Breathe, Scan, and Relax

All styles of tai chi begin with wu ji posture. The details of the posture can vary slightly for different styles, but it should be there. It's important. Wu ji is not there just as a place to begin your forms. It has much more meaning.

The next time you are ready to practice your tai chi, take a moment to pause in wu ji. Take a deep breath or two. Let your mind scan your body, starting at the top. Look for any tense muscles. When you find them, visualize your breath moving to that area. Exhale at those points and feel the muscles completely relax.

Bring your mind back to where you were. Move on to the rest of your body and continue your scan. After scanning your entire body, bring your mind to your posture and make sure you are ready to begin. Take as long as you need to complete this, but it should go fairly quickly. This is not intended to be Standing Post practice. (If you are not sure what that means, you can read about it here.)

Breathe, scan, and relax. Now begin your practice with a calm mind and body.

© 2013 Eric Borreson