Tai Chi Arm Spirals

Ni and Shun Chan is a Chinese term for negative and positive spirals within the limbs and torso in Tai Chi. An internal quality that refers to rotations and spirals through the tendons and bones, rather than muscle involvement.  It is trained in Tai Chi, Qigong and Bagua. It is an applied principle that is part of all silk reeling and Tai Chi movements, simply put Ni and Shun Chan spiralling is Tai Chi. This article will focus on the Tai Chi arm spirals, which is part of the whole body spiralling method in Chen Tai Chi.

There are two directions of rotations:

• Shun Chan: Yang / positive / following / outward
• Ni Chan: Yin / negative / adverse / inward

This principle is not for beginner Tai Chi students. It is more than enough in the first few or more years of training to grasp the foundations of alignment, develop your silk reeling, and learning the form choreography. Your instructor will guide you when the time is right to start applying internal spirals into your arms, torso and legs. Taking on too much too soon is a recipe for overwhelm. Adding Ni and Shun Chan too early simply won’t be effective if your alignment is poor, your movements are wooden and disconnected, and your brain only has the head space to ‘think’ about the form. Build your mountain from the ground up!

A side note is that your connective tissue, muscles, and joints love Ni and Shun Chan. The method of alternating between Ni and Shun Chan wrings out the tissues, gently flexing, naturally lengthening and slowly releasing through the build up to a spiral and the release in the transition to change the spiral. Spiralling pliability is super nourishing to soft tissue health.

PALMS

To simplify the concept whilst learning. The wrist joints and connective tissue around the wrists and forearms rotate the palms, turning them up and down.

Shun Chan - Positive Spiral

• Spiral your palm outwards away from the centre line.
• Rotate your little finger towards the centre of your palm, rotating the wrist outwardly to turn the palm to face up.
• Your little finger leads the rotation direction.
• Your right palm rotates in a clockwise direction.
• Your left palm rotates in an anticlockwise direction.
• The quality is a scooping motion.

Ni Chan - Negative Spiral

• Spiral your palm inwards towards the centre line.
• Rotate your thumb towards the centre of your palm, rotating the wrist inwardly to turn the palm to face down.
• Your thumb leads the rotation direction.
• Your right palm rotates in an anticlockwise direction.
• Your left palm rotates in a clockwise direction.
• The quality is a closing / folding in motion.

Complete Circle

Together Ni and Shun Chan form a complete circle. Half the circle is a positive rotation and half the circle is a negative rotation. With half of the circle issuing power and the other half of the circle neutralising power.

Caveat

If the wrists and palms are turning independently of the arms and rest of the body, this technically is not Tai Chi, as the movement is disconnected. The above method is to help you learn the basics, in an easy to grasp way. To understand the wider concept, let’s look at how the arms are connected. In a later article we will explore the torso and leg spirals.

Patterns

Both palms can be rotating with Shun Chan. Both palms can be rotating with Ni Chan. One palm can be rotating with Shun Chan and at the same time the other palm can be rotating with Ni Chan.

Shun Chan - Positive Spiral

• Spiral your arm outwards from the centre line.
• Turn your palms by rotating through your shoulders, elbows, and wrists.
• Your little finger moves towards the centre of your palm.

Ni Chan - Negative Spiral

• Spiral your arms inwards towards the centre line.
• Turn your palms by rotating through your shoulders, elbows, and wrists.
• Your thumb moves towards the centre of your palm.

Tai Chi Arm Spirals - Confusion Caveat

The inward and outward spirals in Ni and Shun Chan refers to the direction of the rotation within the arms and palms, not the direction or shape of the arm or palm within a movement. Ni and Shun Chan are internal qualities, whereas circling moves in the form choreography are external movements. Both internal and external are performed at the same time. The confusing part is that Ni and Shun Chan are referred to as positive & negative spirals/circles/rotations. Yet, the movements in silk reeling or the form choreography can also be referred to as positive & negative spirals/circles/rotations, which relates to the physical shape the move makes.

FOUR PATTERNS OF ROTATION

Ni and Shun Chan are the yin and yang of rotations, one negative and one positive. Going deeper, each rotation can have two patterns. Moving either away from the centre line in any direction, or towards the centre line in any direction.

Push Away from the Centre Line

• Expanding Shun Chan
• Your palm moves outwards, away from your body / centre line.
• Your little finger rotates towards the centre of your palm, turning your palm up.
• Expanding Ni Chan
• Your palm moves outwards, away from your body / centre line.
• Your thumb rotates towards the centre of your palm, turning your palm down.

Pull Towards the Centre Line

• Contracting Shun Chan
• Your palm moves inwards, coming towards your body / centre line.
• Your little finger rotates towards the centre of your palm, turning your palm up.
• Contracting Ni Chan
• Your palm moves inwards, coming towards your body / centre line.
• Your thumb rotates towards the centre of your palm, turning your palm down.