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The Ancient Art of Tai Chi: Moving with Qi, Balancing Yin and Yang
Master Huang Shan said, “Jin is Yin and Yang; Qi is the source.” These ten words capture the very essence of Tai Chi practice. For beginners, failing to grasp this principle means remaining superficial, merely mimicking external forms. But to truly understand it is to gradually enter a state where body and mind become one.
The Jin in Tai Chi is not stiff force, but a flowing interplay of Yin and Yang. In raising a hand, there is both the sinking heaviness of Yin and the lifting lightness of Yang. At each turn, neutralizing and issuing are born from each other, swallowing and spouting follow in succession. During practice, one must attentively perceive the subtle shifts of Jin—winding like silk, rising and falling like the tide. Every posture is a practice of Yin embracing Yang; every movement is a study in the transformation of Jin pathways. Only by discarding crude force can one begin to comprehend the marvel of *listening to* and *understanding* Jin.
Yet the root of Jin lies in Qi. Qi is not an abstract mystery, but the fundamental energy of life itself. Following the ancient methods, one guides from within to without, focuses the mind on the dantian, and becomes aware of the breath flowing like a river through the body. When the movement opens, Qi extends to the limbs like spring water overflowing a bank; when the movement closes, Qi returns to the dantian like countless streams merging into the sea. When the breath is deep, long, even, and tranquil, moving in natural accord with the form, this is the true meaning of "using Qi to move the body."
Starting from this point, Tai Chi transforms from empty postures into a path of inner observation. Within the slow, rounded movements, one perceives the waxing and waning of Jin’s Yin and Yang. In a state of relaxation and stillness, one experiences the circulation of Qi along its pathways. With persistent practice, the external techniques gradually recede, while an internal vitality becomes clear—the Qi and blood flow smoothly, the spirit is full, and the Jin becomes supple and alive. Ultimately, one reaches a sensitivity so refined that "a feather cannot be added, nor can a fly alight," achieving a resonant harmony with all things.
The key to practice lies in perseverance and mindful embodiment. By returning Tai Chi to its foundational cultivation, we nourish body and mind, arriving at the wondrous state where "Qi and Jin unite, and heaven and humanity resonate as one."
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