Work that body
What is body work
'
Body work' is the term applied to any form of treatment that is concerned with retraining the body's
posture and movement for optimal functioning.
Tai chi should be a form of body work but seldom is. Practicing warm-ups, qigong, form sequences and self defence does not constitute body work. Nor does strict adherence to Yang Cheng Fu's 10 essential points or the tai chi classics. Our bodies are muscle and bone. To practice tai chi skilfully, you must dynamically
balance muscles within the body and use the bone structure in a healthy way. Teachers like Bruce Frantzis combine energetic awareness and body work, offering a well-balanced class.
Relax?
The word '
relax' is frequently used in tai chi but what is meant by it? Should you be flaccid, limp, slumped or crumpled? Being flaccid is just as bad as tensing your muscles. Contracted muscles limit joint mobility and slack muscles fail to offer the necessary support. Your muscle tissue needs to be toned and engaged.
Not tensed
Imagine that you are wearing layers of clothing and you are soaking wet... The wet clothing makes movement difficult. Gravity drags you down; your limbs feel heavy. This is one facet of being relaxed in
tai chi. Another definition of 'relax' could simply be: not tensed.
Physicality
Tai chi may be an internal martial art but it still involves an awful lot of external movement. The movement of your limbs should originate in the centre and the outward spiralling motion should continue outward to the fingertips. Fuelling the movement is
energy. Yet the thing that moves is physical. In
tai chi, it
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