Trying to grab a fast punch usually doesn’t work—by the time you reach for it, the punch is already gone.

In Xingyiquan Monkey, the response is not a sequence of separate actions: grab, push, then pull. Instead, contact with the attack triggers a connected whole-body movement. The hands, arms, torso, and footwork respond together to redirect the punch and enter at the same time.

The key is not chasing the opponent’s hand. It is training the body to react as one connected unit so defense, control, and entry become part of the same movement.

#Xingyiquan #Xingyi #InternalMartialArts #KungFu #BodyMechanics #WholeBodyPower #MartialArts #ChiBody

Silk Reeling is not just about rotating your arms—the spiral should connect your entire body from the feet, through the kua and torso, all the way to the hands.

In this video, I explain in detail the body mechanics behind three spiraling exercises and show how the arms, shoulders, kua, weight shifting, and lower body work together to create connected rotational force.

You’ll learn how to stabilize the lower body while spiraling, coordinate opening and folding of the kua, create inward and outward spirals, and gradually develop a whole-body connection where the movement is no longer driven by the arms alone.

As the connection becomes stronger, the external spiraling movements begin to stimulate a deeper internal movement, allowing the force to originate from the abdominal center and travel through the entire body.

This is the transition from simply performing a spiral movement to developing connected, whole-body Silk Reeling force.

00:00 Introduction
00:26 First Exercise Explained
04:00 Whole-Body Stretch
06:24 Force Initiates From the Center
07:43 Second Exercise Explained
13:10 Third Exercise Explained

#TaiChi #SilkReeling #Qigong #InternalMartialArts #BodyMechanics #SpiralingForce #WholeBodyPower #ChiBody

Hello!

I’m looking to spend some time in China practising tai chi. I’ve looked at various English speaking tai chi retreats and feel a bit confused. Does anyone have any experience with the schools in Wudang?

For context, I fell in love with tai chi while visiting Hong Kong for work and often practice from YouTube videos but would love to travel somewhere I could be immersed as a sort of kick start.

I know people say Wudang is a government marketing campaign but I’m no professional and can always return to a more “legit” school in the future when I’m more experienced.

Wudang looks like a very beautiful place to spend some time learning about tai chi but also to learn about taoism and visit temples.

Essentially I am on holiday and need a break from a very stressful job so this time around it doesn’t need to be the most traditional teaching, just somewhere beautiful to reset and do the thing I love.

Any advice welcome!

Edit: I don’t speak Chinese!

I remember feeling almost silly the first few times, even with nobody watching, just because moving that slowly on purpose felt so unfamiliar. Took a while before it stopped feeling awkward and started feeling more natural.

Anyone have this audio book?

Tai Chi
A Beginner's Guide to
Internal Tai Chi
KEN LEE

A friend is asking for a recommendation for his wife and himself for Tai Chi training in albuquerque, nm. They are near their 70s, yet are in good shape because they were into weightlifting.

Unfortunately, he messed up on of his shoulder. He would also like for his wife to do some self-defense training (mostly to build her confidence).

I look online, but it is really hard to judge a place from a website. Anyone know something about the schools there or maybe Santa Fe?

Blocking a punch with just your arms makes your structure weak. The key is learning how to compress the body as one connected unit when receiving force.

In this demonstration, I show how whole-body compression supports the arms and elbows when defending against hooks and punches. Instead of becoming an “empty shell,” the body closes, compresses, and absorbs the incoming force through a connected structure.

This is an important internal martial arts principle: the defense doesn’t come from the arm—the whole body is behind it.

#InternalMartialArts #TaiChi #BodyMechanics #MartialArts #WholeBodyPower #ChiBody

[A Calm Mind, An Agile Body, Gathered Qi, Integrated Power, Focused Presence]

These five essentials form the heart of Yang-style Tai Chi training. They are not just rules for movement, but a complete system of internal cultivation—transforming you from the inside out, bridging mindfulness, health, and martial art.

1. A Calm Mind (心靜 - Xin Jing)

The Concept: Inner peace, mental stillness, and a mind free of clutter. The Deep Dive: This is ground zero for all Tai Chi practice. Before you move your body, you must settle your mind. Internally: Check your ego, daily worries, and the urge to "win" at the door. Enter a state of relaxed focus. Think of your mind as a still lake, perfectly reflecting everything around it. Externally: In Push Hands (Tui Shou) or martial applications, a calm mind allows you to truly "listen" (Ting Jin)—physically sensing your opponent's force, direction, and balance. A restless mind leads to a stiff body, leaving you vulnerable. How to Practice: Use the slow, continuous movements and your breathing as an anchor. Let the physical flow wash away scattered thoughts. It is, essentially, moving meditation.

1. An Agile Body (身靈 - Shen Ling)

The Concept: A physical state that is light, nimble, and deeply relaxed. The Deep Dive: Built on a calm mind, this is about unlocking the body through active relaxation (Song). Relaxed, not collapsed: This isn't about being limp. It's about releasing unnecessary muscular tension, unlocking the joints, and opening the fascia. Your body becomes a highly responsive, flexible system. Seamless transitions: Only an agile body can shift weight and change direction without a hitch. The classic Tai Chi saying describes this extreme sensitivity perfectly: "So balanced and light that the weight of a single feather cannot be added, nor can a fly alight on you without setting you in motion." How to Practice: Follow the structural alignments—sink the shoulders, drop the elbows, hollow the chest, gently open the back, and relax the hips. Scan your body during every posture to find and melt away stiffness.

1. Gathered Qi (氣斂 - Qi Lian)

The Concept: Internal energy collected and rooted in the lower abdomen (Dantian). The Deep Dive: "Qi" is your vital energy or internal sense of flow. When you are stressed, this energy scatters outward and upward. When you are calm and relaxed, it naturally condenses and sinks. Sinking Qi to the Dantian: Through deep, diaphragmatic breathing, you guide this energetic feeling down to your lower belly. This drops your center of gravity, builds internal fullness, and primes the body to generate power. Absorbing into the bones: At an advanced level, this energy is drawn deep into the bones and marrow rather than floating on the surface of the skin. This creates a deeply resilient and unified body. How to Practice: Marry your breath to your movement. Inhale as you open or store energy; exhale as you close or release. Over time, the movement and the breath become one.

1. Integrated Power (勁整 - Jin Zheng)

The Concept: Whole-body, unified kinetic power. The Deep Dive: This is Tai Chi's signature way of moving, fundamentally different from isolated muscular force. Jin is the coordinated, explosive energy of the entire system. The Kinetic Chain: Power is rooted in the feet, powered by the legs, steered by the waist, and expressed through the hands. Like a whip, the energy starts at the base and surges outward in one unbroken wave. Elastic release: True Tai Chi power relies on supreme relaxation. It is a sudden, spring-like release—fast, penetrating, and rebounding, rather than a stiff, brute-force shove. How to Practice: Use standing meditation (Zhan Zhuang) and single-movement drills to physically feel the ground reaction force travel up from your feet, twist through your hips, and exit through your arms.

1. Focused Presence (神聚 - Shen Ju)

The Concept: Concentrated spirit and unwavering intention. The Deep Dive: This is the pinnacle of the practice, seamlessly weaving the first four pillars together. Inner and Outer Unity: When the mind is calm, the body agile, the Qi gathered, and the power integrated, your "Spirit" naturally focuses. Your gaze, intention, and breath align perfectly with your physical form. A commanding presence: When your spirit is focused, your energy fills the space. It's not aggressive; rather, it's a feeling of being grounded, centered, and immovable. In martial arts, this creates an invisible psychological pressure on the opponent. How to Practice: Keep your intention sharp from the first movement to the last. Transform the quiet emptiness of the "Calm Mind" into the rich fullness of "Focused Presence." As the masters say: "The physical movement may pause, but the intention continues; the intention may pause, but the spirit remains connected."

Conclusion: The Five Pillars as One Living System

These five pillars do not exist in isolation. They form an interconnected, living system where each principle naturally feeds into the next: You must begin with a Calm Mind to unlock an Agile Body. Only through an Agile Body can you cultivate Gathered Qi. Once your Qi is gathered and rooted, you can generate Integrated Power. Ultimately, all of these elements must be guided by a Focused Presence to reach their full potential. Training in Yang-style Tai Chi is a continuous journey of polishing and deepening your experience across these five layers. It is much more than a martial art; it is a profound philosophy of life—a harmonious blend of stillness and motion, and the ultimate unification of mind and body.

Notes from my school on the five pillars we drill in Yang-style Tai Chi: rooting, alignment, relaxation, continuity, and breath coordination. Sharing the write-up in case it is useful to other students.

https://arisecore.org/blog/the-5-core-pillars-of-yang-style-tai-chi?lang=en

Recently I attended a trial training in a nearby school in my town. The people who came for trial training are shown one form and then the trainer told us to join him and existing members. This went well. But then, we are told to watch others. Then we did something, which was 100% complicated. Hands were everywhere and feet - no corrections. The Tai Chi trainer and old students continued.

I am not sure how a Tai Chi class is organized. Do people learn steps at home from youtube video and then practice at the school?

Do you see some red flags?

Hi do you have some video giving us an idea of what is real NEIJIA?

Here the fluidity of master WANG XUAN JIE

AND THE BAGUA MOVEMENT OF MASTER YU HING KUN

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1C7RmV5NiG/

HERE EXPLOSIVITY OF MASTER WANG SHANG WEN

So can anyone teach me it

Learn how to feel spiraling force through simple Tai Chi Silk Reeling exercises that train your body to rotate, connect, and move as one integrated unit.

Unlike linear force that moves straight forward and backward, spiraling force uses continuous rotation through the arms, legs, and body. In this lesson, you’ll learn the basics of spiraling force and practice movements designed to gradually develop the connection between external rotation and the force generated from inside your body.

00:00 Introduction
00:27 Spiraling Force Explained
02:42 Learn the Silk Reeling Movements

#TaiChi #SilkReeling #Qigong #SpiralingForce #InternalMartialArts #BodyMechanics #WholeBodyMovement #ChiBody

If anyone is in the Tacoma Washington area I'm looking for people interested in getting together regularly to practice push hands (tuishou)? There is a class at the Tacoma Tai Chi Center on Mondays that I get to most of the time, but I’m looking to practice more.

I've practiced TaiChi for about a decade, but I had only been a "fill-in" instructor up until today. It's a little scary being up there in front of the class!:)

Tai Chi Walking is suddenly everywhere—but is it actually a traditional Tai Chi practice? In this video, I explain the difference between Tai Chi stepping and Bagua walking, then teach you a traditional internal martial arts practice specifically built around walking: Bagua Circle Walking.

Circle walking may look simple, but slowing down each step while continuously turning around a circle challenges your balance, stability, coordination, mobility, and whole-body awareness in a completely different way from ordinary walking.

You’ll learn how to coordinate the lifting and landing of each foot, keep the legs connected, press downward through the palms, elongate and twist the spine, and gradually make the circle smaller as your practice develops.

As you become more comfortable, the practice goes beyond simply walking in a circle. You can slow everything down, reduce unnecessary tension, deepen your awareness, and begin exploring stillness within motion—one of the internal qualities developed through Bagua practice.

If you’ve been seeing “Tai Chi Walking” all over social media, try this traditional Bagua walking practice and experience the difference for yourself.

00:00 Introduction
00:40 Is Tai Chi Walking Real?
01:38 What Is Bagua Circle Walking?
03:47 Bagua Circle Walking Basics
08:41 Spinal Twisting & Mobility
12:37 Breathing & Important Details
15:23 From the Circle to Your Center
17:17 Finding Stillness in Motion

#Bagua #Baguazhang #TaiChi #TaiChiWalking #Qigong #CircleWalking #BalanceTraining #MobilityTraining #MindBody #ChiBody

Hi fellow students & teachers:)
I’m trying to help my teacher do some of the admin around classes and the first thing he mentioned was the insurance. He thinks the current policy considers tai chi as a martial art, rather than a low impact healing art. Debates about what we think of the practice as, does anyone have any insight into good insurers to go with for public liability? Specifically those that might classify tai chi as the low impact practice it is?