Body Intelligence
The more we train, the more get to realise and utilise this skill.

The mindfulness aspect of training means that as we develop good posture and deep breathing:

Our body calms down,
Then our emotions calm down,
Finally our mind calms down and becomes more aware, focused, sensitive and intense.

This means that instead of trying to train subjectively and having to take instruction, as we’ve been indoctrinated to do with the desire to ‘become’ something, our new state of being is able to observe objectively to see and feel what is actually going on.

This unified state of inner calm allows our more reliable instincts to function to cope with spontaneity (like an opponents actions), for insight to arise and our body intelligence to function free from interference.

Having learned and internalised the skills of our art with the structured thinking mind, we are now free to let the objective part of our mind receive information from our body intelligence. It observes our actions and allows it to give insight.

The tai chi classics begin by giving advice on what to do but when this is internalised it tells the objective mind to observe in principles and ideas by telling it see what’s not right, like:

No collapses
No protrusions
No leaning

Our body intelligence and sensitivity can feel when our structural integrity is failing and when connected or even close to another person where theirs is failing.

This is why neigong (inner work) is important.