ChiDragon

Let's under the formula with different scenarios. Scenario #1 Breath or death! Under Scenario #1, the formula with look like this: Oxygen + glucose > CO2 + H2O + heat + energy(ATP) The lack of oxygen or food, the body will die soon or later. Scenario #2 Normal breathing, it is different from each individual. Oxygen + glucose > CO2 + H2O + heat + energy(ATP) Assuming a person eats well but breathing poorly, the limited amount of oxygen will be just enough to keep the body barely alive. Under this scenario, the person would have lots of chronic diseases. Note: Breathing poorly means that the breath did not even go deep enough to the chest. The capasity of the lung has never been filled fully with air.

Cellular respiration or cell respiration is a very important theory in supporting the understanding why Taji works. The practitioner of Taiji believes that: "The movement coordinates with the breathing and the breathing coordinates with the movement." This saying falls exactly into the cell respiration theory. Let's look into the basic raw formula for cell respiration: Oxygen + glucose > CO2 + H2O + heat + energy(ATP) Oxygen is from breathing, and glucose is from the foods that we eat. Cell respiration use the oxygen to decompose the glucose and yielded two waste products of carbon dioxide and water. It, also, produce two useful things are heat to keep our body warm at a constant temperature and the energy for the body to function to live a normal life. If a person sits, then, cell respiration will just keep a constant temperature and energy to maintain the body function at rest state. However, when the muscle contracts, it generates more heat and energy from oxygen. At some point, the oxygen will be depleted due to the dissipation of heat and energy. Eventually, the cells need more oxygen to continue with the whole process. The source of oxygen is only by breathing the oxygen in the air. For some people, with breathing problems, just by normal breathing alone is not enough to provide the high demand of oxygen. However, in Taiji, the coordination of slow movement and deep breathing is perfect to fulfill the requirement for the high demand of oxygen in the process. In the next post, I will have a breakdown to show more about how cell respiration in relation to Taiji.

As far as I know, the other systems do not use the term Jin(勁) as Taiji does. Before I go into any argument, I would like spend the time to finish my theory first. I like to use a more scientific approach to convince myself what Taiji is all about. So far I have not finish the explanation about Jin. From the Chinese traditional expression about Jin, I only grasp it is the immense power or explosive force acquired from the diligent practice of Taiji. Since I have reached the stage in acquired Jin in my body. I would like to understand it with my own thoughts by using modern scientific term to avoid any ambiguity. In my mind, it is very clear that the energy supporting my legs to hold up my body is definitely from the mitochondria. The explosive force can be generated is due the increased number of mitochondria, in the body cells, resulted from the practice of Taiji. Indeed, the mitochondria use the oxygen to decompose the glucose to make ATP to release the energy in the muscle cells. The process that release the energy is called cell respiration.

The reader should take the consequences and make the final judgment. Then, one should continue going to seek whatever is correct or right.

I had investigated and verified that weightlifting doesn't have the same effect as in Taiji practice. It was because the weight was applied to the muscles will consume all of the muscle energy. PS I should have pointed out that, in Taiji, the muscles are required to be relaxed. The energy dissipated are very low and there are plenty of energy left for the muscle to consume. In weightlifting, the muscles are tightened which dissipate lots energy by depleting all the oxygen from breathing. When under the condition of hypoxia (lack of oxygen) the mitochondria can no longer convert the glucose to energy. The glucose become lactate. Lactate will cause muscle pain and fatigue. Hence, there are no more energy left for the muscle cells to reproduce more mitochondria.

Let's start with a regular person with no Taiji practice. The person just has the regular muscle strength. One might ask, where and how the energy was produce in the muscles? Well, the energy was released by the tiny cells called mitochondria resided inside the muscles cells. However, the more mitochondria in the muscle cells, the more energy that can be produced. Before looking into how the energy was produced. Let's investigate how to increase the number of mitochondria in the muscle cells. The number of mitochondria in the body cells can be reproduced by exercising the muscles. The exercise on the muscles can be done constantly with a slight contraction. If the the body sees that a particular muscle was more active than normal, then, it increase the numbers of mitochondria in the muscle cells. Since the quantity of mitochondria has been increased, the more energy that can be released by the muscles. Hence, the immense muscle strength may be referred as Jin. In conclusion, Taji fits the requirement of the exercise. It is because Taji was done from slow to modest speed. However, it would have no effect if it was done beyond the modest speed. I hope that make sense.

Thank you very much! I am glad that you are interested. So, I finally have someone to talk to and get this out of my chest for a long time. Okay! You are throwing so many question to me all at once. I can only address them one post at a time to avoid any misleading. 1. What happens in taiji that develops tremendous power? 2. Do their muscles become tremendously strong? 3. Is that what you think is jin? 4. Just really strong muscles? For now, I can answer questions 2 and 4 and get it out the way first. However, questions 1 and 3 require lots of explanation and has to be done with the help of some scientific knowledge. We must investigate what was taken place in the muscle during contraction. No, my muscles are not so strong. However, it becomes strong with a tremendous power, only and only, when I fajin. It is by the execution of fajin, at that instant, gives me the tremendous power to perform a difficult task. The key factor has to do with abdominal breathing. You will see what I meant in the next few posts!

Sorry, that was not intentional to have it came out that way. I will come to my own explanation with my own experience, as I have indicated in the above post, in a more scientific approach. Yes, let's say I could lift a little more than I could before the practice of Taiji. However, there is a limitation to everything. Okay, we have a big discrepancy on the idea about breathing. It seems our idea is completely opposite on this one. We can only exchange idea about breathing with our own experiences and understanding.

I took it from my car that was parked on the street, went through the driveway, living room, then placed it in the kitchen.

Noramlly, a person can handle half of the body weight with no problem. I am not a very big man but short. I weight 123 pounds. However, I can handle a bag of 100 pound rice.

That is exactly what I meant. That is what was happening to me in my case.

The thing about neigong is the practice does not change the shape of the muscle as oppose to waigong. Waigong tends to shorten the muscles and change the shape of the muscles. Besides, weightlifting makes a male person impotent.

I read you. First of all, please accept my apology, in case, my foregoing comments might be causing a little discomfort to you. I've gathered that the explanation here is rather traditional and fictional. I had read some of the ideas from the martial arts fictional novels throughout my life. Most kids in Hong Kong, at the time I was a kid also, believed the contents in those stories. One day, I heard it on the news, a boy jumped off the building from the second floor. He believed that he can flight like the people in the movies make from those novels. From kid to adulthood, I was still skeptical about those fictional stories. After college, I become an engineer with a job sitting in the office eight hours a day. I felt that there was a need for me to do some exercises. A colleague introduced me to his Taiji class. So, I practiced day by day. I feel that my body and muscle strength had increased tremendously and my breathing was deep. When I was a teenage, my breath was shallow and weak. I cannot even finish one sentence without taken another breath. Can't even sing a song if I wanted to. After years of Taji practice, I can use my diaphragm to sing like a champ. To make the story short. Since my muscle strength was increased tremendously, I started wondering what was happening inside my body from the practice of Taiji. Surprisingly, I have discovered breathing is the key factor that had changed my physical body biologically. Fortunately, it can be explained with modern science that I would like to share with everyone.

No, weightlifer is not a neigong expert but a waigong(外功) expert. Waigong(外功) is an external practice. It is becouse the practitioner uses external instrument to train the muscles. Therefore, it was not considered as neigong. Neigong practice, initially, doesn't use any external instrument to begin with.

Yes, to be exact, the internal muscular strength was resulted from the practice of neigong. Be definition, anything that has an internal effect enhancing the strength of the body is considered neigong, 內功. If a practitioner can demonstrate something out of the ordinary with tremendous power, it can be said that the practitioner has lots of neigong. Also, one could say that the neigong of the practitioner is tremendous. Jin(勁) was acquired from practicing Taiji, hence, Taiji is considered as a form of neigong.

Yes, it was understood that is how to practice taiji for beginners. However, as it was practiced progressively for a long time and done properly, the breathing will kick in. At higher level, the taiji practitioner should be able to perform having the breath coordinates with the movement and the movement coordinates with the breathing. Without realising, the Jin is automatically developed in the muscles. Hence, nobody is aware that was what took place inside the body.

The trem "internal strength, 內力" was often used by the Chinese kung fu practitioners as the body strength acquired from practice. In other words, internal strength Is acquired from the practice of neigong(內功)。 There is no such thing as external strength.

Fajin is an ability to exert the intern force from a Taiji body. The reason I said Taiji body is because that Jin was acquired from the practice of Taiji or Taijiquan. BTW Taiji is short for Tiajiquan. Since you said Taiji has nothing to do in developing the internal strength of the muscles, I would like to hear your view why Taiji movements are practiced so slow? There was a big discrepancy in our view from the other thread. I would like to have this cleared up if we can. So, your input is very important to discussion. May I please hear it from you?

Certainly, I will do so. I always like to express my view with my own words. It is not my nature to quote somebody else's text and pretend I knew it all and all others are wrong. I like to tell what it is other than say it is not without an good explanation. Now, we got this out of the way and start from here.

I think discrepancy is a better choice of word. The phenomenology or the terminology might be differ in name but came from the same origin. I am sure that there is a common ground.

I think we should understand what fajin is all about first before we are jumping the gun. We can talk about how to execute fajin first. It would be more meaningful when the demo was done. Don't you think so?

I belive that awareness is different from intention. It wasn't clear to me when you ask the question. However, every move of a weapon has an intention. Otherwise, there is no purpose to make the move. Since the OP is about fajin, we can talk about how the Jin was projected to the weapon.

問非所答 答非所問 有意思吗？

Certainly, awareness is very important in handling weapon in Taiji. Otherwise, I wouldn't know where the blade is going to strike or landed on or where to go for the next move. That is why diligent practice of Taijiquan is a prerequisite before practicing any weapons. The body has to be conditioned to handle the weapons. It is because handling a weapon requires good muscle tone to execute each move. There are many focus points from the arm to the blade. In order to move the blade from start til the end, smoothly, the focus point change constantly. The focus points on the blade are in the handle, the middle of the blade, and the tip of the blade. The focus points on the arm are the shoulder, forearm and the wrist. Finally, the waist is the final pivot point to execute the strike with maximum force. However, before all these taken place, the bow stand must be in the right position for balance and grounding. The final execution is by a little twist of the wrist to move the blade to the target. If I want to do a slice cut, I will focus on the handle by drawing it back to the rear with the blade at 45 degree with the tip pointing upward. If I want to do a chop, I would focus in the middle of the blade with sharp edge pointing downward and landed horizontally. If I want to a stab or a slice someone's throat, I would focus on the tip of the blade. For a maximum force of execution to go for the throat, I will hold the the blade in the air with my right hand. My wrist will hold in one position while the arm is moving toward the target. At the point where is about to strike, I will give a little twist with the wrist while turning my waist. I think this is what you mean by move the awareness out through the blade. In order to control the direction of the blade, it is very important to have a very strong wrist. The arm must flow with the movements of the sabre. Otherwise, the arm will be fatigue very quick. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBAHRqOtJDQ

Normally, I don't like to do this. So, please don't bother to respond, you are on the ignore list.