Stages in the Learning Process

Your handy guide as a new beginner Tai Chi and Qigong student. When starting out, it's important to not become overwhelmed with the learning process. Read through this guide to learning to support your home practice. Level 1 as noted below, takes a lot more time than people consider.

Stages in the learning process:

1) Learning and practising the choreography.

• Copy and mimic the general shape of the movements.
• Pay attention to the beginning posture, the key posture and the end posture.
• Focus on lower body stability, an upright spine, footwork and steps.
• Bring awareness to the basic hand postures,

2) Developing and refining the choreography.

• The more familiar with the shape you become, start to refine and add in the details.
• Learn the choreography of the original form and work towards accuracy.
• Learn the basic body mechanics and movement principles.
• Understand the difference between the yin and yang stages of each movement.
• Develop the skill of rooting for a stable and balanced structure.
• Develop ‘fang song’ (conscious relaxation), a dynamic softened state with relaxation in the muscles and elasticity in the connective tissue.
• Consider the involvement of the waist and spine.
• Foster a concentrated and relaxed mind.
• Develop coordinated abdominal breathing. This is the relaxation breath.

3) Maintaining progress.

• Practice regularly to develop and maintain the form.
• Work on refining the choreography.
• Apply the body mechanics and movement principles.
• Smooth the transitions between the movements.
• Play with balancing pliability and tone.
• Work on consistency in momentum: parts of the body moving quicker or slower than the other - yet staying connected.
• Develop a complete movement combining posture/alignment, body awareness and the breath.
• Refine coordinated breath work. Playing with abdominal breathing, diaphragmatic breathing, reverse breathing, vase breathing and the inner vessel breathing techniques.