Taijichuan, meaning, "Supreme Ultimate Boxing", is an internal style of Chinese martial art. It focuses on the use of our vital power, or qi. Through slow, relaxed and continuous motion of the body, we improve our awareness of the qi flow in the body, stabilising and expanding it to obtain health, martial, and spiritual benefits. As we learn to quieten our thoughts and balance the intention in each of our movements, we gain a valuable ability for its use in our daily life.

Qi (Chinese), ki (Japanese), prana (Indian) or neuma (Ancient Greek) is an energy without shape, exhibiting continuous life and movement. It rebalances itself and expands. If it rebalances and expands within a martial structure which integrates physical skills and a mind strategy, one can experience possibilities that surpass the normal physical and mental ability.

Taijichuan has its origins in Taoism, the oldest philosophical system in China, most famous for it's yin-yang symbol. Symbol clearly revealed and applied within the Taichi chuan practices.

This concept of Yin/yang is meaningless unless interpreted according to one's own feelings and experiences. It's interpretation is itself a continuous process; our understanding should never become static or final. Whenever we think we grasp something, there is always another level, another aspect or another door. As the oldest Taoist writer, Lao Tzu points out in the Tao Te Ching, "The Tao is not the Tao."

Perhaps this can be better understood by the poetic translation of Lao Tzuâs work by Ursula K Le Guin, on the right side of this page.