What Are the Six Harmonies in Tai Chi, Hsing-I and Bagua?

chen family taijiquan chen tai chi six harmonies tai chi chuan three external harmonies three internal harmonies Nov 27, 2009

A member of the online school asked a question on the discussion board and I thought it would also make for a good post here on the blog.

What are the Six Harmonies and what does it mean? Does it mean the hands move with the feet, the elbows move with the knees and the shoulders with the hips?

Some people say the Six Harmonies are:

1. Shoulders

2. Hips

3. Elbows

4. Knees

5. Hands

6. Feet

So the shoulders harmonize with the hips, the elbows with the knees, the hands with the feet.

That isn't the complete story, however. These three groups of two (hips/shoulders, elbows/knees, hands/feet) make up the THREE EXTERNAL HARMONIES.

The other three harmonies that make up the six harmonies would include Yi (Mind/Intent, which is frequently paired with "Shen" or Spirit), Chi (Energy), and Li (Strength, pronounced "Lee"). These are known as the Three Internal Harmonies.

The "Shen leads the Yi," the "Yi leads the Chi," and the "Chi leads the Li (strength)."

You must have a strong spirit ("Shen") in order to do the internal arts properly, and in a self-defense situation to do effective techniques. Your mind and intention must be clear, determined, and focused (Shen and Yi), your body mechanics and technique must be good (Chi), and then your strength will be powerful (Li). All three of these must act in harmony.

If my spirit is weak, if I am afraid, my intention will be to run from an attack, or to cover up. If my spirit (Shen) is strong and my Intent (Yi) is to protect myself, my intent will guide my Chi by setting up the internal connections I need to deliver strength to my attacker.

Let's go back to the original list of six above (the Three External Harmonies). For these parts to move in harmony, there must be a connection. So if you're doing any particular movement, your feet are connected through the hands, your hips aligned with the shoulders, and there is a connection of alignment with the elbows and knees, which keeps you in your "power zone."

I demonstrate this in lessons on my online school, both on video and in live classes.

This is another way of talking about whole-body movement and silk-reeling. Each part can move separately -- on it's own -- and yet the movement is not effective and not internal if the other parts are not moving in harmony. A strike with the hand must also use the feet (ground) and it spirals up through the knees, waist (dan t'ien), shoulders, and elbows. Silk-Reeling movement -- spiraling -- must happen throughout, and the ground path and peng jin must be maintained along with proper structure. That is how you establish "chi flow."

When you are doing the movement, you are connected if you perform the movement properly. Even at the end of the movement when you are "relaxing," your elbow is spiraling as you sink and your entire body should be closing. At this point also, your elbow is over the knee and the hand is over the foot.

Where does the breath come in? It is coordinated through your movements. When practicing a form, you should breathe naturally. But in self-defense, when executing a "yang" or attacking technique, you should exhale, coordinating your spirit and your breath (and body mechanics). When you do that, your strength (Li) will be evident.

Spirit can also be described as "attitude." If you are mentally frightened or insecure, your Spirit (Shen) is unable to support a strong Intent for your mind (Yi). When someone attacks you and your Shen is weak, you might cover and be unable to defend yourself. But if your Shen is strong, and you put your mind into the task at hand and you are determined to defend yourself and fight ferociously, you then have the Shen that you need. At that point, your Mind/Intent (Yi) is determined to defend yourself. You are mentally strong and you will not accept the idea of defeat. Next, if you have trained your body to respond with proper mechanics, technique and breathing, you can support your strong Spirit and your determined Mind/Intent with strong Chi. The result will be strong Li (Strength).

If any one of the first two Internal Harmonies is not present, your Strength will suffer. If you have strong Spirit/Mind/Intent and Chi, your Strength will be there.

This is how you translate Chi from a mystical perspective into a more realistic perspective. This is what Chi means from a martial perspective. It is NOT a literal "energy" running through your body along meridians. It is the manifestation of proper attitude and body mechanics.

You can find more video lessons on the Six Harmonies on the online school.

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What Are the Six Harmonies in Tai Chi, Hsing-I and Bagua?

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