Our next induction course is Monday 6th July.
New starters are welcome!
Friday
Wednesday
Daily exercise
Dr Michael Greger (author of How Not To Die) recommends 90 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every day.
The three doctors who wrote The Okinawa Program maintain that tai chi - with its ancient origins and incredible health benefits - is the ideal form of exercise for modern people.
Ancient China
In ancient China, Taoist sages searched for different ways to prolong life, maintain youth, fitness and vitality. They developed a wide variety of anti-aging exercises.
Tai chi is a product of this quest for rejuvenation.
Centenarians
Not many people in the UK live to be 100 years old but in Asia it is far more common. How come? Asia sees aging differently to the UK.
Tuesday
Optimal body
The aim of tai chi is to teach and encourage optimal body use. A body that is capable of spontaneous movement in any direction; comfortably, safely, with the necessary support and stability.
By sitting, standing and moving in a natural, healthy way you will feel energised, relaxed, comfortable and agile. We encourage students to be fresh and open, supple and curious...
Faulty
Over time, the nervous system of most adults has become faulty, and it provides the brain with inaccurate information.
Instead of applying only the necessary amount of strength, it is normal and comfortable to use an incredible excess. This fatigues the muscles, blunts the nervous system and makes you clumsy.
Bones
Correct alignment of the body will enable you to use your body with less effort and greater strength. Counteracting the force of gravity is a key consideration.
The vertebrae and joints must be free to move in a fluid, smooth manner.
Monday
Excitability
Students usually get a crude sense of tai chi quite quickly but never get very good at it. The reason why is simple... There are 3 considerations:
1. The speed/pace determined by your level of excitement.
2. The actual speed that your nervous system can currently handle.
3. How present you really are.
The discrepancy between the 3 is the issue. Your mind/emotions wants to go fast but your nervous system cannot cope. And maybe you're not fully aware because you're thinking about other things
Friday
Control
Tai chi requires the body to perform technically complicated movements in an extremely controlled fashion. Clumsiness must be transcended.
You must become very aware of your own body and make every single movement deliberate and careful. This is not to be confused with prissiness.
It is one of the reasons why some of the training is performed slowly.
Active change
Many beginners train tai chi for ages and never learn to become soft. Why? They pay attention to the end result and not the means.
This is foolish, since the means produces the end. If we do not learn to listen to our body, then it is easy to become injured. Strains, stress and discomfort are ignored.
Listen to your body
As you exert pressure upon an object, your body experiences resistance and there is biofeedback which tells you how much strength is necessary.
Most adults in the Western world have a faulty nervous system and the information it provides is inaccurate.
Instead of applying only the necessary amount of strength, it is normal and comfortable to use an incredible excess. This fatigues the muscles, blunts the nervous system and makes you clumsy.
Thursday
Strong or clumsy?
It is extremely common for people to confuse 'strength' with clumsiness. When someone exerts their muscles and imposes an excess of strength, they are often considered to be strong.
Yet, how is this a reflection of strength? Surely a skilled use of strength requires the appropriate degree of strength relative to the needs of the activity?
Is your instructor offering technical skills?
Every martial arts class should be be teaching a level of knowledge that goes way beyond the superficial learning of patterns and routines.
If your instructor is not providing technical information, what are they teaching you? All students benefit from a more thorough understanding of their given art. Age or experience is not a factor.
An over-50's qigong & tai chi group should be addressing as much technical knowledge as is relevant and appropriate.
A martial class should train every aspect of the syllabus in a manner that assures comprehensive understanding and skill.
What is stress?
Stress is a condition of anxiety caused by the inability to cope with a situation. A person feels to be under pressure and they become upset.
They are often encouraged to see themselves as being a failure when the pressure becomes too much.
Stress is so commonplace that we treat it as normal. Yet, stress is very harmful to your health and can lead to illness, psychological problems and premature aging.
Composure
Taoism and Zen help with composure. They put life and your relationship with the world into perspective.
Instead of accepting conventions, orthodoxy and received wisdom, these disciplines encourage you to find out for yourself. The approach is grounded in the tangible, in the substantial.
Everyone who trains our syllabus is changed by the experience. Their lives are more peaceful and they are less prone to depression, anxiety, anger and aggression.
They learn not to exert unnecessary strength and to yield in the face of force.
Wednesday
Daily training
Taijiquan was designed to be practiced daily. This is why the exercises are so mild: no strain, no pushing. Gentle effort. Little and often is the mantra.
Taijiquan students should be aiming to build strength carefully and progressively.5 mins = £100
Imagine if you were told that 5 minutes training would earn you £100... Would you do the exercises? Of course you would.
Yet, people are told that daily home practice = good health, fitness and better quality of life... and they dismiss it. Curious?
This illustration shows how many people value an obvious monetary reward but are unwilling to appreciate the value of health, vitality and fitness.
A commitment to health
If a person was overweight and sought to diet, would one healthy meal per week enable them to lose weight?
It seems unlikely. There must be a daily commitment. Taijiquan is no different to this...
Tuesday
You need a good tai chi teacher to adjust your posture physically, to help calibrate your alignment, to point out where you are holding tensions, and to note any musculoskeletal imbalances. The nonverbal physical adjustments you get from your teacher help you develop a level of self-awareness not accessible through solo practice alone.
(Harvard Medical School’s Harvard Health Publication, May 2009)
Mild cardio work
Our syllabus contains mild cardio work. Nothing strenuous but just enough to get the heart beating faster.
Breathing hard?
If you are tired and out of breath after a few minutes of exercise, then you are simply not fit enough. You must improve your fitness considerably if you want good circulation.
This means training qigong and form regularly.
Oxygenate your blood
Breathing adds oxygen to your blood stream and this helps to keep you alive and healthy. Pay attention to the act of breathing and the quality of the air.
Rather than force the breath, feel it instead. Once you can feel the air going into your body, leave the muscles alone and let your body breathe by itself.
The less you tamper with the breath, the better.
Monday
Getting stronger
You can undertake the hardship of the walk without undue difficulty. You need to use just as much energy to complete it.
Yet, your body has grown stronger. More efficient. Compared to somebody who does not undertake daily training you will be far more capable of sustained exercise.
What is condition?
Consider this example:
You decide that you are unfit and you commit to a 3 mile daily walk every morning. On the first day when you complete the walk, you are out of breath and your limbs are shaky.
After two weeks you can finish the walk without losing your breath and you feel pleasantly energised.
Eventually the walk feels too easy and you look to try a more challenging route. What has changed?
Full contact
When people say 'full contact' they are typically referring to no-holds-barred combat, unrestrained, without rules... But what do they really mean by full contact? That they hit one another?
That they use full-power?• If you apply a break full-power then the bone will snap
• If you strike full-power then there will be internal damage or death
• If you throw full-power there will be concussion or serious injury
Our students are required to make contact, but are not permitted to use full-power under any circumstances.
Most people do not train martial arts in order to be injured or crippled. They want the ability to defend themselves in a varied, realistic manner. They do not want to get hurt in class.
Friday
Self defence courses
Self defence courses show a limited range of techniques designed to provide the illusion of genuine martial competence against a real life assailant...
The untrained person panics in the face of genuine threat. Their emotions take over and they freeze. A self defence course will not rid you of panic in just 3 lessons.
Such a course will give you an inflated sense of your own competence. This might prove fatal against a serious attacker.
If an instructor really feels that a youngster not yet into puberty is worthy of a black belt ranking in an art, what does that say about the sophistication and profundity of the art? What would you think of a college that awarded degrees to kids learning their multiplication tables?
The only people who were ever impressed by a black belt were the absurdly uninformed general public.
(Dave Lowry)
Thursday
Conditioning
Being in condition entails:
• Increasing your strength
• Improving your ability to last (endurance)
• Overcoming fatigue
• Being fitter
• Being more efficient in your body use
• Being more capable
• Overcoming stress
• Improving circulation
Low stances
Low stances are a throwback to a time when martial artists wore heavy body armour and fought battles in muddy fields. The urban sphere is quite another scenario altogether.
Horse stance training is about developing leg strength, not combat. Your body usage needs to feel as comfortable and as natural as possible.This will improve mobility, attract less attention and protect your knee joints.
If you cannot get power from an everyday standing position, you are overly dependent upon the hips and the solidity of your base. Whole-body movement generates power in a wave-like fashion.
A low stance is simply redundant.
Wushu
The modern off-shoot of Chinese martial arts is called 'wushu'. It combines martial art-style movements, gymnastics, acrobatics and dance choreographed to look exciting.
Wushu is all about aesthetics, theatrical displays and entertainment.Traditional martial arts are not a performance art, nor are they sport.
Wednesday
Name-dropping
Some tai chi people love to 'name-drop'. They travel to see all manner of visiting masters and add them to their tai chi curriculum vitae.
Collecting forms and snippets of information is a popular pastime in tai chi.What can you really learn from one workshop or a weekend seminar? Is a visiting expert really going to bare his secrets to a room of total strangers?
Be honest about this. Training with a renowned expert in no way translates to mean that you have been given that person's skill. Do not be naive.
The only proof of skill lies with the individual. What can you personally do? Your master may be brilliant at tai chi but you might be lousy.
Similarly, your instructor may be mediocre yet your skills are excellent.
Slow martial art
External martial art schools frequently add tai chi to their syllabus because it attracts students seeking something more relaxing.
Unfortunately, these classes often have no understanding of tai chi whatsoever. Instead of tai chi, they offer slow-motion movement. And that's it.The tai chi principles are completely absent and the instructor is unaware of their existence. It may as well be a karate class practiced in slow-motion.
This is not tai chi, regardless of what is advertised.
Judging
(i) Hidden
Chinese martial arts were usually a family or village system used for self defence. Sharing with outsiders was not encouraged.
Tai chi was designed specifically to hide the applications and skills within an innocuous-seeming range of forms, drills and exercises.
(ii) Feeling
Tai chi skill can only be determined by how it feels. Martial arts are hands-on.
If your tai chi is generating the effect using the correct means, then this will be physically evident when you partner up with somebody else.
The very definition of 'jing' is somebody else's experience of your tai chi.
(iii) The Tai Chi Classics
Tai chi must adhere to the tai chi principles. Given the internal nature of tai chi, many of these cannot be gauged through observation.
(iv) Aesthetics
The danger with aesthetic concerns is that the context is askew.
People look for particular alignment considerations based on how nice they look instead of determining how they add to your ability to generate jing.
Tai chi is a living, breathing martial art in the hands of the right person. Arbitrary aesthetics will rob the practice of any viable self defence application.
Tuesday
Qigong in tai chi
A tai chi beginner is not adept with tai chi so they need to do a lot of qigong. It provides the necessary fitness benefits by serving as a stopgap pending higher level tai chi skill.
An advanced student starts practicing the round form version of the Long Yang form. This increases the fitness benefits of form; allowing them to spend less time training qigong.Neigong replaces qigong as the primary source of power. An expert is more adept with higher level tai chi skill, so they only do a small amount of qigong.
There is simply no need to stand for an extended duration since greater benefits can be gained through whole-body movement.
Standing
(i) Muscle tension
Some qigong teachers expect students to hold static qigong postures for lengthy periods of time; even up to an hour.
This may be a challenge but the side-effect might easily be varicose veins, massive amounts of muscular tension and a decrease in higher level mobility.
(ii) Stop standing
Once the student has learned the weapons form they can cease standing qigong altogether if they want to. Prolonged standing may hinder higher levels of mobility with form.
(iii) Varicose veins
If you have varicose veins you should not undertake prolonged standing qigong.
The same thing every week?
If you are practicing the same thing every week, you are not making any progress. This is not education. It is a plateau; stagnant, dead and pointless. Learning requires development, change and growth.
In class and at home in-between lessons.
Friday
Make the time
Each stage of the syllabus offers new opportunities to build strength. There is plenty of time to learn the new material.
Aim to supplement class tuition with home practice. Home practice (optional but recommended) is usually staggered across the week.
Be selfish
Life offers many obstacles, surprises and set-backs. When it comes to your own fitness and wellbeing, you need to be very selfish.
Children grow up and leave home. Jobs end. Marriages fail.
There is never a time in your life when your fitness ceases to be fundamental. Put your fitness first. Invest the time. Find the time. Make the time.
Thursday
Conditioning exercises
The main qigong exercises contain all of the fundamental movements used in tai chi. But it takes time to really understand these methods.
You must train diligently for many years. By patiently working through the exercises day-after-day, you slowly become stronger.
Your clumsiness fades. Improved body awareness enables you to perform the exercises more effectively. Layer-upon-layer of detail increases your comprehension and your fitness improves significantly.
High repetitions are not recommended
High repetitions dull the mind. Aim to train little and often instead. Be thorough, accurate, aware. Cultivate familiarity and ease.
You want your movements to be natural, relaxed, smooth and controlled.
New starters
Beginners focus upon practicing (and learning) a series of fundamental standing and moving qigong exercises. These are quite easy to perform and build a foundation level of strength.
Partner exercises are mild, with the emphasis placed upon awareness and sensitivity.
Tuesday
Why is tai chi trained slowly?
Some of tai chi is trained slowly, but not all of it. Certain concerns are practiced slowly in order to improve accuracy, control, balance, rhythm and flow.
Smoothness and relaxation are paramount. Performing the material slowly is far more difficult than doing it quickly. It will tax your muscles.
Be realistic
Set aside talk about relaxation, qi, softness and other concerns... Your body is flesh and bone. It is moved by muscles.
In order to be strong, agile, flexible and adaptive in combat - you need to strengthen your body.
Hard work
Most new starters are not prepared for the amount of physical work involved in learning tai chi. The public image of tai chi creates a false sense of effortlessness.
Few people expect to train hard. This is naive.
Monday
Can you teach an old dog new tricks?
Most adults have totally forgotten what learning entails. They placate themselves with excuses about not having a young, flexible mind... or having no time.
But this is not the truth at all. The truth is far simpler - they have become old and lazy...
Friday
Thursday
Qigong & tai chi
Tai chi involves simple movements, mild stretches and cooperative partner work. The onus is upon relaxation, balance, good poise and coordination. Students learn how to move their body in a healthy, comfortable way without the risk of injury. Most adults can study qigong & tai chi. This non-martial approach is accessible for many people aged 50 and above.
Assuming that you are fit enough to undertake the training, tai chi is great. It is a lifetime’s work. You can start at any time and potentially still be training for the rest of your life.
Motor learning
For many people, their fitness regime does not take into account 'motor learning'. Motor learning is about the process of using the body, rather than simply exercising the body.
Agility, mobility, relaxed spontaneous movement, balance, structure, alignment, biomechanics, efficiency, ambidextrous body use, joint health, coordination, skill, emotional wellbeing or psychological flexibility.
Tai chi combines exercise with motor learning.
Little & often
Tai chi advocates moderation; not taxing or tiring the body. Rather than train for a lengthy period of time, aim to practice little & often. 20-30 minute increments, with rest breaks in-between is ideal.
Instead of pushing your body hard and putting it under duress, just do a little exercise. Resting will keep your concentration sharp and offset fatigue.
It’s crazy. I never thought I’d be getting more powerful as I got older!
I used to be able to hit pretty hard in karate but it was 100% effort. More than a handful of full power hits and I was getting fatigued. With Tai chi I’m hitting as hard, probably harder but no effort…I could carry on striking all day! It’s nuts! Also, with karate there was wind up or at least fist at waist or head so had space to travel before contact. Now I can almost hit as hard from touching the target!
The fact Sifu Waller has been able to transform my power generation as I age into my 40’s is all the proof I will ever need of both the art and Sifu as the real thing. I almost feel sorry for those that continue with slow old people taichi or wushu style. They are missing the essence!
(Chris Young)
Wednesday
Training
Training at home may seem like a chore at first. If this is the case, do not force yourself to practice. Give it time. Do only what you feel like doing...
Eventually you forget that there was a time when you did not do tai chi. The tai chi seeps into your everyday body usage and you begin to do things differently, with more awareness.
Again, this becomes habit. For the tai chi to work, you must relax and be receptive to it. If your enthusiasm grows you will exercise because you want to. Not because you think that you ought to.
Variety of applications
If you understand the underlying physical principles of tai chi, you can explore a wide variety of possible applications and insights.
Your body is trained to naturally, unconsciously employ the essence of tai chi in any given situation, rather than plan and think. It is all a question of habit.
Habit
If you repeat something often enough it becomes unconscious. Unconscious behaviour is known as 'habit'. We all develop habits throughout our lives.
Some help us to avoid making mistakes and forgetting things. Other habits are not so useful; they can actually hamper your fitness.
Living in harmony
Most martial arts meet conflict with resistance.
Tai chi is different; it requires the student to blend, to join, to avoid blocking the path of force.
This process is called 'yielding', and the joining may be seen as 'mutual arising'.
It is the completion of the yin/yang diagram.
Given the prevalence of conflict in our culture and the common urge to fight, the challenge of non-contention is daunting.
By overcoming fear and using the physics skilfully, a tai chi person can meet the incoming attack softly, redirect the force and avoid unnecessary violence.
A person may choose to apply this methodology throughout all aspects of their life.
Tuesday
Reflection
Being alone offers you the opportunity to let jumbled thoughts settle.
Things that may be bothering you can be considered calmly.
If you wander without purpose, doing whatever pleases you or needs doing, you may find that your worries drift also.
Simple chores like cleaning, washing dishes or ironing become profoundly soothing.
Time alone is a chance to catch up with yourself, to consider how you are living your life and to let your thoughts fade...
Dependence
Television, friends, family, work are all ways in which we avoid being alone.
There is a vast industry of distractions intended to keep people entertained.
It is important to question this dependence upon outside things.
Being alone
It is healthy to spend some time alone in your own company.
Modern life can easily become hurried and people are caught in a stream of incessant activity.
Taking time to be alone is very important if you want to relax fully.
Quiet places
Most people have minds that are like adverts chattering noisily: worrying, flitting and unsettled.
By breathing deeply and naturally, you become quieter inside.
By moving slowly and calmly, you are aware of what is happening as it happens.
There are quiet places in this world. Places undisturbed by incessant noise. Seek them out.
They will assist you in becoming quiet inside.
Walk along the surf at 6:00 AM.
Unplug the phone, sit in a quiet room and read without disturbance.
Wander through leafy woods and fields.
Notice things...
What is silence?
Silence occurs when the mind becomes quiet and still.
This process cannot be forced. The mind must naturally settle and relax.
Tai chi creates a situation where your attention is absorbed with where you are and what you are doing, so the mind becomes quiet automatically.
Unlike concentration, you allow the mind to open and become expansive.
You feel, hear and see everything around you.
The chattering of your thoughts will begin to fade.
Monday
Be
Perhaps you are exactly where you are supposed to be.
This is your life, why not make the best of it?
There are opportunities for joy, adventure and fun to be found all around you.
You just need to see.
It may take some courage to act, but this is your life - you make it what it is.
Waiting for change
Reality does not require acceptance.
It is.
Whether or not you want it to be.
Knowing this, you may as well just relax and enjoy the journey.
You are where you are, and any change to your circumstance will either come from the outside or from within yourself.
Waiting for change from without is a little desperate - if you have dreams, they are your responsibility.
Struggle
So much time can be spent struggling against what is. The reality of our lives is the reality.
Everything that we may dream or imagine is simply an idea.
Plans, hopes and dreams are what we want, they are not what is.
How you choose to regard your life is up to you - your perception can bring you sadness or joy.
Fate?
Taoism recognises that life has an elusive nature that can be observed but not understood.
You may seek to have control over life, yet so much escapes you.
Can you change the following:
Where you were born and into what circumstances?
Your appearance, height and other genetic factors?
Aging and death?
Whether you find a lasting relationship with the 'right' person?
Thursday
Quality
Students are encouraged to learn what their natural range of movement is and to work safely within their capacity.
Most people put their body under subtle stress throughout the day without realising it; the strain builds up gradually and eventually causes damage.
It is important to improve existing mobility and strength without making things worse.
Awareness is essential when practising tai chi; the student must learn to use the optimal body structure at all times.
This structure will ensure that no adverse wear and tear occurs.
Correct use of the body when lifting or applying pressure is also considered.
Even a small period of home practice every day will begin to improve your health.
Tai chi
Dr Paul Lam, an expert in using tai chi for arthritis advocates a soft approach rather than 'no pain, no gain'.
He emphasises the importance of:
Higher stances
A lot of qigong to improve breathing, relaxation and healing
Looking deeper into the art of tai chi in order to improve students awareness and understanding
Dr Lam has the support of arthritis foundations worldwide.
Monday
Not knowing
If you think you know what tai chi is about, then that very knowledge will hamper your progress.
Knowing assumes familiarity and understanding.
To learn, it is crucial to let go of what you think you know. Learning is a process, not a conclusion.
Teaching & learning
The aim of our school is not to give you an evening's workout.
We seek to pass the skills onto you.
That way, you know tai chi for yourself and you can practice at home whenever you like.
The joy of learning
Gaining skill is an occasion for enthusiasm and fun.
If you are studying something you enjoy, it should not feel like hard work.
As your abilities improve and your insight deepens, you recognise how much you have learned.
Friday
What is the meaning of elbow energy?
Its method relates to the five elements.
Yin and yang are divided above and below.
Emptiness and substantiality must be clearly distinguished.
Joined in unbroken continuity,
the opponent cannot resist the posture.
Its explosive pounding is especially fearsome.
When one has mastered the six kinds of energy,
the applications become unlimited.
(Tan Meng-hsien)
What is the meaning of push energy?
When applied it is like flowing water.
The substantial is concealed in the insubstantial.
When the flow is swift it is difficult to resist.
Coming to a high place, it swells and fills the place up;
meeting a hollow it dives downward.
The waves rise and fall,
finding a hole they will surely surge in.
(Tan Meng-hsien)
Thursday
The way
People commonly translate 'tao' to mean the way.
The danger with this translation is that 'way' can mean more than one thing:
path/road/route
nature/how/essence/character
Invariably, people interpret 'way' to mean the first option, when in reality it might well be closer to the second.
Neither definition can be considered entirely accurate, but at least the second definition is speaking about a characteristic rather than a route.
Defining the Tao
Lao Tzu began Tao Te Ching by saying that 'Tao' cannot be defined and that any definition is incomplete.
Words cannot extend to reality.
This is a very logical statement. After all, you cannot eat the word 'bread'. Nor could another person share your experience of bread through words alone.
Reality is tangible. It has substance.
As soon as you try to capture reality verbally you fail. Words are too limited. Thoughts are incomplete.
Reality is far too vast. The word is not the thing.
Eastern ways
The culture in which tai chi evolved was foreign to our own.
They had very different approaches to living.
To understand tai chi, you must see what the Taoists saw.
Wednesday
If a beast big enough to swallow a wagon
Should leave its mountain forest,
It will not escape the hunter's trap.
If a fish big enough to swallow a boat
Lets itself get stranded by the outgoing tide,
Then even ants will destroy it.
So birds fly high, beasts remain
In trackless solitudes,
Keep out of sight; and fishes
Or turtles go deep down,
Down to the very bottom.
The man who has some respect for his person
Keeps his carcass out of sight,
Hides himself as perfectly as he can.
(Chuang Tzu)
What is the meaning of rollback energy?
Entice the opponent toward you by allowing him to advance,
lightly and nimbly follow his incoming force
without disconnecting and without resisting.
When his force reaches its farthest extent,
it will naturally become empty.
The opponent can then be let go or countered at will.
Maintain your central equilibrium
and your opponent cannot gain an advantage.
(Tan Meng-hsien)
What is the meaning of wardoff energy?
It is like the water supporting a moving boat.
First sink the qi to the tan tien,
then hold the head as if suspended from above.
The entire body is filled with spring-like energy,
opening and closing in a very quick moment.
Even if the opponent uses a thousand pounds of force,
he can be uprooted and made to float without difficulty.
(Tan Meng-hsien)
Principles
To practice the tai chi skilfully, it is necessary to learn the tai chi principles.
The art relies upon gravity, softness, balance, rhythm and timing rather than speed or brute strength.
Students must cultivate an unusual kind of power.
Feeling good
At the end of a tai chi session you should feel very relaxed but also alert and vigorous.
When the exercise becomes more dynamic you will receive a serious boost of energy every time you train.
Tuesday
Knowing yourself
Coming to terms with yourself is not so easy.
It is necessary to observe your mind, emotions and behaviour without judgement.
To learn who you are and what motivates your actions.
Most people are so busy chasing the accoutrements of life that they do not make time for themselves.
Tai chi encourages you to slow down and eventually stop.
This may be harder than you imagine.
Balance
Balance is a dynamic process, not a fixed condition.
Sensitivity must be cultivated, along with awareness and presence.
Learning to feel how your own body responds to stimuli, how it moves and what problems it encounters is a profound journey of personal discovery.
Along the way you may become more comfortable with your own physicality.
You may begin to slow down, to notice things.
The marvellous quality of nature-violence, unlike ego-violence, is that it does not spring from intolerance and self-hatred.
So there is no anger in the rainstorm that carries everything before it,
or in the fish that devour their young in obedience to natural laws we know not,
or body cells when they destroy each other in the interest of a higher good.
When nature destroys, it is not from ambition or greed or self-aggrandizement,
but in obedience to mysterious laws that seek the good of the whole universe
above the survival and wellbeing of the parts.
(Anthony De Mello)
Monday
Taoism is unique in that it is probably the only major religion in the world whose practitioners as a rule have not sought great secular power. In the past, Taoists took on such power only out of necessity to correct specific abuses. After these excesses had been corrected, they were always ready to relinquish the power and fade away, or "leave no footprints" as they put it.
(Bruce Frantzis)
Here is natural instinct and here is control. You are to combine the two in harmony.
If you have one to the extreme, you'll be very unscientific. If you have another to the extreme, you become, all of a sudden, a mechanical man - no longer a human being. So it is a successful combination of both, so therefore, it's not pure naturalness, or unnaturalness. The ideal is unnatural naturalness, or natural unnaturalness.
(Bruce Lee)
Most people have never attained a level of performance in any field that is sufficient to show them the true power of mental representations to plan, execute and evaluate their performance in the way that experts do. And thus they never really understand what it takes to reach this level - not just the time it takes, but the high-quality practice.
(Anders Ericsson)
Our class is like Alexander the Great teaching Dad's Army. Sifu Waller's not even trying. It's unbelievably powerful and looks like nothing. It's beyond impressive. I think it's the ease and speed at which Sifu Waller does it. It's like a magician with a sleight of hand but obviously with potentially deadly consequences. It's amazing to watch and utterly awe inspiring.
Sifu Waller is incredibly quick sometimes it's impossible to get your head around it. The more I get into this, the more I realise how lucky we are as a class. Most people could look their whole lives and never find anything close. I find the class to be very empowering.
(Karen Laws)
Applause
Having escaped/evaded the attacker, do not stand there waiting for applause.
Incapacitate the assailant efficiently and leave.
Messing about will only increase the likelihood of further confrontation.
Do only what is necessary and depart without fanfare.
Friday
Living skilfully
Taoism and tai chi require a person to develop a growing awareness.
This requires immersion in the present moment and a calm mind.
By slowing down we can see and feel more, become more sensitive and alert.
To live skilfully we must accord ourselves with what is happening and be fully awake at all times.
If our mind is dreaming of some distant goal, we are not rooted in the immediate and it is only the here and now that can produce any outcome.
The means
People argue that the end justifies the means...
Yet, the end cannot be divorced from the means. Means and end are part of the same process.
Without the means there would be no end.
The means is the vehicle or mechanism for the production of the end.
Sadly, in our world, the means is considered only in terms of time and money.
Restraint
When things do not go the way we want them to, we are trained to lose our temper and try to force the outcome we desire.
This is not healthy.
In tai chi we are encouraged to allow others to go their own way. Whenever we encounter an obstacle, we seek to flow around it and avoid confrontation.
Even in self defence we look to use restraint; to do only as much as is necessary. Why cause harm to another?
Body building and weight lifting are fashionable activities today. The emphasis is upon developing external muscles which creates an armouring effect that can eventually distort the bony structure. It is the over developed musculature that actually torque's the bones and discourages them from bearing additional weight. The body attempts to compensate and problems arise.
Running does not necessarily in and of itself improve posture that is already poor and constricted. It often exaggerates problems due to the substitution of inappropriate muscles. The repetitive inappropriate development of the musculature (as in body building or weight lifting) often leads to diminished sensitivity. Stress occurs in the knees and lower back, encouraging injury.
Swimming is an activity that can either create structural problems or release them depending upon the way it is taught and practiced. Professional swimmers are known to develop shoulder tendonitis and kyphosis. Overriding head/neck righting reflexes (as occurs when the head is repeatedly turned but the body does not follow) eventually result in overdeveloping shoulder muscles, pinching nerves and distorting the rib cage.
Various sport activities emphasize strength, endurance and speed. Development of muscle control rather than skeletal balance takes precedence. Gaining speed at the expense of mounting tension, is too often the goal.
(Liz Koch)
Thursday
Standing still
Standing in one place advertises your position. You are literally a 'sitting duck'. You need to move spontaneously and freely, without any preparation or preamble.
This requires presence, awareness, composure and physical relaxation.
Evade
No matter what occurs, it is advisable to evade the attacker. If your opponent cannot make contact, they cannot inflict injury upon you. Agility is essential.
Spontaneous
A cat can go from complete passivity to combat readiness instantaneously. It does not tense muscles and prepare. It just moves.
The cat does not psyche itself up, rock, dither or demonstrate any of the characteristics you often see demonstrated by human fighters.
Only a skilled student tends to move smoothly and calmly in response to threat. Beginners are jerky and tense.
Agile & responsive
Have you ever watched how a cat responds to perceived danger? The entire body moves as one, drawing away from the threat, coiling and expanding.
This is akin to the amoeba-like movement students acquire from reeling silk exercises if they take their training far enough. The cat evades and counters without hesitation or doubt. It moves.
Wednesday
Get a feel for it
Some things can be taught, whilst other things just occur.
You cannot teach someone to ride a bicycle. You just cajole and encourage. You do not really teach anything.The learner figures it out for themselves. They get a feel for it.
Internal martial arts are like this.
Over-training
Tai chi is not dance, gymnastics or boxing. Do not treat it like weight-lifting, either, and try to build muscles.
Over-training can harm your body and will reduce your enjoyment of the art.
Do less rather than more.
Stagger your training across the week and do a little every day.
If your training exceeds an hour a day then you are doing too much.
Even a skilled student should constantly trim off unnecessary exercises and keep their daily practice time down.
Qigong
Qigong is intended to condition your body, to develop stamina and endurance.
But be wary of trying too hard.
If you find that your body is aching considerably and you feel really tired, you are doing the exercise incorrectly.
Let-go of your tension and relax into the posture.
Imagine that your arms are on strings or resting on something.
4 ounces
When in contact with another person, 4 ounces of pressure must be maintained.
This is not accomplished through effort.
Relax.
Let gravity do the work for you.
Tension
Beginners wear themselves out training qigong and partner work with too much tension.
Remember to use only the minimal amount of strength; use only what is necessary to hold your limb in place.
Anything more is wasted.
Get help
If you find yourself prowling the web looking for some way to assuage your boredom and vent your wrath, you may have some problems.
Rather than pour your heart out via TikTok, why not talk to a real person?There are counsellors and therapists in most cities around the world.
Seek them out. Talk to them.
Find a constructive release for your frustrations.
Let a caring professional assist you. Find meaning and balance once again.
Online manners?
One of the problems with the internet is that it encourages all manner of unpleasantness.
Blogs and chatrooms allow malignant people to insult strangers anonymously.Bad feeling and gossip are rampant.
Troubled people are free to pour out hatred and malice, with no risk of consequence.
This is not healthy.
Do Nothing Day
Make the time to do nothing at all.
Have a 'do nothing day' in which you ignore:
the phone
chores
responsibilities
commitments
Release your burden
Shedding unnecessary belongings, commitments and habits can free up your life. Instead of doing 15 things, you do 3.
As with all things in life, your success in this endeavour is entirely relative to how earnest you are.Tuesday
Monday
Tai chi chuan?
Tai chi chuan is a Chinese martial art. It was developed hundreds of years ago and draws upon Taoist observations, Chinese traditional medicine, biomechanics, physics and combat. 13 patterns of movement are used to express power.
To train the art correctly you need a highly-skilled Instructor who can offer a very comprehensive syllabus.A good health-only class will offer
1. Exercises to improve strength, balance, relaxation (qigong)
2. Optimal body use
3. Learning a complex sequence of movements (form)
4. Meditation training
5. Partnered drills
Locked knees?
Locked knees or overly-straightened legs prevent the knee from acting as suspension for the body.
Relax the knees but do not bend unless squatting down to lift something.Hamstrings?
Most people have very tight hamstrings.
Unfortunately, the back compensates for tight hamstring muscles (by slouching); giving the illusion of greater flexibility than is actually present.We address this in the syllabus by way of psoas exercises and leg stretches. The training is done carefully, gently - in a controlled manner - without exertion or strain.
Buttocks
Most men and women sit too much. This can lead to under-developed gluteus maximus muscles; which is bad for the back in particular. Weakness in these large muscles can affect the whole body.
Buttock muscles are supposed to be akin to a vertical oval for each buttock. There should be notable muscular development; the outcome of healthy everyday squatting.Shoulder tension?
A lot of people experience pain in their shoulders and reduced movement.
If you ignore the shoulders entirely and focus instead on their legs you will inevitably discover that their legs are tense.Once the legs are freed up the shoulder problems fade...
Too much sitting?
The main problem with sitting is gravity, loss of circulation and the tightening/shortening of your muscles.
Muscular tension stops your joints and vertebra from moving freely. When the hips, groin and sacroiliac freeze-up, the overall skeletal mobility is reduced.Bipeds
Monkeys, horses and other mammals have arms and legs of the same length. Humans are different. We are bipeds. Our legs are much longer and stronger than our arms.
Friday
Foetal position
A lot of people sit at a desk, operate their mobile phone, drive the car or watch TV in what is essentially a standing/sitting version of the foetal position.
We start life in that position. But we do not want to revert back to it as we age.
Fix
Appeasing the symptoms will produce no lasting benefits. It is akin to taking a pill in order to mask/hide the symptoms whilst the underlying pain remains.
Fixing the problem usually entails some sort of lifestyle change.Thursday
Stable
For optimal body use we need the pelvis to naturally sit beneath the abdomen.
The physical centre of the body contains a lot of water, our intestines etc and needs to be pretty stable.Stability is accomplished by encouraging the pelvis to operate naturally and without interference. This may involve stopping existing bad habits in favour of letting the body re-align itself.
Posture
The pelvis is pretty large. If you turn it to the right or to the left, the entire upper body is affected. Turn it too far and the knees bear the brunt of the turn.
If you tilt it forwards or backwards, the entire balance of the body changes. Pretty soon you are leaning.Although the pelvis itself has limited scope for movement, inclining or rotating the pelvis has a major impact on posture.
Core stability
People talk a lot about core strength but not much about core stability. The two concerns are not the same.
Core strength is about the muscles of the lower body (crotch, groin, hips, buttocks, lower back, legs and abdominals) whereas core stability is about keeping the pelvis favourably aligned.
Wednesday
Tuesday
Arthritis?
The body must be exercised carefully, with a clear emphasis upon safety and relaxation. Dr Paul Lam (an expert in using tai chi for arthritis) emphasises the importance of:
1. Higher stances2. A lot of qigong to improve breathing, relaxation and healing
3. Looking deeper into the art of tai chi in order to improve students awareness and understanding
Remobilise
In order to increase mobility the emphasis needs to be upon working the body both in class and at home between lessons. Adopt a multi-faceted approach:
• Strengthen your muscles
• Align your skeleton better
• Sit less
• Stand less
• Stretch more
• Improve balance
• Gain coordination
• Increase bodily awareness
• Be mindful of how you use your body
Thursday
Step?
In order to get closer to something, we step. This is a fundamental human skill, yet so many people reach beyond their natural range instead of stepping. Why is this?
Laziness? Poor body awareness? Naivety? If you reach rather than step closer, you sacrifice your balance, and with it your strength.
It is absurd to think you are going to get anywhere by giving only an hour a week to your practice or that you can regularly skip classes. Martial arts is not like a bridge club, where you drop in when you have nothing better to do. Martial arts will always make greater demands on your time than would most hobbies or avocations.
(Dave Lowry)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)