A goal in tai chi

There is a progression to tai chi. First is to relax places where we’re tight (often painful, too). Often it can be described as “clenching.” For most of us that is true. The next step in the progression is to move. Move around and through the tight places with a mindful intention to dissolve the tension. The moves are designed to help you to relax. Moving changes the body.

We use different methods to get that change to happen: loosening, stretching, and single basic exercise. Repetitive, rhythmic, single moves, in which we employ awareness of and intention to the six directions, and then in shapes and patterns. The six directions are up down front back left right and the shapes are circles, figure 8s and spirals.

Begin with circles and visualize with your mind intending to circle inside your abdomen. This location is particularly important in the beginning, but you can move in circles anywhere in your body with the intention.

Moving the abdomen and the hips are key to relaxing and loosening the tightness in the lower back and spine.

Your tai chi goal

My goal in teaching tai chi is to show you the process. A secondary goal is to help you to realize that you can do it.

The question of what is tai chi lies at the core of all learning in tai chi. You’re in the process of discovering what tai chi is for you every time you stand up and start moving. No one can do that other than you. Isn’t that a remarkable thing to realize? …that you are the only one on the planet who knows what tai chi is, and can be, for you?

Master George Xu Introduces “Ling Cong Shen Si Men”: A universal martial arts system

In his Annual Weekend Workshop to Cortez, Colorado July 15-17, Master George Xu introduced his system he entitles “Ling Cong Shen Si Men” (Light, Agile, Empty, Spiritual, Invisible, Indirect Potential System). He describes it in a July 15th lecture in Cortez, Colorado that will be made available on streaming video at mastersfromchina.com. We first heard his term for the system last April during a one-day workshop in San Francisco, CA.

“I finally can say that I have a system I can talk about,” Master Xu said at the time.

We’ve heard bits and pieces of his predator theory out of which his system is developed, but never so clearly organized until now. This Cortez workshop, the latest in 20-plus years of Master Xu visiting us, consisted of Master Xu elucidating some basic concepts of the Ling Cong Shen Si Men System in lecture and exercise drills which he led throughout the workshop, with a review Sunday morning of the many single basics that he had been showing the groups of at least 24 students.

He also led a power-stretching segment and beginning learning of the Lan Shou Quan broadsword section known as “Hold the Moon” or “bao yue dao.”

These latter two were specifically requested by Susan Matthews, workshop host and Shanti School of Taijiquan founder and teacher. We began learning the Lan Shou Men as early as 2002 when Master Xu gave us the Cao Quan Form and the Bau Yue Dao form with a stem-by-step instruction of each segment of both forms (both of which are available on video).

The Cortez workshop is a return to Lan Shou requested by Ms. Matthews who has studied with Master Xu since before 2000, when she was introduced to Lan Shou Master Ye Xiao Long. In 2004, Master Xu introduced us to Wu Jie with whom we studied for several days at Master Xu’s China Camp ’04 and ’07.

Equipped with the videos and learning directly from such accomplished master practitioners, it made good sense to keep practicing that system and fine tune our skills and expand our experience of the Lan Shou Men.

To get a taste of the workshop, you can request youtube.com video clips available from Susan Matthews or P. Tim Richard by contacting either. Look for full length instructional streaming videos sometime soon at mastersfromchina.com. They will cover Master Xu’s overview lecture, single basic exercises, testing examples, some power stretching, and beginning Lan Shou broadsword, “Hold The Moon.”

—Paul Tim Richard, July 20, 2016

Five (maybe six) questions people (might) ask before deciding to learn tai chi

You have to learn tai chi to see its effects. It doesn’t seem easy to do, but it’s simpler than many people think. People make a choice to learn when they start tai chi. They understand it takes effort and commitment. They can see that much about it.

I identified five (maybe six) basic questions you can ask if you’re thinking about doing tai chi. As a teacher, my answer is yes to all, but you might not agree. Ask them of yourself, read my remarks, which hopefully will help, then decide for yourself on a course of action.

Can I do it?
Am I able to meet any requirements. Am I big enough, strong enough, quick enough, smart enough? Do I have to pass tests? In tai chi there are no requirements beyond having the desire to attend classes and learn. If you can listen and learn, then you’re able to do tai chi. The biggest effort involves remembering what you learn and then practicing at home in your spare time. The teacher can help guide your learning. You can grade your progress if you want. There is no performance rating, no quizzes, no expectations—other than to make an effort. Beyond that it’s all discovery and accomplishment. Just experience tai chi to the degree that you are able. That feels good, too. We constrain our possibilities by thinking we don’t have the time.

Do I have the time?
This is a big question for busy people. Often, though, we think we’re busier when we’re actually not. Makes us feel important that we’re doing important things. Life goes on…and on some more. From a tai chi practitioner’s point of view, having time is not the optimum question. Key to successful learning is how much energy you’re willing to put into learning. Time, in this case, is effort. If you are willing, there is always time because it’s your effort that matters most. Two minutes a day is nothing in terms of time, but in terms of effort, it could make a huge difference . . . . over time, of course.

Can I afford it?
Can you afford not to be healthier? You just have to decide what you’re willing to spend in order to change something? Most of us can easily afford, and readily spend our wealth on, things that we know are not good for us. Go figure.

Is tai chi for me?
You can read blog posts, articles, talk to people who do tai chi and who tried and quit, then decide whether to take a few classes, or many classes. But the only way to know for sure is to do tai chi. And I would add that that is not going to be enough. Tai chi is for everyone in one way and in another way it’s only for those who are not just willing to go through the process of learning, but those who actually do. There is always a new thing to learn. So maybe another question to ask is: “Is learning new things for me?” Science research findings show that learning new things, particularly as we age, is healthy for the brain. Tai chi is healthy for the brain and the body.

The problem with learning new things is that we don’t really want to. That’s why overcoming inertia is the main objective in opening yourself up to new learning. Even when you know it would be good for you and likely for those people in your life you care about, we resist learning, much like we resist change. We see it as disruption in life’s routines. Steady as she goes, you know.

Tai chi often is more than a lifestyle choice, rather it’s a healthcare choice. You could think of it as building an identity out of your practice, because it is a process of self-discovery. Learning is that way. You build knowledge as though building a bridge from a previous you to a more-evolved you. That essentially is what you engage in by learning and doing tai chi.

Do I need tai chi?
How do you know what you need if you don’t already have it? Maybe it’s a cynical way of approaching the issue, but tai chi is one of those things that you have to experience in order to see its effects.

People don’t know what tai chi is, really. They couldn’t be expected to see it as something they need. However, you can read the articles that report research findings and accept that it’s quite likely an excellent preventative activity, as well as a treatment for illness. Maybe that’s what you need.

You could watch practitioners, listen to their stories, maybe witness the changes they go through over time; but that would mean you’re not doing tai chi yourself and possibly missing out on its benefits for yourself.

Asking if you need tai chi, in a manner of thinking, leaves open the idea that maybe there is something better. Or maybe it’s the last resort for a desperate person. I would be an example of that.

Quite often, people look into tai chi in response to a chronic condition or an acute injury. In my case, tai chi helped me more than anything else I tried. I tried many things, too. Like many other people I’ve seen, it was just about the last resort. But in my case I didn’t know about tai chi at the time, and when I discovered my teachers, I was pretty well on my way. That was in 1999. I was quite ill when I began, and I am much healthier now. A nice thing for a 64 year old person to be able to say.

One thing that appealed to me was that tai chi allowed me to do for myself rather that to rely on some professional to “help” me, or provide me “healthcare.” I’m a more or less self-sufficient person. I like to do things myself for myself. You could say that I “need” tai chi in that respect. I also like to turn people on to tai chi so they can do the same. Which I hope this post does for those of you asking the question, “Is tai chi for me?”

 

Durango Tai Chi’s mission is to make tai chi available and affordable to everyone everywhere. Plain and simple. If you want to learn tai chi, we’ll find a way. Contact Teacher Tim for a free consultation by phone or in person. He’ll go anywhere on Earth where it’s possible to teach.  He donates his time and energy (at least until his savings run out). It’s like a non-profit without the tax-exempt status. Tuition goes to paying expenses for room rent, transportation, advertising, internet fees and printing. Teacher Tim’s private lessons help him with personal income, which he must rely on since he is not employed full-time at another job. Please share this post with friends you care about.

Play the pipa and the real thing

Students new to taijiquan often ask what is a pipa when they learn the “play the pipa” posture in the Wu style tai chi form. I found this video on facebook.com of Wu Man playing the instrument, the four-string lute, with Haruka Fujii playing Japanese symbols. View and then see for yourself what a pipa is. Also check out the Silkroad Project, Yo Yo Ma’s current project.

https://www.facebook.com/rsrc.php/v2/y4/r/-PAXP-deijE.gif

You don’t have to learn it all at once

I think many would-be tai chi practitioners quit or don’t even get started when they see how much there is to learning it. It certainly takes some effort to learn, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. I learned about the concept of “tiny steps” from the Institute of Wellness Education, where I’ve begun working on earning a wellness coach certificate. I think tiny steps applies to anyone considering learning some tai chi. Check out this link to read more about it on the institute’s blog.

A note on solo tai chi practice and learning

Solo practice calls for proficiency before moving on to other things, then getting familiar with them. Otherwise, you’ll have only second hand knowledge. To be wordy about it: knowing what you know and knowing you know it. This is clarity. This progression is not usually the way we are taught in tai chi. Instead, we are exposed to new practices before we really grasp the deeper applications of things we’ve already learned.

If that’s the case, then we will have to return to previously learned things and practice them some more. This is most common and without it you’re not practicing tai chi authentically. You never really learn something then be done with it for good. There is always more to learn; more depth, more clarity. Clarity is cultivated over time with effort. In fact, for tai chi practitioners, effort is time itself.

We learn with the methods we have used all our lives. How we memorize something. Learning to walk, talk, speak, add and subtract, read, behave. These are the tools we bring to tai chi learning. We’ve taken them from granted and they become transparent over time; i.e., invisible. We don’t realize that we can improve them. When you do tai chi—learn it—you’re really working in part to improve how you learn. We work on cultivating our methods of learning that we used as children. I think this is one of the refreshing sensations of tai chi practice that attracts people to come back to class.

Tai Chi Resembles Drugs, Aerobics in Blood Pressure Lowering

This article is from  Medscape Medical News.

“‘The traditional Chinese discipline offers possibilities for older people who can’t or don’t want to exercise strenuously, said Linda Pescatello, PhD, from the University of Connecticut in Storrs.'”

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/864177