March, 2008 Archive
- Single & Double Push Hands Workshop
6-9 pm on Friday, May 16th, examine the martial cycles of pushing hands.
Tai Chi Chuan, an internal martial and healing art, develops inner power and strength using a training drill called Pushing Hands. Gain and develop coordination, balance, and timing by Pushing Hands. Learn to interact with sensitivity, grace, and power!
Read Pushing Hands Self Defense »
Tai Chi Chuan promises great martial and healing powers by developing soft skills. Tai Chi teaches relaxation and grounding. As we explore relaxation, we learn to reduce excess stress and release residual tension. We notice that too much tension drains strength, upsets balance, slows our wit, and seems silly.
We own a number of methods, in the internal arts, that examine and develop soft skills.
- We practice Forms.
- We stand in Qigong Pose.
- We join in Push-Hands.
- We play Sticky-Hands.
- We do Da-Lu.
We combine these practices: by applying Qigong’s stillness to slow down our forms, or by pressing and pushing on Qigong or Tai Chi postures, we go deeper. We learn more about excessive tensions, and release them. We discover relaxed, sinking balance. We notice easy, winding motions.
Read Soft Skills Reduce Fear »
- A Fundamental Workshop
6-9 pm, Friday April 11th, see how breathing supports structure and generates motion. Imagine that structure creates and eliminates breathing space, while defining and directing motions. Notice motions aligning your body’s structures, guiding your breath. Experience breath, structure, and motion inside your body. Watch breath, structure, and motion change your mind.
Read Breath, Structure, Motion »
Tai Chi Chuan, a.k.a. Taiji-Quan, is fairly famous. By offering this powerful martial art to sick, unhealthy folks, people with marketing skills have raised people’s awareness about Tai Chi worldwide. Many folks have heard of this Supreme-Ultimate Fist Form, and passersby often refer to this once potent art as that-yoga-like thing. (Aside: if your master-teacher-prophet combines yoga and Taiji, (s)he may not know enough Taiji to fill a class.) Marketing schemes and unskilled teachers continue to drum up magical feats of Qi, while withering Tai Chi’s reputation into flowery fantasies and geriatric routines. I seek to expose Taiji to ruthless truth, and by so doing, bring realistic self-defense and real healing back into this powerful martial art.
