Taoist Ideologies As Bases For Internal Martial Arts

By Marci Glover


Taoists believe that there is a way the body can be strengthened through yogic and psychological practices. This is what is referred to as internal martial arts. The nervous and the energy manufacturing systems are controlled from within the body resulting in a strong human being, both within and without the body. It is common to find people practicing these skills in California. They are trying very hard to preserve this culture.

The people who created this field of art spent most of their time rehearsing, mastering and explaining their skills to the people around them. They illustrated the principles of power with little effort, internal energy and body balance. The principles that stood out were; the mechanisms of the body, link between the mind and the body and attainment of advanced abilities.

Body mechanism is a principle that asserts that human beings are made of hard tissues which interlock to form a skeleton. These hard tissues are covered with the soft tissues mainly composed of ligaments, muscles and tendons. When the hard tissues interlock, they cut down the work that was meant for the soft tissues to very low levels.

According to the founders of these principles, the human body works like lever machines. It has fulcrums; turning points that turn, and in the process, reduce the workload. So, just like the fulcrum in a lever system, an artist must find a suitable posture to multiply the effort applied in order to destroy his/her target.

The other argument in the proposed principles is the empty and full ideology. It was proposed that to win a fight, one needs to identify the weak and strong points on his/her body and that of the opponent. Once, one is aware of these points, he/she will be able to act faster, and will also manage to maintain body balance after a tussle with the opponent. A good fighter should then take advantage of this knowledge to attack those weak areas his opponent.

The men who founded this branch of art also insisted that the mind drives the human body. According to them, this discovery can help one not to feel pain. This is basically through directing the mind away from the pain. This realization, therefore, rubbishes physical abilities that do not engage the mind.

The difference between internal martial arts and other exercises is the therapeutic action known as sung. This is the springiness or suspension involved in yoga, Tai Chi and many other genres of this field. The artist takes his/her mind through a relaxation session, and does not pay attention to anything happening outside his/her thoughts for a long time. Sung creates meridian avenues, balances the muscles and eliminates dysfunction that results from poor posture. It is the most important element that leads to mastery of internal secrets of Tai Chi.

To master this practice, one needs to sharpen his/her skills in minimizing energy expenditure, but maintain high levels of power production. This is only possible if the mind is properly engaged. Most people around California have developed interest in this culture, and are practicing them routinely. This culture is so much loved that a course was introduced in Stanford University to help preserve these practices.




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