Exploring Relaxed Force and the Mechanisms of Internal Connection in Tai Chi

Tai Chi, when approached deeply, offers the practitioner subtle yet profound experiences of force and release. This is particularly apparent when focusing on the slow push — a method not of exerting effort, but of cultivating internal connection and allowing relaxed power to express itself naturally.

The slow push offers the chance to observe, in minute detail, the process of sinking into position. In Tai Chi, “sinking” is not simply dropping weight downwards. It is a conscious release into the earth, stabilising the base and creating a rooted platform. From here, the body can truly connect upwards. The legs and feet establish this rooted foundation, which links through the waist and spine, rising quietly into the arms. This pathway must be integrated, otherwise force becomes localised and disconnected. Without connection, the push becomes an effort of the arms alone — which in Tai Chi, is no push at all.

An important principle explored through this practice is pushing without pushing. This may sound like a contradiction, but it describes the experience of issuing relaxed force. Rather than muscular tension or brute strength, this kind of power is effortless and expansive. The feeling, as many students remark, is like standing in sunlight — where warmth reaches and fills without aggression. When the body is aligned and the mind is calm, the release of relaxed force is similarly gentle yet penetrating. It travels through the structure and issues outward without obstruction.

During this exploration, we also focus on how this relaxed force expresses itself into different parts of the body. As we release and sink properly, the sensation of expansion can be felt — sometimes in the arms, sometimes rising through the back, and often as a gentle pressure filling the space of the posture. Each area of the body responds to this release differently. Some areas feel light, others full, and others soft yet stable. Becoming sensitive to these sensations is an essential part of internal development in Tai Chi.

Another key part of the practice is understanding how the mind guides movement. Rather than initiating motion from the arms or shoulders, every movement in Tai Chi must arise from the base. The feet press, the legs release, and only then does the upper body respond. This reversal of normal movement habits takes time to embody but is central to the art.

Finally, we introduced the training of the double push. This brings in another dimension — the waist. Utilising the waist to turn, we learn how to redirect incoming force and issue outward without losing connection. In a set practice, students were shown how to expand their presence and close down space, preventing a partner from escaping or neutralising. This is not about aggression, but about filling the space with intention and connection.

Through these explorations, Tai Chi becomes more than form — it becomes a living experience of force, mind, and movement working together in harmony.