Glossary

to receive the full benefits of T’ai Chi Gong, 15 to 30 minutes of practice once or twice a day is recommended

Breathe in and out through the nose, taking the breath deep into the belly.  Time your breathing with your movement: in for half the movement, out for  half the movement, out as your hands move away from you, in as you draw your hands back in.  In Grounding Pose take a deep breath: in through the nose, out through the mouth.

imagine your head is suspended weightlessly from above and your spine is like a string of pearls. Look forward, long and deep.  Let your pelvis hang loosely.  Release tension in your elbows, wrists and knees.  Bend your knees slightly and relax into your back.  Feel your body “yinning and Yanging” as your weight shifts and your arms move in and out, up and down.

be soft, yet feel vitality within. Stand quietly – calming the mind and releasing tension until the body feels as though it moves effortlessly. Be soft, yet vital and alert.

calming the mind and relaxing the body results in coordination of mind and body and produces harmony of movement. This helps us to feel centred and to feel the our “mind in our body” as our whole being works as one.  focus the mind on the Tan T’ien or the soles of the feet.

imagine cotton balls between each finger, under the arms, elbows, knees and chin. Move slowly as though through “heavy air”, but not so slow as to create tension in the body.

Move slowly, feel the effortless flow,  find your centre of balance at the tan t’ien,  focus on bringing your mind into your body to feel your oneness and breath with your movement!

refers to the spot on the sole of your foot that is an acupuncture “revival point” and source of energy for the entire body. We practice “grounding in the soles of the feet” by concentrating there. This stimulates Chi to move up from our feet, through our legs and waist, to be circulated by our wrists, hands and fingers.  Then as we breathe deeply in grounding pose, we circulate this energy down to our feet again.

Literally, Chi means air, the air we breathe. But in the broader sense, it refers to the Vital Force, Life Energy, or Intrinsic Energy in all things. The Chi flows through the Meridian pathways and chakras of the body.

This area is located in the belly about 3 finger-widths below the navel and 3 finger-widths inside the abdomen. This area is considered an Energy Sea which serves as a reservoir of Chi for the whole body. It is also the Sacral Chakra, or centre of our Creative energy.