• I practice a particular form (usually, the 24-form and sometimes the long Yang form), keeping in mind the internal arts principles... and thank you for enhancing my knowledge on this during my brief training with you.:-) 
• I am conscious and practices stillness in motion, and motion in stillness. Meditating is doing tai chi. 
• I beleive and am conscious of the 'chi' that is flowing in my body and connects me with  nature, and shares this concept with everybody else -- in a natural and opportune time of course. And to maximize the inflow of good chi, I am also conscious of what I eat. Eating food rich in good chi is also doing tai chi. 
• I believe in the concept of Tao -- the 'mother of all things', the nameless One, the unity and harmony of all things in the universe.. But I believe and subscribe to Taoism, NOT as a religion but as a philosophy, and I seek to deepen my knowledge of Taoism by reading Taoist books. Reading the Tao Te Ching, in a sense, is also doing tai chi.
• Related to the above, I believe and practice and promote the so-called three treasures of Taoism: simplicity, compassion and humility (or 'not striving to be number one.') Practicing and sharing these is doing tai chi.
• While tai chi is martial arts, I believe, practice and promote nonviolence, of 'defeating the enemy without even starting the fight', of overcoming the strong and hard, through 'soft' means. Being nonviolent is doing tiai chi.

From: edramirez@... <edramirez@...>
Subject: [taichi_phil] Taichi as an Internal Art
To: taichi_phil@yahoogroups.com
Date: Friday, September 11, 2009, 9:35 PM

 

Just wanted to ask for the sake of discussion.. .

When we say "I do Taichi", we normally mean to say that we practice
whatever Taichi form we do, right?

But what is really the essence of *doing Taichi*?

Can I say that I'm doing this form that's called Taichi but I'm really NOT
doing Taichi?

Can I say that I'm NOT doing this form called Taichi but even then I'm
still doing Taichi?

Comments?

Ed