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?
As a teacher and practitioner, the only Tai Chi shoes I ever wear are these Vivo Barefoots (pictured on the right). They are: Lightweight Comfortable Flexible Thin enough to maintain sensitivity between my feet and the ground Cushioned enough to prevent rocks from digging into my feet Most importantly, they are designed to move with the natural wave of the foot when you walk, instead of inhibiting it like most modern shoes. ...
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. ...
The products on this page will help you build a strong foundation for your movement arts practice. I have tested and trained with each one. If you've ever taken a live class with me, you may recognize some of the material. These are high quality products, packed with information that will take you through the basics of different dimensions of your practice. Beyond the foundation, you need motivation, guidance, and feedback. That's what I hope to provide in person, through the blog, and through Q&A. If you're looking to build the right foundation, though, this is where you should start. ...
I’m sure you’ve spent time looking around YouTube for qigong and tai chi videos. According to their website, people upload 24 hours of video to YouTube every minute! No doubt you’ve seen some crazy stuff. So how do you sift through all of it and more importantly, are there any qigong videos on YouTube worth watching? The good news is, of course there are. And I’ve put together a list of 5 good ones to get you started. ...
Soon after I took over as the director of Brookline Tai Chi, we were hosting Bruce Frantzis for a Circling Hands seminar. In the most basic version of Circling Hands qigong, you make a vertical circle out in front of your body, with your palms facing each other, focusing on smooth breathing, continuous pumping, and evening out the circle more and more with each pass (no corners or edges!). In this seminar, Bruce was weaving meditation into the exercise and the goal was very simple: as you extend your arms out away from the body, you bring your mind into your body as much as you can. As the arms come close to the body, you send your mind out. ...
The Three Swings from Energy Gates are some of the most challenging exercises to do well in the entire Energy Arts curriculum. You have to relax, maintain good alignment, and coordinate stepping and turning while moving faster than most other qigong exercises. Let’s talk a little bit about why the Three Swings are important and what you need to integrate to do them well. Getting Started with the Three Swings In the Tai Chi Classics, it says, “the motion should be rooted in the feet, released through the legs, controlled by the waist and manifested through the fingers.” Think of practicing the swings as a way to test this concept. You will get much clearer feedback from the swings about how the motion you generate from the feet travels out to your fingertips than you will from solo form practice. ...
And they’re all in pain! When it comes to the aches and pains of moving around, you might be in pain from your day job, your vigorous exercise routine, or even a mindfulness practice that doesn’t involve any movement. Ever wonder why? The reason is exactly the same in each case: in your pre-conscious mind, you are basically trying to outsource your own movement patterns, from a body part that should be doing the job, to one that’s willing to, even though it isn’t designed for that job! ...
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. ...
Robert Tangora discusses The Internal Structure of Cloud Hands, his upcoming book about how this important Tai Chi exercise completes a well-rounded practice. Full Transcript (with approximate times): 00:14 Dan: So you talk about Cloud Hands as a way to sort of encapsulate a lot of the different things that you do internally and externally when you practice Tai Chi. Can you say a little bit about why Cloud Hands is... ...