What is T’ai Chi Principles Benefits Sensei Sandeep Desai Speaking Tree Articles DVDs Courses Contact Us

			There are ten principles of T'ai Chi. These principles help you to focus on the internal aspects. You have to recognize the internal before you begin to venture into the realms of energy and spirit. If you tap into the principles properly, you discover the stillness in the movement and, in turn, the energy that flows through your spirit.
		This is the grand ultimate principle of T'ai Chi. The stillness that comes with slowness is what T'ai Chi is all about. You get all the benefits of T'ai Chi only when you do it slowly. Forcing things is contrary to T'ai Chi principles. Physical and mental stress make you tense and you get all the movements wrong.       Movement in T'ai Chi is always curved and circular, never straight and linear. This allows one movement to flow seamlessly to the next and promotes a better flow of your chi (energy).   Simplicity is the essence of T'ai Chi. A mind, which is filled with dogmas, assertions, which is filled with dogmas, assertions, quotes, is really an uncreative mind. Live fully, live naturally. And be simple to your core.       Relaxed and slightly bent knees firmly ground you, letting energy flow from the earth into your body. This also allows you to overpower your opponent by getting beneath his or her energy centre.   Just as all things in the universe are reciprocal, T'ai Chi is about balancing your moves- for example, forward and back, weight-bearing and non-weight bearing and reach and pull back. This is based on the ancient Chinese philosophy of Yin and Yang, in which all things are opposing yet complementary.       The importance of good balance cannot be over-emphasised--be it T'ai Chi or real life. Both physically and mentally, good balance is essential to T'ai Chi.   In the practice of T'ai Chi, all parts of the body are linked together and every movement involves the whole body. When one part of the body moves, every part moves. When one part is still, every part is still.       In the practice of T'ai Chi, the movements are performed slowly and softly, yet there is an underlying strength; just as silk is both soft and strong. Move and think as if you are on wheels, no jerky movements.   If there is no root, there is no fruit. Always feel that you are firmly planted in the ground. This applies not only to T'ai Chi, but to life.