Teaching a free class
Chang has studied several kinds of t’ai chi, including the Yang and Chen styles. He used to practice on the roof of his apartment building, but the whims of the weather made it impossible to practice there every day.
To overcome those limitations, Chang thought up his own unique method: Unlike the t’ai chi you see in Taiwan’s parks, his revised version can be practiced at home or in the office. Starting with the t’ai chi commencement posture, one moves through a sequence of four or eight basic t’ai chi forms that are suitable for a small space. Once you finish the sequence, your right foot steps backward at a 45˚ angle and you start all over again. Using this method, one turns like a top in slow motion, facing every direction in a small room while repeating the same sequence of moves.
“If you plan on repeating a sequence of forms, the simpler the motions, the better. So long as you can study the basic moves of t’ai chi, and get a sense of t’ai chi’s health benefits, it will foster a virtuous cycle and you’ll be able to stick with it for many years.”
Chang points out that because modern office workers often get stiff necks and shoulders, they first need to warm up and get loose before they engage in standing meditation and practice their training forms. By so doing, their qi will start circulating, and they’ll achieve twice the results with half of the effort.
The stretching and loosening exercises he created draw from the essences of various schools of t’ai chi and also integrate yoga and exercises designed by John D. Young, chairman of Chang Gung Biotechnology. They help to loosen the shoulders and neck and correct habitually poor posture.
Now accomplished in his study of t’ai chi, Chang began to practice neigong (the study of cultivating and directing qi) five years ago. He also obtained certification as a t’ai chi instructor. Now he spends every Saturday morning teaching for free at Da’an Forest Park.
Two years ago, after Chang had attained a mastery of neigong techniques, enabling him to intentionally transfer his qi to others, he began holding a t’ai chi class in the office. Every Tuesday evening, he leads an hour-long session, covering body-relaxation skills, standing meditation techniques, and basic 13-form and 18-form t’ai chi sequences.
Cultivating body and mind
Chang deeply believes that anyone, so long as they stick with it, can reap the benefits of t’ai chi. At 174.5 centimeters tall and 72 kilograms in weight, Chang, 46, has a standard body type. Since he’s started practicing t’ai chi, he has rarely been sick. What’s more, he’s not picky at all about his diet. He’s been known to consume as many as 30 boiled dumplings at a single meal, yet he weighs the same as 20 years ago.
“It’s all thanks to t’ai chi,” says Chang, who credits its practice with speeding up his metabolism. Furthermore, no matter how late he stays up at night, it doesn’t keep him from waking naturally at six the next morning. That early rise has become like brushing his teeth or washing his face—part of his habitual routine.
T’ai chi may seem like a slow, easy, low-energy form of exercise, but looks can be deceiving. From many years of experience, Chang has discovered that practicing t’ai chi for only 40 minutes is enough for him to work up a sweat and get his circulation going. Furthermore, t’ai chi is the ultimate “soft” martial art, so that it suits people of all ages.
What’s more, t’ai chi emphasizes yin-yang balance, yin-yang harmony, reversion to the mean, the path of least resistance and other natural laws. Thus, through the practice of t’ai chi, Chang has gained an understanding of the yin and yang of material things, the waxing and waning of the moon, the rising and falling of markets, and the profit and loss of investments.
For Chang, t’ai chi isn’t merely a form of physical exercise: it’s an approach to life that helps him cultivate his mind and his body and maintain his composure even when faced with the frenzy and vicissitudes of the financial world!