RON PERFETTI

The study of T'ai Chi Ch'uan is unique in the sense that it marks the historical meeting of many centuries of Taoist study known as Chi Kung § ("Excellence of Energy"), which was primarily dedicated to physical health and spiritual growth, with the need of the time (approximately 1,000 A.D.) for monks to defend themselves against bandits and warlords. The result was, and is, an unusual blend of healing, martial, and meditative art which is referred to as the internal practice of T'ai Chi Ch'uan... In each of these expressions, the emphasis on the internal aspect of the study is primary. This indicates that the true focus of the study is not primarily that of the physical level, but through the physical, places the true emphasis of the practice more on the mental and energetic levels. The mental component is really most important since the number one condition that inhibits an individual from achieving excellence in anything, including one's own health, is a state that Traditional..