Relaxation in T'ai Chi, by Robert Smith

Cheng Man-ch'ing, Pushing Hands

This is not to say that T'ai-chi does not require effort. It does. But it requires quite as much faith. I asked Cheng Man-ch'ing once why none of his students approached him in skill. His terse answer: "No faith." Faith in what? Simply in the twin principles of relax and sink, in not resisting and always remaining gently attached to the opponent.

From Chinese Boxing: Masters and Methods (1976, p 26), by Robert Smith.

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Michael Garofalo culled information, quotes and references on relaxation - Relaxed - and I am grateful for his effort. Over several days in July 2011, I meditated over each one of these quotes and made notes in my T'ai Chi journal:

Not just to be really, really, but truly to be completely and absolutely shoong. I would like to imagine that in the future, I can be completely impervious to some people's craziness and shenanigans, by being absolutely shoong.

Going forward I will post regularly on relaxation, with more quotes and notes.