The Dan'tien - Your Center To The T'ai Chi Universe

[Nexus]

As we progress in t'ai chi chuan we find more and more then significane of the lower dan'tien in generating our movement, refining our movement and issuing power. It also is the key to internalizing t'ai chi on an energetic and spiritual level!

Would anyone have stories to share, breakthrough, discoveries or inspirational thoughts regarding their experiences with dan'tien movement, meditation, t'ai chi (or internal art) and their own processes of internalizing their internal art?

Post!

- Nexus

[shaolinboxer]

My, how happy I am that you should make this request. Please excuse me for being boring or rude, but I would like to mention an experience I had last night.

When I began training in aikido, about a year and a half ago, a fellow named Jaimie began at about the same time and the two of us became a bit competative. We discussed this, and after many training sessions we became better training partners and (at least from my end) there is no longer any competition between us. Jaimie has been taking time off from training to help build our new dojo space, and last night we were able to train together for the first time in months.

We were practicing a technique (katate-tori-ryote-mochi, udemawashi irimi...which translates to the attacker (uke) grabbing the other guy by both wrists (as if to neutralize his weapons and enable an attack) and the defender (nage) leading him down and off balance, following him back up as he tries to regain himself and throwing him by laying an arm across his chest and striking him the solar plexus.

Anyway, to make a short story long Jamie and I are working togther and he says, "ok, i'm really gonna resist you this time lets see what you got". Jamie outweighs me by about 65 lbs of muscle (he's a climber and does contruction), and he knows how the technique works well enough to break my technique if I screw it up.

So he bears down and I go for it. I get him to come into my space and start to come up and he really puts the brakes on....I felt pain in both shoulders and my center began to slip. I relaxed my entire body as much as I could, tried to feel what was actually going on instead of trying to do the throw, and suddenly I knew just where he was weakest. The throw completed itself with Jamie actually colliding his ribs into my knee as he fell...he was trying so hard to stop me he forgot to take a safe fall.

Injured and panting, he smiled and said he wouldn't try that again, to which I responeded he must, and that I am very grateful for his help. I feel very sorry that he sustained an injury.

That, I believe, was the first time in all of my efforts thus far that I have actually done a bit of aikido.

[dfedorko@mindspring.com]

I'm so glad you asked that questin my friend. I have had many an experience with the way my dan tien rotates and where the chi flows. Recently, I have been working on Dr. Lam's Tai Chi for Arthritis form. I will be attending his seminar this year. It is a warrior turned healer thing. Anyway, when I began this form, almost immediately, the dan tien and chi are moving. It was like once the body is in wuji stance it knows what to expect. This form was more of a qigong moving exercise than a Tai Chi form.

One last thing I would like to comment on is when I perform WeiQi 18/Qigong 18. Again, the dan tien rolls and the chi flows but when I perform bouncing the ball (17), I can feel a connection with the ground. Can I be mad?? I had to do it again to be sure and it happened again. Thanks Nexus. This is a good questions and I hope to see many responses.

xiaotiema