Some Chinese martial arts have traditionally had overt power and conditioning training methods, clearly visible to all.
In some t’ai chi lineages the physical conditioning and power generation methods have for various reasons been kept for those who showed loyalty to their teacher and clan.
In this lineage of t’ai chi, Neigong training, which means ‘inner work’ was reserved strictly for disciples who had been accepted as serious people worthy of teaching advanced material to.
Neigong training is a profound system or practice which develops many qualities.
In the body Neigong emphasises stretching the lungs, stimulating the organs, exercising the fascia and developing deeper respiratory patterns. The muscles of the entire body develop strength and endurance and there is an emphasis on developing the elastic properties of the key parts of the body that help develop power and maintain structure.
Lymphatic movement and blood flow throughout the body is encouraged by the systematic opening and closing of all the joints dozens or even hundreds of times. Combined with extensive low stance work in a wide variety of positions leads to an extremely holistic exercise regimen for the entire body.
The mind is kept calm yet alert throughout, engaged in non judgemental awareness of the body and the training process. This mindful practice combined with very deep breathing activated the parasympathetic nervous system, which leads us to feeling rested and calm.
The exercises are simultaneously used to develop Jin, which is the term used for trained or refined power generation. The body and mind become expert at generating long and short range power in all directions, making martial arts techniques for more potent.
Daily training is split into a Yin set done one day, emphasising the development of the physique through soft, slow training. The next day we do Yang exercises which develop force production, explosive power and physical toughness. There are 12 exercises in each set.
The final exercise is a restorative breathing and meditation practice, designed to help the practitioner achieve the deepest levels of relaxation.
