The Wise Tai Chi Practitioner: Walking is Also Practice
The longer you practice Tai Chi, the simpler the method becomes, even walking becomes a practice of Tai Chi. It's a continuous process of striving for softness from stiffness.
Why did it slowly turn into walking Tai Chi?
Because the purpose of practicing Tai Chi is health preservation, not to compete with others. It's just about comparing yourself to yourself, achieving inner peace and physical delight, so you can continuously reduce and simplify.
Why did you choose to practice Tai Chi by walking?
As long as the core principles of Tai Chi are achieved, regardless of whether you are performing routines, you can practice it as Tai Chi. Walking is undoubtedly the simplest, easiest, and most common form of exercise, with virtually no cost. Whether you walk specifically on a field or pace back and forth during your spare time, or walk a few steps at home, you can practice Tai Chi, breaking through the limitations of time and venue. You can also try it.
Someone asked if walking can practice Tai Chi? We all walk, but it's really hard to use walking to practice Tai Chi, is it effective? Is it difficult? Will a few steps have an effect? That's unlikely...
Tai Chi is about cultivating instinct,
What is the core of Tai Chi? It's about cultivating instinct, what does that instinct require? First, you must achieve standing with your center straight, relaxed knees, slumped shoulders, and dropped elbows, and sink your energy into your abdomen—these are the core and most basic principles. Since the purpose is to cultivate instinct, as long as these requirements of instinct are achieved, there's no need to limit yourself to practicing certain fixed actions, especially since ancients have long said that as you advance in Tai Chi, practicing Tai Chi is like walking, which also indicates that practicing Tai Chi while walking is an essential part.
Try to incorporate the principles of Tai Chi into your walking, and you will go down many blind alleys. Walking with an incorrect center of gravity, walking with an unbalanced posture, and damaging your knees—later, as your foundation improved, you realized that walking became increasingly easy, upright, and natural.
Understanding the concept of using walking to practice Tai Chi:
The first stage is that you must have a certain degree of opening your shoulders and hips. We use walking to practice the shoulders and hips. First, you must have a certain level of shoulder and hip opening. If your hips are stiff and your shoulders are not open, it's hard to imagine walking in a way that complements shoulder and hip opening,
The second stage is that you must have a certain foundation of whole-body strength. Standing with your center straight, a hollow leader and powerful strike must be achieved, with the tailbone inward—this is how you can exercise the entire spine during walking.
The third stage is relaxation. While walking, do not rush or slow down, relax your body and mind, and pay attention to the coordination of your limbs.
Traditional routines are a series of changes in walking postures, constantly transforming with one intention. Although you don't practice traditional routines, because you are constantly practicing the core of Tai Chi, traditional routines will also continuously improve.
