. Imagine a vertical line connecting the center of the sphere and the ground. Let us call this the line of the center of gravity. When you move in any direction, keep this line the same height, that is, your Dan-Tien at a constant vertical distance from the floor. Do not raise or lower your body.

       Imagine yourself as a sphere with one foot as the point of contact. Now align your center of gravity to pass through that foot. When this is not possible during a movement, keep the center of gravity between the two feet and in a position where you can move the weight as easily as possible to one foot or the other.

       2)   The head is positioned as though suspended by a string from above, with the chin tucked in and kept level. The point at the top of the head is located at the junction point in line with your ears and the centerline of your body, which is in line with your nose and navel. You should feel as if you are sitting, with a slight fold in your hip joints, your knees slightly bent. You should also feel the tailbone sinking down to a point between your heels. This sitting position is similar to the partial squat you make if you were skiing, or when you bend at the hip to reach down to pick up an object from the floor in front of you.

       3)   Furthermore, consider the trunk of your body having a vertical axis. This axis is your centerline, which goes through the point at the top of your head, through the center and bottom of your torso and continues into the ground between your feet. Keep the position of your centerline and torso vertical and erect to maintain your balance.

       4) There are two types of movements to be analyzed, which we will call transition and rotation. Your torso makes a transition when it moves horizontally as you shift your weight from one leg to the other. During the transition, your torso must remain erect and the centerline vertical, not wobbling between both positions. Rotation is defined as the turning of your torso around your centerline, whether you transition your weight or you remain on one leg as you rotate your torso.

       According to Wy Yu-Hsing, from the classics of Tai Chi Chuan:

"When going back and forth, one should draw into folds.

When advancing or retreating, one should turn the body and vary the steps".

f                                                                 from The Dao of Tajiquan by Jou, Tsung Hwa

 

        In terms of transition and rotation, folds refer to the bending the hips and knees to ensure the proper transition of the body's centerline and to maintain a constant height of the Dan-Tien above the floor. During such motion, the whole body, and especially the legs, must be totally relaxed, yet completely aware. Otherwise, correct movement is impossible. As for "turning the body", the principle is to consider the body as a mill stone, turning on its vertical axis, yet the axis itself can remain motionless.

 

       The points to practice for developing your center and balance in Tai Chi are summarized below:

       1. You become aware of your body as if you were a sphere, with the Dan-Tien as your center of gravity and focus of awareness. All movement is done in such a way that the Dan-Tien moves in a horizontal plane.

       2. The line of the center of gravity always falls through one foot, or as close to it as possible, and always remains within the base of the two feet.

       3. The centerline of your body, from the head through the torso, remains vertical.

       4. All body movement is a transition or a rotation of your centerline.

Following these points is exemplified in the classics of Tai Chi:

“Stand like a balance and move, acting like a cartwheel.”

                                                                    from The Dao of Tajiquan by Jou, Tsung Hwa

 

Balance and Coordination:

Unity of the Body

 

       According to the Tai Chi Classics:

“Where there is something up, there must be something down. Where there is something forward, there must be something backward. Where there is something left, there must be something right. If you intend to move up, you must simultaneously show a contrary tendency downwards”.

                                                             The Tao of Tai Chi Chuan , by Jou Tsung Hwa

 

        Your balance is continuously changing, moving your weight from one leg to the other and back again. So you are always feeling and adjusting your balance. You equalize these opposites to find and control your balance. This means your balance is maintained by counter-balance. As you move a part of your body forward, you must have another part of your body moving backward simultaneously. Moving upward is counterbalanced with something moving downward. If you raise your leg or arm you must sink your tailbone at the same time. If you lower your posture, your head must extend higher. If you kick forward with your left foot, your right palm presses backward. If you sit back, your fingers extend forward. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

        According to the principles of coordination, refrain from moving one side of your body without moving the other. Y our hips and shoulders are coordinated so that your torso moves in unity, like a cylinder rotating around its axis. Therefore your elbows will coordinate with your knees and your hands with your feet. If one part of the body moves, every part moves. But when your coordination and timing is off, this upsets your balance.

       Furthermore, refrain from moving one part slowly and the other quickly. All movements should be smooth, continuous and done at the same speed. The movements are circular so it can't be seen where one movement ends and the next one begins. You are turning continuously from left to right, until you almost reach your limit, and then you turn right to left again, repeating the sequence. Turning is the key to body unity and coordination.