Tai Chi history
Here a happy tale about Tai chi: During the Yuan and Ming Dynasty, about 600-700 years ago in the Wu Dang mountains in China, watching a Daoist monk named Zhang San Feng, a fight between a snake and a crane.The crane attacs the snake with its beak, but she could not hurt, since they differ by their elegant movements dodging the attack.This lasted so long and exhausted the crane until he give up.From this experience developed Zhang San Feng the principle of soft struggling with inner strength.
Whether this story is the truth, or other correspond undecided.
The truth as we know today are the beginnings back 300 years and are the Chen family in the chen village in china and a man named Chen Wang Ting.
How ever Tai Chi as martial art was developed to repel attacks higly effectiv.
The now mostly practiced Yang style was created by a man,named Yang Lu Chan,he worked as a servant for the Chen family and became the first non familymember who was teached the secrets of the Chenstyle.
He createt the old Yang style,a perfect fighting style with a combination of slow and fast moves.The slow moves bring the body to a total relaxation and the fast,explosiv moves pshing the chi to the hands or fists or other parts of the body.
His grandson Yang Cheng Fu changed and simplified this form to the 108 long yang form,with just slow moves to cultivate chi and make it slowly flow in to the whole body,as it is still practiced today.A few shorter forms been created by some tai chi masters,but all the mooves ar parts of this long 108 form.Yang Cheng Fu also was the first Taichimaster of the Yang family,who teached some secrets of Tai Chi to other non fmily students und opened the Yang style to the public because he had a vision of a healthy chinese population.
A few of his students went out to the whole world to teach Tai Chi.
Yang Cheng Fu
Tai Chi at the present time
The side effect of regularly practice of Tai Chi of the positive impact on health and the mind plays in today's world, however, a far more important role and is probably for although most people the real reason why they are learning Tai Chi.Especially for older people Tai Chi for due to its positive effect on circulation,musculosceletal body, psyche and the perfect antidote to everyday life.
Different to kung fu or karate, which due to the philosophy beat faster and harder than the opponent of the hard school can be assigned, at the Tai chii is a totally contradictory philosophy. Tai Chi responds to aggressively with gentleness,the reaction on any attac will be gently back turnouts,using the attack power of the opponent against him.So Tai Chi is also assigned to the gentle school.
Tai Chi Philosophie
I represent personally, although the opinion that the development of Tai Chi Chuan as a martial art, the Chinese philosophy had little impact and the coincidences with Taoist thought are rather coincidentally well (or because they are ubiquitous phenomena easily and influence on everything). I belief most of the people at that time did not had philosophical knowledge ore interest,that they where able to incorporate philosophical aspects while creating some exercices. It is probably more likely,that they have learned through observations in the animal kingdom the right conclusions, and so were able to develop a martial art, which was superior to the other.
Nevertheless, I would like to here the attempts of some teachers to influence the development of the Tao desTai chi to pass
TaijiTu
Tai Chi translated means "the highest Ultimatet"or "the Supreme Ultimate and is based on the Taoist belief that everything is located in the universe based on the principle of yin and yang.
Yin and Yang are for polar opposing yet interrelated forces or principles.
Yin embodies femininity, gentleness, night, earth, negativie polarity, spiritual intuition,
Yang embodies everything the opposite, ie the masculine hardness, day sky positive polarity, physical action.
In the Yin-Yang symbol, however, we can also recognize in the yin yang is always included and the yang is in yin always.
The opposite of Taiji, (translated as "The Supreme Ultimate" ore "the highest ultimate") is Wuji, Translated as "not high" or "summit of nothingness
The Actual Meaning we find rather the term "absolute emptiness" or in complete peace of mind, a state we seek before we go over to the state of Taiji.
If we are able to go through meditation in complete silence Taiji will be the perfect contrast, moving in harmony and relaxation.
Why learn Tai Chi
Tai Chi is not just a classical Chinese relaxation exercise for harmonization of body and spirit, which helps to improve health, it also serves selvedefense and spiritual growth. With its elegant movement at a slow speed, harmonized its relaxed, powerful natural positions and relaxed there the entire body, tai chi is a moving meditation in which the union of body, mind and soul is perfected
The direct health benefits of Tai Chi practice is to improve posture, flexibility and the balance, strengthen the circulation of metabolic and neuromuscular functions and strengthens the immune system
Tai Chi is an integral part of traditional Chinese medicine and is recommended for everyone, regardless of age, state of health or what sex,and it does not matter how good your physical fitness
Regular practice will not only improve the physical condition, it also has positive effects for a better concentration, the inner peace and brings mental clarity.
Tai Chi Teacher of our time
The probably most famous Tai Chi teacher of the last century was Professor Cheng Man Ching (1900-1975)
His famous work "Thirteen chapters of Tai Chi" is probably one of the best books about Tai chi.
One aspect we should not ignore, until well into the last century, everything ,we know now about Tai Chi, was a secret of the family and also.just passed only in there.
Some of the famous grandmasters of our time are students of his school like Grandmaster Huang Sheng Shyan (Huang Xingxian) ore Grandmaster William C.C. Chen.