What about the ostensibly invisible internal benefits of Taiji

Grandmaster Kongjie Gou, aged 60; full-time instructor of Chen Style Taiji based in Manchester, UK
Q: Could you start by recounting, in brief, your personal story and experience of Taiji?
Taiji to me is the unforgettable exercise of my life. I would never give it up. I did try other martial arts in the past, but I found that Taiji has the most effective benefits for me - particularly when I had cancer when I was young. I had a strong beliefl could use Taiji to fight the cancer and stay alive, keeping a good health for the future. I very strongly believed this. It comes from the Taiji philosophy which is to believe sincerely and strive for higher motivation. Otherwise, you won't have any chance to win against something like cancer. I convinced myself that I had such good Taiji that I would not die. I believed that I wouldn't die. I just kept practising. This is why I've practised for 35 years. I have had very good health and a very good mental state - a happy mood. A further benefit is that although my body is small compared to the average person, I have been able to use intelligent application of Taiji skill. And though I have been challenged by many other martial artists in the past I have never been beaten. This is the martial arts benefit of the Taiji skill. Click here to read Liver Cancer in TCM.

Q : And now, how are you personally gaining from Chen Style Taiji?
I have a very healthy mental state. This is a crucial point, the psychological side. When you practise Taiji you should pay more attention to the mental and spiritual side, not the muscular side. You use the mental to control the physical, that is your body's movements. I have a very settled mental state. I use mind control.

Q : What, other than mind control, is key to someone beginning to understand Chen Style Taiji?
          
The circular movements in Taiji. The spiral shapes. These help you to relax the body so you have no blockages. So everything is flowing smoothly: Blood, breath, energy and Qi. This is key. You will have better health. And everything is based on good health. Click here to read Large Intestinal Cancer in TCM.

Q : How do you explain Taiji and its health benefits?
Taiji is one kind of martial arts exercises. It has great martial arts applications and benefits. But, all the martial arts application is based around having good health and body condition. This is fundamental to Taiji. All the skill is based on good health. For example, how can you fly to China if you don't have the ticket? How can you practice so hard and not have benefits to everything, breathing, muscles, and relaxation. Those kinds of benefits come from harder training. But if it's harder, it's also harder to catch cold, and other sicknesses because your body is stronger.

Q : Could you explain further about the movements and exercises?
Taiji movements are soft and flowing, and the benefits from this are that it makes your body very flexible and relaxed, with more sensitivity. This describes the top half of the body. The lower half of the body is very settled and solid. It looks like a tree with the tops blowing in the wind and the trunks rooted.

Q: So does the tree 'metaphor summarize the actual benefits as well as "the look" of Taiji?
Yes, in terms of development. Taiji perfectly suits the natural human growth of getting old, older and weaker, because Taiji offers the opposite benefits as you age. You get fitter and younger. The reverse of getting old. Whereas the natural procedure of aging is getting stiff, Taiji keeps you flexible. My conclusion is that Taiji "fights age back." Click here to read Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in TCM.

Q : What about the ostensibly "invisible" internal benefits?
Another benefit is a change in the way of breathing. Normal breathing uses the lung and Taiji breathing goes lower, to the Dantian. As deeper, longer breathing equals more oxygen supply and increased lung capacity. More efficiency. This ties in with all of Taiji's open-and-close movements. Plus the breathing, coupled with the movements, actually massages all your internal organs.

Q : What are your conclusions, at this stage of your life, regarding Chen Style Taiji?
First, Taiji can change your motivation - your mental state. You always look forward. I never become very depressed. Second are the body functions. Joints, muscles, everything is improved. Third is the breathing system, breathing is improved. These are the key benefits gained from Taiji that lead to a very good health and mental state with no external physical sickness at all. Such that, overall, people are getting fitter, gaining increased resistance and living longer, healthier lives. Click here to read Cirrhosis in TCM. 

Q: What' s your general view of Taiji practice among people in the UK and beyond?
I notice a lot of people love martial arts and practice Taiji, but it still has not been brought out, and explained, widely enough. Still a lot of people do not recognize the benefits of Taiji: its health and self-defence benefits. In particular, most people don't understand the deep meaning of Taiji and the real benefit you can get from it. People misconstrue the surface representation of Taiji, the waving of arms. This is just the basic understanding of it. There's more beneath the surface, great benefits. Taiji is a great exercise. No other sports exercise can replace it. It's so unique as the whole body works together: internal, external, extremities and roots, surface and deeper, and so on. All is together in one unit, even your hair with your internal organs. When one part of your body moves, all other parts move together simultaneously. When one part stays still, the others are still. All the movements are in harmony. But, if many people here don't realize or know what Taiji is, then this just leads us to do more promotion to let everybody understand the Taiji philosophy to a higher level. My wish is for most people to recognize the great benefits of Taiji for health, self-defence and fitness. Taiji is growing healthily and it will prove beneficial to more and more people in the future. I treat the Taiji as seeds, hopefully growing up with flowers and good results in the future. Click here to read Nasopharynx Cancer in TCM.

Q : Now that you are based in Manchester, UK, how do you foresee your work here?
My emphasis will be on training the younger generation from a young age in a very good system. Serious training starts from very young. Everybody will become very professionally, skillful. So one aim is to build a group of young people so that those people can spread the benefits of Taiji and influence others. That's a key focus. Also, I aim to train a group talented and interested students to become instructors. I wish to help more people become qualified to teach Chen Style Taiji, again to help promote Taiji. I also hope to create a core group of Taiji practitioners in the Chen Style Taiji Centre who will go around and do demonstrations and performances as part of the promotion of Taiji. To let people see Taiji in a straightforward way and to spread its teachings.

Plus, of course, this work opportunity benefits me as I get older. Having moved from China to Manchester, UK, I have come to a good environment. I can work as a full-time instructor in the Chen Style Taiji Centre and this is very good for my retirement.

A: What of the future?
I'm doing a job I'm interested in. And as I can train so much, I can expect myselfto improve my own Taiji to even higher standards!