“The fundamental distinction between us and our closest (primate) relatives is not our language, not our culture, not our technology…it is that we stand upright with our lower limbs for support and locomotion and our upper limbs free from those functions.”

Richard E. Leakey, paleontologist

A Brief Survey of Bipedalism

The advent of human bipedalism, that is, walking upright on two feet, has dramatically transformed life on earth. According to paleontologists, the story began about eight million years ago during Miocene age. Africa was covered in dense jungle in which a variety of apes and monkeys thrived. They were superbly adapted to life in the trees high above the jungle floor. About six million years ago a global cooling occurred and the earth grew much drier and colder. Much of dense forests of Africa were replaced by woodlands and open savannah plains. Most of the ape species became extinct but a few began to adapt to the new environment. In order to gather food these apelike creatures had to cover large areas on the ground. Walking on two legs was their unique way of adapting to the disappearing jungle. One such species was the common ancestor of human beings and apes.

About three and a half million years ago a volcano located in what is now Tanzania erupted and spewed a gritty ash on the ground. Then it rained and the ash turned to cement, recording the steps of all the creatures that walked across it that day. Two of the tracks came from a hominid species that walked upright.1 Paleontologists know this because bipedalism requires a unique set of anatomical features in the structure of the foot. Unlike the chimp’s big toe, which is set back and used for climbing, the human big toe is lined up with the other toes and helps to maintain balance and to propel the body forward. The cement from the volcano’s hardened ash preserved this new structural adaptation of the big toe of the two hominids who strolled across the African plain that day.

Bipedalism changed the course of history on earth. Once hominids began to walk upright, they could do much more with their hands and fingers. They could make tools and forge weapons. Around one and a half million years ago Homo Erectus appeared. He was a much larger creature, more like modern human beings, than the earlier hominids and he had a larger brain. Paleontologists believe that this new larger body was needed to support a larger head and brain. The fact that Homo Erectus was a carnivore was a major factor in his growth and he most likely employed weapons to hunt animals for their meat. This meant that he had to walk for long periods of time and to chase down his prey. With Homo Erectus bipedalsim reached new heights of efficiency and practicality and eventually led the modern human species equipped with a complex brain that could think, feel and create. In brief this is the story of the creation of human beings according to modern science.

Bipedalism and the Structure of Modern Human Anatomy

Human beings and African apes can both walk bipedally. However, they do this in very different ways and for different purposes. Chimpanzees usually walk on the knuckles to support their top heavy bodies, which are heavily muscled for climbing trees. Sometimes they stand and walk upright but usually in episodes of ‘display’ when they want to appear larger or when carrying something.

Human beings are built to walk upright without the support of their arms and therefore required a very different physical architecture from other bipedal animals. When humans walk, the entire body weight shifts from one foot to the other. During normal walking both feet are touching the ground only about 25% of the time. This means that we are often balancing the body’s weight on one foot. Under these circumstances, in order to maintain balance, the upper body must remain stable over the pelvis.

For human beings to walk upright comfortably and efficiently, they must do three things to maintain balance:

1) Develop strong and stable legs to support the weight of the body.

2) Position the weight of the upper body over the pelvis.

3) Keep the head positioned over the mid-line of the body.

In order to fulfill these requirements certain crucial adaptations occurred. As mentioned earlier, the human foot has a big toe that is lined up with the other four toes. The big toe functions to maintain balance and to propel the body forward, unlike the big toe of chimpanzee.2 The human foot has two arches. The transverse arch distributes the body weight over the sole of the foot during standing and walking. The longitudinal arch (heels to toes) distributes the body weight, absorbs shock and pushes the weight forward.

The human heel is four times the size of a gorilla’s heel and twice the size of a chimpanzee’s. This might seem surprising, given the enormous size and weight of a gorilla. However, it points to the fact that gorillas are knuckle-walkers and do not cover much area in their habitat because they live in jungles and are herbivores. Humans, on the other hand, often walked long distances in search of game, which required a large padded heel to absorb shock and provide stability.

The human knee is structurally very different from a chimpanzee’s knee. A chimp requires a mobile rotating knee for climbing. The human knee is far more stable to provide support for the weight of a human being when standing or walking. The top of the tibia and the bottom of the femur is flatter than a monkey’s knee. This provides stability by reducing the knee’s rotation.

The human femur, the largest bone in the body, is angled inward so that the weight of the body is supported at the mid-line. The human femur is long and thus increases the length of stride for more efficient walking.

The Iliac blades of the human pelvis are rotated inward to support the internal organs while humans are upright. These blades are twisted so that the gluteal muscles of the buttocks can balance the torso when the walker stands on one foot by pulling against gravity.

The human spine has several curves to maintain balance. The lumbar curve positions the body over the pelvis. Because apes do not have a lumbar curve, their weight pulls them forward. This is why they need to support themselves with their arms.

In humans the hole, through which the spine exits the skull, is located beneath the skull to balance the head over the mid-line and to hold it upright. In apes and most other animals this hole is angled backward.

Human beings have clearly evolved to be the most efficient bipedal animal on the planet. Walking upright changed both our bodies and our minds. One thing led to another. An amazing array of complex factors came together over a tremendous period of time. We walked, which freed up our hands to make tools. This led to weapons and hunting. We became meat eaters. Our bodies become larger and could support larger brains. We developed complex societies, which led to speech, writing and culture. We became aware of ourselves, our life and our death.

Taiji and the perfection of Bipedalism

Bipedalism created a unique architecture in the human body that, when used correctly, provides an efficient mode of locomotion. However, many things can go wrong. In fact it could be argued that human bipedalism has its share of structural drawbacks. My dog is an excellent example of the advantages of walking on four legs. Compared to him, I am more like a two-legged table ready to fall. He is more stable than I am. He can run faster than I can. I can recall him falling only once. When he was a puppy, he tipped over while learning how to urinate by lifting his leg.

Falls are common among the young and the old and so are broken bones. There are other problems with being bipedal. Due to the contractive pressure of gravity on the upright spine, back pain is a common malady of human beings. As people grow older, the legs weaken and are less able to support an upright body. This is a major reason why older people fall frequently and falls for them are life-threatening. Birth defects, such as scoliosis, can create structural problems that leads to pain.

Many problems are man-made. Modern humans have become more sedentary as a direct result of the brain evolving faster than the body. Because of our intelligence arising in part out from being bipedal, we have developed amazing technologies. We sit for long periods, doing paper work, watching television or working at computers. We allow our bodies to slump, which places the spine in unnatural positions and goes against the way we evolved. Back pain is one of the most common and dangerous maladies of modern man. We do not exercise enough and when we do, we often focus on cardio-vascular programs, neglecting the structure and needs of a body that was made to function in the upright position. Most people have little idea of how they walk or sit. Bad habits are developed and reinforced and become ‘natural,’ only because they ‘feel’ natural.

On the other end of the spectrum star athletes are paid large sums of money to perform feats of athleticism that push their bodies to the limit and beyond. What happens to their knees is a good example of poor usage. Over the years Michael Jordan’s knees had incurred so much punishment that he had to ice them for an hour after every game. Knee and shoulder surgery is common among athletes. Many suffer permanent damage and live in pain for the rest of their lives.

Taiji provides a method to understand and improve the way we stand and walk in the world. It can maximize our usage of the bipedal body through body awareness in combination with the focused mind. In other words Taiji is a way for the mind and body to work together to achieve optimum health within the imperfect parameters of our continuing evolutionary saga.

Contraction and Expansion

The bipedal body does not stand in a vacuum. All things existing on the earth’s surface, organic and inorganic, are subject to the laws of gravity. These laws have profound implications for the wellbeing of human beings. Sir Isaac Newton’s Laws of Gravity, later modified by Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, explain why people and things on earth do not fly off into space without some kind of propulsion. Simply stated, the force (gravity) between two objects depends on the masses of the objects and that the bigger object will produce the stronger the force.

Human beings are drawn to the earth because both have mass and are naturally attracted to each other by the force of gravity. Because the earth has more mass, we are pulled into its orbit. However, according to Newton, the earth is also moving toward us, although imperceptibly.

In contrast to being pulled down by gravity, we are also governed by the law of vertical expansion. The process of expanding is initiated from the instant the egg is fertilized by the sperm. Within a few months after birth the child begins to crawl. Later it stands and eventually becomes bipedal by perfecting the ability to walk upright on two legs.

Expansion and contraction describes the trajectory of ours lives. After the expansion of birth, youth and middle-age human beings reach a peak, a prime of life. Then the process of contraction begins, eventually leading to death. As our life force ebbs, we are pulled down by gravity until we are laid in our graves.

In a Taiji workshop Benjamin Pang Jeng Lo, then in his sixties, discussed this process. He said that people reach their peak around forty and then begin to slide downhill. He demonstrated this by making an arc with his hand. He said that you can go downhill fast and his hand dropped down steep trajectory or you can take care of yourself by practicing Taiji and decline slowly over many years. His hand then moved in a gradual arc downward.

All things will eventually deteriorate and collapse, whether it be the Acropolis or Angkor Wat. This is true of people and buildings alike. If there is a flaw in the structural design or an injury to the structure, the problem will quickly grow more acute. To stand the test of time, human beings must maintain themselves as best they can, compensate for physical defects and cope with whatever curves life throws at them.

Human beings stand in the midst of a paradox. Two contradictory invisible forces demand our constant attention; gravity that pulls us down and the life force that commands us to expand (grow) up. To ignore them is to place our health in peril. Taiji is one method with which we can utilize these two competing forces for our benefit. Taiji can ameliorate the disadvantages of being upright while optimizing the human design so that bipedalism becomes a blessing and not a curse.

How Taiji educates the Bipedal Body

There is a natural balance vertical line that runs through and optimizes the upright bipedal body structure. When we become aware of that vertical line and learn how to embody it through Taiji, we can use our bodies and gravity to our advantage. If we fail to use that line, we can still remain upright, particularly when we are young. However, we will cause enormous stress on the muscles, vertebrae and bones. This stress will eventually be the source of pain and cause the body to collapse.

From the very first Taiji movement called, ‘Preparation Posture,’ it is possible to find the vertical balance line of the body and then strive to maintain it throughout the Taiji sequence.

Preparation Posture begins with the body standing upright in a relaxed way. The heels are touching and the feet form a comfortable ‘V’ shape. The weight is evenly divided on the soles of the feet. This is a meditative posture, a preparation for what is to come.

The Taiji player inhales and exhales deeply while focusing on his upright body. He imagines a line running vertically through the center of his body. He should seek the vertical position where his body is not leaning in any direction. His head should be positioned over his spine as if lifted toward heaven with a string while his spine sits comfortably on the cradle of his pelvis and his pelvis is supported by strength of his legs. In Taiji this is a kind of stillness and fusion of body parts is called, Wuji, and occurs before the separation of weight. In the Preparation Posture it is important to find this vertical balance line before the separation of weight into Taiji because once the weight separates, maintaining this line becomes a more difficult challenge.

Then the player sinks his weight into the right leg and steps out shoulder width with the left leg, the left foot pointing straight ahead (no longer a ‘V’ to the corner). Immediately the player is challenged to maintain his balance point. Most beginners will lean to the right. Then he shifts the weight to the left leg while simultaneously turning the waist to the right front corner. Once again he may compromise the balance point. With the weight on the left leg, he turns the waist to the center while rotating on the heel of the right foot so it will be parallel with the left foot pointing straight ahead. He shifts the weight to center, so it is equally balanced on both legs.

The Preparation Posture is one of the least complicated movements in Taiji and yet most students will lose their vertical balance point with the shifting of weight. This posture can be used as an exercise to find the vertical balance point and to learn how to keep it while shifting weight. Once learned, this knowledge can be applied to everyday life, how we stand and how we walk.

A Deep Root and Strong Legs for Support

A deep root and strong legs are necessary prerequisites for maintaining the vertical balance line of the bipedal body and of course for walking. The legs are the pillars that support the upright skeletal structure. The Taiji Classics state that ‘the motion (moving forward or backward) should be rooted in the feet.’4 Commenting on this, Professor Zhengmanqing wrote that the Taiji player must root his foot ‘into’ the ground. This is not a metaphor, he explained: ‘When a boxer roots his foot in the ground, there is of course no material root, but the effect of rooting is nonetheless real.’5 The Professor identified this process as ‘dropping to the earth and taking root.’6

‘Taking root’ is accomplished in the following way. In the Yang Taiji form the entire weight shifts to one leg or the other, except in the 70/30 posture. My teacher, Ben Lo, often reminded us: ‘you only have one leg.’ For Ben Lo and his teacher Zhengmanqing, 100% did not mean 99.99%. Students were taught to separate weight and to sink all of it on one leg. This method of separating weight develops a solid root and drives it deep into the ground. Simultaneously the entire leg -- muscles, bones, sinews, knees and ankles – becomes strong like steel.

How does one know when he reached 100% in one leg and the other is empty. The answer seems obvious. If he can lift the empty leg off the ground, the weight on the other leg is 100%. However, the ‘checking’ of weight is more complicated. When the Taiji player checks the weight in the empty leg, his upright body must maintain the vertical balance line. It is quite easy to lift the empty leg when leaning the torso forwards or backwards. In other words the vertical balance line must be maintained despite the difficulty of holding the weight on one leg. In addition the leg should not be jerked up or slammed to the floor like a rock. With practice checking weight should be performed with effortless effort and later without any effort at all.

Practically speaking, there are three levels of weight separation. The first level involves an active decision of the player’s mind to initiate the leg’s upward movement through the muscles. The player simply decides to lift the leg and follows through on the decision. The second level requires a combination of muscles and mind focus. The player concentrates on sinking deeply into the full leg (100%) so that the empty leg feels as though it is rising on its own. The third level occurs when the empty leg actually rises on its own without the use of mind or muscles according to the principle of yin and yang. The latter method is a very high level of weight separation because there is no decision or concentration on the leg. When the yang leg is full, the empty yin leg will be so light that it will rise on its own accord like a feather in the wind.

Another method of developing a strong root is to hold postures and count the time spent with all the weight on one leg. Then shift to 70/30 posture and count again. Begin slowly and increase the time with each passing week. Also the player can do only part of the form in this way and later increase the number of postures.

The Taiji method of checking weight has practical implications for bipedal walking. As mentioned earlier, when we walk, both feet are on the ground together only about 25% of the time. This means that our body weight is resting mainly on one leg or the other. With the stress of shifting weight people will often people will lean to release the pressure on their legs and thus lose the balance point. This causes the back or stomach muscles to pick up the slack, which places an unnecessary and unnatural strain on them. There is a reason why the legs contain the strongest muscles in the body. They are our pillars that support the body’s upper structure. Checking can both strengthen our legs and teach us how to keep the vertical balance line when walking for exercise, hiking or taking a leisurely stroll to the corner store for groceries.

The Human Foot

Most people have never considered the way in which they walk. Walking is something we do naturally until disease or an accident compels us to relearn how we walk to prevent falls. I was not aware of how we walked until I began studying Taiji.

Taiji can teach us how to step properly. The rule in Taiji is that when stepping forward, first step on the heel and then roll the weight onto the sole of the foot. When I learned this rule, I did not know that this is in fact the natural way we walk. As mentioned earlier, the human heel is four times larger than a gorilla’s heel. This adaptation was necessary because when we walk, the first part of the foot to step down is the heel. It requires the padding to absorb the shock and the size to provide stability.

Stepping on the heel is crucial to prevent falls. If someone shuffles his feet or steps first on the ball or toes, he will trip and likely fall if there is an obstacle in the way like a rock or an uneven sidewalk. By stepping first on the heel, as he rolls the foot forward, he will feel the obstacle on the bottom of his foot and be able to adjust while still maintaining his balance.

In the Taiji form, once the heel touches, then the weight is gradually transferred by the longitudinal arch (heel to toes) to the front ball pads and the toes. At this point the weight should then be evenly distributed across the heel, pads and toes. If the weight is not distributed evenly on the bottom of the foot, the root will be unstable and the legs will not be able to provide optimum support. The same principle holds true in standing or walking.

Paleontologists date the rise of bipedal locomotion in hominoids with the appearance of the alignment of the big toe with the other four toes. The human big toe helps to balance the foot by creating a forward base for the foot and thereby helps to make walking upright a successful endeavor.

Interestingly, in Chinese medicine and reflexology, the big toe is connected to neck and head. Various acupuncture points related to mouth, eyes and headaches, to name a few, are located in the big toe. Given the relationship of the big toe to human bipedalism, this is not surprising.

In the Taiji form there are many places where the foot is resting on the ball and the toes. When this occurs it is important to focus on the big toe so that the foot remains straight and not tilted to outer edge. At these points it is helpful to concentrate on the big toe and the body’s upright alignment in conjunction with the vertical balance line.

The Way Taiji Utilizes Gravity

The Taiji player is constantly sinking into his legs when he separates weight. The more he sinks without causing injury, the stronger his leg will become. Here is where Taiji utilizes the downward pull of gravity to great advantage. By sinking into gravity he must simultaneously resist it. This is called, ‘weight-bearing,’ and it builds strong bones.

At the same time he maintains the vertical balance line as if his head and spine are gently being lifted by a string toward heaven. The legs are being strengthened while the spine is being lengthened, which allows for better communication between brain and body. A compressed spinal column, like a kink in a garden hose, will constrain the flow of energy and information, not to mention the pain it can cause. Here we see how Taiji uses the contractive pull of gravity and the expansive force of life for our benefit. I believe that this is a unique adaptation of human bipedalism.

Bones, muscles, joints and sinews must work together to form a unified structural pillar to support the bipedal body. These varied parts of the whole are composed of different materials that have different functions and strengths. Stone and concrete have the strength to withstand weight compression from above and therefore are utilized as pillars. While effective in supporting buildings stone pillars are vulnerable when tension (as opposed to compression) is applied. The precise pressure on the ends or middle of a stone will cause it to break. Martial artists often demonstrate this principle when they break bricks or boards. In contrast a guitar string can withstand great tension but will collapse when compressed with weight.

The bones in our legs are like stone in that they can withstand the compression of our body weight pressing down. This compression is particularly strong when we place all of the weight on one leg. By the same token, like stone, our bones are vulnerable to tension on the ends or a blow to the center. On the other hand, the soft tissue like muscles and sinews were made to accept tension and exert force. We move our limbs through the contraction and expansion of the muscles. However, the soft tissue can withstand little compression and would make for a weak pillar.

At the same time, there is a huge difference between stone and bone. You have probably seen the bones of a dead animal and therefore imagine bone as something dead like bleached-white calcium deposits. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Inside the body bones are made of proteins and are alive. They need to be fed a rich diet of calcium in order to grow. But this is only part of the picture. Bones grow and become stronger by placing weight on them.

Some years ago when a person fractured a bone in his leg doctors put it in a cast and the patient was told not to walk on the injured leg until it healed. Then medical science discovered that putting weight on a leg causes the bones to grow and to heal faster. Today doctors prefer an air cast and they encourage the patient to walk on the leg, if possible. Moreover, bones can become brittle from a lack of exercise. They need to be the focal point for working muscles that are expanding and contracting. This is why people suffering from the bone loss of osteoporosis are told to engage in weight-bearing exercises such as Taiji, dance or weightlifting.

The benefits of ‘taking root’ and ‘you only have one leg’ cannot be stressed enough because they are crucial for our health. Inside the outer hardness of bones is a material called, ‘bone marrow.’ Bone marrow is a special, spongy, fatty tissue that houses stem cells, located inside a few large bones like the femur and the pelvis. Most of the smaller bones in the body do not contain bone marrow. These stem cells transform themselves into white and red blood cells and platelets and are essential for the immune system and circulation. Many, if not most, diseases occur because of a weakening or a breakdown of the immune system. Put simply, taking root in Taiji also stimulates the growth of bone marrow. This is how Taiji improves health by strengthening the immune system and thus prevents disease. From a health perspective this is the one of the most important ways in which Taiji works in harmony with the structural adaptation of the human bipedalism.

Taiji weight-bearing also protects the soft tissue of the legs while strengthening them. When sinking weight into the legs, the Taiji player will eventually feel the unmistakable strain of muscles being pushed to their limits. To grow stronger, but not necessarily larger, the muscles need to be challenged. The warning signs are burning or pain in the muscles, particularly the thigh. Most intelligent people will relieve the pressure by standing up or shifting the weight to the other leg. However, it is best to shift the weight to the other leg in order to maintain the root.

Another advantage of Taiji weight-bearing is that the muscles will get stronger without becoming bulky and slow in response time. The reason for this is that the mind is engaged in relaxing the leg muscles despite the tension being applied. The leg muscles are known as ‘skeletal muscles’ and are used to facilitate movement by applying force to bones and joints via contraction. They are arranged in opposition so that as one group of muscles contract, another group relaxes or expands. In Taiji even though the one group contracts and is experiencing tension, the player strives to keep them as relaxed as possible. The Taiji player strives to create muscles that are not hard like the static pillars of a weightlifter’s legs. A Taiji muscle is not a block of granite but a responsive lever allowing energy to flow freely through them.

Taiji and the Bipedal Mind

At beginning of this essay Robert Leakey emphasized the ‘fundamental’ difference between human beings and other primates was our unique bipedal form of locomotion that freed up our hands and arms. Paleontologists believe that this adaptation set in motion an evolutionary process leading to the increase in brain size and high level of intelligence of modern human beings. While we are not the fastest or the strongest animal, we are certainly the most successful in propagating our species. Undoubtedly this growth can be traced to our brain’s multi-faceted capabilities. We have a conscious awareness of ourselves, of a past and a future. We can think logically and instinctually. We succeeded, some would argue too well, because human beings can think strategically and we have the ability to adapt our strategy to the vagaries of circumstance.

The founders of Taijiquan were well aware of the importance of human intelligence with regard to martial arts, health and the relationship to an efficient functioning body. In the Taiji Classics, writings on Taiji by its founders, it was stated: ‘The i (mind) and ch’i (breath) are the king, and the bones and muscles are the court.’7 They also suggested that knowledge was more important than brute strength or the exuberance of youth. Again in the Classics it is written: ‘The spectacle of an old person defeating a group of young people, how can it be due to swiftness.’8 They understood that human beings were not successful against other animals or other human beings because of superior strength. While strength was valued, they believed that the quality of one’s strength and how it was more important.

Unlike other forms of exercise, if the mind is not deeply engaged in Taiji movement, then the player is not doing Taiji. It is that simple. He is exercising, moving, dancing but it is not Taiji. Earlier we saw the way in which the engaged mind can influence Taiji movement in the Preparation Posture. The mind provided feedback so that the player could find and maintain the vertical balance line.

There are other places in the Taiji form where the mind has a more difficult and complex role to play. In Taiji the arms and hands are a reflection of what is occurring with the legs and waist. When people, who are not familiar with Taiji, witness someone doing the form, they notice the graceful movement of the hands and arms. In contrast, an experienced Taiji player will study the waist and the legs to assess the quality of the player’s Taiji.

In the movement called, ‘Waving Hands like Clouds,’ for example, the player steps to the left with his left foot while the right hand passes downward on the outside of the left hand as the left rises up. Then, as he shifts the weight to the left foot, he turns the waist from the right front corner to the left front corner. The hands pass in front of the body, gradually turning, until he holds the ball on the left side of the body.

I want to focus on the left hand. It has changed position from being down and palm facing up on the right side of the body to being up and palm facing down on the left side. In this example, what is important is the connection between the turning waist, the shifting weight and the rotating movement of the left hand. Like a star in obit around its sun, the left hand is moving in perfect unison with the weight and waist because the mind is directing the action. Mind focus is the difference that makes a difference.

This connection can be taken to an even deeper level. As the waist turns, the upper body spirals into the left hip joint and this spiraling is what turns the left hand and arm over to where the palm is facing down on the left side of the body.

This deep sense of body/mind unity teaches three important points. First of all, while the body is made up of many parts, it is important that we understand that it is also one unit. Most people may know this intellectually while not having the slightest idea what it means. Taiji teaches this truth experientially and causes the player to ‘embody’ this important principle. Once we develop a holistic view of our body, that each part is interconnected, we can begin to understand that it is difficult, if not impossible, for any one part to stand alone. If one organ is not functioning well, it will affect the system as a whole. This idea goes beyond the individual. The earth, like our bodies, is an eco-system. If we harm the biosphere, we can see changes in the environment, the warming of the oceans and the lost of coral reefs.

Secondly, when the mind and body learn or do something together, a new pattern is activated in the brain. This is called, ‘motor imagery.’ Taiji is a method of teaching the body and mind how to grow together. Scientists once believed that after a certain age the brain begins to deteriorate. Recent research suggests that the brain, like a muscle, requires exercise and can continue growing well into old age.9 The old adage, use it or lose it, also applies to the brain. Taiji is one way to keep the brain and body healthy at the same time and is equally valuable for the young and the old.

Thirdly, the mind/body connection of Taiji may throw light on the mystery of the human brain’s evolutionary growth. For early bipedal human beings Taiji’s process of mind ruling the body may have worked in reverse. The changes of the bipedalism influenced the development of the brain. As the tasks of bipedal hominids grew more complex with the freeing up of the arms and hands, the brain was challenged and new patterns were created, which in turn cause the brain to grow in size and ability, a case of motor imagery.

Summary

With most modern human beings the emphasis on brain power, active and passive, has come to dominate the body. Taiji offers us a method to redress this imbalance with the idea of mind/body unity through stillness and movement. Intelligent usage requires that we understand both the laws of nature and the way we have evolved and adapted to new environments as bipedal beings.

To learn Taiji properly the student must apply his or her mind to understand how the body works according to physical laws of nature. Once these principles are understood and embodied, whether one chooses Taiji for health and/or for self-defense, the student will be able to use the body in a more practical, healthy and efficient way. The essence of Taiji is learning to respond appropriately to changing circumstances. When we go against the laws of nature such as gravity, we are headed for trouble. Laozi put it this way:

Man follows the earth.

Earth follows heaven.

Heaven follows the Dao.

Dao follows what is natural. 10

That which goes against Dao

Comes to an early end. 11

Footnotes

1. A hominid is a primate belonging to a family of which the modern human being is the only species still in existence.

2. The chimpanzee is our closest primate relative with regards to DNA. Our DNA’s are over 98% the same. The DNA of humans of all races is 99.9% similar.

3. Beginning students will require a teacher and diligent practice to find the vertical balance point.

4. The Essence of T’ai Chi Ch’uan. p. 21

5. T’ai Chi Chuan, Cheng Man-ch’ing. Trans. By Beauson Tseng. P. 16

6. Ibid.

7. The Essence of T’ai Chi Ch’uan. p. 65.

8. Ibid. p. 37.

9. see Restak, Richard Md. Mozart and the Fighter Pilot: Unleashing your Brain’s Potential. Three Rivers Press.

10. Tao Te Ching. Chapter 25.

11. Ibid. Chapter 30.

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