Tai Chi Music: Should we practice tai chi with music? Golden Lion’s Tai Chi Sifu Christine Everett answers this question below.

To most students of tai chi they would consider this question a no-brainer and can’t imagine doing their tai chi routines without putting on some soft music in the background; but do we really need music with tai chi?

At home for most of us there is a bit of a ritual to starting our practice. We may have to move furniture around, and then we go over to our music player and select our first track. In the process we mentally begin to switch our minds from its usual restless state of thoughts that jump about for attention. As we push the play button we desperately hope that the music will do its trick and give our crazy minds peace and quiet, thus allowing us to concentrate on the soothing meditation of tai chi.

Spending time finding the right music that can work the magic is very worthwhile because there is nothing more disheartening than trying to do a tai chi routine with a mind that can’t stop the chatter. With the right music we can transport our minds to a different place that allows us to concentrate and seek tranquillity and make our practice time truly rewarding.

What tai chi music is best?

Most people would say something soft and flowing that creates the right atmosphere. Historically learning and playing traditional music was part of the lives of scholars and philosophers in ancient China. Music was seen as a means of self-cultivation and meditation along with poetry, calligraphy and martial arts. Out of this tradition is a huge catalogue of “traditional” Chinese music.

Some is really good to do our routines with and others definitely are not. Even when it might be labelled as “for Tai Chi” it may just not work for us. Another source of good music is meditation and “new world music” with lots of birds and rippling brooks. Others have found western classical music suits them.

Is there a worst tai chi music?

I would say yes. It would be music that commands too much of your attention. It might totally dictate your rhythm and you find you are totally distracted and even worse singing along while still going through the motions of you tai chi routine.

Having found music that really works, is there a danger that we can get dependent on it? Most definitely, we should never allow the music to become our main focus. We must feel able to focus in any environment including one with no music at all. However many of our tai chi students have found matching a particular piece of music to a routine has definitely enhanced their performance of the routine and eased “brain congestion “ which makes us unintentionally drop into another routine.

What is the answer?

I think I would say yes but occasionally give the music player a rest, head outside and do your practice to the sounds of birds, traffic, bubbling water, barking dogs or whatever… to challenge your focus and perhaps even get one of those wonderful epiphanic moments just because we broke the routine.

Sifu Chris Everett