Newsletter issue 52 April 2006

The 6 Basic Conditions of Health

1. Fatigue. 2. Sleep. 3. Appetite. 4. Humour. 5. Memory. 6. Mindfulness (precision in thought and action).

When and where possible (bearing in mind the fact that there are unfortunately conditions which are chronic and severely debilitating) your personal health - or 'healthiness' or well-being - is your own responsibility.

Health is not just the mere absence of illness but a powerful feeling of 'wellness' and a positive energy or desire to fulfil your potential and live life to the full - on a daily basis. Therefore the main factors in how well you are now and how well you will be tomorrow ... and the next day ... is the everyday habits you choose to maintain or abstain from.

No one is totally immune from all diseases and infections - but it is just as true that these things do not flourish in a happy and healthy person.
However, if you choose living and thinking habits which your [mind] body [and spirit] cannot cope with, its response to additional or extra inputs will be slow and vulnerable to the development of degenerative diseases.

Medical treatment will help if it is aim is to help the body maintain a healthy balance but ultimately the body (and mind) can/could heal itself. Likewise, medical treatment will help if it is part of a program of 'whole health balance', but if it is used to just suppress symptoms, recovery will be later rather than sooner and not permanent. Physical, mental and spiritual health are interconnected and neglect leading to the decline in any one of these areas can lead to the malfunctioning of either one or both of the others.

Some people are born healthier than others but none the less, most of us could develop better health. You can decline or accept the challenge, however there is really little doubt that all effort will be rewarded with a more satisfied and fulfilled life. Looking after your health and well being is not a self-indulgent fad. You are the most valuable asset you have.

1. Fatigue
Are You Free from Fatigue?

Fatigue is a sign warning that there is something wrong with the body; that it is not functioning properly or fighting hard against disease or infection.

Healthy people do not in their ordinary everyday affairs get tired - and even when extended they do not exhaust or expire.

They find work a joy, difficult situations a challenge and they indeed welcome problems and regard them as fresh adventures for their ingenuity to overcome.

Always eager to see things through, they rarely experience boredom (which is another word for fatigue). Consequently they bring with them an enormous energy and a zest for life - even to the trivial and difficult.

2. Sleep
Do You Sleep Soundly?

A person with a balanced and sufficient supply of energy sleeps soundly and deeply; awakening refreshed after six hours sleep.

Moreover, such a person is inclined to fall asleep within minutes of putting head to pillow, regardless of place or circumstance.

Talking in your sleep is an unfavourable sign, as are violent and disturbing dreams. If this sort of behaviour becomes habitual the indications are that some basic heath matter is in need of attention.

3. Appetite
Is Your Appetite Good?
A person should be able to enjoy even the simplest foods - with relish! Everything, as long as it has been wholesomely prepared, should taste good and leave you satisfied.

Healthy people also know how to regulate their appetite and never overindulge. Naturally, they are not overweight nor does their weight fluctuate more than a few pounds with the changing seasons.

4. Humour.
Are You of Good Humour?
To loose your patience quickly, to be cruel or sarcastic, to be bereft of good cheer towards fellow persons, to harbour a grudge, to be resentful to simply lack enthusiasm or interest is to be out of touch with humanity.

The healthy person retains a sense of wonder and admiration for the workings of the world around them. They achieve a physical and mental condition which enables them to meet the most trying of situations pleasantly and with grace.

Such people are even kind in their criticism of others - and will attempt to learn from their enemies as well as their friends.

5. Memory
Is Your Memory Good?
Memories are the basic foundation upon which you construct your daily life. A failing memory is a sign of declining physical health and symptomatic of emotional instability or dis-ease.

Memory supplies you daily life with purpose and direction. Without it you are like and old gramophone needle that is stuck in a grove. Without direction all of your physical and mental efforts are wasted and deterioration sets in.

Contrary to popular belief the ability to remember should normally increase rather than decline with age.

6. Mindfulness (precision of thought and action)
Are You Precise in Your Thoughts and Actions (Mindful)?
Your very survival depends on the ability to make good judgments quickly and put them into action efficiently. If you are out on the street and a car swerves towards you, or someone throws something at you, your response should be automatic and without a seconds hesitation.

The inability to respond to the environment instinctively is a sure indicator that sooner or later the environment will not respond to you!

Furthermore, it is precision of thought (mindfulness/awareness), together with memory, that enables you to put in order the details of your existence and establish harmony with your surroundings.

Author: Ray Wood, Format and presentation: Gary Robinson - copyright: taichido.com/wheelswithinwheels.net

Introduction into the Sun Style

The Sun style of tai chi is one of the youngest Form styles of them all. It was developed in the early 1900s by Sun Lutang and is noted not so much for its lineage and adaptation from the older styles but for its fusion with other martial arts – bagua and xing yi  (hsing-i) .

To understand where the Sun style has come from, it is necessary to look at the life of its founder, whose exploits had a direct impact upon the form. Sun Lutang was born in 1861 in Dingxian County in the Hebei Province, the son of a poor farmer who died while he was still young. Forced to then work as a servant for a rich landowner, as  he was a physically weak boy  the landowner would only pay him with food and not money to support his mother; and Sun often had to endure beatings from members of the landowner’s family. In order to defend himself he began learning kung fu from a local teacher, finding an enthusiasm and fascination with the martial arts. This culminated in Sun’s sacking from his job for injuring one of the landowner’s family members as he tried to beat him. Sun then went to work for his uncle who ran a moderately prosperous calligraphy shop and it is during this time that he learnt Xing Yi – an internal martial art - from Li Kuiyuan (an instructor local to his uncle) and ended up training full-time under him. After teaching him everything he could, Li then sent him to Kuo Yunshen  (Li’s teacher) to learn Hsing-I, where he was a model and hard-working student – in fact Kuo nicknamed him the ‘lively monkey’ and after eight years Sun graduated from Kuo and then spent a further three years studying Bagua under Chen Tinghua, a famous bagua master of the time.

So by this point we have an accomplished martial artist in at least three martial arts, and a chance meeting would mix tai chi into the pot. The great tai chi master Hao Weichen was visiting Beijing when he fell ill and was unable to meet with those he was visiting and became lost. He was found by Sun who took him to his home and called a doctor. Later, in gratitude of Sun’s care and generosity, Hao taught him Wu Yu Xiang tai chi (a variant form of Wu tai chi not yet covered in these articles). With three soft internal martial arts under his belt, Sun made the leap and developed a tai chi style that complemented these arts and fused their strengths with tai chi into the Sun Form.

Primarily based upon the Wu Yu Xiang style, the form incorporated the more rapid footwork of bagua and the leg and waist characteristics of hsing –i with the soft body stances of Wu Yu Xiang tai chi. the Form is characterised by quick and deft movements, freely advancing or retreating in agile steps. Stances are high, more upright and natural, with the feet normally never wider than shoulder width. The movements are short and compact with hand movements hooked into a corresponding leg movement. Another characterisation of the Sun form is that the hand and leg movements are open and closed in sequence, especially whenever the body turns, concentrating chi in fairly powerful chi kung exercising (and for short deadly strikes in the chuan form). Despite all this Sun Lutang propounded that his style was only used for sport and health rather than in any martial or violent setting, and in fact the Sun style contains a great deal of chi kung for relaxation and health.

Sun Lutang had two sons, one of which (Sun Cunzhou) was born in 1893. Sun Cunzhou himself became a well-known and accomplished martial artist and became a master of the Sun style, continuing from his father. His second daughter and the granddaughter of Sun Lutang was Sun Shurong who became the Sun Master after her father’s death in 1963, and continued to teach right up until her death in May last year.

Bibliography:
International Sun Tai Chi Association www.suntaichi.com
www.chinavoc.com
Tai Chi productions www.taichiproductions.com
Wing Lam Enterprises www.wle.com

Authorr: Mark Allen