Tai Chi was added into my arsenal of styles later in life though always having admiration for it. Available time to learn tai chi as well as practice tai chi seem to be impossible. Tai chi’s origins are still in the air but the oldest recorded teacher can be traced to the 12th century allegedly by a Taoist monk Zhang Sanfeng but as stated this is still up for debate being that most stories of tai chi would be considered a legend and nothing more. Tai Chi is one of the best styles to demonstrate meditation in motion tai chi is also known as Neijia or neijing, which stands for internal martial arts occupied with spiritual, mental and Qi related practices hence the oxymoron Tàijí Quán.
Tàijí Quán is more familiar to Americans as Tai Chi but in reality Tàijí Quán means “supreme ultimate boxing” hence the oxymoron. Most would have never thought to compare the two from a visual stand point anyway. The variations of Tai Chi go across the board but there are about 3 to 4 most common variations. One of these styles is known as Wu-Style which is about keeping the hands close to the body, and then the stance is high. Then there is Yang- Style or Yang and Wu style which is evenly paced and appear more fluid and continuous. Last but not least my personal favorite and the style that I teach the students is known as Chen-Style.
Chen-Style for me is the most practical style for common everyday self defense. Every style has strength just like every style has a weakness. Chen-style created a balance strong stance and preparing for an amazing analytical response to any attack. Chen-style is all about moving slow while analyzing your opponent as well as synchronizing with the chi within and around you. Once all weakness and opening are determined, the chi user will simply move with the motion of his/her opponent and explode with speed and power at the right time. The explosion I speak of shouldn’t require thought, shouldn’t require anger, and always required patience.
Naturally I consider myself a very patient man. In life people have challenged my psyche in every way possible. As a child I found myself in the middle of everything . My favorite saying growing up was that “I was never good enough”. Good enough for what? Good enough for people, their perspectives and outlooks of our surrounding world? I was never violent or broke enough to be accepted by the other ghetto kids. Every kid with Jordan’s on thought I was richer somehow, someway, even though my sneakers said “bike” and I lived in the same dirty infested neighborhood as you. As time grew I found myself in a different space more similar outlooks where in this case I was to hood to be suburban. I’ll never forget talking to my so called suburban friend about my so called ghetto friend who had passed. My suburban friend had a response something like “well people need to keep their mouth shut!” all I could I think is that, someone died for no reason. A friend with a pool in his backyard his entire life could never understand why the fire hydrant had to be open in the summer!
My path of enlightenment began soon after, and who I was destined to be was to come in to play that year. No longer did I want to nor care to understand how or why I was not like anyone. I stood tall accepted my rarity on this planet accepted that I can see the light and the dark within humanity. I accepted that people believe in good and evil regardless if it’s a definition defined by ones experience and/or perspective. Otherwise as long as there is a couple and a child that needs morals, word such as good and evil will forever be fabricated fictional theories. Words such as culture are why I say these things. In the Viking, Roman, Mongolian, and unfortunately even the Christian crusades culture is not normal to invade conquer and enslave people in the name of love and survival. Who is wrong? Who is right? Who is good? Who is evil?
William Shakespeare stated in hamlet “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so”. Some believe there is no such thing as good or bad people. Only that people do good and bad things. These theories stripped my will to judge and shifted my mind to observe. While observing the world I soon observed myself. This new information helped me to understand that attempting to do good for others and even yourself, somehow someway comes from a place of selfishness. The common chemical released in most people doing good deeds is known as endorphins. Whether conscience of it or not the fact remains endorphins are released or granted to a person attempting in good deeds. There lye’s the question why do you get to feel good helping someone else? Most people are not aware of it while others are addicted. There are people who dedicated their lives to others but in reality dedicated their lives to endorphins and addiction. Are you good person?
Tàijí Quán released all this confusion for me. Tàijí Quán showed me the light and the dark. Not the good or the evil but the light and the dark. This understanding brought enlightenment to why some people suffer, why others live in bliss. How many stories of struggle turn into stories of success and of course the opposite riches to poverty? Tàijí Quán taught me about the universal energy that exists in all that constantly spins in a full rotation of 360 degrees. The saying the world moves full circle couldn’t be more accurate. Everything that has been gained has come from a loss. Balance will always be necessary or dictators and tyrants will always emerge, but as every tyrant is born so is a protector. There’s a man I knew who went to the gym every day somehow someway attain cancer. Soon after he was gone. I also knew he didn’t enjoy working out to save his life literally and he’s gone now. I know of another man that is 107 years old who has smoked 15 cigars everyday of his life, eats nothing but process food and still driving and kicking. Out of the two men with 60 years apart in life, one lived in fear, the other was happy about every aspect of his life all the simplest things.
The overall power in Tàijí Quán is not in the boxing. Boxing is not what makes tai chi supreme. The building of the mind, the world, and the people in it make you strong. Tàijí Quán has so many daily exercises that are amazing for the circulation of blood flow throughout all organs. Tàijí Quán and the Chen-Style are created to defend and protect the balance of life no life is more important than the next. I teach my students stillness so they too can stop and observe themselves and the world around them. Tàijí Quán will force the mind to deal with life and all choices. There are no mistakes! You have only one option which is to accept the path that you created or change it. From childhood to most people early 50’s they cross that bridge of mid life crisis. I guarantee if you learn to accept the inevitable. It becomes easier to alter not only your perspective but your entire existence.
A poet by the name of Fabolous said it best “You can’t be real with me, when you can’t be real with yourself”.
