Relaxation in Taijiquan: Bibliography, Links, Resources, Quotations, and Notes. By Mike Garofalo.
Song or Sung: Loose, Relaxed, Open, Yielding, Free, Responsive. A Defining Characteristic of Taijiquan.
"First, last, and always the student must relax. Various calisthenics aid him in
achieving
this. All rigidity and strength must be emptied from the upper torso
and must sink to the very soles of the feet, one of which is always
firmly rooted to the ground. Without proper relaxation the student can
never hope to achieve the trueness of the T'ai-chi postures. The
student relaxes completely and breathes as a child - naturally through
the nose, the diaphragm being aided by the abdominal rather than the
intercostal muscles. Man's intrinsic energy, the ch'i, should be stored
just below the navel. The mind directs this energy throughout the body
according to need. But the ch'i cannot circulated in an unrelaxed
body."
- Robert W. Smith, Chinese Boxing: Masters and Methods, 1974, p. 26.
"Human beings are
soft and supple when alive,
stiff and straight when dead.
The myriad creatures, the grasses and trees are
soft and fragile when alive
dry and withered when dead.
Therefore, it is said:
The rigid person is a disciple of death;
The soft, supple, and delicate are lovers of life.
An army that is inflexible will not conquer;
A tree that is inflexible will snap.
The unyielding and mighty shall be brought low;
The soft, supple, and delicate will be set above."
- Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 76
Translated by Victor H. Mair, 1990
"In life, man is soft and tender,
In death, he is rigid and hard.
In life, plants and trees are soft and pliant,
In death, they are withered and tough.
Thus rigidity and hardness are companions of death.
Softness and tenderness are companions of life.
That is why the soldier who trusts only in strength does not conquer,
The tree that relies on its strength invites the axe.
Great strength dwells below,
Softness and tenderness dwell above."
- Translated by Isabella Mears, 1916, Chapter 76
In death, he is rigid and hard.
In life, plants and trees are soft and pliant,
In death, they are withered and tough.
Thus rigidity and hardness are companions of death.
Softness and tenderness are companions of life.
That is why the soldier who trusts only in strength does not conquer,
The tree that relies on its strength invites the axe.
Great strength dwells below,
Softness and tenderness dwell above."
- Translated by Isabella Mears, 1916, Chapter 76
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