As I see it, Tai Chi Chuan is:
A martial art,
A philosophy,
A Way of Life.
and where you take it to is up to you.
It starts off as something purely physical, you learn to breath properly, again. You learn to correct things like posture, in all it's aspects. You become aware of how your body works. You learn how to move, on your own and in conjunction with other people, for good and ill.
You become interested in where it comes from, Taoism/Daoism, and what it's history is. It's roots are old! It is an approach of minimum effort, don't drain a lake to give someone a cup of water. Minimise confrontation, don't stand in front of an avalanch to stop it. Force is acceptable in these circumstances, you can use dynamite to divert it or block it, but don't use a nuke. Leave no traces, this does not mean hide them afterwards.
Start off by practicing your breathing at every opportunity, when you remember. Practice your form a little every day, I normally suggest about ten minutes to start. Don't worry that you cannot remember it right, it is the habit of practice that you want to build at this time, right can come later. Let your practice grow, and shrink, as time passes, you've got all of your life in which to do it.
Take it, and it's approach, out of 'practice' and into the rest of your life.
And that's all there is to it.
Sorry to ramble on!
