When you practise your t'ai chi, at first you have to think about what you are doing and need to remember the postures. Your mind is busy. Beyond the stage where you have learnt the form and can perform the sequence without thinking too much, you will be ready to use your intention more purely. It is almost as if the mind creates the intention to move just before there is any actual movement.
The principle idea is that the mind leads the ch'i and the body follows the ch'i. To arrive at this stage you begin by intending the physical movement before it occurs. There must not be too big a gap between the mind moving and the physical body following. The connection is maintained throughout the movement.
Chinese masters say that performing t'ai chi is like drawing silk from a cocoon. They refer to the fact that if you draw the silk too quickly away from the cocoon it will break and if you are too slow the silk will snag. Therefore the movements in t'ai chi are smooth and continuous but actually it is the mind that draws out the movements like silk enabling the body to follow.
The ch'i is roused in the body by the power of the Shen. The Chinese character for Shen is composed of two pictograms, which mean, "that which drops from the sky," and "that which passes through the body." Shen is thought of as the subtlest aspect of the spirit and is associated with the Heart. It has a direct link with the spiritual dimension of being human and it has a radiant nature. "When the Shen is abundant there will be cheerfulness, when it is insufficient there will be dullness and sorrow."
Within the t'ai chi tradition it is said that when the dense ch'i naturally sinks the pure Shen will rise. When the Shen is raised it is as if the subtlest part of the mind and the subtlest ch'i are roused together. Imagination and intention are used to make the Shen manifest. It is, in part, a state of alertness, yet without losing relaxation and calm.
To enable the more subtle ch'i to be drawn to the top of the head, the body alignment should be adjusted with just the slightest effort to lift the crown. The more relaxed you are the easier it is to produce the necessary lift with the minimum amount of effort.
When the Shen is cultivated there is a general feeling of well-being and physical feeling of fine vibration throughout the body. The imagination and intention are able to raise the Shen and it is the Shen, composed of pure thought, emotion and spirit, which moves the ch'i.
This pure thought has the quality of intuition; it is thought without concepts. The emotions are the higher emotions and the mental state is not one of excitement but there is a similarity with the feeling of being inspired or experiencing a sense of awe.
To be able to connect with the Shen in this way is natural for some people and in others it can be cultivated. When the Shen is raised and ch'i roused the body feels very light and sensitive and the mind is well coordinated. When the Shen is strong a person will have bright shining eyes.