About Wu Style Tai Chi Exercise

Tai chi is a form of moving meditation that is also a martial art. If you become a practitioner of tai chi, you will learn how to increase your vitality and health through exercises that manipulate your "chi," which is your energy. These exercises are typically slow, consisting of a series of deliberate and graceful movements. Wu-style tai chi uses even more minimalist movements than the widely practiced Yang style, yet it is capable of building significant internal energy.

  1. Origins

    • Wu-style tai chi originated in northern China. The Chen family of Chenjiagou village devised a soft tai chi-boxing style which remained a family secret for 14 generations until Chen Chang Xing (1771-1853) took on Yang Lu Chan as a student. Yang Lu Chan took the technique to the imperial palace in Beijing in 1850, where he created the widely-taught Yang style. Quan You, one of Yang's more exceptional students, is credited with developing the Wu style taught today. Two of Quan's students formed the northern and southern Wu schools: in 1924, his son Wu Jian Quan formed the southern school and made Wu style available to the general public. Wang Mao Zha formed the northern school.

    Wu-Style Techniques

    • Wu uses microscopic movements of the internal joints to build energy. Movements that open and close the joints are combined with deep internal stretches that relieve the muscle tension built up by stress. These exercises focus on the back, neck and shoulders; they also reach down into the pelvis, where some back disorders begin. Internal organ massage is another key feature of Wu. The style's compressed stances, with the elbows kept low and tight to the body, help create pressure around the major organs; this has a similar effect to a body massage.

    Focus on Energy

    • Wu's simple sequences allow you to quickly acquire a sensitivity to chi energy. This is a highly meditative style which emphasizes looking inward, and even though the sequences are simple, it can be a struggle at first to focus attention on an unseen force. BeginnersTaiChi.com claims that it is easier to gain the health and stress-reduction benefits of tai chi through the Wu style than through other styles. Ultimately, it is a style that may appeal more to people who enjoy inner, spiritual work more than forms that focus more on the external, physical body.

    Advantages of Wu Style

    • One of the advantages of Wu style for tai chi beginners is that the exercises have shorter step sequences that are easier to learn and remember than those in the Yang style. Wu may also be a better style for anyone with back, knee or weight issues because it puts less strain on the legs and knee joints than other tai chi styles. Wu's small movements also make it ideal if you don't have much space to practice in.