What Does “Relaxing the Waist and Abdomen” Mean in Taichi?
Question from Student: Teacher, you often tell us to “relax the waist and abdomen.” What exactly does that mean?
Should the abdomen be slightly pulled in? Or slightly expanded? Or is it enough just to feel relaxed in that area?
When I practice, I mentally remind myself: “Relax the waist and abdomen, relax the legs and feet, relax the shoulders and neck.” Is this the correct approach?
Answer by Master Yun
1. First, understand that “Relax” in Taichi does NOT mean being loose or collapsed
In Taichi, song (relaxation) does not mean becoming soft, limp, or powerless. It means a balanced state: neither too loose nor too tight.
We emphasize “relaxation” because the modern body is habitually tense—many people no longer know what natural relaxation feels like. But during practice, many students go to the opposite extreme and interpret “relax” as complete softness or collapse. That is not Taichi.
What is the right type of relaxation?
It is the middle way— not loose, not tight, but appropriate and harmonious.
You can understand it through analogies:
Like adjusting the spokes of a bicycle wheel: If they are too tight or too loose, the wheel loses its perfect roundness.
Like tuning a stringed instrument: Over-tightening or over-loosening will distort the sound.
Practicing Taichi is exactly like tuning spokes or adjusting strings: You aim to bring the entire body-mind system to a harmonious, appropriate, and balanced state.
Every part should be neither excessive nor deficient.
2. Why you feel confused: focusing on appearance instead of inner harmony
You are still asking: “Should I pull my belly in or push it out?”
This means the attention is still on external shape. But in Taichi, correctness is not judged by outer appearance. It is judged by whether your whole system is in balance and harmony.
Pulling in is not right. Pushing out is not right. Only balance is right.
Appropriate relaxation is not an outward posture— It is an inner state that emerges when the body is properly coordinated.
Another reason for confusion is:
Your awareness (觉知力) is not yet refined enough to distinguish where you are overly tense and where you are lazy or collapsed.
3. How to practice: a practical method you can apply immediately
**Whenever your waist or abdomen feels sour, tired, or strained—
that is not relaxation. That is tension.**
The body does not lie.
And remember: Whenever one area is overly tight, another area will be correspondingly lazy or disengaged. This is the imbalance of yin and yang inside the body.
So what should you do? Follow these steps:
Step 1 — Awareness
Feel which part is tight, sore, or overworked.
Step 2 — Identify the “lazy area” behind the tension
Examples:
If your waist is tight → usually the legs are not supporting enough.
If the lower back is tense → often the chest is collapsed or the weight is not settled.
Step 3 — Adjust
Reduce the effort in the tight area
Increase participation in the lazy area (not adding force, just letting that area “join the structure”）
Step 4 — Repeat the micro-adjustment
Just like tuning a musical instrument: you won’t get it right in one attempt, but with repeated awareness and fine adjustments, you will become more and more accurate.
4. The most important part: do not rush
Your current method of mentally repeating “relax, relax” can be a beginner’s reminder, but it cannot produce true relaxation.
Real relaxation is cultivated through:
continuous awareness
constant micro-adjustment
patience
long-term refinement
This is why Taichi is called “a lifelong art.”
You may not see results quickly, but if you adjust yourself every day, little by little, you will eventually create a gap between yourself and those who never adjust at all.
Your body will become more refined, more coordinated, and more alive.
What Does “Relaxing the Waist and Abdomen” Mean in Taichi?
Question from Student:
Teacher, you often tell us to “relax the waist and abdomen.”
What exactly does that mean?
Should the abdomen be slightly pulled in?
Or slightly expanded?
Or is it enough just to feel relaxed in that area?
When I practice, I mentally remind myself:
“Relax the waist and abdomen, relax the legs and feet, relax the shoulders and neck.”
Is this the correct approach?
Answer by Master Yun
1. First, understand that “Relax” in Taichi does NOT mean being loose or collapsed
In Taichi, song (relaxation) does not mean becoming soft, limp, or powerless.
It means a balanced state: neither too loose nor too tight.
We emphasize “relaxation” because the modern body is habitually tense—many people no longer know what natural relaxation feels like.
But during practice, many students go to the opposite extreme and interpret “relax” as complete softness or collapse.
That is not Taichi.
What is the right type of relaxation?
It is the middle way—
not loose, not tight, but appropriate and harmonious.
You can understand it through analogies:
If they are too tight or too loose, the wheel loses its perfect roundness.
Over-tightening or over-loosening will distort the sound.
Practicing Taichi is exactly like tuning spokes or adjusting strings:
You aim to bring the entire body-mind system to a harmonious, appropriate, and balanced state.
Every part should be neither excessive nor deficient.
2. Why you feel confused: focusing on appearance instead of inner harmony
You are still asking:
“Should I pull my belly in or push it out?”
This means the attention is still on external shape.
But in Taichi, correctness is not judged by outer appearance.
It is judged by whether your whole system is in balance and harmony.
Pulling in is not right.
Pushing out is not right.
Only balance is right.
Appropriate relaxation is not an outward posture—
It is an inner state that emerges when the body is properly coordinated.
Another reason for confusion is:
to distinguish where you are overly tense and where you are lazy or collapsed.
3. How to practice: a practical method you can apply immediately
**Whenever your waist or abdomen feels sour, tired, or strained—
that is not relaxation.
That is tension.**
The body does not lie.
And remember:
Whenever one area is overly tight, another area will be correspondingly lazy or disengaged.
This is the imbalance of yin and yang inside the body.
So what should you do? Follow these steps:
Step 1 — Awareness
Feel which part is tight, sore, or overworked.
Step 2 — Identify the “lazy area” behind the tension
Examples:
Step 3 — Adjust
(not adding force, just letting that area “join the structure”）
Step 4 — Repeat the micro-adjustment
Just like tuning a musical instrument:
you won’t get it right in one attempt,
but with repeated awareness and fine adjustments,
you will become more and more accurate.
4. The most important part: do not rush
Your current method of mentally repeating “relax, relax” can be a beginner’s reminder,
but it cannot produce true relaxation.
Real relaxation is cultivated through:
This is why Taichi is called “a lifelong art.”
You may not see results quickly,
but if you adjust yourself every day, little by little,
you will eventually create a gap between yourself and those who never adjust at all.
Your body will become more refined, more coordinated, and more alive.