I suppose if I was the kind of teacher who enjoyed being cryptic,I could simply answer this question with "so much, and yet, so little!" But, I will not leave you hanging with that kind of a response.

A beginner who is just learning the form needs to think about what he/she has learned, and is trying to do. But once the student doesn't have to think about the movements anymore, this question tends to come up. Why? Because now that the general movements are part of "body memory," the mind tends to begin to wander. In pops thoughts on, "What should I make for dinner?", or "I wonder why my boss was so upset at work today..." There may even be an "am I doing this part of the form correctly?" question coming up there, but this type of question is only marginally better than the other distracting thoughts.

Ideally, when practicing the form, you should keep your mind empty. No pictures, no words. (You might want to read our article on Tai Chi as Meditation which further discusses this.) However, while not thinking any thoughts, pictures or words, you should be feeling the straightness of your spine, the bubbling well spring in your foot, your weight distribution as you go from posture to posture, and the texture of the air. You cannot focus on all these things at one time at first, so add them one at a time. When you can comfortably do one thing, add another. Eventually you will be able to think of nothing and concentrate on all of the feelings in your body as you practice Tai Chi.

And when you are able to concentrate on all of the feelings in your body while practicing Tai Chi, so many other doors will open to you. Better ch'i flow, improved Push Hands sensitivity, deeper meditation... but I am getting ahead of myself! Let's save some answers for another time.

Keep those questions coming! Ask them at: Ask Sifu.

And if you like this week's question, please feel free to pass it on to your friends!

In T'ai Chi,
Bill

William C. Phillips began his study of the martial arts in 1965. He currently holds a 7th degree black belt in Karate, and a 5th degree black belt in Ju Jitsu. He began his studies of Tai Chi in l967, studying with Prof. Cheng Man-Ch'ing from '70-'75. He became the most junior student ever to become a teacher in Cheng Man Ch'ing's New York school, the Shr Jung. Sifu Phillips became interested in the field of holistic health in the early 1970's, when a lifelong allergy problem was alleviated with Chinese herbal medicine. Since then, he has studied widely in that field as well. Sifu Phillips is available for seminars, lectures and demonstrations. He has produced two very successful Tai Chi DVDs, and is currently working on a book on Tai Chi form and a third DVD.For more information...

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