Form And Kata

Form can be practiced by anyone of any age or condition on their own without the need of equipment. They have 3 treasures:Health – they are moving yoga improving posture, flexibility, strength, breathing, increasing emotional intelligence,and mindfulness. Skill – techniques are combined to increase skill levels of basics moving multi directionally to long and short turns jumping and dropping. Application – breaking down each technique and applying it on an opponent to make it work. They can also be ‘coloured’ in different ways. Monk – like a moving meditation to reduce negative emotions. Warrior – as you would use the … Continue reading Form And Kata

When Tai Chi Arrives

It took me a long time to get this. In a lesson with Ma Lee Yang we were talking about the differences between mol gik, tai gik and tai chi. Mol gik is the infinite and tai chi movement creating yin and yang and tai gik inbetween the two. I asked if tai gik was the intention to move and Ma Lee said “no it’s when tai chi arrives”. This really troubled me, did it mean that I was to wait for tai chi to arrive? What happens if it didn’t? I realised the idea of ‘you don’t do tai … Continue reading When Tai Chi Arrives

Eagle Eye

Eagle Eye…. I’ve already broken down what both chi and intention is and the eyes can also lead the intention. In Tai Chi we have the ‘eye form’ where in the beginning we use the eyes to draw the chi to the leading hand in the form, this helps us to develop the qualities of intention helping to keep our awareness, concentration, sensitivity, intensity and emotional content (our mindfulness) in an unbroken thread throughout the entire form. When we have internalised this skill and it becomes a natural part of our form, we can then focus on the secondary hand … Continue reading Eagle Eye

The Magic Of Avebury

I remember being in the Avebury stone circle and as I walked around touching each stone I felt that they were like ‘stone mirrors’, upright pieces of earth reflecting my ‘original face’ back to me. That thousands of years ago each stone belonged to a different magician and that completing the circle touching each stone gave me a unique transmission from each one and completed an ancient rite. I found Avebury far more powerful than Stonehenge and complemented the energies from Glastonbury Tor, Glastonbury Abbey (very powerful) and Chalice Well. Continue reading The Magic Of Avebury

The Magic Speed Of Tai Chi

The magic speed of Tai Chi… Tai Chi forms are working vehicles and therefore constructed to be practiced in a multitude of different ways and speeds. But there is one speed and way that changes everything to bring you into a magical state of mindfulness making the mind aware, focused, sensitive and intense also changing the body energetically. Imagine you are completely immersed in water and you have to practice the form so carefully that you don’t disturb the water in any way. This forces you to be completely ‘in the moment’, extremely mindful and feel the pressure of the … Continue reading The Magic Speed Of Tai Chi

Manipulating The Chakras With Tai Chi

Manipulating The Chakras With Tai Chi What do the chakras do? Root Chakra – is life and death, a very powerful primal energy driving sex and mortal fear. Sacral Chakra – is instincts, that ‘gut feeling’ you need to learn to rely on. Solar Plexus Chakra – is normal fear, anxiety and anger. Heart Chakra – is patience, kindness, tolerance and compassion. Throat Chakra – is expression, the ability to influence your environment. Brow Chakra – the ‘third eye’ is insight and visionary. Crown Chakra – is wisdom and spirituality. They each have their own emotional colouring and vibration of … Continue reading Manipulating The Chakras With Tai Chi

Loneliness…

You can be lonely in a crowdThat feeling that you’re differentThat nobody understands youIsolated from friends and familyWhen others tell you what you’re likeAnd they’ve got it wrongVery wrongAnd you can’t tell themThe suffering cuts your soulPain –PhysicalEmotionalMentalAnguish that tears through all 3 statesBeing human feels like prisonStuck in amongst aliensLooking at you like you’re a walking zooMisinterpreting what you sayHow you lookHow you actPeople look, judgeBut can’t see youCan’t understand youLoneliness is not just being on your ownIt’s being on your ownWhoever you’re withTrying to communicateThrough a filterThat obviously doesn’t workPeople say talk to someoneMy door’s always openThe kettle’s … Continue reading Loneliness…

Tai Chi’s A Funny Game

Tai Chi people can be funnyThere are people with exclusive magicWho look down on the hoi poloiAs pitiable acolyte’sConfusing everyone with terminologyThere are those that leanOn impeccable lineageWith flowery handsAnd embroidered feetSome have silk suitsThat ripple in the breezeThere are hippiesThat heal with ancestral energyThere are formsSo many formsPrayers to the ancestorsCombining meditation and energy workInto fighting techniquesPush hands to testStructural integrityAnd stop practitionersFrom just playing with themselvesBeneath all these facesLies the best structuredMost powerfulMethod of developingMental focusEmotional intelligenceGood health and vitalityAnd self defenceThat I’ve ever encountered Never judge a book by its cover. Continue reading Tai Chi’s A Funny Game

The Perfect Workout

I don’t do short forms in Tai Chi. The Yang Chen Fu 108 for me along with the family neigong and qigong is the perfect morning ‘monk style’ workout that can be explored in a multitude of ways and the afternoon ‘warrior’ workout of the weaponry, Long Boxing and Sanshou set is perfect. Repeated techniques cover moving on the spot (grasp sparrow’s tail) with the 4 major jins (ward off, roll back, press, push), and rolling arms moving forward (brush knee), backward (repulse monkey) and sideways (waving hands like clouds). Other techniques cover the other jins and angles in a … Continue reading The Perfect Workout

Releasing Energy

Understand how the body naturally builds up and releases energy and you understand how to use it in qigong and Tai Chi. This also applies to the internal energy in all martial art technique. Your morning stretch is different to your exercise stretches. This is because you build up your energy in your stretch and then release it to wake up. Notice the feeling that goes with the release. You do the same when you sneeze, yawn, when you go to the loo, when you ejaculate and even when dealing with emotion and pain. Understand this and you go a … Continue reading Releasing Energy