1. INTRODUCTION

On this blog I will outline a direct method for learning internal Tai Chi that should lead to progress in a shorter time frame.

2. THE LEARNING APPROACH

The learning approach is to focus on what you need to know instead of what you think you want to know.

Too much knowledge can lead to little learning. So it is best to zoom into learning what we need to make progress from one stage to another instead of trying to learn a lot.

The internal Tai Chi that I know is complex, much too complicated for quicker learning and speedy mastery. I decided to make internal Tai Chi more accessible by reimagining and redesigning the learning.

3. HOW TO GO ABOUT LEARNING

The method of learning is divided into three stages :-

a) Getting Started
b) Adding On
c) Refining

The objective of material categorized as “Getting Started” is the first thing you need to know.

Actually, there are many things we need to know when learning internal Tai Chi which can be distracting. To reduce the learning clutter I will keep each basic sparse and simple.

When you get this principle then you go for the next part of the learning under the “Adding On” category. This is where the learning starts to get a little complicated but still manageable.

The category “Refining” is where you go after you have grasped the learning under the “Adding On” category. The material in this category is the most complex.

Once you understand the learning of the one thing under the three different categories and put each of the one thing together with the other “one thing” learning you will end up with different levels of understanding.

4. IMPORTANCE OF BASICS

Our internal Tai Chi is built around a slew of essential basic principles.

Each of the principles teaches you one thing. Each of the principles is meant to be combined to form the entire picture of what internal Tai Chi is.

Because of this you need to know each of the basics well. It will take you time to get into each basic, get to the level where you obtain meaningful insights and move on to translating the insights into physical skills.

5. LEARNING ORDER

The basics of our internal Tai Chi at the “Getting Started” level can be learned in any order.

This is because all these basics form one singular picture of what internal Tai Chi is about.

You can start from any topic as long as by the end of it you understand each of the basics.

6. LAYERS

Each basic is multi-layered. There is a physical layer and a mental layer. Both are two different aspects of the same basic.

The first and easiest layer to grasp is the physical layer. As you keep practicing you should start to feel something; this is the point at which you start to feel the mental layer (what we call qualia – something you feel when you think and move in a certain way).

The layer to aim for is where the many basics that you have learned is reduced to a few layers and eventually to a state of being part of you.

7. MICRO LEARNING

To keep the learner from drowning in knowledge I will keep the learning to the bare minimum. Keeping the learning small makes it easier to learn.

Learning at the micro level affords greater attention to detail. When you grasped the learning of each basic then you put them together at the macro level to form the big picture.

8. SUMMARY

Internal Tai Chi can be learned, mastered and transmitted with a suitable method of teaching.

In this blog I will attempt to do so with the Yang style that I have learned.