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Just what is Taijiquan? This might seem like a somewhat peculiar question: it’s a Chinese Internal Style Martial Art, isn’t it? The simple answer to that is yes, but that doesn’t fundamentally answer the question, which when asked here, means: “What is the basic nature of Taijiquan that makes it a distinct entity, different from other martial arts, even other internal styles?”

The answer to that is fairly simple, as it turns out (in this author’s opinion, anyway): Taijiquan is a Chinese, internal style martial art distinguished from all other martial arts by 1) a distinct movement imaginary, 2) a guiding philosophy that eschews domination of the other, and 3) the use of a core set of neurobiological “tricks” that render opponents ineffective and easy to redirect, strike, or otherwise be shown the unintended consequences of their violent urges.

You have a body. This is a fairly safe prediction to make for the moment, since as far as we know, no one has uploaded their consciousness into any sort of digital domain. As yet, no self-aware artificial constructs exist to read this. That you are in possession of a body is the first in a number of statements and questions that we will present that will seem (hopefully only initially) to be rather obvious.

It is with a heavy heart that I must report that Sifu Bob Iden of Laughing Ox Internal Arts passed early this month (March 2024). Bob was a very singular individual, the most cheerful of curmudgeons, and together we developed a very deep and exciting understanding of the inner workings of Taiji and their broader implications that I can’t imagine I would have stumbled into, practicing with anyone else.

Taijiquan is a Chinese internal martial art. It is believed by many to have been founded in the 12th or 13th century by Zhang Sanfeng. It is commonly thought to place a great deal of emphasis on soft, relaxed movement, balancing Yin and Yang in the body, and various other concepts associated with Daoism and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

There are many practices that are referred to as Taijiquan, Tai Chi, or other similar names. These could include intensive study of forms, standing meditation, the practice of Push Hands, an emphasis on physical fitness, meditation, balance, or many other things. These practices and their validity as Taijiquan are neither here nor there, as they are not martial arts in the traditional sense of being primarily concerned with violence in its many guises.

Elsewhere, we have said that Taijiquan is a sort of practical, physical Daoism. We have also stated that Taijiquan as a martial art is grounded in the idea of responding to violence without violence (alternatively phrased, to force without force). And we have also mentioned a number of things about “Top Down” approaches, Western understandings, Neurobiology, Evolution, and a wide variety of other concepts that are not typically brought up when discussing Taiji.

Taijiquan may not have begun as an inherently Daoist practice. This might seem a bit strange, as Taiji literally is the name of the symbol which most Westerners know as the yin-yang symbol (more properly known as a Taijitu). And the invention of Taiji is also typically attributed to a figure important in Chinese Daoism. But “taiji” also means something like “Supreme Ultimate” and so Taijiquan as “Supreme Ultimate Boxing ’’ is a pretty impressive sounding name, if nothing else.

Here in Seattle we are once again headed into a period of required mask wearing in public spaces. Many folks might be strongly advised to engage in double mask use in some contexts and depending on their mask selection (a thing I do myself, as my N95s have an exhalation valve). While masks don’t interfere with our oxygen levels, and mostly don’t make it any harder to breathe than wearing a scarf in the winter, they do change our experience of being out and about in the world, and even how we experience fundamental aspects of our own bodies.