The Five Family Styles of T'ai Chi Ch'uan, Part 2

Yang Luchan was born into a working-class farm family in Hebei Province, in the county of Yongnian in Northern China, and in his youth, he studied a northern long-fist style of martial arts called Erlan Chang Ch’uan. Yang Luchan’s family was poor; he helped his father planting in the fields and also found work doing odd jobs off the farm. He found a temporary job working in an apothecary owned by Chen De Hu of Chen Village. 

On one occasion, Yang witnessed a group of bandits attempt to rob the apothecary; they were easily subdued by Chen in what appeared to Luchan to be effortless power and control. Yang Luchan had never seen anything like this martial art and humbly approached Chen De Hu and asked if he would teach him. Sensing the youth’s sincerity and worthy character, Chen De Hu agreed. After a brief period, Chen De Hu arranged for Yang Luchan to gain employment as a servant in Chen Village, with the hope of learning from his teacher, Chen Chang Hsing. 

Yang made the long and arduous journey on foot to Chen Village. He was received by Chen Chang Hsing and welcomed into the compound. Over time, Yang was happy working for the Chen family, but very little instruction in Chen Family Tai Chi had accrued. Late one evening, Yang Luchan awoke to the sounds of shouting in the distant back courtyard. These were the shouts Heng! and Ha!—the sounds made when releasing martial power, called Fa Jing. Yang Luchan climbed a tree and looked into the rear courtyard and saw Chen Chang Hsing teaching his Chen family students T’ai Chi Ch’uan. Yang Luchan was delighted; from that day forward, he observed the training sessions every evening and practiced what he had seen until his skills improved. 

On one occasion, Yang Luchan was playing Push Hands with one of the younger Chen family members and suddenly released an explosive burst of energy using one of the techniques he had observed and practiced from the secret courtyard. This knockdown was witnessed by Chen Chang Hsing himself, who approached Yang Luchan and asked where he had learned this technique. Yang Luchan was forthright and honest and told the master how he had been learning Chen T’ai Chi. 

The Master then summoned one of the senior students to push hands with Yang Luchan; the senior’s attacks were neutralized and countered by Luchan, who repeatedly knocked the student down. Chen Chang Hsing realized the young man’s natural ability, cleverness, perseverance, and honesty and made him an inner-door disciple; over the next several years, he taught him the complete Chen Family T’ai Chi Ch’uan system. 

Yang Luchan returned home, where his arrival was anticipated by local boxers; he accepted many challenges and defeated all but one. This triggered a period of intense training and self-reflection and a return to Chen Village to improve his skill. Yang Luchan left and returned to Chen Village three times; he studied with Chen Chang Hsing for a total of 18 years. 

Yang Luchan’s legacy lives on through our studio.

Over time, Yang Luchan mastered the Chen Family T’ai Chi Ch’uan; his skill was pure and reached a high level. In his many bouts, he had always emerged victorious. Yang Luchan’s reputation grew, and he was invited to Beijing by a distant relative, Wu Lu Ching, to teach T’ai Chi Ch’uan. There he attracted students, accepted many challenges, and acquired the name “Yang the Invincible.” 

Wu Lu Ching was a government official of the Qing Dynasty Emperor, Tao Kuang. He introduced Luchan to people within the royal Qing government, and he taught them T’ai Chi Ch’uan. Through his fame and notoriety, he was invited by the emperor both to teach the royal family in the imperial court and to serve as the head martial arts instructor for the Royal Guard. He also brought his two sons to the palace to assist him. 

Over time, Yang Luchan began to slow his form down; he removed all the jumping, stamping, deep stances, tempo changes, and outward release of energy that were inherent in Chen style and began to retain and turn the energy inward. His postures held the structural integrity for fighting, but they became more relaxed. The emperor’s relatives and attendants began to benefit from these changes, as they had both a curative effect on the weak and sickly and a strengthening and energizing effect for all. 

He continued to give exhibitions and accept challenges; due to his soft neutralizing skill, his style became known as Mien Ch’uan or Cotton Fist. 

Although the Chen family has adopted the name T’ai Chi Ch’uan, and it has been used throughout this article for convenience, its use came to prominence with Yang Luchan. 

On one occasion, Yang Luchan defeated several skilled opponents in an exhibition. The philosopher scholar Ong Tong He was present and proclaimed that Yang’s fluid technique and integration of hard and soft was the embodiment of the philosophy of T’ai Chi—the Supreme Ultimate. He even penned a verse; an ode to the master: “Hands Holding T’ai Chi shakes the whole world, a chest containing ultimate skill defeats a gathering of heroes.” Yang’s art became known as T’ai Chi Ch’uan, Supreme Ultimate or Great Polarity Fist. All subsequent styles that emerged from Yang’s art were called T’ai Chi Ch’uan. 

Yang’s teacher, Chen Chang Hsing, distilled the seven forms of his ancestor Chen Wangting into two forms known as the First Routine and the Second Routine. Yang Luchan’s form was based on Chen’s first routine, formally known as Old Frame First Routine (Laojia Yi Lu). Yang Luchan’s form was known as Old Frame. 

The term “frame” refers to the bones of the body and the architectural shapes they make in a form. There are three frame types: large, medium, and small; this refers to the size of the movements in a form. Large-frame forms promote exercise, circulation, and health; small-frame forms are performed for martial applications; medium-frame forms integrate some aspects of large- and small-frame styles. 

The Descendants 

2nd Generation 

Yang Luchan had three sons: Yang Chi, the eldest, who died young and never learned T’ai Chi from his father; Pan Hou, the middle son; and Chien Hou, the youngest. Yang Luchan died in 1872; he transmitted all his knowledge to his two sons and a few disciples outside his family. 

Yang Pan Hou 

Yang Pan Hou (1837–1892) 

Yang Pan Hou developed a small-frame form with light, agile, and small movements, emphasizing martial techniques. He trained long and hard, acquiring all the skills transmitted to him. He followed his father to Beijing and defeated many prominent martial artists there, further expanding the Yang family reputation. His temperament was fierce, and he would often hurt his students in training; those that persevered became skillful practitioners, but they were few in number. 

Yang Chien Hou

Yang Chien Hou (1839–1917) 

Yang Chien Hou began training with his father at a young age. His father was very strict and overbearing, demanding that he train long and hard. Several times, he tried to run away, only to be brought back to his fate as the son of Yang Luchan. In time, he embraced T’ai Chi and became a highly skilled master of the art, learning from both his father and his brother. He had great-empty hand skills and also a mastery of weapons. 

He had a soft temperament as well as a gift for teaching, so he was a great asset to his father teaching in Beijing, and he had many students of his own. 

He and Ban Hou worked to revise their father’s system; Chien Hou specialized in medium-frame T’ai Chi. Chien Hou’s listening and neutralizing skills became legendary. He allegedly was able to place a sparrow in the palm of his hand, and, sensing when the bird pushed down through its feet in order to take flight, Chien Hou would yield and neutralize that action, preventing the bird from flying away. 

Yang Chien Hou had a premonition of his own death and called his family and students together for a farewell and final conversations with them. He bathed and dressed himself in his finest garments and breathed his final breath with a smile upon his face. 

Yang Chien Hou had three sons: Shao Hou, the eldest; Shao Ching, the second, who died young; and Cheng Fu, the youngest. 

3rd Generation 

Yang Shao Hou

Yang Shao Hou (1862–1930) 

Yang Shao Hou began studying T’ai Chi Ch’uan at the age of six with his father, his uncle, and also his grandfather. He mastered the middle frame taught by his father and the small frame taught by his uncle; later in life, he developed his own small-frame style called “small circle” that mixed high and low postures with slow and sudden postures and emphasized fighting applications. Reserved for only his inner-door students, the form is little known today. He favored his uncle Pan Hou’s approach to T’ai Chi, and his temperament was similar to his uncle’s, as he rarely pulled his punches when working with his students. His skills were of a high level; his lineage of students was modest. 

Yang Cheng Fu

Yang Cheng Fu (1883–1936) 

Yang Cheng Fu had little interest in T’ai Chi as a youth and didn’t begin training with his father until his teens. He favored his father’s medium-frame style of T’ai Chi over his uncle’s small frame and shared his temperament. He smoothed out, rounded, and softened the form he learned from his father, eventually expanding it to a large-frame form. He emphasized keeping the form slow, soft, flexible, even, and coordinated with the mind. He and his brother brought T’ai Chi to the public by teaching at the Beijing Physical Culture Research Institute. Cheng Fu taught there from 1914–1928. 

Yang Cheng Fu was large in stature, and his skills at Push Hands (Tui Shao) were unequaled. With small, subtle movements, he led opponents to be off balance then suddenly released energy, causing them to fly through the air and fall to the ground. His arms were described as “iron bars wrapped in cotton.” 

Yang Cheng Fu left Beijing in 1928 and went south to teach T’ai Chi Ch’uan in five cities, including Nanjing, where he became the head coach at Central Martial Arts Academy. He dictated the book The Art of T’ai Chi Ch’uan to his disciple Chen Wei Ming. In 1930, he moved to Shanghai and began teaching and also published the book The Complete Principle and Theory of T’ai Chi Ch’uan. Over time, he shifted his practice from the martial to slow and continuous movements without breaks for health. 

His travels throughout China took their toll on his health, as poor sanitation of the water and environment caused him to become ill; Cheng Fu died in 1936 at the age of 53. He promoted T’ai Chi openly to the public and cultivated his disciples to become masters in their own right, such as Tung Ying Chieh, Chen Wei Ming, Fu Changwen, and Cheng Man-Ch’ing. They, in turn, spread Yang Family T’ai Chi Ch’uan throughout the world. 

Yang Cheng Fu had three sons: Chen Ji, Chen Duo, and Chen Guo, all of whom practiced and taught T’ai Chi Ch’uan. Yang Chen Duo was the successor, who passed the art on to his grandson, Yang Jun. 

T.T. Liang and the Yang Family T’ai Chi Ch’uan 

T.T. Liang at his home in St. Cloud, 1984, with students: Dan Polsfus (L), Paul Abdella (C), Jairo (R)

Professor Cheng Man-Ching, a disciple of Yang Cheng Fu, came to the United States in 1963 to give the first official demonstrations of T’ai Chi Ch’uan in America at the United Nations. He was accompanied and assisted by his disciple, T.T. Liang. Together, they had an enormous influence over the spread of T’ai Chi in North America, especially in the U.S. 

Master Liang is most closely associated with Professor Cheng but in fact has lineage connections to all members of the second and third generations of the Yang family (see the T’ai Chi lineage chart). 

In addition, he studied Hsing-I, Pa Kua, Praying Mantis Kung Fu, Shaolin Chin Na, and Taoist meditation with prominent teachers in Taiwan. 

At Twin Cities T’ai Chi, our form is primarily derived from Yang Chien Hou’s medium-frame sequence and his son Yang Cheng Fu’s slow, relaxed, even postures. Yet all streams of influence from the other Yang family lines were integrated by Master Liang into his system of T’ai Chi Ch’uan. 

2025 Summer Social

At our annual Summer Social, held August 9, old friends and new gathered for social time, great food, prize drawings, and an informal demonstration of the T’ai Chi Solo Form and weapons.

Why Study T’ai Chi Weapons?

Photo by Dan Polsfuss

T’ai Chi Ch’uan is a complete martial art and system of movement that encompasses solo practice, partner practices, and solo and two-person weapons practices. The T’ai Chi Solo Form is the crown jewel of the practice. It integrates martial movement and principles with the mindfulness of meditation and the breathing and slowness of Qigong. The T’ai Chi Solo Form produces a wide range of health benefits, from improving balance and reducing stress to increasing blood oxygen levels.

However, the Solo Form by itself does not provide upper-body development and strength training. T’ai Chi weapons are used to supplement this deficiency as well as to enhance many of the attributes developed in the Solo Form, such as balance; eye, hand, and foot coordination; mental focus and memory; and the development and projection of energy and power through the weapon. In its history as a martial art, T’ai Chi adapted both traditional military weapons (sword, broadsword, spear) and weapons that were commonly used by civilians (staff, cane, fan). Double sword, double broadsword, and two- and three-section staff were also taught in some schools. 

Around 300 AD, gunpowder was invented in China. It was used in fireworks displays for celebrations and ceremonies initially, but over the next several hundred years, military uses were discovered and developed, at first in primitive cannons and blasting materials and eventually in firearms. As gunpowder left China and traveled to the Middle East and Europe, more sophisticated weaponry utilizing gunpowder and other explosive materials eventually replaced human-powered weapons. 

T’ai Chi Ch’uan’s use of traditional weapons was initially connected to its martial origins and was used as an extension of the empty-hand techniques. A weapon’s shape, weight, length, and material dictated how it was used and connected to the body. This is still true in contemporary usage, as each weapon develops certain projections of energy based on how it is used. Think of a simple hammer or an axe to see clearly how the tool becomes an extension of the hand and a channel for the body’s energy. 

The practice of weapons brings T’ai Chi principles into a new context, and the body must adapt accordingly. In addition, many of the weapons have two-person practices that develop one’s sensitivity and timing in working with a partner. T’ai Chi weapons are also a lot of fun to practice.

The Five Family Styles of T'ai Chi Ch'uan

T’ai Chi is the product of many streams of Chinese thought and practices that are derived from its long and rich history. Over time, these streams converged to birth the art known as T’ai Chi Ch’uan. From its origins, this system of principles and practices evolved into five family styles of T’ai Chi Ch’uan, each with its own unique flavor, yet anchored in a canon of common essential elements that bind them together as Nei Chia Ch’uan, or internal martial arts. The following is a brief introduction to the Five Family Styles and the key innovators in each clan that helped the art evolve and grow into the worldwide practice that it is today.

The Antecedents

Huangdi

 Huangdi, the Yellow Emperor, early Taoist

One of the great antecedents of Chinese martial arts is Huangdi, who is known as the Yellow Emperor. He is said to be the ancestor of all Chinese and the initiator of Chinese culture. Huangdi reigned for one hundred years from 2697–2597 BCE. He is credited with formulating many of the early precepts of Taoism; the foundations of Chinese medicine as laid out in his “Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon”; the first characters of Chinese writing called Bone Script; and new methods of hunting and farming. He designed carts, boats, musical instruments, and clothing. And he developed early Chinese astronomy; a calendar; the first code of laws; and military arts, strategy, and weapons, among other accomplishments.

Huangdi was seen as a master of longevity techniques and also a practitioner of Taoyin, a form of exercise in which movements of the body combine with breathing to guide the circulation of blood to cleanse and repair the body. The Yellow Emperor’s influence on martial arts and all aspects of Chinese thought and culture is profound and far reaching.

Lao Tzu

A Taoist sage of the sixth century BCE, Lao Tzu authored the philosophical text known as the Tao Te Ching (Classic of the Way and Its Virtue). The Tao Te Ching illuminated in writing the fundamental tenets of Taoism that were adopted into T’ai Chi Ch’uan such as the theory of yin, a sinking and contracting force; yang, a rising and expanding force; and yuan, a neutral force:

“Tao gives life to the one
The one gives life to the two
Two gives life to the three
The three give life to ten thousand things
All beings support yin and embrace yang
and the interplay of these two forces fills the universe;
Yet only at the still point,
between the breathing in and the breathing out,
can one capture these two in perfect harmony.” 

—Tao Te Ching

“T’ai Chi (Supreme Polarity) springs from Wu Chi (the Limitless). It is the source of motion and tranquility and the mother of Yin and Yang.
In motion they separate; in tranquility they fuse into one.”

—T’ai Chi Ch’uan Classics

Or the concept of softness overcoming hardness:

“Under heaven nothing is more soft and yielding than water.
Yet for attacking the solid and strong, nothing is better;
It has no equal.
The weak can overcome the strong;
The supple can overcome the stiff.
Under heaven everyone knows this,
Yet no one puts it into practice.” 

—Tao Te Ching

“From the most flexible and yielding you will arrive at the most inflexible and unyielding. If you can breathe correctly, your body will become active and alert.”

—T’ai Chi Ch’uan Classics

Other shared precepts abound; Lao Tzu’s ideas penetrate into the marrow of T’ai Chi Ch’uan’s philosophical center.

Sun Tzu

Sun Tzu was a Chinese general and military strategist; he is said to have lived from 544–496 BC. He is the author of The Art of War, an influential work of military strategy that has shaped Chinese philosophy and military thinking; more recently, it has also been influential in the West both in the military and in business. In China, Sun Tzu is revered as a legendary philosopher, scholar, and military figure. His ideas on martial tactics and strategy have also influenced those of T’ai Chi Ch’uan:

“Move not unless you see an advantage; use not your troops unless there is something to be gained; fight not unless the position is critical.” 

—The Art of War

“If your opponent does not move, you do not move. At his slightest stir, you have already anticipated it and moved beforehand. 

—T’ai Chi Classics

“Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.”

—The Art of War

“The energy appears relaxed and slackened but is in reality powerful and firmly rooted.” 

—T’ai Chi Classics

“Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”

—The Art of War

“In resting, be as still as a mountain peak; in moving, act like the current of a great river.” 

—T’ai Chi Classics

Tamo and the Shaolin Temple

Tamo (Bodhidharma) was a Buddhist monk who lived during the fifth century. He traveled from India to China and is credited with transmitting Chan Buddhism there. He came to the Shaolin Temple in Henan Province to assist the monks in translating Buddhist texts from Sanskrit to Chinese.

Tamo observed that the monks were not in good physical condition. They lacked the mental and physical stamina to perform their fundamental Buddhist practices. He began teaching the monks exercises designed to build strength and flexibility, develop mental clarity, and circulate Qi. The exercises were the 18 Luohan Hands or 18 Techniques of the Enlightened Ones, a reference to disciples of the Buddha. This sequence was the germ that developed into Shaolin Martial Arts, a formidable fighting system of empty-hand and weapons training with which warrior monks defended the temple against bandits, and on occasion engaged in battles in military conflicts. This integration of Chan Buddhism and a codified and distinctly Chinese martial art became the parent style of most Chinese martial arts over the 1,500 years of the temple’s history. Most of the origin stories of T’ai Chi Ch’uan involve a practitioner of Shaolin-based martial arts modifying their practice to Nei Chia Ch’uan/Internal fighting methods.

In the Beginning

Cheng San-feng

The origins of T’ai Chi Ch’uan begin with the legend of Chang San-feng. Chang was a wandering Taoist who cultivated in the Wudang Mountains during the Song Dynasty (12th century). However, there is not consensus among scholars about when he actually lived and, for some, whether he existed at all. Cheng, a proficient Shaolin-style martial artist, had a moment of inspiration by witnessing a battle between a snake and a bird in which circularity and evasive movements triumphed over brute-force attacks. Cheng San-feng then created a Nei Chia Ch’uan sequence of movements based on the universal principle of T’ai Chi—yang within yin and yin within yang—that formed the foundation of T’ai Chi Ch’uan. 

There are no definitive lineages from Cheng San-feng, but the famed Taoist and T’ai Chi master Wang Chung Yueh is said to have been among Cheng’s direct descendants. Wang is reputed to have authored the T’ai Chi Treatise, part of the canon of writings known as the T’ai Chi Classics, as well as having taught Chen Wangting, founder of Chen Family T’ai Chi Ch’uan, although the Chen family does not recognize this connection.

Chang San-feng has become an iconic figure in Chinese martial arts history and, for many, the recognized founder of T’ai Chi Ch’uan.

The Chen Family T’ai Chi Ch’uan

Chen Bu

Chen Bu is the historical patriarch of the Chen family; he was a formidable martial artist in the Shaolin tradition. Chen Bu lived in a time of war as the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368) fell to the emerging Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). The country was in a state of chaos, and the people lived in poverty and fear. The new emperor ordered a forced migration to sparsely populated areas ravaged by the war; Chen Bu and his family were forced to relocate. He settled in an area often raided by bandits. He organized the well-trained members of his family and others from their small village to raid the bandits’ den and successfully defeated them, bringing peace to the region. 

This solidified Chen Bu’s reputation as a skillful martial artist, and he established a martial arts school that attracted people to the village and increased his clan over time until most of the people there were named Chen. Chen Bu’s great contribution was to establish a school and location in Wenshan County, Henan Province, and a lineage for Chen T’ai Chi to emerge; but that wouldn’t happen for nine generations.

Chen Wangting, 9th Generation

Chen Wangting was a garrison commander and government official toward the end of the Ming dynasty (1644); he was also the founder of Chen Family T’ai Chi and, many historians say, the creator of T’ai Chi Ch’uan. But few things are created in isolation, and Chen Family T’ai Chi is no exception.

Chen was influenced by General Chi Chikuang’s military text on strategy and martial arts, the New Book of Effective Techniques: Canon of Boxing; he based part of his T’ai Chi routines on 32 techniques in the manual. Chen also borrowed from Taoyin (leading and guiding energy) and Tu-na (expel and collect energy) for breath and energy work. Yin–yang theory was also prominent as a way to conceal hardness within softness and harmonize opposing elements until they reach a state of balance; other Taoist theories of consciousness directing movement were also integrated. From these elements, he created five shorter T’ai Chi forms and two longer ones: the Long Fist, consisting of 108 postures, and the Cannon Fist, consisting of 71.

A component that was unique to these seven sets was Silk Reeling, an energetic practice that added a spiral force to the movements that mimicked the movement of a silkworm weaving its cocoon. To these empty-hand forms, he added weapons (sword, broadsword, staff, spear) and Pushing-Hands practices.

Chen Wangting’s system underwent subtle changes over the next five generations as firearms were introduced on the battlefield and hand-to-hand martial arts were diminished for military use; longevity and health concerns started to become more prominent. However, the protection of family, clan, and community remained vital, and the system put forth by Chen Wangting remained a closely guarded secret taught only to Chen family members

Chen Chang Hsing, 14th Generation

Chen Chang Hsing is an important figure in the Chen Family lineage for two significant contributions. First, he synthesized the seven routines of Chen Wangting into two forms. Notably, he removed many of the more physically demanding gymnastic movements from the forms. Of the five shorter forms, he combined the first three and then combined the fourth and fifth sets with the Cannon Fist form. They are known as the First Routine and the Second Routine. Most of the T’ai Chi forms of subsequent family styles are derived from the First Routine.

Chen Chang Hsing’s second contribution is that he was the first to teach the Chen-style T’ai Chi to someone outside of the Chen family. That outsider was named Yang Luchan. Yang Luchan would become one of the most significant figures in T’ai Chi Ch’uan history. His story will continue in Part 2 of this article in the next issue of Wudang.

“The society that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and it's fighting by fools.”

—Thucydides (c. 460–c. 400 BC)

The Yang-Style Long Form Isn’t as Long as You Think

At Twin Cities T’ai Chi, we teach the Yang family long form as passed down by Yang Cheng Fu and taught to me by T.T. Liang. By design, there are many repetitions of postures to stimulate Qi flow and train the nervous system and muscle memory that will perfect the movement mechanics of each posture and the deeper internal aspects of the form. This repetition of movements creates a higher posture count that intimidates some prospective students and sends them running toward shorter forms.

Twin Cities T’ai Chi Instructor Stephen May has tallied some surprising statistics about the long form that get students to realize the form is not quite as long as they thought. —Paul       

First Section Fun Facts by Stephen May

There are 150 postures in the Yang-style long form we teach. The whole form is divided into three sections, with 12 to 15 new postures in each section. Because everything in the first section is new, the prospect of the whole form may seem a bit daunting. But you may be surprised to learn how much of it repeats in later sections. Some of them even occur in fixed sequences: Ward Off Right is always followed by Roll Back, which is always followed by Press, which is always followed by Push, which is always followed by Single Whip.

So let’s see how the first-section postures add up with those later repeats.

Posture learned     Repetitions           Total postures

Preparation*            1 time                    1

Beginning*                    1 time                    2

Ward Off Left               3 times                  5

Ward Off Right             6 times                   11

Roll Back                       8 times                  19

Press                             8 times                  27

Push                              8 times                 35

Single Whip                   8 times                 43

Lift Hands                      3 times                 46

Shoulder                        3 times                 49

White Crane                  3 times                  52

Brush Knee                    9 times                 61

Play Guitar*                    2 times                63

Chop With Fist               3 times                66

Parry & Punch                6 times                72

Withdraw & Push           3 times                75

Cross Hands                   3 times                 78

*These are the only postures that do not repeat in later sections. There are also two variants for Brush Knee and two variants to Single Whip, each done twice, effectively bringing the total postures learned to 84.

By the time you have learned the first section, you have actually learned just over half of the entire form. When these postures are secure, you will find that they will serve as breathing spaces between the new postures in the later sections. So relax and take your time. You’re making excellent progress!

A Sharper Mind: T’ai Chi Can Improve Cognitive Function

Up until about two decades ago, it was believed that your brain only produced new cells early in life. But research has shown that the brain has the ability to change throughout your entire life span, growing new cells, making new connections, and even increasing in size.

In a meta-analysis of 20 studies on T’ai Chi and cognition, T’ai Chi appears to improve executive function—the ability to multitask, manage time, and make decisions—in people without any cognitive decline. In those with mild cognitive impairment, T’ai Chi slowed the progression to dementia more than other types of exercise and improved their cognitive function in a comparable fashion to other types of exercise or cognitive training.

In one study, researchers had nearly 400 Chinese men and women with some cognitive impairment perform either T’ai Chi or a stretching and toning program three times a week. After a year, the T’ai Chi group showed greater improvements, and only 2% of that group progressed to dementia, while 11% from the traditional exercise group did.

In another study, T’ai Chi outperformed walking. Following 40 weeks of either T’ai Chi, walking, social interaction, or no intervention, researchers compared MRI images and discovered that brain volume increased the most in the T’ai Chi group. In addition, that group also performed better on cognitive tests.

You’ve probably heard that traditional Chinese exercises like T’ai Chi and Qigong are good for you. They’re slow, graceful, and kind of meditative, sure, but maybe you’ve wondered if they really do anything beyond helping you feel a little calmer or more flexible. Turns out something is happening deep under the hood.

A new meta-analysis in the Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness pulled together data from 11 randomized controlled trials and found that traditional Chinese exercises (TCEs for short) significantly increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in middle-aged and older adults. Why does that matter? Because BDNF is like Miracle-Gro for your brain. It helps grow new neurons, repair old ones, and keep your cognitive functions sharp as you age.

BDNF is closely linked to learning, memory, and neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to change and adapt through experience.

Low levels of BDNF have been associated with Alzheimer’s, depression, and cognitive decline. So the fact that something as low impact and accessible as T’ai Chi can help boost it? That’s kind of major.

The Trifecta for Brain Health

Traditional Chinese exercises like T’ai Chi and Qigong integrate breathing, intentional movement, and mental focus. This trifecta seems to activate the body’s parasympathetic nervous system (the “rest and restore” mode) while subtly challenging balance, coordination, and attention. The result is a kind of moving mindfulness that appears to shift brain chemistry in your favor.

What makes this study especially compelling is the population: healthy adults over 45. So we’re not just talking about people recovering from illness or already in cognitive decline—this is about prevention and optimization in the prime of life.

This isn’t the first time TCEs have shown promising brain benefits. Other studies have linked T’ai Chi to:

1. Improved Working Memory and Executive Function:

• A meta-analysis of 20 studies indicated that T’ai Chi enhances executive function—which includes abilities like multitasking, time management, and decision-making—in individuals without cognitive decline.

2. Reduced Inflammation Markers Impacting Brain Health:

Research suggests that T’ai Chi can improve cognitive functions and alleviate symptoms of mild cognitive impairment by modulating inflammation factors.

3. Better Sleep, Supporting BDNF Production and Memory Consolidation:

• Regular exercise, including practices like T’ai Chi, can indirectly boost memory and thinking skills by improving mood and sleep and by reducing stress and anxiety.

Even the Mayo Clinic has called T’ai Chi “meditation in motion,” noting its role in reducing stress and improving mood.

Learning the Tai Chi Solo form

The complete system of T’ai Chi Ch’uan encompasses solo and partner practices, weapons practices, philosophy, and meditation. The root and center of the system, however, is the T’ai Chi Solo Form. 

People begin learning T’ai Chi for a variety of reasons, such as improved balance and circulation, the experience of deep relaxation, concentration and memory, and other markers of good health. In addition, there is a rapidly growing body of scientific evidence supporting the health benefits associated with T’ai Chi that attract people to begin learning and develop a practice. 

In order to maximize the potential benefits inherent in the T’ai Chi Solo Form, it is important to have a systematic and graduated approach to learning it. Understanding the different facets of the form and when and how to integrate them into your practice will make the form a vibrant and unlimited resource for health, self-empowerment, and moving meditation. 

There are three primary categories or stages in learning the Solo Form, each with an associated internal quality to be focused on and mastered. They are (1) Relaxation, Posture, and Sequence, (2) Rhythm and Harmony, and (3) Breath and Energy. A brief look at each of these facets of the form will serve as a guide to learn and master the solo form. 

Relaxation, Posture, and Sequence 

In a typical first T’ai Chi class, a student will begin learning some of the movements that resemble those in the fluid, dance-like sequence they have seen performed by masters and students of the practice. They may be surprised to learn the long, continuous sequence of movements is comprised of many smaller individual movements called postures that are distinguished from each other by unique, often poetic names such as White Crane Spreads Its Wings, Needle at the Sea Bottom, and Bend the Bow Shoot the Tiger. Postures are learned and then linked together to create a form. 

The arrangement of postures in the form is called a sequence, which includes natural break points in the form called sections. The form taught at Twin Cities T’ai Chi is the Yang-style long form, which contains three sections. Each of these sections has been divided into smaller groups of postures to make the form easier to learn. Learning any of the postures in the form requires understanding three components:

Learning any of the postures in the form requires understanding three components: 

1. Footwork—knowing where the feet begin and end in a posture and how to transition smoothly with the feet from start to finish. 2 These beginning and ending points are called stances. 

2. Movement mechanics—how the whole body moves in relation to the feet, the ground, and the force of gravity. 

3. Shapes and measurements—the shapes formed by the arms throughout the posture and their height, distance, and angles from the torso. 

In addition, knowing the name of each posture gives them an identity and helps a student remember the posture and the larger form sequence. There is an energy quality that should be focused on in this phase of learning the form, and that is relaxation. Becoming aware of excess tension in the body and letting go of it requires repetition and practice of the postures. Deep relaxation while moving through the sequence of postures, even a limited sequence, begins to produce a feeling of calm that diminishes the effects of stress in the body by releasing blockages and opening the energy channels.

Rhythm and Harmony 

Each of the postures contains a fixed number of movements that can be counted numerically to help one learn the posture and develop continuity. When the posture can be performed smoothly, an inherent rhythm and harmony emerges that adheres to the phrase “start together; stop together.” This unity and harmony in a posture is called Zheng Ti Jing in Chinese, or “whole-body power,” in which maximum efficiency is achieved in a flow of movement and timing, and the whole body is integrated into every individual part. This deepens the feeling of relaxation in the body and also connects the bones together through the joints in a kinetic chain that roots to the ground through the feet, increasing balance and stability. 

From this unity of the body comes a mind– body unity that goes beyond the concentration required to know what comes next, as in the posture and sequence phase of the form, to an imagined resistance as if you were doing the form in a medium denser than air such as water. This imagined resistance builds toward the direction of completion in the posture. This is known as “swimming in air.” Forms from the past were long to sustain this body– mind harmony as long as possible. Today’s T’ai Chi forms are short to accommodate the collective erosion of our ability to pay attention mentally and physically for long periods. We are not too busy to learn a long form as much as we’re too distracted. 

Breath and Energy 

The T’ai Chi classics say, “The qi should be stimulated; the spirit of vitality should be retained internally.” To the Chinese, qi is the primal energy that underlies all existence. It is everywhere in everything. The most commonly written Chinese character for qi simply means air or breath. In T’ai Chi practice, the body and breath work slowly, softly, smoothly, and silently together to increase blood oxygen saturation levels. Oxygen diffusion in the tissues increases and is felt as a warm and pleasant tingling in the extremities. 

Excess tension in the body or mind will make the breath shallow and erratic. Movements that are relaxed and unified allow the breath to be natural, deep, and continuous. 

Our bioelectromagnetic energy becomes stimulated through the rhythmic repetition of the postures, and it begins to move the cerebrospinal fluid along the spine and in the brain as well as moving the lymph to help remove toxins. The crystalline structure of the bones, when stressed, converts the mechanical energy of the form into electric current, which promotes bone growth and repair. 

The regular and correct practice of T’ai Chi builds up the physical body, the body’s bioelectric energy body, and relaxes and settles the mind into lower brainwave frequencies that reduce stress and release our positive brain chemicals. 

Each of the stages of mastering the form is challenging but ultimately rewarding. New learning requires repetition. Having a map to follow makes the path clear and lets the journey of mastery be fulfilling, one Solo Form at a time.

Wandering Through China

We humans communicate through signs—the written and spoken word, gestures and images, etc.—that relay information that helps us navigate through life. The use of symbols in art, myth, religion, and ritual reflects an inner psychological and spiritual world that moves beyond the rational mind. 

I’ve traveled in China to the places of origin of some of the meditation and martial arts practices that I have learned over the years. Each has its own symbolic treasures that reflect that practice and culture and some of our shared human experience. Here are a few places and their associated symbols I encountered there.

Red ribbons tied to trees, rails, fences, and other objects can symbolize good fortune, but they are most commonly offered as prayers for the health and safety of family and loved ones. A photo from an arduous climb up Hua Shan (Flower Mountain) shows a common display of such offerings. Ribbons are purchased in the village at the base of the mountain, and for a few yuan more, a small padlock may be added, symbolically ensuring one’s prayer will endure. 

The martial art Liu Ho Pa Fa Ch’uan, which I learned from Grandmaster Wai-lun Choi, originated on Mount Hua. 

The 12 Animals 

The ancients were captivated by the motions of the stars and planets as well as by the cycles and seasons on earth and their relation to each other. Each of the 12 animals represents a single year in a 12-year cycle, with each animal symbolizing idealized attributes of our human potential combined with a symbolic element of the earth. 

The photo, taken at White Cloud Daoist Temple in Beijing, shows a carving of each animal and a single image of the snake, smiling in its ability to transform and change by shedding its skin. This is the year of the wood element, representing springtime, new growth, and rebirth—a particularly potent combination when paired with the snake in this cycle.

Seal Script 

This was one of the earliest forms of writing in China and was common around 500 bc. The characters were symbolic ideograms that evolved into modern Chinese characters. 

The photo of a long wall at Hangu Pass in Henan Province, China, leads to the place where Lao Tsu wrote the classic philosophical work the Tao Te Ching. The entire Tao Te Ching is carved into the wall in ancient Seal Script. 

Fruit and Flowers 

Fruit is abundant at street markets and always present on altars, as shown here, in the Eight Immortals Temple in Xian. Most commonly seen are apples, thought to bring peace and harmony, and peaches, symbols of longevity and immortality. Flowers represent beauty, creation, and the manifestation of energy moving outward from the center. 

Cranes

Cranes are symbols of wisdom, longevity, immortality, and the Dao. The yin and yang cranes carved into a wall at Golden Heaven Temple (on the top of the South Peak on Mount Hua) represent opposites that cannot be separated in the continual flow of movement and energy

New year’s celebrations are rife with symbols for renewal and hope for the year ahead. Cultivating a practice creates consistency; consistency is about being adaptable; being adaptable allows one to change; by being able to change, you become aligned with the always-changing world. When the date changes, you’ve already changed with it.

Creating a Home Practice

New year’s celebrations are rife with symbols for renewal and hope for the year ahead. Cultivating a practice creates consistency; consistency is about being adaptable; being adaptable allows one to change; by being able to change, you become aligned with the always-changing world. When the date changes, you’ve already changed with it.

Stretching warm-ups: Perform each for 1 minute for a total of 5 minutes. 1. 2 arms coiling forward—with breathing 2. Spinal cord breathing 3. Spinal wave 4. Spinal twist 5. Willow Tree Bends in the Wind (both directions) Balance warm-ups: Perform each for 1 minute for a total of 4 minutes. 1. Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg 2. Sweep With the Knee (or Foot) 3. Bend the Bow Shoot the Tiger 4. Separate the Foot Qigong: Practice number 1, 2, or 3 as a single practice for 5 minutes; or 1, 2, and 3 together as a set for 1 minute each; or 4 as its own set for 5 minutes. 1. Ocean Breathing 2. Gathering Heaven and Earth 3. Deep Earth Pulsing 4. The T’ai Chi Qigong sequence: • Crane Breathing • Energy Sphere: rolling side to side • Energy Sphere: rise—expand; sink— contract • White Crane Spreads Its Wings

T’ai Chi Solo Form 1. Grasp the Sparrow’s Tail in Four Directions (right side only or right and left sides) 2. T’ai Chi 5 Elements Form: (1) Beginning, (2) Cloud Hands, (3) Diagonal Flying, (4) Golden Rooster, (5) Push (with Qi ball). Repeat Beginning Posture to close the form. 3. First section only; second section only; third section only 4. The whole form. It takes 15 to 20 minutes to perform the T’ai Chi Long Form—not long when we consider daily screen time on our phones, binge-watch-ng a television series, or indulging in other distractions. The above list features short practices that take 3, 5, 10, or 20 minutes to do. Taking these short movement and energy breaks throughout the day will perfect the practices and make them easy to do and just might get you in the mood for a longer practice at home. These are just a few possibilities. Be creative and flexible, and design your own routines. You’ll be inspired and motivated to elevate your mood and season your day with energizing movement.