Sometimes, Chinese martial arts are made more mysterious than they actually are. … are they even mysterious? 🙂 We will talk about that some other time. Today, I’d like to circle back to our concept of song 松. We said it’s about releasing unnecessary tension while still keeping the structure and awareness. I gave you a few examples and training points in my last videos. I also said that it’s a complex topic that can be discussed for hours, which is true. But at the same time, it can be very simple.

How do you apply Song to your daily life right away, without waiting years for it to develop? By practicing it now. Waiting alone changes nothing, because nothing comes from nothing. Song is not something that arrives one day after enough time has passed; it emerges through action, observation, and adjustment.

In Taoist philosophy, even Taiji (太极) itself does not exist until movement occurs. Before movement, there is Wuji (无极)—the undifferentiated state, the state of potential. Only when movement begins does Taiji arise, and with it the interplay of yin and yang. This is, of course, a simplified explanation. We’ll explore the relationship between Wuji and Taiji in much greater depth soon. But later.

The same is true of Song. It is not found by waiting for relaxation to happen. It is found in the act of releasing unnecessary tension while living, moving, speaking, working, and interacting with others.

From a practical perspective, Song in daily life is often less about “relaxing” and more about asking:

• What tension am I holding right now that is not helping me?
• Can I do this task with 10% less force?
• Can I respond instead of react?
• Can I remain rooted while adapting to what is happening?

That said, repetition alone isn’t enough. People can repeat the same mistake for decades without becoming more aware. Awareness comes from conscious repetition—repetition combined with observation and reflection. So let’s put it all together:

Repetition builds familiarity. Attention builds awareness.

Without repetition, deep awareness is often difficult. Without attention, repetition can become just a habit. The combination of the two is what usually leads to awareness.

You can check my Instagram account taiji_kat or YT channel to find more videos where I’ll actually show how to apply Song in your daily life. Coming soon!