Master Tse’s Taiji Fist #50

Level I Taijiquan 太極拳

We all enjoy practising Taijiquan 太極拳. When I teach, I have never come across anyone who after three lessons which is 3 hours over 3 days, who does not enjoy it. A good teacher will lead you to a feeling and experience that you have never come across before. There are different sensations and feelings all over the body, therefore to practise Taijiquan there are some rules and principles that we need to follow. Do you know there are five levels Gong Fu of Taijiquan 太極五層功夫?

When we begin to practise we are so stiff. This is what the Taiji poem 太極拳歌 describes as, “One Yin and nine Yang, like a wooden stick 一陰九陽根頭棍.” This is quite true in the beginning we never know how stiff we are, but I guarantee that your Sifu knows! However he or she will not mention it to you as they do not want to hurt your feelings, so instead will just encourage you to relax. So you will keep trying to relax and keep the correct positions. We all have to go through this, we all have to pass through Level I of Taijiquan