Tai Chi and Anger

[foster]

So have recently been getting into the internal side of things and was wondering what effects practicing the form has on anger and irritability. I'm a pretty explosive guy and certain triggers seem to set me off. Can regular Tai Chi practice help remedy this, or would I do best to stick the harder Shaolin-type forms? Seems counterintuitive because in that state of mind the last thing I want to do is be soft and relaxed. Also, which postures can be held as static qigong for the liver?

[mawali]

Taiji ha no effect on anger!
That being said, awareness, equity and solution all impact how anger is initially perceived and handled. Being angry is a normal raction, It is how you integrate it into your life and control it appropriately.

[GLW]

Let’s break this down a bit. The aspect of Taijiquan practice the ‘could’ affect anger in a negative way is how it has a Qi Gong energy building aspect.

In most people, the building of energy goes at a slower rate than the ability to let if flow and the opening of the channels. For them, no real issue.

However, if a person has naturally open channels or if they are practicing the internal aspect incorrectly or too quickly - forcing it unnaturally is the usual mode for this type of problem but there ARE Qi Gong methods that yield quick results – but also have much higher incidences of side effects….

So, with this type or person or training, the ability for the energy to flow is there and the ability to build it is coming quickly, but the adjustment to more energy is NOT there.

So, you now have a person who has a higher energy level and does not know how to use it. Well, two very easy methods of dealing with this are sex or anger…or both 

So, this is where you hear some stories about people practicing more and becoming more sexually active (or promiscuous as the case may be). But on the downside, you can also have a person who deals with the increase in energy by letting their anger explode outward more easily…Boom, energy is back to normal….and said person is also much more volatile …and tends to make long time friends uneasy due to their anger outbursts.

For such people, slowing it down, doing a bit less still practice and more movement practice (the energy rises up but the movement tends to balance it) is recommended.

[Skip J.]

Let’s break this down a bit. The aspect of Taijiquan practice the ‘could’ affect anger in a negative way is how it has a Qi Gong energy building aspect.

In most people, the building of energy goes at a slower rate than the ability to let if flow and the opening of the channels. For them, no real issue.

However, if a person has naturally open channels or if they are practicing the internal aspect incorrectly or too quickly - forcing it unnaturally is the usual mode for this type of problem but there ARE Qi Gong methods that yield quick results – but also have much higher incidences of side effects….

So, with this type or person or training, the ability for the energy to flow is there and the ability to build it is coming quickly, but the adjustment to more energy is NOT there.

So, you now have a person who has a higher energy level and does not know how to use it. Well, two very easy methods of dealing with this are sex or anger…or both 

So, this is where you hear some stories about people practicing more and becoming more sexually active (or promiscuous as the case may be). But on the downside, you can also have a person who deals with the increase in energy by letting their anger explode outward more easily…Boom, energy is back to normal….and said person is also much more volatile …and tends to make long time friends uneasy due to their anger outbursts.

For such people, slowing it down, doing a bit less still practice and more movement practice (the energy rises up but the movement tends to balance it) is recommended.

Hello GLW;

I have a bit of latent "volatility" that I use taiji movement to offset as best I can. I have been thinking about taking qi gong and meditation to help with the relaxation. I guess I'll need to watch the energy building aspect as you describe to keep it from sneaking up on me.

As always, thanks!

[GLW]

In qi gong methods, it is important to do a method that is a good fit for the person.

While just about everyone can do qi gong methods like Wang Ziping's 20 Postures for Health or 18 Liangong...these are primarily moving qi gong methods. The movement balances the increase in energy flow. The slow build up of the ability to empty the mind prevents the circulation from increasing faster than the channels can open up to accommodate it...so there are fewer instances of 'leakage' or side effects.

Still qi gong methods require more care. Since there is not much other than the person, their mind the possibility of side effects is greater. Also, if you have a person who is not naturally predisposed to stillness, beginning them with still qi gong would be unwise.

For example, if you had a person who was hyperactive, telling them to stand post or do sitting meditation would probably not work. This is not to say that they could not EVENTUALLY do it if started with other approaches...just that it is a bad place to start.

Similarly, still qi gong and anger - due to the solitary nature of the still practice - well, I am just saying that IF there is a a potential problem with anger, it will more than likely show up first in still methods as opposed to moving methods.

Overall, it is simpler to start a person with moving, move to combined still and moving qi gong, and then do still later.

Then comes the advanced part - going back to moving but maintaining the same calm as in still.

[Skip J.]

In qi gong methods, it is important to do a method that is a good fit for the person.

While just about everyone can do qi gong methods like Wang Ziping's 20 Postures for Health or 18 Liangong...these are primarily moving qi gong methods. The movement balances the increase in energy flow. The slow build up of the ability to empty the mind prevents the circulation from increasing faster than the channels can open up to accommodate it...so there are fewer instances of 'leakage' or side effects.

Still qi gong methods require more care. Since there is not much other than the person, their mind the possibility of side effects is greater. Also, if you have a person who is not naturally predisposed to stillness, beginning them with still qi gong would be unwise.

For example, if you had a person who was hyperactive, telling them to stand post or do sitting meditation would probably not work. This is not to say that they could not EVENTUALLY do it if started with other approaches...just that it is a bad place to start.

Similarly, still qi gong and anger - due to the solitary nature of the still practice - well, I am just saying that IF there is a a potential problem with anger, it will more than likely show up first in still methods as opposed to moving methods.

Overall, it is simpler to start a person with moving, move to combined still and moving qi gong, and then do still later.

Then comes the advanced part - going back to moving but maintaining the same calm as in still.

Excellent, just excellent!

Taiji practice has done well at anger management for me, but I am thinking of getting quieter as I go along. Your words here help a lot.

I have been thinking that taking a class with a good instructor would strike a middle balance; rather than try to pick it up from a book.

I am thinking that when my finances improve someday, I might take a regular meditation and qi gong class with Shi Yan Feng here in the neighborhood once or twice a week.

[GLW]

In regards to learning qi gong, I tend to advise people to find a good teacher and do it privately.

This is exactly the opposite of what I tell people to do in regards to Taijiquan or any other form of CMA.

For martial art training, group practice for beginners is best. It allows the student to get in shape, removes the pressure they might feel being the "only one" there. In regards to basics, as you do them, with many people in the class, you get a break after each technique waiting your turn...and so on.

Then I tell them, when they get beyond the basics stage, THEN do private lessons in addition to the group class.

For qi gong, however, the key is to practice. Same for meditation. Once you learn the approach in meditation, what is the purpose of a group class if you are doing it on your own? If you are truly meditating, the other people in the class disappear. You are the one that sinks into yourself and becomes empty of thought...so the group environment serves only to have a place, maybe camaraderie, on occasion, some small corrections.

For qi gong, it is similar. Once you learn the movements or postures, occasional time with the teacher for corrections is good, but group classes really serve no purpose (except that the teacher may like to do it all at one time).

For example, I can teach a person 13 Posture Taiji Qi Gong in a couple of hours. I then provide them pictures and descriptions of the postures....and they are off to practice on their own.

Of course, I could drown them in minutia that only practice will deal with anyway..but why? So, they go off and practice...then come back a bit later for review, being checked, questions...

They will develop and learn at their own pace...not mine or a classes'.

An example, in 13 Posture Taiji Qi Gong, there are 13 different postures with several movements in each posture. The movements are to be combined with breathing. Early on, I was practicing and my wife chose to join me. After about 15 minutes of her trying to do it all at my respiration rate, she almost passed out. You see, for me, at my relaxed qi gong level, I will be doing no more than 4 breaths per minute and usually it is something like 2 or 3...for 2 that is 15 seconds inhale, 15 seconds exhale. When she tried to do that and mix with MY movements that mixed with MY breathing, she had problems.

In a group class when I am doing corrections for qi gong, I do not practice. I lead people and tell them when to change to the next posture. If I practice, I can't see them. Also, when I practice, the other people disappear...so teaching or leading a class is not what I am about at that time. When leading a class, I will constantly be telling them to NOT go at the rate the others are - but at their own rate.... So, in a group class, you have many people doing basically the same thing...but all at different speeds and different points.

So, I would suggest that instead, do the private lessons for the method...go off and practice it, come back and ask questions and get correction in private instruction. You will spend less money but your practice time is totally geared at what YOU are working on and not on a group situation.

[Skip J.]

In regards to learning qi gong, I tend to advise people to find a good teacher and do it privately.

This is exactly the opposite of what I tell people to do in regards to Taijiquan or any other form of CMA.

For martial art training, group practice for beginners is best. It allows the student to get in shape, removes the pressure they might feel being the "only one" there. In regards to basics, as you do them, with many people in the class, you get a break after each technique waiting your turn...and so on.

Then I tell them, when they get beyond the basics stage, THEN do private lessons in addition to the group class.

For qi gong, however, the key is to practice. Same for meditation. Once you learn the approach in meditation, what is the purpose of a group class if you are doing it on your own? If you are truly meditating, the other people in the class disappear. You are the one that sinks into yourself and becomes empty of thought...so the group environment serves only to have a place, maybe camaraderie, on occasion, some small corrections.

For qi gong, it is similar. Once you learn the movements or postures, occasional time with the teacher for corrections is good, but group classes really serve no purpose (except that the teacher may like to do it all at one time).

For example, I can teach a person 13 Posture Taiji Qi Gong in a couple of hours. I then provide them pictures and descriptions of the postures....and they are off to practice on their own.

Of course, I could drown them in minutia that only practice will deal with anyway..but why? So, they go off and practice...then come back a bit later for review, being checked, questions...

They will develop and learn at their own pace...not mine or a classes'.

An example, in 13 Posture Taiji Qi Gong, there are 13 different postures with several movements in each posture. The movements are to be combined with breathing. Early on, I was practicing and my wife chose to join me. After about 15 minutes of her trying to do it all at my respiration rate, she almost passed out. You see, for me, at my relaxed qi gong level, I will be doing no more than 4 breaths per minute and usually it is something like 2 or 3...for 2 that is 15 seconds inhale, 15 seconds exhale. When she tried to do that and mix with MY movements that mixed with MY breathing, she had problems.

In a group class when I am doing corrections for qi gong, I do not practice. I lead people and tell them when to change to the next posture. If I practice, I can't see them. Also, when I practice, the other people disappear...so teaching or leading a class is not what I am about at that time. When leading a class, I will constantly be telling them to NOT go at the rate the others are - but at their own rate.... So, in a group class, you have many people doing basically the same thing...but all at different speeds and different points.

So, I would suggest that instead, do the private lessons for the method...go off and practice it, come back and ask questions and get correction in private instruction. You will spend less money but your practice time is totally geared at what YOU are working on and not on a group situation.

Hey GLW;

Thanks!

I'm pretty sure I would be the only one there tho..... But I mite be wrong about that. I hear you about the instruction and then going off on my own. However I believe he is structured around some movements each class and some meditation. I do expect that private lessons would be quite effective.

[taai gihk yahn]

For qi gong, it is similar. Once you learn the movements or postures, occasional time with the teacher for corrections is good, but group classes really serve no purpose (except that the teacher may like to do it all at one time).

true, but also bearing in mind that in the case of qigong (and taiji), the teacher, in effect, can be the medicine - meaning that practicing in the presence of the teacher, w/out a word exchanged - can be of benefit, if the teacher embodies the practice fully; similarly, a group class (which I attended for years when I "needed" to, but now just have no patience for, LOL) can also serve ones practice in a similar vein: 12 people in a room doing good qigong will result in effects that, in my highly subjective, non-verifiable experience, are much different than practicing alone - so, if the class is operating at that level, it's like a weekly (or so) "boost" to one's own personal work - also, having to adhere to the structure of the class balances the relative freedom of solo practice; but anyway...

[GLW]

I would have to differ. I have generally found that there is a lot of placebo involved in the "practice with a lot of people" approach.

I also do not want any part of my qi gong practice to have an element that I cannot do on my own. Any aspect I may get from a group or from a teacher is not reproducible when I practice on my own...so I prefer not to do that or to teach that approach.

Qi gong is about the journey...and for each person it is different...yet the same.

In my case, my teacher almost never practiced with me. He did so to teach me the postures. He would then check different techniques and principles. He would then wait for me to ask questions.

[SPJ]

So have recently been getting into the internal side of things and was wondering what effects practicing the form has on anger and irritability. I'm a pretty explosive guy and certain triggers seem to set me off. Can regular Tai Chi practice help remedy this, or would I do best to stick the harder Shaolin-type forms? Seems counterintuitive because in that state of mind the last thing I want to do is be soft and relaxed. Also, which postures can be held as static qigong for the liver?

If we know what makes us frustrated, upset, and furious?

we have to explore also what makes us happy, cheered, and joyous?

and then we will avoid the things that upset us.

we will create things or surround us with things that make us happy.

we have to find the balance or Tai Chi.

everything has 2 sides.

it is all in the perspective.

If we see the negative side, we have to also learn to know the positive side.

in the end

we will be in the middle.

that is the balance of things in life or the tai chi.

[David Jamieson]

If you are an angry and irritable person, you have to look for root cause and consciously make an effort to change that behaviour in yourself if you recognize it as detrimental to your overall well being.

tai chi will not effect the root cause although it may be a good maintenance tool for peace of mind as it does induce a peaceful flow in your own energies when practiced.

but get to the root first, address it, deal with it and then look for maintenance methods.

tai chi by itself is nothing more than an empty shape without meaning. The person playing tai chi gives it meaning and expression. If you do tai chi with angry intention it will manifest as crappy tai chi. lol

good luck!

[Skip J.]

I would have to differ. I have generally found that there is a lot of placebo involved in the "practice with a lot of people" approach.

I also do not want any part of my qi gong practice to have an element that I cannot do on my own. Any aspect I may get from a group or from a teacher is not reproducible when I practice on my own...so I prefer not to do that or to teach that approach.

Qi gong is about the journey...and for each person it is different...yet the same.

In my case, my teacher almost never practiced with me. He did so to teach me the postures. He would then check different techniques and principles. He would then wait for me to ask questions.

Ahhhh.. I understand.

Need to find me a quiet place around the house I guess, would have had to anyway pretty quick after starting.

Thanks!

[GLW]

David hit upon a basic tenet...

There are ALWAYS things out there that can make you angry or happy. If you look for a reason to be angry, upset, sad, whatever, you most assuredly will find one.

If, on the other hand, you look for reasons to be content, happy, etc..., you will also most assuredly find that as well.

This is not to imply that you should never get upset. Just that you should be the one who chooses how to feel and when....and be aware of the choice.

Much easier said than done.