THE 13 POSTURES & 13 PRINCIPLES

 
   
The 13 Postures and Principles in T'ai Chi Ch'uan

The 13 Postures of Tai Chi:

The 13 Postures is the foundation of T'ai Chi Ch'uan. Without the 13 Postures there is neither the Ch'uan (form) nor the push-hands. These 13 postures were derived from the Eight Trigrams (the first 8 postures - energies) and the Five Elements (the last 5 postures - steps). The 13 postures are:

   1. Peng (ward-off)
   2. Lu (roll-back)
   3. Chi (press)
   4. An (push)
   5. Tsai (pull-down)
   6. Lieh (split)
   7. Chou (elbow strike)
   8. Kao (shoulder strike)
   9. Chin (advance)
  10. Tui (retreat)
  11. Ku (look left)
  12. Pan (look right)
  13. Ting (center)

The 13 Principles of T'ai Chi:

The 13 principles must execute the mind, chi, and physical movement in one unit. This means that when the mind is focused on a specific area of the body, the chi will flow into that area. When the chi flows into an area, power will follow.

   1. Sinking of Shoulders and Dropping of Elbows
   2. Relaxing of Chest and Rounding of Back
   3. Sinking Chi down to Dan Tien
   4. Lightly Pointing Up the Head
   5. Relaxation of Waist and Hip
   6. Differentiate Between Empty and Full: Yin and Yang
   7. Coordination of Upper and Lower Parts of the Body
   8. Using the Mind Instead of Force
   9. Harmony Between Internal and External
  10. Connecting the Mind and the Chi
  11. Find Stillness Within Movement
  12. Movement and Stillness Present at Once
  13. Continuity and Evenness Throughout the Form