Get your Zhong Ding/Stillness at the Center

Let’s discuss about the top three internal Chinese Martial Arts style. Xing Yi, Pa Gua and Tai Chi, all related to Yin and Yang. Once, a student asked me the difference among the three. I told him,

“ If there is a Yin Yang Circle, doing Pa Gua can be circling around the Yin Yang Circle. You can consider Xing Yi crossing the circle and Tai Chi maintain the stillness at the Center/Zhong Ding.”

Zhong Ding is the last element of the thirteen elements/forms of Tai Chi. The other elements are mentioned so much, such as Peng/Ward off and Lu/Rolls in but Zhong Ding is the most important. Without Zhong Ding, you have no balance.

Zhong in Chinese means Center Point, point of control. It keeps upper and lower body in coordination. It transfers and control your Yin and Yang, Full and Emptiness. For beginners, keep your body vertical to ground can keep you centered and aligned. For intermediate student, control and balance your inner energy and Qi can centralize yourself.

Ding means Stillness, or keeping stillness (on the center point). For a beginner, when you move from one movement to another, keep stillness can be little challenge. For intermediate student, keep stillness can be a little challenge when doing push hands.

Zhong and Ding are together and supporting each other. Without Zhong, there is no Ding. Without Ding, you can’t keep the Zhong. Zhong Ding is the base of Tai Chi, without Zhong Ding, there is no empty and full, there is no open and close, there is no upper and lower body coordination, there is no relaxation, there is no rest of the twelve elements among the thirteen elements.

How you lost your Zhong Ding? Your knee is over your toe, that tells you that you have too much weight lean towards the front. If your knee is behind your heel, you have too much weight leaning backwards. You can be easily pushed away. In Chinese, we call it “ Shi Zhong Ding” means lost balance.

Copyrighted by Huan's Tai Chi 2009