Taiji
Welcome! I am so pleased that you joined our little band of Taiji folk…I really love our class, and the energy that everyone brings to the group. It is important to me that we all learn and grow together, so I want you to know that I am here to help you in any way that I can, and I know that you will have gifts of learning for me too. If you want to know what Taiji can do for you in terms of health and wellness...read this article.
Currently, our class times are at 8:00a.m. on Tuesdays (advanced class), Thursdays (everyone), Saturdays (everyone). There is a nominal fee of $5 for class, payable on Saturday each week.
By way of introduction, remember that Taiji stands on a four-legged stool each of which is integral to the understanding of the art:
Qigong and Neigong: Literally this means the work of Qi and the work of breath. Gong means work, so in Qigong and Neigong, we are learning how to work with our Qi and our breath. Qi is the energy of life and matter. You can think of it as the metabolic energy of the body if you wish. Breathing involves learning how to breathe deeply, fully and in the right ways at the right time. In our practice we will use very specific Qigong exercises, like the Eight Brocades and the Yi Jin Jing. We will also pay attention to breathing during the form and when we do Push Hands together.
Taolu = Solo Form Training: In our case, we are learning the International Standard twenty-four move Yang form. It is said that it is better to engage one form and master it over a lifetime of study, as opposed to learning lots of different forms and never really master any of them. The point here is really simple. You may 'learn' a form in a few months, but there will always be lessons hidden within the form for those who dig deeply enough. If all you do is repeat what you learned, then you have stopped learning and the door to mastery will be forever closed. Mastery comes from challenging yourself over and over to discover deeper lessons and deeper meanings.
Tuishou = Partner Push Hands Training: You can think of push hands as a more free-flowing, slow motion partner drill in which each partner is attempting to find the center of gravity and to compromise your partner's balance. At another level, the center of balance can also be seen as both mental/emotional as well as physical. As is said, where the mind goes, the Qi follows.
Sanshou = The Martial and Health Applications: Remember that as stylized as it is, Taiji has, at its root, a martial origin. Hidden within each move of the form is one or more martial applications. It is said in the T'ai Chi Chu'an Ching (The Taiji Classic written by Zhang Senfeng somewhere between 1279 and 1368) that everything in Taiji must withstand the "most rigorous martial analysis". Additionally, following the Daoist precepts of longevity and health, every movement in Taiji is aimed towards a sense of inner and outer harmony. (see article concerning health benefits).
In Summary, I offer three quotes from the T'ai Chi Chu'an Ching for you to consider:
"All motion should be rooted in the feet, released through the legs, controlled at the hips and manifest through the fingers "
"In motion, all parts of the body must be light, relaxed, agile and united in both purpose and action"
" Be as still as a mountain, move like a great river"
For some overall history and information about Taiji, Qigong and Chinese martial arts see the following:
In terms of my instruction, below is the Yang Style Short Form laid out as a set of photographs and instructions in two parts and a video of the entire form:
Yang Style Short Form Video (this is a big file so it will take time to download).
Additionally, here is Eight Brocades Qigong Form laid out as a set of photographs and instructions and also as a video:
Eight Brocades Video (this is a big file so it will take time to download)
We also study the Yi Jin Jing Qigong Form. The form is presented as a .pdf below .
Below are two clips of the form being practiced by other teachers:
Yi Jin Jing (version 1)
Yi Jin Jing (version 2)
You will notice both similarities and differences, but each of these is close to what I have been teaching you in class.
Lastly, here are the Taiji Squares as a word document, and as a video (this is a big file so it will take time to download). The point of practicing the squares is that within the short form there are moves that are only performed on one side of the body. The squares drill allows us to practice actions extracted from the form to both left and right and also moving forwards, backwards and at right angles. Consequently, each action is repeated eight times: to left and right in each of the cardinal directions.
I also promised you some links. The links below are very close to what I am teaching, and I am sure that you will notice some subtle differences both in what I do and between the links…this is natural. Each instructor has their own emphases, and I have had several instructors over the years, learned three different styles of Taiji and am coming at this from decades of martial arts training and also as a practitioner and clinician in Chinese medicine, so my teaching is a reflection of that combination of learning. The most important thing for me, is that you learn at your own pace, and that you take what is useful to you. Taiji contains its own lessons for each of us, and perhaps that is one of its greatest beauties.
If you want to know what is possible in Taiji as a sport check out these videos