Everyone who starts practicing Tai Chi will need to get familiar with the principles of Tai Chi or the elements on which the exercise routine depends most.
1.Head straightening
In order to perform the exercises, you have to learn how to align the head and the neck as if they are controlled by the gravity force alone. This is only possible by standing straight and relaxing the neck muscles completely. You will see that this first of the Tai Chi principles will make you feel better and will reduce the headaches caused by stressed neck muscles.
2.The back and chest position
In Tai Chi, breathing is essential. It is easier to breathe from the abdomen if you keep the chest slightly depressed. You have to tuck the pelvis, after slightly bowing the back outward. The trainer should be able to show you how to apply this principle.
3.Eliminate tension with total relaxation
From all the principles of Tai Chi, this will convince you of how much stress common postures cause us to accumulate. Keep in mind that relaxed and limp are not one and the same. If you keep the muscles and joints relaxed you will be able to conduct movement through them without tension.
4.Every movement begins in the waist
The waist is the place where every movement begins, regardless if it is a step or a hand move. You will have to make the waist the cause of the exercise, as it will control and distribute the amount of energy transmitted.
5.Harmonize the upper and lower body parts!
The legs are attached to the ground, the knees are slightly flexed and the lower and the upper body parts move harmoniously together. Without breaks, the movement seems to flow. According to the principles of Tai Chi this means that the movement that initiates in the waist sends the vibration through the entire body.
6.Continuous flows and smooth movements
All the Tai Chi exercises are performed slowly and evenly. It is even difficult to tell when an exercise finishes and another one begins.
7.The mind guides the body
The overall control belongs to the mind. Higher self-awareness and self-consciousness will result of this overall control. Thus, every tiny movement will grow from internal calmness.
As you continue to train, the principles of Tai Chi will become a solid part of practice. It is advisable to have guidance particularly when you just learn the essential steps. Once you learn the basics, daily practice will be very simple.
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