Dane Dormio

Here's another video with great commentary on how Daoist principles manifest in tai chi (the commentary starts at 3:15, but you can watch from the beginning for a bit more context about the encounter). The commentator here places particular emphasis on the difference between working with the dynamics of a situation and struggling to impose "preconceived ideas" on it.

Dane Dormio

7h •

General discussion

Applied Daoism in action

I've always said that tai chi is the physical practice of applied Daoism, a sort of kinesthetic philosophy. Most people think of tai chi as forms, but it also includes a partner exercise called push hands. Push hands has different variations, some of which are more competitive than others. This video shows a tournament-style push hands match, which does a good job of illustrating many of the principles of Daoism and of tai chi, the martial art that's based on it, such as yin/yang balance, adaptation, and non-resistance. What do you notice when you watch this video, and what Daoist principles can you see on display? I'll put my observations in the comments.

New comment 7h ago

Dane Dormio

1 like • 7h

Sifu Nico, on the right in black, is a very skilled tai chi player who fully embraces and embodies the principle of nonresistance. He is calm, relaxed, and joyful, even dancing a little spontaneously from time to time. His style exemplifies yin energy. Sifu Jan, in blue on the left, is much more competitive and relies much more on speed, strength, and exertion. His focus is intense, and he seems to become agitated at several points and calms himself down by pacing and even smacking himself in the jaw. His style exemplifies yang energy. In this game, the point is to get the opponent to move at least one of their feet, or put at least one hand on the ground, without doing the same yourself. The first several rounds go to Sifu Jan, as he aggressively asserts his position. As time goes on, however, Sifu Nico is able to learn by observing Sifu Jan's patterns (see what I did there, @Jim Jones? 😉) and adapt his approach. Sifu Nico doesn't meet Sifu Jan's force with force, but rather learns how to absorb and disperse it through relaxation, whereas Sifu Jan's approach is to just keep doing the same thing with more and more force. Despite falling behind at the start, the match eventually goes to Sifu Nico. Also on display is the mutual respect and politeness of the players, who both seem to recognize the match as an opportunity to test and improve their own skill.

Jim Jones

4d •

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New comment 7h ago