At the Beginning of Chen Training - Don't Worry About the Breathing?

As mentioned before, I had spent quite a bit of time learning and practicing Yang Style Tai Chi before deciding to train and learn Chen Tai Chi with Shifu. When I first began my training in Chen, like so many others who had come from other tai chi systems, I asked about "how should I breathe, when practicing the movements of the Chen form." I laugh to myself now, when I think back to that beginning, because, I was shown how I SHOULD breathe, then later on in private sessions with Shifu, that breathing was re-emphasized again, as a way to practice basic methods of training the motion and the individual movements.

It is a difficult thing to grasp coming to Chen Tai Chi from other systems. The movements in Chen are SO MUCH MORE COMPLEX and EXACTING, that truly, we need first to learn the motions and positioning of the hands and feet, and then the motions, and then the subtle body turning, spiralling, weight shifting, etc, and THEN combine that with appropriate breathing methods. We are talking about a VERY LONG and Difficult practice and progression.

It is such a wonderful puzzle, this Kung Fu system. Every month, I watch, and I watch MORE closely and then MORE closely, and every month I learn and develop a bit more nuance, and more subtlety, and it is very clear that when learning Chen, don't worry so much about the breathing as a beginner. The important thing is to learn to relax, learn how to get the movements down as best you can, and keep practicing, and eventually, you'll have so many of the requisite things happening, and THEN practice the breathing. Before you get to this point, you CAN use the techniques, you CAN understand more of what you are trying to do, and you CAN protect yourself, and man, by the time you CAN combine the breathing with all the other stuff you are supposed to do, you WILL be pretty darn good.

Shifu likes to tell us, "don't be anxious." It's good advice!
J