The Hidden Key to Tai Chi's 'Song': The Art of Ultimate Relaxation

You may have heard that Tai Chi is helpful for reducing stress. You may have heard that it can be good for your joints. You may have enjoyed feeling more relaxed as you practiced Tai Chi. Tai Chi can have these benefits because it is deeply involved with the art of 'Song': comfortable, effortless relaxation.
If you have explored the deeper, internal elements of Tai Chi you may have learned that Song is the foundation of Peng and all the Tai Chi Energies. And have you considered, how relaxed should you be? And what is actually relaxing? The muscles? The postures? The mind? And if you're relaxed, what is supporting you and generating power?
In this video, we reveal exactly what is the element of the body that relaxes, and how in that relaxation, it creates the optimal support for our body and for the forces on our body. Learn the 4 simple steps to completely Song, completely relax every part of your body, no matter where and when you are. And when you can be relaxed, and comfortable, and stable, wouldn't that be nice? And beyond Tai Chi practice, how helpful can these qualities be in your day to day life?

Пікірлер: 45

  • @susananderson4387
    @susananderson43872 ай бұрын

    This relaxation method is the most effective I have used because it goes beyond the musculature to the fascia which is the container for our muscles, bones and joints

  • @phoenixmountaintaichi

    @phoenixmountaintaichi

    2 ай бұрын

    Exactly! It builds upon something you may already be familiar with to help you to a deeper level of relaxation. And if relaxing feels good, what might you feel when you relax even more deeply? Let's find out!

  • @marylewis3311
    @marylewis33112 ай бұрын

    I feel like a sponge full of warm water and all the water is slowly draining down and out of my feet. 🙏

  • @phoenixmountaintaichi

    @phoenixmountaintaichi

    2 ай бұрын

    That is an excellent personal imagery! Great job and as you keep that in mind you'll notice yourself feeling even more comfortable during your Tai Chi and your day to day activities!

  • @InternalTaiChi

    @InternalTaiChi

    2 ай бұрын

    That is a great visual and sensation!

  • @DragonIndigo
    @DragonIndigo2 ай бұрын

    Great man, good video

  • @phoenixmountaintaichi

    @phoenixmountaintaichi

    2 ай бұрын

    Thank you for the comment!

  • @40JoCharles
    @40JoCharles28 күн бұрын

    Lovely exercise. Thanks for sharing. 🙂🙏🏼👊🏼☯️

  • @phoenixmountaintaichi

    @phoenixmountaintaichi

    27 күн бұрын

    Thank you! It's a profoundly beneficial exercise because it helps you realize your ability to release tension in all forms, from first the apparent tension to gradually more unconscious tension, until you become aware of emotions, energies, and thoughts, that you have not realized was stuck before, but can completely free yourself from now in a simple and comfortable and easy way. And when tension leaves you, and ease becomes you, how lovely would that be, right? 😀☯️

  • @40JoCharles

    @40JoCharles

    27 күн бұрын

    Yes. The release can be very emotional for some people. We hold all our stress and worries in our bodies. 🙂🙏🏼☯️

  • @rapidstable
    @rapidstableАй бұрын

    Thank you!!!

  • @phoenixmountaintaichi

    @phoenixmountaintaichi

    Ай бұрын

    Thank you for your comment!

  • @pgpv89
    @pgpv892 ай бұрын

    Thank you very much for your lesson. I am a mien quan practitioner and I am just understanding today how important it is to achieve song in the internal martial art and to be able to delve deeper into it. It helped me a lot to renew my point of view and go deeper. Thank you for your time and your teachings.

  • @phoenixmountaintaichi

    @phoenixmountaintaichi

    Ай бұрын

    Fantastic. Mianquan is a very cool art! I've only started seeing a little bit of it on youtube and it looks quite sophisticated in its own way. Song is a powerful, transformative skill that opens the door to internal power and greatly enhances all your movements. I'll be showing a lot more about Song on the channel!

  • @rameshnambi
    @rameshnambi2 ай бұрын

    Master i am being attracted to your Taichi teaching style.Thank you from bottom of my heart.

  • @phoenixmountaintaichi

    @phoenixmountaintaichi

    2 ай бұрын

    Thank you for your comment from your heart. I appreciate it!

  • @Maki-ri3cw
    @Maki-ri3cw2 ай бұрын

    Great Song exercise. Thank you 👍🙏🤗

  • @phoenixmountaintaichi

    @phoenixmountaintaichi

    2 ай бұрын

    Thank you! Share with anyone who wants to relax more 😄

  • @InternalTaiChi
    @InternalTaiChi2 ай бұрын

    Thank you for this video! I have actually done this drill before but what was missing was the sink and expand upon release. I was previously just taught to release. Adding the sinking and expanding made a huge difference in creating the true feeling of song. Also, I appreciated the demonstration at the end where you guided him to use the technique to remain unmovable when you pushed him, versus him taking the force into his own tension. That was helpful to put it into an actual application or practice.

  • @phoenixmountaintaichi

    @phoenixmountaintaichi

    2 ай бұрын

    Good points! And in the coming weeks I'll be showing how to apply this to actively pushing and pulling so that all your body works together in a balanced, relaxed, and totally powerful way.

  • @InternalTaiChi

    @InternalTaiChi

    2 ай бұрын

    @@phoenixmountaintaichi Great! Can't wait!

  • @alexmc814
    @alexmc814Ай бұрын

    Amazing! I didnt expect to find such precious information and demos at youtube! Thank you very much for kindly and open heartedly sharing your knowledge. Visited your website, and saw info about fascia mastery course, looking forward to subscribe as soon as it is ready!

  • @phoenixmountaintaichi

    @phoenixmountaintaichi

    Ай бұрын

    Thank you! It's responses like yours that keep me motivated to keep sharing. Because I love seeing everyone enjoy Tai Chi more and at a deeper level! BTW the fascia mastery course is ready! 🎉

  • @ragemydream
    @ragemydream2 ай бұрын

    This is a really good explanation and exercise. I will try it in class :)

  • @phoenixmountaintaichi

    @phoenixmountaintaichi

    2 ай бұрын

    Thank you! Try it in class and any other time you feel tense too!

  • @davidmoore2251
    @davidmoore22512 ай бұрын

    Thanks Chester. Regards, Dave

  • @phoenixmountaintaichi

    @phoenixmountaintaichi

    2 ай бұрын

    Thank you Dave, cheers!

  • @peterasmussen2933
    @peterasmussen29332 ай бұрын

    great stuff thank you

  • @peterasmussen2933

    @peterasmussen2933

    2 ай бұрын

    both

  • @phoenixmountaintaichi

    @phoenixmountaintaichi

    2 ай бұрын

    Thank you! 🙏

  • @frankchiang7048
    @frankchiang70482 ай бұрын

    Very insightful interpretation in the episodes that I have watched, some I have not seen anywhere else, and I appreciate that you are sharing your knowledge. I see that you have learnt a few different arts but wonder what your lineage is for Yang Tai Chi?

  • @phoenixmountaintaichi

    @phoenixmountaintaichi

    2 ай бұрын

    Thank you Frank. A lot of the classical insights on this channel that is not commonly seen elsewhere are passed down from the Wong Yongquan lineage of Yang Tai Chi. Wong Yongquan was an inner door student of Yang Jianhou and Yang Shaohou. He served as a household secretary and recorded a lot of inner teachings, which he decided to publicize for the betterment of the Tai Chi community near the end of his life. Some of the insights you see on the channel that do not sound like classical Chinese culture (eg donuts, cellular signals, vibes), are the result of my intention to help modern cultures understand and develop Tai Chi skill. Because teachings are the fingers that point at the moon right? And as people's way of thinking, culture, and geography change, maybe a different way of pointing at the moon becomes more helpful, could it not? I'm always working on refining this and I'm happy to see that people are benefiting from the explanations! It's my goal to raise the baseline public understanding of true Tai Chi so that we can all enjoy it at a higher level, and Tai Chi can be properly appreciated as the health and martial practice it can be. You know how Coffee culture had a 2nd wave, where people started to enjoy tastier lattes, and a 3rd wave, when people became interested and knowledgeable about roasts and bean origins and brewing methods? I hope to see the same happen for Tai Chi! Cheers and thanks for asking! ☕☯️

  • @frankchiang7048

    @frankchiang7048

    2 ай бұрын

    @@phoenixmountaintaichi Thanks for the detailed response, you sound like someone with the knowledge in science who can demystify tai chi. keep on the good work! btw, I was especially impressed with your explanation/interpretation of KUO, which according to my reading of various texts, do not project the authentic meaning like you have.

  • @TheSkippy299
    @TheSkippy2992 ай бұрын

    Great explination of song. The toothpaste example works for me

  • @phoenixmountaintaichi

    @phoenixmountaintaichi

    Ай бұрын

    Haha yes, it is maybe a little silly sounding but it is totally how it feels!

  • @ragemydream
    @ragemydream2 ай бұрын

    Sifu, could you do a video on weight on the feet, i.e. full contact on the ground, but when weight shifting, not losing contact but still spiralling downward, it's difficult to understand how to do this?

  • @phoenixmountaintaichi

    @phoenixmountaintaichi

    2 ай бұрын

    I think I understand. How to maintain contact with the ground and have song while lifting one leg to step? We can make that video. It's one of the key lessons in the Song and Momentum Transfer course that we'll put out this summer too!

  • @ChristianoSts
    @ChristianoStsАй бұрын

    I think this is like a multilayers relaxation process, and I wonder in how many time one is able to take pressure like this dude did not losing balance.... it's not an instantaneous process I guess

  • @phoenixmountaintaichi

    @phoenixmountaintaichi

    Ай бұрын

    Hi! You are right that it's multilayered, because you can learn to release the tension in more and more parts of your body, more and more deeply than before. As you release more tension, the connectivity of your body improves along with the adaptability of your body to pressure. There's definitely a limit to how much pressure I can take in the way shown here! Maybe 25% more than the pressure he applied I would have to move or adapt in some additional way. The point isn't that we're immovable, rather, because aside from a physical demonstration, we want to become more stable and adaptable with the body and strength we have. And as we learn to rely on that to support us, we can relax and better focus on the other aspects of Tai Chi being that benefits from our attention, or on whatever else you want to focus on, that can bring you more success in life, in ways beyond what tensing and struggling have not brought before.

  • @riptiz
    @riptiz2 ай бұрын

    I breathe in and then relax down on the outbreath. It’s a feeling of like slumping the body down internally without allowing the body to slump externally. Is this a similar concept? Regards, Dave.

  • @phoenixmountaintaichi

    @phoenixmountaintaichi

    2 ай бұрын

    Yes that is the right idea, and you do that until you feel the body expand towards as the fascia releases. You might find it helpful to mentally allow some slumping so that you relax fully. As the fascia releases and expands that will tend to fix any slumping that you temporarily experience. Does that match your experience?

  • @riptiz

    @riptiz

    2 ай бұрын

    @@phoenixmountaintaichi hi, yes I do mentally slump. Feels like very grounding so I’ll have to focus more on the expansion at the end and see the results. Seems like I’m on the correct route. I have many years meditation experience it only two years of tai chi with somebody who knows the internal side as well so it’s finding the method.

  • @phoenixmountaintaichi

    @phoenixmountaintaichi

    2 ай бұрын

    ​@@riptizperfect! Your years of meditation experience will be very helpful and you've probably already noticed that. When students ask me how to become better at Tingjin, how to be more aware of Qi, more sensitive to anything, the main key is to become more internally quiet. Because we all have that capacity, as our inner chatter quiets. So that heads you will find a pleasant rate of success with your Tai Chi as you appreciate and apply your meditation skills. Cheers!

  • @MonacoBlast66
    @MonacoBlast662 ай бұрын

    This is a chi condensing exercise.

  • @phoenixmountaintaichi

    @phoenixmountaintaichi

    2 ай бұрын

    You're very perceptive! Done with intention and awareness of your Qi, it will indeed facilitate condensing your Qi. One of the things I love about Tai Chi is that people can immediately begin to enjoy it and benefit as a beginner. And as their skill and awareness grows, they can enjoy and benefit from the same practices even more, as connoisseurs. Because there are layers and layers of depth to everything that we can explore and appreciate, and that's always nice, especially when it surprises us!