8

0 Wuji
1 Taiji
2 Yang |
3 Yin :

The energies of taijiquan are comprehensive developments of void and full, joining and dividing. To every yang motion there is a yin side, to every yin motion there is a yang side. The energies are not opposites but correlates that are inextricable like two sides of the same coin.

In any motion or transfer of energy there is a wave dynamic, the pressure of the wave is followed by the void of the wave, this pressure and void are inseparable. The pressure is yang to the void being yin, these two forces are present in all motion and transfer of energy. In taiji these concepts are often terms Peng and Lu, being explained as warding off and rolling back respectively. If you tie a rope to a doorknob or a tree and pull it out a bit and flick it you will see the wave travel through it, the pressure of the wave is expansion, this is Peng, however on the other side of the wave is the part where the rope falls back correlating to the pit pf the wave, this is Lu. This is the basic premise of taijiquans mechanics, it is amazingly simple and yet subtly profound in its realization.

Heaven/Yang
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Earth/Yin

Initially then there are two basic energies, Peng | and Lu:, Yang and Yin respectively. However in combination you then have 2 more energies, |:| and :|:, that is Yang with yin and Yin with yang. These correlate to the energies of Ghee and An and one uses expansion energy in a retraction energy move and one uses retraction energy in an expansion energy move. This type of relationship is very simple yet allows profound employment in articulation and manipulations concerning force and movement. These also have correlates with weapons where the body posture changes slightly to allow the weapon to do what the hands did before as an extension of the whole body. Indeed the methods of taiji are whole body and the body must be united into a single functional unit that is neither too loose nor too tight. It a way it must be like a rope, a rope is woven tightly, this makes it strong in a way that allows it to be loose, despite being woven tightly a rope is relaxed, this allows it to dissipate tension.

Taiji also consists of uniting and dividing in a way that alters the very center of gravity of things, several martial arts employ such methods including Aikido and Judo. By joining with mass of another object in a gentle way we can alter both the center of gravity of that object and the path it will take in relation to the momentm of the object. In taiji we use the void and full energies to accomplish this, however taiji is not limited to this type of application and redirecting energy is only one facet of the martial science that is Taijiquan.