The --- qi of Taijiquan reaches the four tips of the exercises

1. General Theory

　　Taijiquan is one of the "three inner fists" derived from Wudang martial arts. Since it is called internal boxing, it is necessary to practice internal strength, and Chen Wangting, a Taijiquan master in the Ming Dynasty, wrote in his general song "Four Tips": "Ran beat from the inside and the outside, and the qi is from the body and the ends." Qi is used, and if it is not in the body, it is void and not real, and if it is not in the tip, it is real and still empty. He also said, "With four feet and self-sufficiency, how can there be any more falsehood but not reality, and the disadvantage of being real but still false?" It can be seen that the four ends of the practitioner's qi can better promote sufficient internal qi. It can also be seen that it is important to cultivate the foundation of qi and blood, but it is even more important to make the four tips (referring to the tips of the limbs, that is, the ten fingers and ten toes) qi and feet. In fact, the two complement each other, and once you have practiced to the end of your limbs, you can naturally launch external qi outward and use it for technical attacks. It is said that Taijiquan master Yang Luchan's internal strength is extremely high, "can hit people outside the zhang". To practice the Qi attainment Four Poles Exercises, you must first practice the introductory kung fu of tranquility and concentration. Only by being mentally concentrated and not restless can the qi sink into the dantian and not run around in the body. Tranquility can go far, and tranquility can lead to seclusion. The breath is in and out, if it survives or dies, at this time, the spirit and qi depend on each other for the "true breath". The static pole must be vivid, and the body will naturally produce a flow of heat or sour numbness or erection. "Relaxation" and "stillness" promote each other, and if the practice function truly achieves stillness, the whole body will naturally loosen; If you are truly relaxed, you will be calm and peaceful.

　　In order to better achieve the state of relaxation and tranquility, it is necessary to work breathing, and it is required to learn the "reverse abdominal breathing method". After long-term hard exercise, the bottom breathing mark of the abdomen is lengthened (but this is not deliberately pursued in a short period of time, it is naturally formed when practicing to a certain extent). Compared with ordinary breathing, reverse abdominal breathing is easy to form a wide chest and a solid abdomen, so it stores qi for a longer time and travels longer (that is, the lung capacity is larger). Leng Qian, a Qigong health practitioner in the Ming Dynasty, said in "The Essence of Cultivating Age-Sixteen Characters of Longevity", "As soon as you breathe in, you will lift it, and when you mention it, you will swallow it, and you will see each other with water and fire", which is the highest state of practicing qigong and convincing qi (Note: Water and fire meet, the term is called "Kan Li intersects", which is the intersection of the heart and kidney qi). Li Yishe, a famous Tai Chi master of the Qing Dynasty, mentioned "Qi Convergence" in the "Five Character Formula" and said: "If the momentum is scattered, there is no subtlety, and the body is easy to be scattered." Make sure that the qi gathers the spine, the breath is clear, and the whole body is reckless. Suction is a combination, a storage; Breathe for open, for hair. If you suck it, you can naturally afford it, and you can also take it for others; If you exhale, you will naturally sink down, and you will let people out. This is to use luck, not strength. These teachings can be used to guide the practice of this skill.

　　2. Exercises

　　The family Taijiquan --- "Qi Da Four Tips Exercises" is now introduced as follows for the reference and study of martial artists:

　　(1) Sitting on the wrist with both hands forward and pushing the palm: take the standing position, the feet are parallel to each other, the same width as the shoulders, and the hands alternately raise the arms to sit forward and push the palms. When the left hand sits forward and pushes the palm (palm forward and fingertips up), the right hand slashes back; When the right hand sits forward and pushes the palm, the left hand slashes back; It is arc-shaped when the palm is drawn. To push the palm forward, sit on the wrist and stretch the fingers, and press the palm forward slightly convex when the palm is close to the end (you can't do it when you start practicing, you can only think of "pressing the palm forward", and wait until the kung fu deepens.) There will be a clear feeling), the five fingers are upward, and when it is tilted to a certain extent, it will produce a sense of strength that runs through the whole body. The movements should be even, slow and relaxed, especially the shoulders and elbows should be round, and the wrists should be heavy, but not stiff. 16 times each of the left and right palm pushes (it can be increased to 32 times after half a year). Grasp the toes of both feet and "convex press" in sync with the palms of your hands forward. When the fingers are relaxed, the palm of the hand is slightly convex. When the palm of the hand is released, the fingers will tremble naturally, so that the qi will reach the fingertips and penetrate the whole body. After one year of practice, sufficient internal qi can trigger external qi.

　　(2) Left and right open arms according to the palm and fingers hooked toes: still take the standing position, the two arms are raised flat to the left and right, the palms are up, the ten fingers are relaxed, the soles of the feet are close to the ground, the ten toes are gripping the ground, the eyes are looking forward level, and the tongue is against the palate. When the toes of both feet are hooked upward, the ten fingers of both hands are cocked downward; When the palms of the hands are slightly convex upwards, the palms of the feet are slightly convex downwards. The movements should be slow, the fingers and toes should be sharpened, and the relaxation should be done after doing it. After 32 hand and foot movements, the hands are still raised flat on both sides, the ten toes of the feet are flat, the fingers and toes should be relaxed, and let the spontaneous tremor for half a minute (or longer). Qi Shen Dantian, when practicing to a certain program, from the hands to the arms to the shoulders, from the feet to the legs, there will be a flow of heat (or inductance) generated. At this time, the breathing is natural, the head and neck are straight, the nose is facing the umbilicus, the spine is centered, the mind is calm, let it be natural, and do not reluctantly pursue any feeling (such as hands and feet will not tremble, let alone pretend to tremble, you should listen to its nature. It comes naturally).

　　(3) Sit with both hands up and push the palms: still take the standing position, put the hands on the sides of the body and hang down naturally, the armpits are free with two fingers, the palms are inward (attached to the side of the legs), and then the hands are raised to the chest, the ten fingers are opposite, as if holding a basketball and slowly holding it up. When supporting the flat shoulders, turn the wrist to hold up the palm up, the ten fingers are facing back, the palm is up, the finger is sitting on the wrist, slowly lifting up, and the palm is gradually slightly convex upward. At the same time, the ten toes of both feet are upturned, and the center of the foot is slightly convex downward. When both hands are held to the extreme, pause for a few seconds. Then lead the fingertips of the two hands to turn the wrist and turn the palm, so that the palms of the hands are facing down and arc to both sides to naturally put down, and let the ten fingers tremble naturally in the process of release. At this time, the special emphasis is on the centering of the spine, and the body should not lean forward and backward during the movement (otherwise it will hinder the flow of internal qi). Repeat 16 reps (up to 32 reps after half a year). When lifting and lowering the palms, the speed should be even, and the breathing should be natural. Slowly raise your head as you lift your palms, focus on your palms, lower your hands, and then return to your eyes at forward level.

(4) Tai Chi opening and closing style (closing gong): standing in the original style, both hands take turns to make up and down yin and yang hand changes, up but not the nose, down but not the umbilicus. When the palm of the hand is downward, it gathers the external qi of the palm slightly in the direction of the dantian. When the left hand rises and the right hand descends, the left foot is weak and the right foot is solid; Vice versa. During the exercise, the palms of the hands are slightly convex and the palms of the feet should also be alternated (i.e., the left palm is slightly convex corresponds to the right side of the foot is slightly convex). The yin and yang hands are changed 8 times on the left and right. After finishing the exercise, stand with your eyes closed for a while (about 30 seconds), and return to the dantian (in fact, qi returns to the dantian).

　　This exercise only introduces the above four forms, but once you become proficient, you can apply this principle and run through it in Taijiquan. In this way, what is practiced is not ordinary Taijiquan, but Qigong Taijiquan. As long as you study and practice hard, after three years, it will be effective in practicing boxing, using boxing, and strengthening the body, dispelling illness, and prolonging life.

Practice time: Generally speaking, it is best to take the four hours of the day "when the Qi is born" (i.e., Zi, Yin, Mao, and noon [11 p.m. to 1 p.m.]); Due to the limited conditions, it is also possible to practice once in the morning and once in the evening.