I wish to share some of my notes assembled from lessons and comments from our Masters over many years with the Celestial College.
Our Yang-style 108 routine can be learnt in 12 months ...or over a life time. We may get to know all the movements in 12 months but we then need to “find the Tai Chi” in each movement. This includes understanding the discipline, the connectedness, the awareness, and the flow of Qi-like oxygen to the whole body.
Note #1 - There should be neither deficiency nor excess, nor hollows or projections. In every movement, the entire body should be light and agile and all parts connected “like a string of pearls”. All postures must be practised without the slightest constrain of energy. The lightness is not an emptiness, it contains intrinsic energy. Grand Master Eng Chor Chor has said “ our movements must flow like a great river.” To achieve this, we must follow these steps:
- Concentration of the mind
- Complete relaxation of the body
- Sinking of the Qi to the Dan-Tien so that breathing may be deep and slow.
Note #2 - The Qi should be stimulated and the spirit of vitality should be retained internally. When practising our Celestial 108 routine, the movements should not be uneven or irregular, nor suddenly high or suddenly low. They need to be smooth, even, effortless and continuous so that the Qi can flow freely. Senior Master Chin Min Lian has often used the description …. “Low, Slow and Flow". The spine should be erect so that vitality can reach the top of the head. When stepping forward or backward, the body should be kept perfectly straight, the shoulders relaxed.
Note #3 - The energy is rooted in the feet as if our feet are like the roots of a tree ...it develops in the legs, then directed to the waist, into the spine, to the arms, hands and fingers ('the String of Pearls') . We can then, as the Grand Master has said, “move like a feather and strike like an iron”. The Masters have talked about the four principle movements in Tai Chi which are the foundation found in most Tai Chi forms . They emphasize softness, yielding and strength.
Ward Off: This movement is an attack with a soft, yielding force with a wide stance, a relaxed posture, and a gentle push with the palms.
Roll Back: This movement involves a circular motion, where the body and limbs move in a flowing way, often described as a yielding action.
Press: This movement is a direct and forceful action, often described as pushing with the palms or fist.
Push: This movement is a gentle, yet firm action that uses strength, involves a direct and continuous push with the hands, often in a forward direction.
These four movements are found in the Celestial Tai Chi routine.
My Tai Chi journey definitely doesn’t feel like thirty plus years. Learning, practicing and teaching for the Celestial Tai Chi college has enriched my life in so many ways.
Yvonne Schmidt
Senior Instructor, Mornington and Rosebud Centres
Updated: 24 June 2025
