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So, I’ve been going through a tremendous transformation over the past weeks. I’ve been practicing for almost 30 years and never experienced anything like this. Today’s practice continued the process. Everything just started to integrate. I didn’t try to do this. It just happened.
I had planned to pick up where I left off and continue to explore the Thunder Palm Change and in particular releasing into space at the extremes. But, something happened: I could just do it. In fact it was more than that. It was as though I had both ends almost continuously. When I was opening I was also closing and vice versa. My physical movement in some cases was almost non-existent but the internal movement was more pronounced than ever. My body was softer and more comfortable than I ever recall.
All of the layers of tissue and energy mechanics seem to be present but not distinct. They were sort of blended together. I could separate any one of them out but that didn’t seem needed. I think this is an deeper experience of the tai chi space. It is independent of any layer of tissue. It is independent of any energy body. I’m starting to think that each palm change is supposed to help you find this space. All roads lead to Rome. All palm changes may lead to the tai chi space.
I was giving this some more thought. It occurred to me that pre-heaven Bagua might be moving backwards to the source.
It might start with the myriad things represented by the 64 hexagrams, then move to the 8 trigrams (which can be done in 16 ways: 8 from the yang side and 8 from the yin perspective), then move backwards to the 4 corners, then you understand yin and yang, then you find the tai chi space, then in the tai chi space you begin to understand stillness (stillness movement, movement stillness), then you find emptiness, and finally you explore the complete meaning of emptiness and the Tao.
Another brain fart.
Today, I found myself working the Wind Palm Change and ended up in a similar place. I could see everything I was doing from a Wind Palm perspective but the same movement contained all of the other palm changes at the same time.
The Wind Palm uses all of the neigung, all of the layers, all of the energy bodies. Just as all of the other palm changes do. It has yang, yin, both yin and yang all the time. The other palm changes seem to have exactly the same aspect providing you have developed the awareness properly and don’t have gaps.
This seems to hint to a single change, the one change. But, I don’t think it is complete without neither-yin-nor-yang.
The Tai Chi Space Revisited.
The title of Paul Cavel’s new book (2017) is
“The Tai Chi Space: How to Move in Tai Chi and Qigong.”Paul Cavel is also the founder of the London-based internal arts school named “The Tai Chi Space.”
However, the book is a mere pre-cursor to the concept of Tai Chi Space as you, James, conceive it.
His book covers the basic principles of Tai Chi which are the seeds of The Tai Chi Space.I’m not criticizing the book as a basic tool about tai chi principles.
Not until Principle 28: Balance Yin and Yang Energies
does he make a general reference to The Tai Chi Space:
“The aim of practice is to balance all yin and all yang energies to generate harmony within and arrive at the “tai space”, where peace prevails.
(kinda hints at stillness and emptiness—also referenced in his description of Single Whip.)This is the same aim of the ancient Taoist practice of “Daoyin,”
the root of the modern term “Qigong.”Part 3 of his book purports to delve into “Deeper Principles.”
However, it isn’t until Cavel’s Afterword that the term “Tai Chi Space” is again mentioned for only the third time.
The last section of the book is titled:
“Moving towards the Tai Chi Space.”
He says,
“The tai chi space is both the carrot one moves towards,
as well as the destination that guides and gives shape to an individual’s training.”This is a veiled definition of Daoyin.
The “yin” in the term “Daoyin” can be translated as “leading,”
as in leading a horse with a carrot.
The “Dao” in the term “Daoyin” can be translated as “guiding,”
as a small pilot boat guiding a larger ship into or out of a harbor
( Jou, “The Dao of Taijiquan.”)So I can only surmise that this new book by Cavel only introduces the deeper concept of “The Tai Chi Space.”
I can only encourage you, James, to continue your deeper exploration of “The Tai Chi Space.”
The Tai Chi Space Revisited.
The title of Paul Cavel’s new book (2017) is
“The Tai Chi Space: How to Move in Tai Chi and Qigong.”Paul Cavel is also the founder of the London-based intern arts school named “The Tai Chi Space.”
However, the book is a mere pre-cursor to the concept of Tai Chi Space as you, James, conceive it.
His book covers the basic principles of Tai Chi which are the seeds of The Tai Chi Space.Not until Principle 28: Balance Yin and Yang Energies
does he make a general reference to The Tai Chi Space:
“The aim of practice is to balance all yin and all yang energies to generate harmony within and arrive at the “tai space”, where peace prevails.
(kinda hints at stillness and emptiness)This is the same aim of the ancient Taoist practice of “Daoyin,”
the root of the modern term “Qigong.”Part 3 of his book purports to delve into “Deeper Principles.”
However, it isn’t until Cavel’s Afterword that the term “Tai Chi Space” is again mentioned for only the third time.
The last section of the book is titled:
“Moving towards the Tai Chi Space.”
He says,
“The tai chi space is both the carrot one moves towards,
as well as the destination that guides and gives shape to an individual’s training.”This is a veiled definition of Daoyin.
The “yin” in the term “Daoyin” can be translated as “leading,”
as in leading a horse with a carrot.
The “Dao” in the term “Daoyin” can be translated as “guiding,”
as a
biotensegrity may be a good model to understand “the tai chi space.”
It makes a sphere
like a freestanding tent.
floating compression,
rather than building block compressionbones are floating struts
muscle/ligaments/tendons/fascia/soft tissue provide tension
e.g., the shoulder joint basically has 3 bones
(collar bone-humerous-scapula),
but a lot of connecting tissue
to create just enough space to allow huge rotationspinal vertebrae is another example:
without the soft tissue the spine actually expands,
the soft tissue tension contains the vertabraewhen one part moves, all parts move
spinal vertebrae are not carefully balanced and aligned and stacked building blocks
bones aren’t merely levered by opposing sets to antagonistic and protagonistic sets of musclesmore like a snake,
bones just float inside movement muscles
Now you’re getting closer. The ligaments don’t open and close, they simply hold the bones together. Here’s another hint: the joints don’t open and close, they are opened and closed.
I’ve been training Hsing-I, Tai Chi, and Bagua as separate and distinct arts. Their differences are becoming clearer and clearer. Tai Chi literally plays with the Tai Chi space. I think you could say that song is the physical manifestation of the Tai Chi Space. That’s why Adam Mizner says “song is the engine.”
In fact I think you could say that Hsing-I is about the five elements, Tai Chi is about the Tai Chi Space, and Bagua is about Wu ji.
That would neatly summarize why Bagua is the ultimate art: because Wu ji is the basis for the Tai Chi Space which is the basis of the five elements.
Bagua rules.
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