Tai Chi

Movement can be a powerful tool for creating a calm mind, but only when you follow some very specific rules. Tai Chi was designed with these specific movement rules because the goal is to take you from tense to relaxed and from relaxed to vital and strong. When my Tai Chi teacher, Bruce Frantzis explains the learning progression for Tai Chi, he makes it clear that when your primary focus is on the mind, and your goal is to calm your mind, you must follow this progression. ...

As you cultivate the mind-body benefits of Tai Chi, you will likely focus on solo training and interactive two-person practices like Push Hands. There’s a third kind of Tai Chi training, though, that will make the link between the other two stronger, Tai Chi Equipment Training. Using stones, balls, disks, belts, and other objects you find in nature, you can develop important attributes of the Tai Chi body and mind. ...

When you really find the groove with your Tai Chi practice, it’s like listening to a piece of music. The rhythms, riffs, and notes phase in and out, sometimes blending, and sometimes really standing out on their own, and even though there’s a lot going on, you can soak it all in at once. Can you practice Tai Chi the same way? This isn’t just an analogy, there’s a major lesson buried in here. Can you spot it? ...

Try a guided practice with these exercises: Format: Audio (mp3) Duration: 32 minutes Cost: $4.99 [paiddownloads id=“1”] When you click “Buy Now” you will be redirected to Paypal to complete your purchase. A download link will be emailed to you after you complete the transaction.

We are in the process of finalizing the details of a Tai Chi Cloud Hands workshop with Robert Tangora this fall in Boston, from October 26-28. As preparation for the workshop, I will be teaching a fall course at Brookline Tai Chi, covering the basic mechanics of Cloud Hands, as well as the prep exercises from Robert’s newly published book. I’m really looking forward to taking everyone at Brookline Tai Chi through these exercises and at the same time, working with members of the Inner Form coaching program to improve their Cloud Hands practice. ...

One of the toughest parts of learning movement exercises from a book is knowing what goes in between each still photo. That’s why I’m very excited that Robert Tangora has put out an overview video of all the exercises that he teaches in the Internal Structure of Cloud Hands. You can use this video as a companion guide to the book. I think this book is such an excellent resource, that I’m urging every serious Tai Chi and qigong practitioner that I know to find a way to work it into theirs. ...

Robert Tangora’s new book, The Internal Structure of Cloud Hands , has just been published. Last October, I spoke to Robert about why he chose this topic for a Tai Chi book and what he hoped to communicate to people. Based on that interview, working with him live doing his Cloud Hands training, and the meticulous way he approaches learning, teaching, and Tai Chi, I have no doubt that this book is going to the top of my recommended reading list next to Energy Gates. ...

The eyes are the gateway to your nervous system. This is a theme that my teacher Bruce Frantzis weaves into many different Tai Chi and qigong teachings that he gives. Relaxing the nervous system is one of the central goals of Tai Chi practice. With a relaxed nervous system you are more aware of your reactions, thoughts, emotions, and really, your entire internal environment. One of the best ways to begin to tune into the state of your nervous system is by learning to feel your eyes. ...

Taoist Master Bruce Frantzis is my main Tai Chi and qigong teacher. Bruce was one of the first Westerns to live and study intensively in China, then come back to the U.S. and popularize Wu Style Tai Chi, qigong, and Taoist meditation in a way that was accessible to a Western audience. He teaches all over the U.S. and Europe, including regular workshops at Brookline Tai Chi. His books on qigong and meditation offer clear and direct practical instruction. Opening the Energy Gates is one of my favorites. I highly recommend it if you want to learn qigong. ...

When you relax into the turning of the waist and feel how it connects to the legs, you begin a process of rooting while moving that creates a dynamic and springy stability. Kind of a paradox, right? You feel like a giant spring, anchored to the floor even though you’re moving around, that is constantly being wound up and then released. The key to cultivating this connection is how you relax through your turning, so let’s start off by getting clear on what we mean when we say relaxation. ...