The best way to start learning Tai Chi is to begin at the beginning. There are three very basic things that are essential if you are to get everything that you can from your practice. You must learn how to focus, stilling your mind, using this focus to find your Kwa and using abdominal breathing to manipulate the energy channels throughout your body. Unlike most fitness programs Tai Chi places the mind ahead of the body. ...
Update for 10/2/2013: For reference, here are the details on Peng, Lu, and Ji: New Audio Lessons: Commencement Introductory Video Lessons: First Third Fall 2013 Video Lessons: Yin and Yang Update for 9/11/13: Try this progression of videos and audio: Settle In With Standing Qigong Practice the Yin and Yang Pulsing Review Peng, Lu, and Ji: Lesson 2 Click on the links below to view each video. ...
Tai Chi has the potential to solve many common posture-related problems, but only if you follow the correct Tai Chi principles. Specifically, you want to pay attention to the body alignments that unify the arms, legs, and spine, creating effortless openness throughout the skeletal system. In Tai Chi, the way you hold your neck and head and release the pelvis into the legs are the exact opposite of what those of us who sit all day do. This is good news if you want to change your posture, but tough, because you probably spend lots of time in detrimental sitting positions each day. ...
There has been a lot of talk in the United States recently about the cost of health care and how this might be reduced. One problem of course is the massive amount of money going into the medical community but another big problem is the total lack of preventative medicine. Medical problems are a lot less expensive to treat if you catch them in their early stages or, better yet, prevent them altogether. One huge problem, and one that lead to many other health related problems, is the cost of falls. Falls are one of the most preventable types of accidents but they are also responsible for more than 25,000 fall related deaths each year, in the US alone and many of these are completely preventable. ...
Download Instructions: Each of the workouts listed below is approximately 20 minutes long. To download, right click and save each file to your device. If you have any problems with the downloads, contact me here. Movements from the Wu Style Short Form Commencement Play the Lute Peng Lu and Ji An Single Whip Shoulder Stroke Shoulder Stroke Series White Crane Spreads Wings Transition to First Brush Knee Brush Knee Sequence Tai Chi Principles Leg Power Shifting Releasing the Nerves to Stretch Sinking and Rising Upper Body Sinking and Relaxation Pumping the Legs and Releasing the Back in Ji Empty Neck Four Energies in Grasp Sparrow’s Tail Twisting and Turning through Single Whip Whole Body Flows in Commencement Internal Integration
The study of Tai Chi requires that you also study Qigong as well, separate from your Tai Chi Classes. The tensions that we feel, both physically and psychology are largely the result of blockages in our body’s natural energy paths. Qigong refers to this energy and it is the study of bringing our breathing into harmony with our movement. One of the best Qigong exercise is the arm-swing exercise. Usually done as a warm-up, it prepares the body for relating the movement of your arms with your shoulders and spine. ...
The term "Qigong" or "Chi Kung" is a relatively new one in China, only coming into common use less than a half century, and is still nearly unknown in the west. Before this development practices were known as "Neigong" or "Nei Kung," which means internal power. The term has been gaining more and more popularity in mainland China, sometimes replacing more common names like Old Man Climbs the Stairs Chi Kung and White Crane Chi Kung. ...
We have all seen long distance runners, gymnasts and weight lifters go through stretching routines before they begin their exercises. These stretching exercises help prevent injuries from the exercises themselves, loosen the muscles to allow them to move freely and increase blood flow to the entire body. While there are more sophisticated qigong techniques for stretching the spine, here are some rules to follow before engaging in any stretching: ...
Last month, we discussed the sense of progress you can sometimes struggle with in your practice. At the time, I mentioned that I’ve been working up to a two-hour standing session, which is a very structured practice goal. Today, I wanted to report back about what I’ve been experiencing in standing qigong and show you how to shift your sense of the time that passes when you stand. The structure of adding one minute to the length of the stand each day is seems like it should make for a very linear sense of time when you practice. So far, though, that’s not what’s happening at all. ...
Tai Chi is often viewed as a solitary exercise. When most people hear the name the picture someone moving slowly through the sets, but while there are many exercises not all of them are solo exercises. The reason for this is simple: Balance and harmony. Solo form teaches students to get in touch with their inner energy pathways, understand and manipulate them. Solo form allows us to communicate with our body in new ways. ...