Silence helps Release Tension
Silence helps release tension because it reduces the amount of information your nervous system must process. In Taijiquan, however, silence（安靜） means more than the absence of sound. It includes a quiet environment, quiet breathing and, most importantly, a quiet mind—心靜 (xīn jìng).
When the mind becomes quiet, several things happen:
The nervous system shifts toward recovery
Noise, conversation and constant thinking keep the brain alert. This can maintain the sympathetic nervous system（交感神經）—the “fight-or-flight” state.
Silence and slow breathing encourage the parasympathetic nervous system（副交感神經）, which tends to:
slow the breathing and heartbeat
reduce unnecessary muscle activation
soften the jaw, shoulders and abdomen
improve awareness of internal sensations
You can detect hidden tension
Silence does not directly “force” muscles to relax. It allows you to notice tension that was already present.
For example, in quiet standing you may suddenly notice:
the toes gripping the floor
the calves holding unnecessarily
the kua resisting the weight
the abdomen being pulled inward
the shoulders lifting during inhalation
the jaw or tongue tightening
What cannot be felt is difficult to release. Therefore:
Silence → clearer awareness → recognition of tension → release
Mental activity and muscular tension are connected
Every intention produces some bodily preparation. If your mind is continuously judging—“Am I rooted? Is my peng strong? Am I doing it correctly?”—your body may keep making small muscular corrections.
This is called anticipatory tension（預備性緊張）. A quiet mind reduces these unnecessary commands.
In Taijiquan, this is expressed as:
心靜則身鬆When the mind becomes quiet, the body can relax.
Silence makes listening possible
Taijiquan uses listening energy（聽勁, tīng jìn）. Before listening to your partner, you must first listen to yourself.
In silence, you can perceive:
pressure changing beneath each foot
the ankle making small balance adjustments
weight passing through the legs
the kua opening or closing
the partner’s force entering your structure
This kind of silence is not emptiness. It is quiet attentiveness（寧靜的覺察）.
A simple practice
Stand naturally for two or three minutes:
Do not immediately command the whole body to relax.
Listen to the sounds around you without naming them.
Let the exhalation become slightly longer, but do not force it.
Feel the pressure beneath the feet.
Ask each area: “Is this tension necessary?”
Release only what is unnecessary.
Maintain gentle upward support through the crown—虛領頂勁—so relaxation does not become collapse.
You may then scan upward:
soles → ankles → calves → knees → thighs → kua → abdomen → chest → shoulders → jaw
The deepest principle is:
Silence does not make you inactive. It removes internal interference.
When unnecessary mental and muscular “noise” decreases, the body’s natural alignment, balance and
**「聽而不聞，視而不見」**與 silence 有關，但不完全等於「安靜無聲」。
更準確的意思是：
The ears hear, but the mind does not follow the sound;the eyes see, but the mind does not chase what is seen.
耳朵仍在聽，心卻不追逐聲音；眼睛仍在看，心卻不追逐景象。
這是一種 inner silence（內在的寂靜／心靜），不是失去知覺，也不是故意忽略外界。你仍然清楚周圍發生什麼，只是不分析、不評判，也不被它牽動。
在太極拳中可分三層：
聽而不逐聲：聽見聲音，但不分心。
視而不凝滯：眼神自然、視野寬廣，不死盯一點。
覺而不執著：感覺身體或對手的力量，但不急於抵抗或預先反應。
因此，它比較接近：
inner stillness（內在寧靜）
quiet awareness（寧靜的覺察）
non-attached awareness（不執著的覺察）
seeing without staring; hearing without pursuing
不宜直接說成 silent，因為 silent 通常只是「不說話／沒有聲音」。比較自然的英文是：
Remain inwardly still: hear without being distracted by sounds, and see without fixing your attention on appearances.
推手時尤其重要：眼睛似乎「不盯著看」，卻以周邊視野掌握對方全身；耳朵聽見周圍聲音，心仍放在接觸點與全身變化上。這不是 unaware（沒有覺察），而是：
Aware of everything, attached to nothing.萬物皆覺，無所執著。
所以，「聽而不聞，視而不見」不是關閉感官，而是讓感官開放、心保持安靜。
peng structure（掤的支撐結構） become easier to feel. This is why Taijiquan says:
靜中求鬆，鬆中求整。Seek relaxation within stillness, and seek wholeness within relaxation.
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