Pre-natal breath is held on the in-take and then then exhalation continued for as long as possible.
This is specifically used as a qigong breath.
Tuesday
Pre-natal
The front of the body ripples as you breathe.
This is the advanced version of reverse breathing and incorporates a more powerful action of the diaphragm.Reverse
Breathe in and the abdomen comes in, breathe out and the abdomen goes out.
This is Taoist breathing. It is also essential for energy release.Monday
Shoulders
The shoulders are commonly overused in tai chi. They should be connected to the hips and moved as a consequence of the leg and waist muscles, rather than independently.
There are no conventional punches in tai chi; you never deliver a blow by 'cocking' the shoulder.
The shoulders should be free to fold and flex normally but never lead the movement.
If your shoulders are stiff, consider how free the legs are...
Hips & knees
Many students sink deep into the knees instead of the hips - this is how you can damage the knees. If your knees hurt during tai chi practice, look to the pelvis first. Loose hips, relaxed lower back and ankles will allow the knee to move comfortably.
Spine
Sinking into your hips and letting the pelvis become heavy will allow the lower back to relax fully. When the tailbone drops, your spine lengthens naturally.
Make sure that the rear knee is relaxed.
You should feel a sensation behind the shoulders called 'pluck up the back'.
Stiffness and holding will reduce mobility - the vertebra should be free to flex and rotate as you move.
Thursday
Internal attitude
The aim is to train every day. There is no need push yourself, strain your body or perform high repetitions. Train gently.
What is needed is presence and mindfulness. Have your mind on what you are doing and train slowly and carefully.
New starters
New students 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.Hard work
Most new starters are not prepared for the amount of physical work involved in learning a martial art.
The image of tai chi creates a false sense of effortlessness.Few people expect to train hard.
This is naive.
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.
Wednesday
At one with the Tao
The form is one method for exploring the many insights offered by Taoism.
It is a hands-on approach to spirituality. It is a physical journey that will lead to an inner search for meaning and understanding within the student.
High-level form practice harmonises the body and the mind. We move in a natural, healthy, strong fashion. The lessons learned can be taken into everyday life.
Deliberate practice
It is necessary to have the form regularly corrected, so that a process of on-going refinement and improvement takes place.
Accurate positioning, attention to detail and a growing awareness of nuances is vital. Once the form pattern has been learned, it must also be mirrored.
Tuesday
The highest level of tai chi practice is high stance and small circle. In high stance and small circle you can conserve your energy to a maximum level. This is very crucial in battle. Endurance has always been the crucial key to survival in a long battle. Moreover, due to high stance and smaller shape you can reach to the deepest relaxed stage, the mind is highly concentrated, and the sensitivity and alertness can be extremely sharp.
(Yang Jwing-Ming)
Embodied spirituality
Instead of talking, praying or thinking, Taoists do. They act. They put their wisdom into practice. Tai chi is a physical embodiment of Taoist insights.
Tao
If you want to find the origin of tai chi, begin with the ancient Chinese study of existence known as 'Taoism'.
Monday
No fixed result
Taking another person's feeling into account means that we can avoid being accusatory or hostile. We can discuss things rationally and sensibly. The aim is not to find a solution or even to win. Rather, we simply want to explore the possibilities together.
A shared journey of discovery is far more productive than starting out with a fixed agenda. Who can say where the conversation may lead, or what unforeseen elements may emerge?
Non-violent communication
It is quite possible to communicate with other people without hostility and conflict. We can share ideas in an amiable way, even if we are in disagreement with one another. Emotional awareness and composure represent the key.
When your emotions are balanced and calm, you can think clearly and see more. You notice things and can respond intuitive and sensitively, rather than blundering around carelessly.Our choice of words can be well-chosen, without being false or manipulative. Zen/Tao might suggest that we respond with silence. This is not an invitation to be rude. It indicates that talk is not always necessary or beneficial.
Friday
Attitude
Being a considerate person makes life much easier. You notice other people, you pay attention to their moods, wants and needs. This does not entail any form of subservience or simpering. You are simply aware. In the here and now. Paying attention. Listening. It is surprising what you notice when you stop your internal narrative and look at what is going on around you.
You may see common ground between you and someone else. Your interests and agendas may not be all that different. Instead of fighting, you could simply talk. Do you need to win? Is it necessary to get your point across? Who cares if the other person does not understand? Instead of getting into a conflict, ask yourself: is there another option?Fear
Do you anticipate conflict in your everyday life? Do you live in fear? Is your fear genuine or are you just overly-sensitive?
The problem with fear is that much of it is imagined. People create their own problems by becoming anxious about everyday situations. They blow things out of proportion. They over-react.
Are you holding onto an image? Men puff up their chest and strut around like a rooster in an attempt to look 'hard'. This kind of behaviour is designed to intimidate would-be assailants. It only serves to make the individual look weak, fearful and insecure. It advertises their fear.
No lies. No excuses
It is easy to blame other people for conflict. People instinctively lash out and seek to blame someone else. Try being honest. No lies. No excuses.
Are you blameless? Have you played any small part in creating conflict or were you simply on the receiving end?
Be genuine about this. It is impossible to make progress if you deny the truth. Being sullen and resentful only perpetuates conflict. It is important to find the source of disharmony if you desire to move past it. Being willing to change is imperative.
Thursday
Listening
If we listen to other people, we realise that there are many sides to every situation. It is often possible to avoid conflict.
People do not care to listen these days. They are too busy talking. Too eager to promote their own agenda. Listening is a skill. It requires practice and patience.Disharmony
Conflict typically involves emotional turmoil, anxiety and stress. Is it worth the effort?
Many disagreements are exceptionally petty and essentially meaningless.
Consider: football fans will assault fans of an opposing team on sight.
For what reason?
If one team or the other wins, what difference does it make?
Is the world a better place?
Has a tyrannical despot been overthrown?
Did someone cure cancer?
Have the peoples of the Third World been fed?
When somebody seeks to argue with you, it is important to ask yourself what the contention is really about.
If the disagreement is pointless, is there any reason to get into conflict?
Pride, ego, insecurity, distemper - these are not adequate reason for conflict. They are just excuses.
Conflict
Conflict may occur when there is a disagreement between people. Contradictory values, priorities, beliefs and opinions create contention. Quite often a quarrel of some nature may occur.
Conflicts often involve:
Strong emotions
Fixed standpoint
Unwillingness to compromise
Limited perspective
Stubbornness
Lack of compassion
Raised voices
Verbal, emotional or physical violence
The opposition of ideas can lead to bitterness, hostility and a great deal of upset.
Wednesday
Endurance
Endurance is the capacity to withstand hardship. It is the ability to handle difficulty. To recover from trauma, injury and fatigue.
Stamina
Stamina is the ability to sustain prolonged physical or mental effort; to remain active for a long period of time without fatigue.
Balance
Tai chi students cultivate static balance to begin with. They then work through increasingly challenging forms of movement designed to improve dynamic balance.
Tuesday
Monday
Where is the class?
Community Hall, St Andrew's Church, Station Road, Benton, NE12 8AW.
Please enter via the car park.
Friday
Long-term health & fitness
According to The Blue Zones and The Okinawa Program it is important to think of exercise in terms of what you can reasonably do long-term. We are all aging. This is unavoidable.
The ideal form of exercise is moderate enough that you can do it for the rest of your life. It needs to be joint-friendly, have a low-risk of injury, provide a gentle workout and be sustainable.
On-going health requires on-going practice
A 2-week tai chi taster is nice, but if you want to experience on-going benefits, you need on-going practice. The more often your body undertakes the exercise, the more familiar it will be.
Pay-as-you-go?
Attending as and when you feel like it sounds great, but drop-in classes don't work. Usually the student attends 2-3 lessons maximum and then stops tai chi altogether.
Newcastle Tai Chi is not a drop-in class. Our aim is to help and support each individual in their efforts to get fit, healthy and (if interested) gain martial arts skill.
Thursday
How healthy do I need to be?
You don't need to be fit to start tai chi classes. But you do need to be able to stand up, walk and step without the aid of a stick.
The qigong & tai chi classes are designed to cultivate a greater degree of fitness: stamina, balance, endurance, flexibility, mobility and coordination. In some respects the exercises will be just as challenging as yoga, but not exertive.
Physical contact
Pushing hands (and other forms of partner work) requires you to touch other students. If you are not comfortable with physical contact, we recommend that you consider an alternative form of exercise.
There are so many different dimensions to what Sifu Waller's class offers, it is hard to know where to start. The main thing for me is that it is great fun - I never expected that it would make me laugh so much.
This comes from Sifu Waller's unique approach, sharing his vast knowledge in a down-to-earth and non-macho way, which I think leads to the whole class being a warm and supportive place to be.
The key thing is that it works, such simple things that have a really dramatic effect on your body, not a spiritual, abstract set of moves but real 'I do this, he falls down' stuff. I can feel my own body responding now too - getting firmer, more balanced, more in control - and I think the qigong exercises are making my mind much calmer as well.
(Robin)
Wednesday
What don't we teach?
Even though our syllabus is comprehensive, we cannot conceivably teach everything e.g. we don't teach other martial arts.
Occasionally, people ask Newcastle Tai Chi to tailor the syllabus to suit their own area of interest/needs, such as tai chi for the elderly, tai chi in a chair, tai chi for children, tai chi for people with mental health issues or tai chi as performance art. We cannot teach kung fu to children or to new starters above the age of 60.
These are not areas that we specialise in. We are not trained or qualified to teach these approaches, nor is our syllabus or insurance geared with these in mind.
Research could save you time & money
A would-be student should take the time to learn a little more about what the class is offering before attending any sessions. Do a little research. See what is on offer and if suits your requirements.
In the case of Newcastle Tai Chi, why not read our website a little? The time spent could be worthwhile.
Is tai chi appropriate for my medical condition?
If you have any medical questions, your doctor is the person to speak to. A tai chi teacher is not qualified (or permitted) to give advice on your unique medical condition. Go see your doctor.
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