Sensitivity Training Another important aspect of Tai Chi training is Sensitivity Training. One of the things about the Tai Chi player is their ability to sense the intention of their opponent. How can they do this? They do this through the sense of touch. This is why as Tai Chi players we are told to… Read more »
Introduction You are lying on a stone outcropping in a verdant forest. Your eyes are closed, and you wait in anticipation touched with fear, for everything to begin. You hear the low murmuring of the man with you; the man standing above you. He is said to be a healer, and you need some serious… Read more »
Relax Relaxation is the priority and prime focus of all Taoist Exercise and Martial Arts, including Qigong. Relaxation is induced through deep breathing, awareness of and release of tension, awareness of breath, and mindfulness. Breathing in the practice of qigong is a deep diaphragmatic breathing with an expansion of the abdomen on the in-breath, and… Read more »
Once upon a time there was a teller of tales, an illustrious bard. This magnificent storyteller had enthralled many an audience with tales to inspire, to provoke deep contemplation, to titillate, to entice, to soften the hard hearted, and to invoke any number of feelings and reactions for multiple purposes. This storyteller is the great… Read more »
Myths are a unique breed of stories. They started life as explanations for the cause of what we now deem to be natural phenomena, Such as the sun rising and setting, storms, etc; or stories of mythical, cultural heroes and heroines that embody the traits and characteristics that one’s tribe or greater culture consider most… Read more »
Can Tai Chi Chuan be used for Self-Defense in a street situation? The truest answer I can give is Yes…and No. Confused? You won’t be after you finish reading this. So, read on. Let’s start with the first answer to that question: “Yes.” Let’s enumerate the reasons why “Yes” would be an appropriate answer to… Read more »
A close relative of mine died recently. He was in his 80’s. I am uncertain of the cause of his death. The most important fact for our discussion is that the last few years of his life were touched by the effects of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. I believe that this is one of the… Read more »
“Peng” or “Ward off” is one of the main forces (energies/techniques) used in the arsenal of Tai Chi Chuan. It has the internal, feeling-awareness, subjective feeling quality of a ball filled with air, or when in use of a boat being floated upon the ocean, in this case, you are the ocean and your opponent… Read more »
The Tai Chi form, whatever form you may practice, is filled with movements that can be interpreted as self-defense or martial applications. These range from the obvious, such as a punch and a kick, to the not-so-obvious, such as the movements named ” Grasping the Birds Tail’, or “Apparent Close-up.” In truth, each movement has… Read more »
Most of us are familiar with, to some degree or other, the slow, flowing movements of the Tai Chi Chuan form. The form is a series of interlinked flowing movements, that look like a stylized, imaginary fight with a number of opponents. This is true in a Tai Chi form, as much as it is… Read more »