Tai Chi, Song and Tensegrity; How to Build an Internal Structure in Tai Chi
Tai Chi, Song and Tensegrity; Building a strong Internal Structure
In the internal martial art of Tai Chi, one of the key qualities of posture is "song" - a wholistic integration of posture and structure by expanding the joints and spaces of the body open. This quality creates Tensegrity structures with the connective tissues throughout the body. Susan Thompson Tai Chi teaches how song allows practitioners to go beyond just the muscles and tap into the body's inner web of connective tissue called fascia and create a powerful structure through tensegrity.
Fascia is much stronger than muscle and is cross-connected throughout the body, creating the potential for an open yet powerfully strong structure through the biomechanical principle of tensegrity. In this video, Susan provides a visual model demonstrating tensegrity in the spine and how to cultivate it throughout the body.
When song and tensegrity are achieved, the joints and entire fascial system can open up, creating a gentle stretching that awakens the body. This allows life force energy (qi) to flow more freely while establishing a powerful yet aligned structure that helps prevent and heal joint issues. An additional benefit is improved whole-body posture.
Tai chi, with its emphasis on song, serves as an enjoyable full-body "fascia massage" - simultaneously conditioning tensegrity while promoting alignment, energy flow, and structural integrity.
Want to learn how to naturally improve your posture in a fun, gentle yet transformative way? Practice and learn tai chi with Susan Thompson Tai Chi. Tai Chi is a living, moving, form of posture exercise that will be sure to give you good posture, fix your posture provide fascia massage. Tai Chi offers a natural way toward posture correction. Fix your fascia, fix your posture, improve your life.
What is Tensegrity? Tensegrity is a structural principle that describes a system where the components are held together by a balance of continuous tension and discontinuous compression. In other words, it's a way of creating structures using isolated rigid components (usually rods or struts) that don't touch each other but are connected by a network of continuous tension elements (like cables or tendons).
Key characteristics of tensegrity structures include:
1. Compression elements (struts) do not directly touch each other; they are held in place by the tension network.
2. The structure maintains its integrity through a balance of tensile and compressive forces.
3. Tensegrity structures can be incredibly lightweight and strong for their size.
4. They can absorb and distribute stress across the entire structure.
Tensegrity principles are found in nature, such as in the human body's musculoskeletal system, where bones (compression elements) are held in place by muscles, tendons, and ligaments (tension elements). In architecture and engineering, tensegrity has been used to create innovative, lightweight structures like bridges, towers, and domes. Artists have also explored tensegrity to create fascinating sculptures that seem to defy gravity.
The concept of tensegrity was pioneered by architects and engineers like Kenneth Snelson, Buckminster Fuller, and David Georges Emmerich in the mid-20th century.
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Пікірлер: 26
Beautiful.
@InternalTaiChi
Ай бұрын
Thank you!
I love your explanations! I recently started teaching intro taiji and qi gong, and I practice yang taiji. I would love to know where to get some of the teaching models you use, like the tensegrity spine. I appreciate your clarity and vizualizations to help find correct shape and song. I will definitely keep paying attention to your channel!
@InternalTaiChi
4 ай бұрын
Thank you for your positive feedback. Congratulations on your starting to teach tai chi! I'm happy you find my videos, a good resource. If you look in my comments under my videos, you will see a affiliate store link. That will show you my props, and the books that I recommend for tai chi. Wishing you all the best! Give me updates from time to time as you so desire.
@drthinguyen-phuocndptlac2468
Ай бұрын
@@InternalTaiChi I looked through your affiliated Amazon store but didn't see the spine model; I'd also love to find it for my PT practice; please provide a direct link if possible.
@InternalTaiChi
Ай бұрын
This isn't an Amazon affiliate link, but is a direct link to the product. 2023 New Full Body Human Skeleton... www.amazon.com/dp/B0B13BFK9T?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Ευχαριστούμε!
@InternalTaiChi
4 ай бұрын
Thank you for the donation!
Hello, thanks very much for this video. I'm an old tiachi practitionner and I'm really interested about tensegirty. Nevertheless, may I ask you a question: As far as I'm concerned, tialbone dosen't move in breathing, for me, it always curve. So the spine is always in tensegrity. But, why, in that way, the sipne dosen't twist in an axee in order to wring out the ligament and procure space in it?
@InternalTaiChi
19 күн бұрын
This is a great question. The wringing out (or twisting) is an action that actually decreases the tensegrity and reduces the structure of the spine. Rather we want to maintain the tensegrity of the spine by keeping alignment, opening the spaces and creating a bit of fascia stretch which then supports the spine. From that structure we then rotate the entire spine as if it is the axis. Imagine how ineffective an axel would be on a car connecting two wheels if that rod twisted instead of maintaining its rigid structure. The integrity of the axel makes the wheels turn. This is true of the spine too. The integrity of the spine due to tensegrity and alignment and openness, creates a strong axis around which to develop power to the more distal (distant) body parts. I hope this helps answer your question!
@toumlyon8237
16 күн бұрын
@@InternalTaiChi Tanks very much for your answer, indeed two wheels between an axel is a great image, and a strong picture !!
@InternalTaiChi
16 күн бұрын
@@toumlyon8237 Great. Thank you for the feedback. I'm glad that metaphor worked!
Wow! This clarifies a lot! Thank you. Shared @morechi4me
@InternalTaiChi
Ай бұрын
Glad it was helpful!
Teacher, I have one question. The KI or Chi is type eletric power? This eletric power is generate with intention? Is there any book about this subject you recommend? Thanks teacher
@InternalTaiChi
26 күн бұрын
Qi is "electric power" as you described. It does grow beyond intention, however. It can become quite tangible once you cultivate the flow of this bioelectric energy through your body. It will present itself as tingling in your hands, or warmth, or vibration inside your body. When it flows freely through your body it can have healing powers and calming effect on your body. If you want to feel it, just gring your hands together in front of you like you are holding a small ball. Then expand the ball only a few inches, then bring your hands closer together again to hold a small imaginary ball. Expand the ball, then compress the ball, keeping your hands fairly close together. You will feel tingling and warmth in your hands. That is Qi. I hope this helps!
@marcoacosta4
26 күн бұрын
@@InternalTaiChi Teacher, thanks for guidelines! I'm have studied about the subject because it's will help me in martial arts.
👍👍👍👍👍🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
@InternalTaiChi
3 ай бұрын
Thank you!
Nice explanation, thanks. Any suggestions for correcting years of tucking the pelvis rather than dropping the coccyx?
@InternalTaiChi
4 ай бұрын
Pretend that you have a dinosaur tail coming out of your tailbone. Now get in your Tai Chi stance and place that big thick long dinosaur tail on the ground behind you. This will effectively act as a tripod stance; your two feet and the dinosaur tail which will provide you with a nice comfortable sense of stability without tucking your tailbone under. This visualization and sensation should help you to overcome the habit of tucking your tailbone. Another thing you can do is allow your sit bones to connect with your heels. Make sure your sit bones are connecting a few inches behind your heels not right on top of them. Once you start to feel your low back open up, you will know you have the sweet spot. You will learn to like it so much you will never want to actively tuck your tailbone again! :-)
@fhoniemcphonsen8987
4 ай бұрын
@@InternalTaiChi Thanks so much. Feels good & I get to pretend I'm a T-Rex. (Even though I'm more of an Ankylosaurs)
@InternalTaiChi
4 ай бұрын
@@fhoniemcphonsen8987 LOL....love your sense of humor. 😆
Would you share where you got your spine model?
@InternalTaiChi
Ай бұрын
2023 New Full Body Human Skeleton Model,Scientific Anatomy Human Body Model,17.7“ High with Movable Arms and Legs Bones Structures,Whole Spine and Ribs of The Skeleton Model are Integrated a.co/d/0etz0eGF
@taichiwitharlette6646
Ай бұрын
Thank you!!!!!