[michael]

For anyone who has not read it, sifu makes an excellent analogy in a recent newsletter comparing tai chi with external choregraphy only being like buying a sports car frame with a 4 cylinder crappy engine on the inside. There are multiple meanings and explanations for why tai chi is called an "internal art" not the least of which is the fact that the "art" part of it is largely going on in the inside of a person and can not be commonly viewed from the outside. I was told by one of my instructors that the external arm and leg movements of the form were largely "window dressing" meaning the meat of the art is what is going on in the inside. To further utilize the car analogy I have also heard it said that you could take an expensive formula one sports car and it wouldn't perform as well a cheap compact car if you did not have the appropriate fuel in it. How do you get the best performance out of that car? Is it through better suspension system? Tires? What if you could put a special fuel in it that was like liquid nitro that would make the car perform at levels never before thought possible? That is what the true internal arts and training is supposed to do: supercharge you at a cellular level and make your body more efficient and powerful from the inside out. Take care and best wishes to everyone.

Michael