Relax your body, Understand 8 Sections and 9 Joints

Many people want to get relaxed, but they can only relax part of their body. When they relax their hands, their shoulders might be tight. When they relax their shoulders, their waist might be tight.

In Tai Chi, you need your whole body to be relaxed. In order to relax, we need to understand Ba Duan Jiu Jie, translates to English as 8 Sections and 9 joints.

What are the 8 Sections of your body?
They are
1. Shins
2. Thighs
3. Waist
4. Back
5. Shoulders
6. Upper Arms
7. Lower Arms
8. Fingers
What are the 9 Joints of your body?
They are
1. Ankles
2. Wrists
3. Knees
4. Hips
5. Waist Joint
6. Neck
7. Shoulder joints
8. Elbows
9. Finger joints

We say, when you relax your shoulders, your energy goes to the elbows. When you sink your elbows, your energy goes to the hands. When you empty your hands, your energy will reach the finger tips. Only when all 8 sections and 9 joints are relaxed, then your energy can go any place you wish. When your energy is under your control, then we can say your body is totally relaxed in Tai Chi.

- To see a more detailed explanation of the 8 Sections and 9 Joints, you can find my article on Fall 2011 issue of Tai Chi Magazine, It's titled Huan Zhang: Secret of How to relax: Understanding the 8 Sections, 9 Joints

Copyrighted by Huan's Tai Chi '09