windwalker

yes, may he rest in peace

If you read my other post it should be quite clear about why its practice slowly its tied in with what are external practices and internal practices talked about in another thread. When one understands this distinction the reasoning will be quite clear for the why taiji is practiced as it is. In brief one must be able to understand and feel what is meant by the words yi, qi, shen The practice in the beginning is to develop an awareness of what they are and later on how they'er used.

yes its me, I dont really like to advertise, find it humorous at the suggestion that I have no idea or concept about taiji or its practices. Not here to teach anything only offer suggestions or share things that I have come across over the yrs. I do tend to question others view points in order to understand them. Respect and hold all views as equal even those I dont quiet agree with. .

yep you could be right, I dont have much experience with taiji http://www.morninglighttaiji.net/about.html not actually I'm still very much learning about it. I'll keep that in mind about the water thing and all. Sorry if you took my writing the wrong way. You mentioned some products of the practice, which can be achieved by many other practices. My point was that there are really solid reasons for the practice to be slow that dont have much to do with some of the products of the practice mentioned. One thing I do enjoy about the practice that I've found is that its very easy to check and see what kind of understanding that one has in the practice.

my blog for those interested https://morninglighttaiji.wordpress.com/

Connection, flow, continuous, are all by-products of correct practice not the why its done so. There are many other types of practices that would provide the same benefits, taiji is not unique in this.. There is no becoming "one" with taiji. Taiji, is just a concept applied to whats already happening, whether one practices "taiji" or not.

so why is the practice done slowly?

http://www.chuckrowtaichi.com/ChengCh.7.html ​For those interested in taiji

Dont know, your the one who brought it up, maybe you should clarify why you thought it was important. 3 strikes and your out. no more interest in continuing the Q&A good you have 45yrs of doing something,,,best of luck with it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Vj1tgTqrPg nice documentary done awhile back

As I mentioned a question was asked I put forth my answer based on my own work and experience, and of those whom I've met over the yrs. I dont quite understand what other shifu's having good health or not or being free, as anything to do with training methods, practices, or skill sets. It would be good to understand your back ground to help understand your view points. My only point is that they really are very different practices that dont lead to the same skill sets. A lot of this really depends on depth and skill level of the practice. a caveat, In no way do I feel one is better then the other, nor have I heard of this from others I've met or trained under. The main point was to make a distinction of what each was and was not.

you mention 45 yrs but dont really say what it was spent on or what you did during that time. this talks of my history http://www.morninglighttaiji.net/about.html I really dont see what the debate would be about. The teachers that I've met would never suggest that in the end they some how come together as you stated. Each practice is quite different with different ideas and skill sets developed. Can you share a little of your history, it might be helpful in understanding your view point.

I would suggest the more then likely we dont have the same perceptional experiences. They remain quite distinct and are source of endless discussion for many looking for it. The OP framed the context, from what other context would one answer it ?

All I can say is that this what we used in China, its well understood and known there. The practice methods are different the distinctions of what the practice is on are the ones I outlined. The Ideas and concepts of yi, qi, shen are again in my experience very real and have different effects and use. The original question was what the differences between practices of external arts, and internal ones. I gave the ones we use,,,whether one agrees with it or not is kind of mote. Its not the subject. This article outlines the differences between the practices. good read.

A large part of the answer depends on "what" is being trained, or de-trained. The "what" will determine the how. It takes a while for a baby to coordinate its body parts. Part of this process is the ability to build and rely on the bodies feed back mechanisms " Proprioception" In taiji, we want to retrain this sense in order to understand where ones "center" is located, something that is normally an automatic function, unless somehow the body or brain is damaged. Fist one learns to feel and sense "it" within themselves and later this can be extended to sensing it in others. Often due to life and other factors we develop holding patterns within our body/mind that tend to throw this sense of self off. This can be due to physical injury or psychological reasons. The practice of Taiji, helps one to examine, identify the various processes in the body, and outside the body allowing one to work on finding inner and outer balance. The practice begins from the outside to the inside, later this will be changed from inside to outside.

Some nice thoughts reading the many replies. I work with others helping them to find and understand "taiji" Some call me their teacher, but really I am only a fellow traveler helping them to get to a place they have an interest in. They are their own teachers, many don't know this yet. I am more of a guide sharing a part of the path I've traveled while still walking my own. I often tell them they have have it already, I just help them to clear the things that they've picked up and hold on to, we must sweep the path each day to keep it clear.

Because its about training the mind, through building awareness throughout the body. The mind moves first, the body follows. http://www.qi-journal.com/Taiji.asp?-token.D=Article&-MaxRecords=1&-SkipRecords=0&-Op=bw&Name=The%20Key%20to%20Practicing%20Taijiquan%27s%20Skill%20 good article. We practice slow in the beginning level, and higher levels of practice for different reasons. In the beginning, its learning to identify and understand what is meant by "mind" "qi" ect. In the higher levels of practice its about deepening what was found in the beginning levels. In China, when they talk of practicing and getting something often its in terms of 10s of years. Which from a western perspective may seem long, until one has encountered those who've spent the time and attained some skill in the practice.

honesty: with ones self and others sincerity: respect the practice and those of others clarity: understand what ones practice is about and is not.

those practices that focus on: yi, "intent" qi, "inner energy" shen "spirit" are considered internal pi, "skin" gu, "bone" jin, "tendon or muscle" are considered external They are very different with different focuses and results. The high level the practice the more profound the differences. IMO, its a mistake that many make to feel at some point they combine to become one practice. It would be more correct to say that each embodies elements of the other for different purposes. Its quite clear when encountering anyone well versed with true inner skill sets.

I once asked my teacher a question similar to this. His name is " zhang youngliang " he teaches in a small park in beijing. His style could be said to be a yang style variant that focus on what some call the energetic aspects, although I view this more of a level of practice, then a practice of itself “ what are differences between taiji styles?” He said “ The names of the taiji styles come from famous family members who where historical taiji teachers. Yang, Wu, and Sun, or places where taiji was developed Chen village, Guang Ping village. When you understand taiji you can call what you do as you wish, you can name it david taiji” He laughed as he said this, suddenly he became more quite, reflective, deep in thought and said “ there is only one taiji” A true taiji Master, his answer was simple and direct. My question at that time was an attempt to get Master Zhang, to explain why the Chen style of taiji seems to be so different then the others. The answer he gave was correct, but not the one I wanted to hear. I feel what he said is true but that like many things what something is, depends on what it’s based on. Things based on a philosophy are subject to interpretations of those teaching, attracting those that follow with like minds. I have practiced " dong/tung style "taiji , "Zheng style / Cheng man ching style", and now practice what I call" Zhang style" after my teacher. What I found is that each style was reflective of a certain skill level, or interpretation of basic tenets of "taiji" As such, what is called "taiji" arose historical out of the "yang" family style with the chen style being acknowledged as the ancestor style. The family of styles arising from the "yang" style have more commonality to each other with expressions in movement and applications reflected by different teachers or noted masters of the styles. I feel the usage part, energetic, fighting, ect. are more reflective of personnel interest and level of teacher. People tend to find teachers reflective of their interest.

Hi to all, My name is David, I've been practicing and helping others to find taiji for a while started training taiji in 1980, my current teacher is in beijing where I traveled to practice with him and the group there for the last 10yrs or so. happened on this site and felt it was pretty interesting reading it. I hope to share and read others insights in the never ending path of taiji. david