An (Push) is Pushing Energy

Lesson 13: After sinking and gathering energy, Push releases energy in an upward, uprooting movement.

Lesson 14: "When applied [Push] flows like water - hardness and strength concealed in gentleness."

Lesson 15: To uproot your partner with Push, make sure your own root is... rooted.

Ji (Press) is Pressing Energy

Lesson 10: Done in a flow, Press stores energy in the waist, then releases it via arms and shoulders.

Lesson 11: T'ai Chi is about practice, practice, and practice on a daily basis.

Lesson 12: The power behind Press comes from the spiraling arms, turning waist, and rooting to the ground.

Lu (Roll Back) is Deflecting Energy

Lesson 7: Lu is about keeping your center of mass downward, and turning from your waist.

Lesson 8: The Classics say to use four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds. That's Lu.

Lesson 9: Use adhering energy to deflect your opponent downward and to the side.

Peng (Ward Off) is Expanding Energy

Lesson 1: "Péng is an energy [that] pushes out in all directions to create a protective buffer around the core."

Lesson 3: This clip is for practicing, and consolidating, Lessons 1 and 2.

Lesson 5: The rounded arms and back - circles within circles - are a key to deflecting force.
 

Two-Person Practice in T'ai Chi

Two-person practice in T'ai Chi may be like sparring in other martial arts.  The important thing to keep in mind is that you're working together to challenge and strengthen each other.  You follow T'ai Chi principles, as you would with other postures or movements. 

Hollowing Chest, Rounding Back

This principle is about opening up your upper body, so the chi can circulate more freely throughout your body.  Consequently, you can move with greater speed and strength.

Suspending Body from the Crown

'Suspending the Body from the Crown of the Head'... connects the whole body to the heavens.

I'm not sure that Taiji Zen meant this to be Lesson 2, but I think it makes more sense as Lesson 1.  Whether in a standing posture or continuous movement, this is so fundamental to T'ai Chi.   It is important to raise our head as if a string were attached at the crown and suspended our head from directly above.  Besides aligning our body, it also opens our mind (i) and raises our spirit (shen).

Jet Li Introduces Level 1

Jet Li introduces Level 1 of Taiji Zen practice, and it covers 4 of the 13 essential postures and movements of T'ai Chi.  

These 4 postures and movements are called "Grasp Bird's Tail" in Yang Style forms

Taiji Zen has posted several lessons on Level 1, which I will cover over the next few weeks.