A Real Taiji Workshop — Friday 15 August 2008, 6 pm - 9 pm
Immerse in the fundamentals of internal work. The emphasis in this workshop is self-awareness and healing potential. You will have a chance to dismantle belief systems and disrupt thought processes by exploring feeling-awareness.
- natural breathing
- reverse breathe
- tense
- relax
- find subtle waves
- examine cranial fluid waves in particular
We’ll use specific bits from World Taiji Boxing Association’s Yang Chen Fu’s Long Form; in particular, know Lift Hands and Cloud Hands. Qigong and a bit of ground work will deepen the breathing and the being-breathed sensations.
Read Internal Arts Immersion »
The Short — Explosive — Tai Chi Chuan Fighting Form
Learn a short Taiji form. Small San Sau is a Quick-Fight Method from Old Taiji Masters. It shows exciting and intense fighting and healing applications of fundamental Taijiquan movements, derived from Yang Long Form, and inherent in all T’ai-chi.
We examine Ward-Off, Grasp Swallow’s Tail, Fishes in Eight, and Single Whip both at a gentle, easy stride (yin) and at a quick, cracking pace (yang). Balance your body-mind-spirit through calm twisting, relaxed coiling, centered shaking, and bounce-stepping.
A Weapon Workshop with Steven Smith
6-9 pm on Friday, June 13th, 2008 — discover the quaking, shaking power of Fa-Jing Stick. See and learn simple training methods that reveal quick power in a simple stick. This is down-to-earth Tai Chi Chuan at its finest. We do some slow, soft motions, learning to wind and unwind, twist and relax. When you’re ready, we crank up the pace.
Read Taiji Fajing Stick Training »
- 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.
Read Real Martial-Healing Art »
I appreciate your support. Thanks.
—Steven Smith
01 April 2007
Dear Accidental Reader,
Your wealthy, secure, and comfortable lifestyle hides the truth. Your incessant inner chatter keeps your anxiety at bay and your fears in shadow. Your vehicle makes a mocking fog of your labor.
But no matter. Go about your business.
30 March 2007
O Great Flower Tossers:
Chen Man Ching looks like a beginner on YouTube, no master. His limp hands mock Taiji. His movements —like Roll Back— are exaggerated, external representations of the internal nature of T’ai Chi Chuan. His lackadaisical stepping methods resemble clumsy falling more than deliberate stepping.
