Yielding and Sinking the Chi in Tai Chi Chuan

These are two principles that are talked about by almost everyone who practices Tai Chi. How do we put these into practice. Lets talk about yielding first, sinking later.

Yielding goes against our very nature and sinking the Chi is just plain mysterious. Yet both are essential to acheiving any real mastery of Tai Chi in form and in application. It has been my privilage to be taught by a Master of both of these aspects so that I can gain a real hands on feel of what these principles are in action. Without being able to touch the master's hands or a student that is catching the concept it is difficult to learn these feelings. I use the word feeling because that is how it has to be learned. To think about it becomes like one of the blind men trying to describe an elephant. These concepts require the whole body to be involved and the mind to be moved out of the way. Thus the mind has to yield to the body knowledge and feeling because these two principles go against what the mind wants to do as these are intellectually difficult to grasp.

In Tai Chi we talk about yielding and most westerners think, giving way.... letting something go by.... letting something happen to us.... many more I'm sure. Then in Tai Chi we talk about relax and yield then most westerners let themselves collapse, or fold, or become like wet dishrags ...... These of course are aspects of yielding in our terms, but not in Tai Chi. In Tai Chi, yielding takes on a whole new and wonderful concept.

The basic concept of yielding in Tai Chi is simply moving to a better position by assisting (taking/moving) your opponent in going the direction he/she wants to go. This is what makes Tai Chi both very deadly and very very difficult to learn correctly. When I yield to better position through yielding my opponent loses their center of equilibrium, their position, their structure and their ability to effectively fight back. I effectively place them with one foot on the bank and one on the boat unable to get on solid ground.

The concept is understandable, but putting it into application and practice is very difficult. However, before any real progress can be made in Tai Chi for application or health this principle must be physically understood, learned and ingrained. Because you can't truly utilize the offensive (yang) nature of Tai Chi until you have some mastery of its yielding (yin) side.


True it is more exciting to push and bounce people rather than yield, but until yielding is learned you will never be able to push or bounce people without force (substitute method as Sifu Tam calls it). As long as force exists in your tai chi it is not adhering to principle for effectiveness, but rather substitute methods of muscle and force.

The yin and yang of yielding and power delivery exist in the form but herein lies another issue for most practitioners. Practicing the form with an integrated body. Without integration there is mostly force and little real yielding, with integration yielding and power delivery are done without force.