Ian Cameron Qi Magazine - Autumn 1996 Reality must be present in our practice, otherwise we can follow methods that are not effective as they are without a strong foundation. Taiji should be learned from the ground up and not from the head down. After all, Taiji is all about training movement, so this is the area we must concentrate on. If you practise with a competent teacher the principles will be taught as you go through the aspects of Taiji. It really comes down to hard, physical effort. Only then can we nourish a deeper understanding. Taiji should be practised for its own sake and not for any other reasons. By this, I mean that no outside thoughts should intrude upon your practice. If you have thoughts of becoming famous, or being better than someone, or making money, then these are really just a distraction and do not help in developing better Taiji. I see this type of thinking as very limiting to Taiji. If you can let go of these thoughts, you are free to just practise and your Taiji is stripped of all unnecessary baggage. You then come to a more essential approach to practice. All these things may come along but they are only the result of practice. They should not be the reason for your practice. To just do Taiji is really what it is all about. That is all we should be concerned with. Anything else has nothing to do with Taiji. Your Taiji will change as you practise over a number of years - it cannot stay the same. The Classics say, "When you begin Taiji it is like having a piece of iron ore, which when beaten over a long period of time is refined into pure steel." It is important to note that Taiji is for the long haul and is practised constantly and gradually so that there is a continual deepening of practice. Someone once said, "Shaolin is like a thunderstorm, whereas Taiji is like a constant drizzle." Taiji is very much a way of closely examining yourself and of exploring your potential. The close examination is being completely absorbed in your practice. This is unifying body and mind. Taiji is not a technical exercise. It is very much about feeling; of getting to know the art thoroughly. This can only be done through practice. Potential is something we all have, but until we start to stretch ourselves, we might never know how far we can take it. It is important to always push the boundaries, it is an unlimited field and ability will not come by magic. It is down to you. Too much of what is done today gives the student false hopes and it is a great shame that a lot of time is wasted in this way. Remember, Taiji is a very demanding art and the only way it has been given respect in the past is because of the work and dedication that former Masters have put into it. Nowadays, everyone wants to learn something quickly. Well, superficially this might appear to happen. We all make large strides in the beginning as we gather new parts of forms or learn pushing hands, etc. This should be seen as just having the basis of the art. It is over the years that it really starts to mean something. It must be very hard to practise for a long time and still feel that something isn't quite right or that there is an aspect missing. We all feel that we can improve but this is very different from being dissatisfied with what we are doing. If you have that feeling then you must question it and find a way to strengthen your practice. This might mean you have to look at other teachers and see how the art is taught by them and how far they may be able to take you. It isn't enough to hope that you are practising the right thing, you have to know that the teacher has ability and can pass on good Taiji. Even practising under a teacher of long experience isn't always a guarantee of success. Teaching is an art in itself and, perhaps, should be done by someone whose only interest is in Taiji itself. For me, there is now no greater pleasure than to just go and practise. It really is a matter of just doing it. Distilling things down to a point where everything is stripped away and all that is left is this beautiful art. This article first appeared in Issue 28, October/November 1996 edition of Qi Magazine, published by the Tse Qigong Centre, PO Box 116, Manchester M20 3YN, UK.