Years ago I wrote a blog post about relaxation in tai chi and qigong. I must have had a really good head-of-steam on for the topic because it’s much longer than it needs to be. I’ve talked about relaxation in class but it’s one of those things we need to either feel or compare to a feeling we recognize in order to understand it.
You’ve heard me say that Grandmaster Yang Jun describes “relaxed” in the tai chi context as “midway between ‘stiff’ and ‘limp’;” and while this is entirely correct, it’s annoyingly brief. You’ve also heard me say that “relaxed” in a tai chi or qigong context is not the way most people think of relaxing – that is, flumped on the couch like a pile of mashed potatoes, watching something mindless on the television. Tai chi and qigong “relaxation” is different, and you’re probably familiar with the feeling.
Think back to the last time you did anything you’re pretty good at, without some sort of anxiety nagging at you. It could be anything – for me it’s of course tai chi. For my mom, it was crochet. For you it might be gardening or cooking a meal you know well, or playing a musical instrument or singing or ping-pong or golf; something that engages your mind and is somewhat active, but is well within your capabilities and you know it. That lively, engaged feeling of quiet confidence, that feeling of not being pressured outside your capabilities, of just doing and being "present in the moment."
Next time you’re involved in that activity – whatever it is – take stock of how you feel. It may only take a moment or you may choose, if the activity allows it, to take a longer time to inventory how parts of you feel. You may notice you’re not tensed-up anywhere that shouldn’t be. You may notice that the worried, stressed feeling you had earlier is set aside. You may notice you move more gracefully because none of the movements in the activity are unfamiliar or hurried. You may notice that you’ve forgot, for a few moments, that nagging pain you’re used to enduring. I tend to forget, when I’m doing tai chi or qigong, that I have really annoying tinnitus. It doesn’t go away – I’m just no longer conscious of it.
That feeling is what “relaxed” in tai chi and qigong ought to feel like.
The benefit of this “relaxed” feeling is not only in the immediate sensation of it, though this is important. Just as important is the fact that it’s at this point when the mind and body are ready to perform tai chi at a deeper, more “internal” level. We begin, at this point, to cultivate the mastery of our internal energy (our qi), put it to practical use and discover abilities we never knew we had –
They’ve been there all along, lying dormant and waiting for us to activate them.
People who are just starting out usually won’t feel it while they’re still learning the postures and transitions. There’s an unavoidable tension in the uncertainty of where one’s hands and feet go, an unfamiliarity with the stances, a mild discomfort with the not-yet-conditioned muscles. There's no getting around it, but it diminishes with time and practice. Most people, however, find that after a session they feel refreshed and a bit invigorated, like we do after a brief, brisk walk on a pleasant day. Taking stock of how we feel and move after class is important as well, especially in the beginning. That feeling is real, and we should not ignore it in anticipation of some future magical, transcendent sensation.
Sorry.
“Relaxation” is better experienced than described, but it’s a feeling we’re all familiar with. By being conscious of this feeling with other activities, when it arrives for us in our tai chi practice, we’ll know it when it finally shows up.
