The Real Meaning of Relaxation for Health, Well-Being, and Martial Arts

Tai Chi Chuan hands

People pursue Tai Chi Chuan practice for a variety of reasons: health, fall prevention / balance, well-being, improvement in martial arts and other sports, and for relaxation / de-stressing.

I can make the case that to deeply relax and de-stress is the most central experience in Tai Chi Chuan practice that explains all the other benefits. However, the word “relax” can be misleading. We all want to be able to relax, but what does that really mean and what does it require?

When I feel stressed, if I lie down on the beach—or lie in bed for that matter—am I relaxing? Well, yes and no. We are indeed avoiding excessive stimulation and giving our awareness a chance to let go of a demanding daily life. That can have some benefits, but the benefits are limited!

Once we go back to a busy daily life and to the demands of relationships and society, the sensation of stress is likely to resume where we left off.

The benefit of Tai Chi Chuan practice is that we are actively training our brain / body how to  stay calm and happy more consistently despite any daily stressors. When practiced with the right approach, Tai Chi Chuan involves intentional letting go and then energizing, repeated over and over in a fluid, rhythmic pattern. As a result, our brain can stay connected with a deeply relaxed and open mindset, open to a wide variety of daily stimuli and activities, including those that many people feel are boring or stressful.

The benefits I have experienced, and have seen others experience, from Tai Chi Chuan practice include: a positive state of mind; the ability to let go of stress while being energetic and active; and excellent health into ages of 60s, 70s, and beyond.

There are many “right approaches” to Tai Chi Chuan study and practice, including variations on the form positions, but what they all have in common is learning how to release at a deep level, and how to engage our whole brain and body when we decide to energize.

It is the looking inside with brain and body during practice that allows us to train for a happier, more vibrant state of mind along with increased empathy for self and others. The brain functions with more energy, while the busy thinking mind lets go of excessive and repetitive worries. Muscle and mental tensions also release in this process, leading to a feeling of well-being as well as improvements in health. 

In short, when there is less worry and tension, there is more opportunity for all kinds of positive states of mind and body.

So, coming back to the word “relax”: in Tai Chi practice we can enter a state of deep, peaceful focus. The awareness expands and is alert, while the body is fluid and comfortable. We are no longer locked into the physical perimeter of our being, but feel more connected to other people as well as to the surrounding environment. This awareness and embodiment goes well beyond the usual meaning of the word “relax.”

The shifts that occur with Tai Chi practice happen gradually, for most people, but can usually be felt at least a bit, soon after starting to practice. Tai Chi Chuan practice is beneficial at each step of the way, because it is constantly teaching us more awareness of self and others.

How to start? The most effective way to learn this practice is to participate in classes with a skilled teacher, along with practicing on your own to reinforce the learning experience. If you are in or near a large or medium-sized city or town you can likely find a teacher and practice group near you. Feel free to contact me if you need some help finding a way to practice where you are.

I hope you will explore the ways you can stay healthy and feel more well-being. Tai Chi Chuan can be an important part of living that fulfilling life.

Slow motion of Tai Chi Chuan—William C. C. Chen

Spleen 21 meridian schematic

June 12, 2018

The awareness center of brain is located on the top of the back head in Chinese medical chart named “Baihui” (百會- the hundred gatherings, which is a place to receive information and processing.) and the western’s indication is an “Antenna”. Raising the alertness in the brain from spinal cord without muscle tension (虛靈頂勁) in the movements is elevating the feeling of Yi to animate the Qi in the fingers and toes into a desire action. At same time, it raises the oxygen and blood in the brain cells to keep them healthy and to perfect their functioning.

These are the objective of martial artists to have the ability of quick central nervous system reactions. Their punches and kicks are undertaken directly by the brain awareness. When this awareness awakens, action is delivered by the remote nervous system components of fingers and toes. Synchronizing the awareness of the brain, fingers and toes is the central purpose of this Tai Chi Chuan   practice.

The slow-motion of Tai Chi Chuan practice is like Bluetooth, pairing the connection of the fingers and the toes with the control center of the nervous system. Once it’s paired, the practitioner’s brain, fingers and toes work as an inseparable unit: any emotion and intention in the conscious brain is instantly transmitted into the physical action of the fingers and toes without any delay. This is of extreme importance for martial artists when they are engaged in fighting.

The quick transmission of a neuro-reflex into physical action is essential for the martial artist, with the implication that he or she can deliver the punches and kicks within a split second. It is like the specialized ability of the courtroom stenographer; whose fingers type as people speak. This neural and physical connection is a necessary function of all human beings, which enables them to accomplish our daily activities more effectively and quickly, whether we work at home or have a job in an office.

In today’s rapidly changing world, left hemisphere brain functioning is no longer enough. Today’s invention is tomorrow’s history, and by the day after tomorrow, it’s ancient history. The work of future Tai Chi Chuan players will require creative and intuitive thinking as well as physical action. Any successful individual can and must learn how to use a fully functional brain integrated with the power of emotional and physical cooperation.

For the past 60’s of my teaching, learning and sharing this slow motion of the movements, I began with body mechanics principles, then moved into bio-mechanics and now I am involved with neurophysiology. The connections of the three elements of brain, fingers and toes are crucial to our daily activities. It is like the computer that requires the software of human a brilliant mind to enhance the system. The system must be updated monthly, weekly even daily. The bus is not going to stop here, the learning and perfecting is never ending, which is similar to our computer’s software being updated every so often.

These unhurried and relaxed movements help to regulate the nervous system, lubricate the joints and eliminate stiff muscle contractions. They facilitate full cooperation with brain function, circumventing physical interference from the muscles. This enables our fingers and toes to reach the highest level in the work of art.

For health, the soft movements of the practice ease body tension, promote the flow of vital energy Qi and replaces muscle rigidity with flexibility and excellent body coordination. They boost one’s mental tranquility, improve physical fitness, increase blood circulation to its full capacity, and provide the tissues of the various organs with the maximum amount of oxygen.

These silent meditative movements of Tai Chi Chuan is an art of Tao 道 which incorporates the brain workout, setting up a solid state communication between the neurons in the brain and the distant limbs of the fingers and toes. On top of this, an elevated oxygenate-blood flow in the brain cells helps to keep this utmost important central organ alive, like new. It is an essential to the martial artists, as well as the greatest contributions to the well-being of humanity. (寧靜的太極拳動作帶給人類最佳的貢獻).