Tai Chi Daily Blog — yin and yang

When I first began my Tai Chi journey, I had not heard of push hands. I spent over a year with my first Tai Chi teacher learning Cheng Man Ching's short form. My teacher, sensei Howard, never brought up push hands in class. Sensei Howard was a high-level Aikido teacher and taught Tai Chi from a meditative perspective. He had mentioned to me on a few occasions that what I wanted to learn from Tai Chi he did not know. He suggested I learn from a teacher he knew of that was proficient. However, his recommended Tai Chi school was...

Why is it that while practicing Tai Chi I feel the tension in my body? Is my alignment off? I would often try to fix my posture so I don't feel the tension. Am I not doing something correctly? Tai Chi is supposed to be like swimming on land. The imaginary water around me should be able to freely pass through me. Air should feel like it can pass through me unblocked. How can this be achieved? The answer is in the Tai Chi Symbol. Imitate the Yin and Yang Symbol. As you practice the form be smooth, balanced, circular,...