When i first realised the shape of my legs (see bow-legged article in “Choosing a tai chi style that suits you“), i had to change my perception of what’s correct. Recently, i found another body structure difference.

My teacher noted that when my palm presses forward, one of my elbows are higher than the other. He asked if I’ve had an injury before. Now, i haven’t thought about this injury since I was 5, that was when I fell and got my arm twisted at the elbow. I thought it was mended then, because I definitely remember the pain and the smell of mud laced with herbs wrapped round my elbow.

Now that I’m doing Tai Chi, i’m discovering old injuries in new ways. It has never stopped me from playing basketball, badminton, table tennis, etc. Probably I’ve never been tested that vigorously for those sports. Hey, i’m not in Olympics, i’m not even a school champ. ;)

Now that I have to practise the “relax relax relax” mantra, I start to notice things.

I guess what I am trying to say is to remember that Tai Chi is still an internal martial art. You can’t copy someone else’s form blindly. You’ll have to make it your own Tai Chi. And you’ve got to train to your own body specifications. Only then can we really say that we truly understand Tai Chi.