Taijiquan is an advanced martial art which increases the practitioner’s health through a combination of breathing exercises and internal energy practices or QiGong. Taijiquan Shadow Boxing is not only a superior fighting method but also promotes good health and longevity. For these reasons, Taijiquan is respected throughout the world. It is also becoming popular as a competitive sport in many countries outside of China.
Chen style Taijiquan is an ancient form of martial arts with a history of several hundred years. It is characterized by its spiral like twisting and turning of the body while simultaneously extending and contracting the limbs. A Taijiquan practitioner can strike with any part of his body which has come into contact with his opponent. Furthermore, once a Taijiquan practitioner begins to move he is on the path of a circle. We can say that every movement is a Taiji circle.
In following the Taijiquan path, we must combine study, practice and usage or applications into one. To practice well one must understand Taijiquan theory. Without a real understanding of Taijiquan theory, one cannot practice well.
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​The rest of the story

On August 21, 2017, America was witness to a total eclipse of the sun.  We travelled to coastal South Carolina, just outside of the small town of McClellanville where we could get full coverage, total eclipse.  All of the state parks and associated areas were full so we ended up in front of an abandoned country store on the side of Highway 17 with a half dozen other good folks who shortly became friends.  In hindsight it seems an odd thing to travel to another state and gamble on the weather for a couple of minutes of sun viewing, but this event was more like a fair or a musical festival than a viewing of the sun.  All these people coming together for something totally natural and completely amazing at the same time is just inspiring.
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On the trip down, we stopped and spent the night in Myrtle Beach among the circus that is the main strip along the beach.  I can't imagine a greater contrast between the carnival rides and countless cheap gift shops of Myrtle Beach and the peace and natural beauty of the Francis Marion National Forest where we stopped to view the eclipse.  But I don't bring that up to condemn Myrtle Beach, only to point out the difference and to try to convey the beauty of our surroundings for the eclipse, even though we were beside a major highway.  The live oaks, Spanish moss, crickets, crows, and blue skies of Eastern South Carolina make for a wonderful setting to experience the vastness of our wonderful Universe in action, as witnessed through a total eclipse on an August Sunday.  We met our neighbors, looked through their respective filtered telescopes, got to know each other, and settled in for the show.

We all stood in the late August South Carolina heat on the side of the road and looked into the sky with specialty glasses from Amazon, looking like grade schoolers with cheap sunglasses or mid-twentieth century teenagers at a 3-D drive-in movie.  There were a few troublesome clouds throughout the day, but they managed to part, as if on cue, as the full eclipse began.  Slowly, as the moon began to overtake the sun, the crickets and locusts started to sing their nocturnal tunes.  The wind cooled down just a bit.  The traffic stopped.  There were no sounds of airplanes or lawn mowers or any of the other industrial noises we are surrounded by to the degree that we no longer notice but mindlessly take for granted.  For two and a half minutes it seemed that everything on Earth paused for this mild celestial show.  I was lying back on the hood of the car looking up with my safety glasses and it felt as if I were floating in silence; nothing below, the vastness of the heavens above, and warm peace all around.  And then the sun peeked out from the other side and their was an uproar of joyous approval from all around.  Everyone was ecstatic and in awe.  The feeling was triumphant.  Then we shook hands, hugged, exchanged phone numbers and email addresses and went our separate ways.  Within minutes the traffic and noises resumed and the rains came.

Looking back, I can easily say this was one of the most memorable moments of my life.  I told some one beforehand, half in jest, that it was a spiritual quest for me.  I really think it was, but not in the way many people may interpret that.  This was a moment when everyone in my immediate vicinity was captivated and in total awe, all together at the same time.  Without a word being spoken we all realized both our insignificance in relation to the Universe, and our immeasurable worth as equal and interrelated integral components of this same Universe.  Every single person I saw after this event had a giant smile on his or her face.  I felt as if my heart had expanded beyond the limits of my body to embrace all of life, and I feel sure everyone else felt the same thing.

                                               Above images credit: Rodney Owen​
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                                                     Image credit: Utsav
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                                                    Image credit: Bob Clifford

There is much, oh so much, to consider concerning the Earth and what is happening to what we term "the environment".  Global warming, pollution, overpopulation, etc... it's a concern that has been with us and will be for some time.  Unfortunately, it has also become a political issue.  Unfortunate because typically, once something becomes political, people often quit thinking and defer to pre-arranged constructs that fit their overall politics.  An easier task than deep thinking on all issues, but a dangerous one at that.

Perhaps we are better off taking politics out of it all together and realizing our connection with the Earth.  We can no more separate ourselves from the environment than we can cut off our limbs and dispose of them.  A painful option.

Now the world's wisdom teachers and spiritual leaders are speaking out.  Perhaps we should consider what is being said:

Thich Nhat Hahn, Beyond the Environment

Amma, Our Responsibility to Our Mother

Richard Rohr, Creation as the Body of God

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Proper training, by nature, should be hard.  Practitioners should be challenged, as we only truly grow outside our comfort zones.  When teaching we need to know the student's limits and push them so that he/she exceeds them.  At the same time, we should ensure we don't push them too far so as to be counterproductive.  Indeed the same parameters hold for individual, personal training and partner training.  If one is fortunate enough to have training partners, all should work together to ensure everyone is challenged to the point of growth.  This is especially important in martial matters, where one's limit should nearly always be just out of reach.  Close enough, perhaps to sense or feel, but far enough away that extra effort, dragged up from the depths of one's soul is necessary.

Of course the above follows for individual training as well.  Of course we want to nurture ourselves.  But who is to say that hard training is not self- nurture?  I would argue very much that it is, and of the highest nature.  We should distinguish between discomfort, pain, and injury.  We should know our limits and push them.  We always want to avoid injury, but we need to discern the difference between discomfort and dangerous pain.  In many cases what we call pain is our body crying out because of a lack of conditioning.  Some discomfort is necessary for growth.  In short, we should always, always aim high.  If we train the right way with the right attitude, mastery is never an end goal but a part of the process, that is only found in endlessly searching for itself.

The key to training hard is training soft.  Stretching, warm-ups, and Qigong are necessary prerequisites for hard training, whether it be lifting weights, vinyasa, sparring, cardio, etc...  It is important to engage all the muscle groups, relieve stiffness, engage the energetic body, and warm up before turning up the steam.  Accordingly, it is important to do these practices at the end of a hard workout as well.  An intelligent cool-down with joint-opening exercises, stretching, and lying Qigong (Shavasana) will go along way and lead to a more holistic conditioning.

Just do it; do it often; but do it intelligently.

To really move forward with martial arts training, spiritual practice is crucial.  At some point we realize, as the ancient Daoists did, that there really is no difference between practicing for health and wellness, practicing for martial skill, and spiritual practice.  It all becomes one true way.

Consider the following:  

www.chentaiji.com/articles/integrating.html

chentaijiquanworld.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/the-spiritual-dimension.html

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​​www.virtuescience.com/martial-zen.html

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www.lionsroar.com/conquering-fear/