Tai Chi

Here’s a round-up of guided practice aides I’ve put together in various sections of the site. What else would help you with your current practice? Let me know here. To download the audio files below, right click and “save as”. Breathing Use these basic principles as a guide for your breathing and standing practice: Downloads: 20-Minute Guided Practice #1 20-Minute Guided Practice #2 Standing Qigong You can progress through longer standing sessions with these guided practice mp3s or pick one on any given day that matches your practice goals: ...

I got an email the other day that was a little bit different than the usual requests for lessons. It read: “I learned the Short Form at Brookline Tai Chi under the tutelage of Bill Ryan back about 1996-1997. For seven years, I continued to do the short form three times every morning. Then for the past eight years or so, I have done the short form four times every morning. ...

As part of the State of the Art survey, I asked people to explain what drew them to Tai Chi initially and what keeps them interested. I was also curious to know more about what role, if any, Tai Chi plays in their physical health, mental/emotional wellbeing and spiritual development. Weighty stuff, I know. People came back with some surprising and great answers. Here are a few: ...

Sinking the chest while raising the spine is a key energetic alignment practiced in Tai Chi to facilitate a grounding, downward flow of energy. Martial artists use it to develop their root and anyone who “gets stuck in their head” will find some relief employing this principle. The question is: Do you have a good standing position to practice sinking the chest?

Even if you have cultivated a daily practice that takes you into deep relaxation, it’s helpful to have a set of stress reduction techniques “that work in 5 minutes or less.” You can pull these out during the day when you have a few minutes of downtime. If you are busy and really stressed out, these relaxation techniques can prevent your stress level from going through the roof. Try them and let me know what you think. ...

I sat down with Robert Tangora to talk about his upcoming book on Tai Chi Cloud Hands when he was in Boston in October. When he discusses Tai Chi Cloud Hands, almost reverently, Robert explains it as a paradigm for understanding the complete art of Tai Chi, and also as a way to bring each practitioner closer to integration. The basic problem is that you have a spectrum of practices, from sitting, to standing, to moving, to fighting, that all feel very different and all develop different attributes. ...

When people explain the connection between the mind and the body in tai chi, they often use the breath as a bridge between the two. In other words, you can unite the mind and the body through breathing practices. This is true, but it’s only one technique. In fact, good tai chi includes several methods for making this link. Breathing is only the beginning. Here are a few other things you should be looking for: ...

Can you take 5 minutes to help me with a survey? I’m compiling a report on the state of Tai Chi. I want to know what teachers and practitioners think is important about their Tai Chi practice. We’re also trying to figure out where Tai Chi stacks up for people who don’t do Tai Chi, but have another movement/wellness practice. You can take the survey here and if you could help me spread the word about it too, that would be great. ...

We are about to start the Early Fall session at Brookline Tai Chi and I’ve been thinking a lot about how to teach the introductory class. The challenge, when you learn tai chi for the first time, is all about mindset. I want to see if I can teach them “how to learn tai chi” as much as actually teaching tai chi. This might sound like a beginner-only problem, but I have a challenge for more experienced readers at the end of this post and I’m wondering if you can keep up with my beginners on this one. ...

So, I know I’m writing this on vacation where the most pressing decision we make each day is whether to hike, kayak, or swim, but I’m going to go ahead anyway and recommend that you practice twice a day. Here’s why… What I Learned from a Month-Long Tai Chi Intensive After a month in England, practicing 10 hours a day at the Short Form Instructor Training this summer, I have a renewed appreciation for daily practice rhythm. At the training, there were three distinct types of training sessions we would go through each day. In the mornings, we would practice in our groups. Most of the day, from 10am to 5pm was reserved for class time with Bruce. In the evenings, we would be free to practice again, ideally training the pieces of what we did in class that day. ...