陳娟：太極拳的哲學啟示

陳娟：太極拳的哲學啟示

CHEN JUAN GOING WITH THE FLOW

Text by Madeline Weng Photos by Zeng Jian and Chen Zhenglei Taichi Studio

N=NIHAO

C=CHEN JUAN

N: What is the core value of Taichi?

C: The value of Taichi lies in helping its practitioners to combine and balance their body and soul.Similar to Chinese medicine, Taichi helps you to recuperate from the inside out.That is why Taichi is also called“exercise prescription”.Its every move aims to make the practitioner healthier and more energetic.Taichi not only helps in improving one's immune system, but also blood circulation.

Comparing to most other forms of exercise, Taichi does not do any physical harm to the body, since all its moves are physiologically natural.

Another core value of Taichi is changing.Taichi moves convey the philosophy of “yin (meaning feminine and negative)” and “yang (meaning masculine and positive)” D when “yin” goes to its extreme, it naturally turns “yang” and vice versa.This rule, also known as “extremes meet”, teaches us to change our logic or our approach when encountering seemingly unsolvable issues in our daily life.

N: Can you explain what “Neili (inner force)” is?

C: “Neili” is the innate power of the human body.Think of it as a well-trained troop, which instantly lines up the moment its General gives an order.Combining the inner force to an accelerated speed, a Taichi master can push a person up to 10 meters away with little effort.

N: As a keen instructor of “Prenatal Taichi”, what are its main benefits?

C: During the fi rst three months of pregnancy, a woman may have trouble coping with the body's reaction to the pregnancy.Therefore, I do not recommend women in this phase to practice Taichi.

I recommend women to practice Taichi during the fourth and seventh month of their pregnancy.By then, the fetus has become more rooted and stable.Although pregnant women become tired easily, the doctors would usually advise them not to stay at home for too long.While some western experts suggest pregnant women jog, I prefer Taichi much more.It simply makes me feel more comfortable and energetic afterwards.

Exercise at a sensible amount helps the mother's blood to circulate better, which is bene fi cial for nutrient delivery.In addition, women learn to improve their breathing during practice, which in turn makes the birthing process smoother and easier.

N: How do you think Taichi will develop in the future?

C: The fi rst inevitable development of Taichi is industrialization.I believe that one day Taichi will start to create massive commercial value just like gyms and Taekwondo.

The second tendency is “culturalization”.Scholars from all over the world have long started to do research on Taichi.During the past 30 years of his dedication to taking Taichi abroad, my father, Chen Zhenglei, has come to realize that Taichi has become one of the most essential channels for the western world to understand China.

The third tendency is “medicalization”.Twenty years ago western countries began their research on the effectiveness of Taichi for easing bodily pain, as well as the rehabilitation process.Both The University of California and Harvard University have deepened their research in the ancient system.They are now more interested in knowing Taichi's in fl uence on the human brain.

N: Have you ever thought about writing a book about Taichi?

C: As a matter of fact, I just turned down a publisher.

There are countless books on the market that talk about Taichi moves.If I write a book, I would make it more thought-provoking and philosophical.Yet I still think I need to spend more time accumulating experiences through teaching and researching.After all, I am not in a rush D Taichi is my lifetime career and I've still got enough time!

N: 太極拳的核心價值和理念是什么？

C: 我認為太極拳的價值在于幫助習練者達到一種身心合一的狀態。

太極拳不僅可以增強習練者的免疫力，還可以使其氣血旺盛，精神充沛。太極拳又被稱為“運動處方”，因為它每一個動作都會讓習練者的心血更暢通，像開藥方一樣有針對性。太極拳不同于“治標不治本”的西藥，是像中醫一樣由內而外地調理。此外，相比其他大部分運動，太極拳不會對人體造成運動傷害。這是因為它所有的動作都符合生理規律，而順應自然的東西往往更容易為大眾所接受。大自然在運轉的時候，會淘汰不協調的事物，因此年輕人不該熬夜，到點就得睡覺、起床、吃飯，讓自己的生理規律和大自然相契合，當你與自然達到和諧，它自然而然會滋養你。

太極的另外一個核心理念是變化。太極拳招式里蘊含著“陰極至陽，陽極至陰”的道理。打個比方，在運行動作的過程中，習練者絕不能逆行而上，因為逆行只會讓動作越行越背。而這個時候，只需轉換方向，即可逆變順而通。這個哲理告訴我們，在生活和工作中遇到瓶頸時要及時轉換思維。

N: “內力”是什么？

C: “內力”是人本身自有的力量。“內氣”好比人們體內的士兵，將領大旗一揮，士兵就會聚集起來形成有序的排列，從而形成“內勁”。在此基礎上，配以招數動作和內氣加速度，即可形成“內功”。經過日積月累的練習，習拳者能夠鞏固先天自然之氣，練就一身“內功”，做到稍一“起手”，就有沉甸甸的感覺。

N: 作為“孕婦太極”的倡導者，您可以講解一下孕婦練習太極的功效和需要注意的地方嗎？

C: 在懷孕初期，由于孕吐等早孕反應，孕婦通常連日常生活的應對都有困難，更不要說進行有強度的訓練。因此，懷孕前三個月練習太極拳要謹慎。待到第四個月胎兒穩定后，孕婦容易感到疲勞，但我不建議這個階段的孕婦在家久坐。外國專家提倡孕婦跑步，我親測后總有提前入盆的感覺。相比之下，練拳卻能讓我感覺輕松舒服，同時更好地恢復精力。

因此，懷孕四個月到七個月之間的孕婦，大可通過練習精簡的太極套路提高身體素質。適當的運動不僅有助于母體氣血等運行，對胎兒的營養輸送也有幫助。同時，長期習練太極的女性，由于氣足，善于調整呼吸、提氣、聚氣和涌氣，生產的時候能夠托住氣，整個生產過程會更加順利。

N: 您認為未來太極拳的發展趨勢是怎樣的？

C: 太極拳的第一個必然趨勢是“產業化”。有一天太極拳也會像健身房、跆拳道那樣產生巨大的商業價值。太極拳產業化、資本化之后，將推動更多的人開始學習和傳播太極拳，推動中國特色體育產業的發展。

太極拳傳播的第二個必然趨勢是“文化化”。隨著中國的復興和崛起，全球各地的學者開始將太極拳作為一種傳統哲拳來研究。三十多年來，家父陳正雷在海外傳播太極拳的過程中發現，太極拳已經成為西方世界了解和再認識中國的重要渠道。第三個大趨勢是“醫學化”。西方國家從二十年前就開始研究太極對于慢性疾病康復及減緩病人疼痛感等方面的積極影響。而今，美國加利福尼亞大學和哈佛大學更進一步地深化了研究領域，開始討論太極拳對人類腦波和意念的影響。

N: 作為太極拳界毋庸置疑的權威，您近期會有著書計劃嗎？

C: 實際上，不久前還有出版社找我合作，被我婉拒了。市面上不缺乏有關太極拳技術的書。當下的我還需要更多的沉淀，繼續通過教學和思考醞釀出更能引發思辨的作品。反正這輩子我就認定做這一行了，出書的事情，我不著急！