When two forces push each other with equal force, neither side moves. Ī key aspect of Tai Chi philosophy is to work with the flow of yin (softness) and yang (hardness) elements. It is thus a kind of moving meditation that allows us to let go of the self (wuwo), and experience no-mind ( wuxin) and spontaneity ( ziran). This allows us to become less tense, to drop our conditioned habits, let go of thoughts, allow qi to flow smoothly, and thus to flow with the Dao. Tai Chi's path is one of developing naturalness by relaxing, attending inward, and slowing mind, body and breath. Tai Chi also adopts the Daoist ideals of softness overcoming hardness, of wu-wei (effortless action), and of yielding into its martial art technique, while also retaining Daoist ideas of spiritual self-cultivation. Although the term 'Wudang' suggests these arts originated in the Wudang Mountains, it is used only to distinguish the skills, theories and applications of neijia (internal arts) from those of the Shaolin grouping, or waijia (hard or external) styles. In China, Tai Chi is categorized under the Wudang grouping of Chinese martial arts -that is, arts applied with internal power. Īs such, Tai Chi considers itself an "internal" martial art which focuses on developing the qi. Zheng Manqing emphasizes the Daoist background of Tai Chi and states that "Taijiquan enables us to reach the stage of undifferentiated pure yang, which is exactly the same as Laozi's 'concentrating the qi and developing softness'". Tai Chi also draws on Chinese theories of the body, particularly Daoist neidan (internal alchemy) teachings on Qi (vital energy) and on the three dantiens. Tai Chi cosmology appears in both Taoist and Confucian philosophy, where it represents the single source or mother of yin and yang (represented by the taijitu symbol ). Įarly Tai Chi sources also ground Tai Chi in the cosmology of Tai Chi ((太极, tàijí, "Supreme Polarity", or "Greatest Ultimate") from which the art gets its name. Early Tai Chi texts include embedded quotations from classic Chinese works like the Yijing, Great Learning, Book of History, Records of the Grand Historian, Zhu Xi, Zhou Dunyi, Mencius and Zhuangzi. The philosophical and conceptual background to Tai chi relies on Chinese philosophy, particularly Daoist and Confucian thought as well as on the Chinese classics. Zhou Dunyi's Taijitu diagram which illustrates the Taijitu cosmology.
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