If you have practiced any traditional Tai Chi forms, you more than likely have heard about silk reeling. It sounds mysterious, which is unfortunate because the movements are repetitive and fairly simple. In fact, observers often assume the exercises are basic, even unimportant. However, most Tai Chi experts agree that mastering silk reeling is necessary in order to take your Tai Chi to the next level.
Silk reeling (also known as Chansulin) refers to a set of neigong movement principles expressed in traditional Tai Chi, particularly in the Chen and Wu styles. It is sometimes referred to as a spiral force. Grand Master Chen Zhaopi considered it necessary to help students more easily grasp Tai Chi’s spiraling and rotational movements, as well as to build internal strength and help students understand that “all movements are circular, with no sharp angles or flat surfaces, no deficiencies or excesses.”
The phrase "reeling the silk from a silkworm's cocoon" is drawn from the spiraling and twisting movements of the silkworm larva as it wraps itself in its cocoon, and should help you visualize the movements and sensations of reeling the silk. Actions should be smooth and continuous in order to successfully draw out the silk, and movements should be long, with slight tension, and possess both hard and soft energy. Silk reeling exercises involve the entire body, and though the movements are twisting, they can’t be performed too fast, lest the silk break. However, if they are performed too slow, the silk will stick together and tangle.
Silk reeling is the principle method of movement for Qi circulation from the Dantian to the extremities and back. Its focus is to achieve whole-body movement by coordinating all parts of the body: when one part moves, all parts move. The Dantian is the body center, consisting of abdominal muscles attaching to the hips and lower spine, and when the Dantian moves, the whole body moves. The goal is for all movements to originate from the Dantian. Silk reeling energy unifies the body and connects the energy throughout the body with the Dantian.
Whole-body movement is achieved when:
The hips control the legs,
The chest controls the arms,
The Dantian controls the hips and chest, and
The torso and limbs twist, spiral, and rotate as a unit.
According to Grand Master Chen Zhaopi, silk reeling energy is present in all Tai Chi movements when practiced correctly. Thus, all the movements contain spiraling energy. Because this spiraling energy is hard to maintain throughout an entire form, silk reeling exercises allow us to practice creating this energy by doing repetitive movements until they become second nature. At that point, we insert them back into the form.
Silk reeling will also get you in touch with your internal energy and help you identify elements of your form that need focus or correction. There are many other benefits of silk reeling movements, including loosening of joints, increasing whole body power and relaxation, so it’s easy to understand why silk reeling energy is essential to the practice of Tai Chi for health and for martial arts.
In Part 2, we will look at some methods for learning, practicing, and incorporating silk reeling into our Tai Chi form.