Letting go of competition

It's natural, once you've developed some skill in a martial art, to want to show off a little. Certainly, if you're advanced in a sport you shouldn't be beaten by those who aren't as experienced as you, right? A healthy competitive edge often aids us in improving our skills. We want to rise to the challenges. Unfortunately, being the best seems to have become the only goal of sports nowadays. The news is filled with stories of steroid and other performance enhancement abusers. It's not enough to be good, you have to be super-human, now.

In pushing hands practice, I see a lot of students getting competitive with their partner. They start to get serious and focussed, and they see how far or hard they can push their opponent. However, getting competitive in pushing hands keeps the focus on the opponent. When are they going to move? Did they give me an opportunity just now to push them? And then, when their opponent gets a push in on them, they're hard on themselves and tend to retaliate.

Bob Klein, in his book Movements of Power, tells the story of going to another school and pushing hands with the students, and every time he got a push in, the student would immediately slap him on the shoulder. He thought that the behavior might be isolated to that one student, until he pushed with another and was slapped. Indeed, as he pushed with each student, he got a slap.

Pushing hands teaches us about ourselves and about the nature of T'ai Chi combat. Our goal is to not be struck, and to move accordingly afterwards. If our opponent doesn't counter our move, they will fall. Until then, we keep ourselves protected.

After I learned pushing hands and started to get good at it, I found myself focusing on my opponent and being really hard on myself when they were able to get a push or strike in on me. When I let go of my need to compete, I started to notice how open I was leaving myself and how tense I stayed at certain times. By letting go of being the best, I was able to address these points and move into a better defensive position.

When you find yourself getting competitive, take a moment to reflect on your behavior. Where does it come from? Then let it go and get back to what's important... learning self mastery.

Finding Yin and Yang Harmony

If only you had a nickel for every time you've heard some Tai Chi-er say that, right? And you've likely dismissed the concept as nothing more than finding balance, both physically and philosophically (which is hard enough as it is). However, yin/yang harmony in Tai Chi is a LOT more complicated than that, I'm sorry to report. Finding harmony means avoiding double-weightedness.

Double-weightedness revolves around the concept of allowing yin and yang to flow through you as you walk through the form. If your right hand is in a yang movement, your left hand should be yin. Additionally, if your left leg is providing the force, it should be in yang (energy flowing), while your right is in yin (stabilizing). In the Tai Chi classics, they say:

Anyone who has spent years of practice and still cannot neutralize,
and is always controlled by his opponent,
has not apprehended the fault of double-weightedness.

To avoid this fault one must distinguish yin from yang.

Pay attention to your form. If there is a point where both hands are yang, is there a part that's yin? If both legs are yang, how can you move? If both legs are yin, where will the energy come from? By examination of the form you will soon find the parts where you exhibit double-weightedness. By working with your instructor, you will find ways to eliminate it, and maintain control.

Above All... RELAX!

I've decided to make this the theme for both my blog posts this week. In all things, Tai Chi, Yoga, LIFE, it's important to relax. At this time of year, most of the people in my life are doing two things. First, they're all taking a big sigh of relief that the last year and the Christmas season are now over. And second, they're stressing. Stressing over bills, having to return to work or school, New Year's resolutions, etc.

The trick, I've found, is staying relaxed in spite of it all. By staying relaxed, you allow the energy of your tasks and goals to flow through you and give everything a much stronger chance of turning out the way you'd like it.

In Tai Chi we have the concept of "Sung", which translates as "applied relaxation." The idea of Sung is that, although you are not totally relaxed, you relax the essential points on your body where the necessary energy will flow. Keeping key areas already relaxed is advised as you develop your frame, however, we often miss relaxing as we move through the form.

For example, in Single Whip the position of the body, particularly the feet and hips at the beginning of the movement, coil and compress the energy. In releasing this energy with the two hand movements we understand that any blockage in the torso, shoulders, arms, or hands will restrict how much of that energy will flow out. By staying relaxed as the arms swing into the first position, held together in front of your chest, then, as the right one is released, keep the arm relaxed, and allow the momentum of the hips to "push" your hand outward. As the leg is released, and you step to your left, relax the left shoulder and other joints as the energy pushes the left hand outward during the weight-shift. In this way will you be able to distribute maximum force with a minimal physical effort.

As you walk through your form, focus on relaxing. Pay attention to the flow of energy through your legs and hips, and feel if it's being blocked by tension anywhere in the body prior to being released to the hands. When you detect it, make any minor corrections and see if you can "un-kink" that area. Most of the time this is accomplished by just letting go of whatever is putting tension there. Occasionally, you may need to speak with your instructor to help you find options in getting a particular point relaxed.