Greetings. A lot to share in the next tips series. Standing meditation, followed by meditative Tai Chi form tips. Enjoy.
Sitting vs Standing Meditation
As I mentioned last time, there is a difference between yogic and Tai Chi meditation. Yoga generally uses a sitting posture, while Tai Chi uses standing. Now I know some people will disagree with me and that is fine. It means we are both thinking for ourselves. But let me explain.
Yoga comes from the Hindu tradition which is based on the idea of transcendence. Move the energy of the body up to the head, and out of the body in order to become a spirit body and transcend life and death, getting out the cycle of birth and rebirth. This is best done while sitting cross legged, cutting off the lower body and forcing the energy up the spine.
I have been using the term Tai Chi for my art, and I do that to save time and space. The term I really mean is Tai Chi Chuan. The Chuan changes the defined term from a philosophy to a martial art. Tai Chi is a Daoist term meaning the interplay of opposing forces – yin and yang. The Daoists used sitting meditation, much like the Hindus and Buddhists. In Tai Chi Chuan, we need to develop different skills, physical skills, blended with the Daoist philosophy. Tai Chi Chuan skills require a solid, strong support to move energy in and out of the body. We need to integrate the lower body and upper body to work as a whole. We need to function as a unified martial machine. And this is best accomplished by standing. More later.