The underlying principle in Tai Chi Chuan, to use it as a martial art, is “sinking” and this means letting go of tension and avoiding the overuse of the muscles. The muscles are relaxed by relaxing the joints (ligaments), including the sinews, cartilage, and tendons.
From when we are born as we grow up, we naturally rely on using the muscles and with time, our joints get stiff. This is in the sense that we lose mobility and flexibility. Children and babies generally are more flexible and carry a certain “softness”-their joints are not tight.
On a mental level, the mind seeks stillness, where our emotions and thoughts are also calmed. We not swayed by our fears or any other factors. The mind tries to connect with the ground or the earth. Because we accustomed to using our muscles, when we try to let go of tension or “invest in loss”-as my teacher would say, we strangely feel tenser in the beginning. During this process, our legs would be sore as we are ‘opening up the sinews”. Whether you are during tuī shǒu 推手 or the solo form, one must sink.
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