ABSTRACT
Buddhists refer to breathing as the wheel of law which turns uniformly and unceasingly. Breath is the energy of life. The T’ai Chi practitioner regulates his breathing in harmony with the movement of his body to achieve health and the coordination required for self-defense. The breath controls the circulation of the blood. The T’ai Chi Ch’uan student uses movement to help the chi, the inner energy, accelerate the circulation of the blood. The outer movements of the forms of T’ai Chi Ch’uan are based on principles which are an integral part of the T’ai Chi art. The practitioner leans neither forward nor backward, neither to the right nor to the left. If he loses his balance the player will get into difficulty, feeling uncomfortable and perhaps even falling. The torso of the body should be erect and in a central position. Relaxation of the body and mind is crucial today because of the pace of our industrial cities.
