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Dear all,
A
happy and festive christmas period to you all. Wherever you may be
taking it, however you may be taking it, or even if you are not
taking it at all, I wish you all the best, not only for the next few
weeks (that would be very selective) but for the rest of your lives.
As Gary says in this month's newsletter, this is the third birthday
of the Taichido Newsletter, and I am amazed at how time has just
flown, and the size of the subscribers list, which makes us proud
and happy to be offering this little ray of tai chi amongst all the
spam that clutters up your daily lives. 82 percent of the world's
email is spam: what a waste. You can peruse back
issues of the newsletter on the taichido
website.
Best regards,
Mark
webmaster taichido.com, taichidoshop.com, editor Taichido
Newsletter
Issue 36! This newsletters third birthday! Whilst
celebrating this may I also wish you Seasons Greetings and a Happy
New Year!
As an instant
and informal end of year report on taichido.com I would say the
present condition and future prospects are excellent! Mark and I are
very excited about the DVD due for release to coincide roundabout
with Chinese New Year on the 9th of February 2005 - when the Year of
the Monkey ends and the Year of the Rooster begins.
We have been
working on this last phase of this electronic
learning media project for a solid year now with both of us
immersed every spare hour in the Yang Long Form and the
technicalities of presentation - and it has been a monkey of a job!
But I am sure that our near pathologically precise work has been
worth it - because if I may (like a Rooster!) say so myself, it is
an excellent product!
The part of my
work for inclusion that I am most satisfied with is my comprehensive
rewrite of every step and every hand movement in the Long Form. The
version we are using now on the DVD is my third rewrite of a third
version of this text.
Mk1 text was written in 1998 to accompany video
animation's on the taichido
Netguide. This was not only the first time I saw any necessity
to write down every step and hand movement of the Yang Long Form; it
was the first time that I had ever been floodlit and filmed doing
it!
Furthermore,
when I wrote the Mk1 text I had been teaching the Form for only a
couple of years and (what was filmed) my 'style' or way of doing it
was at this stage more or less the same style as my teacher, Ray
Wood. It was at around about this time that Ray retired from
teaching tai chi and I have since sadly lost all contact with him.
Even to this day I often visualize Ray beside me doing tai chi. So
he still inspires me but he is not here to copy and accordingly I
guess, since then I have begun to develop my own style or expression
of tao through tai chi form.
Mk2 text was written in 2002 to accompany new
videos (two: lit/indoors and outdoors on the shelter in the Zen
Garden of the Three Wheels Temple, London) shot especially for the
CD-ROM electronic learning media.
By then I had been teaching
tai chi for six/seven years. I had become accustomed to seeing my
own image digitally represented on-screen and did of course have
previous experience (in 98) of 'performing' Form in conditions
dictated by the camera.
Come last
year; by
the time we were in this final phase of development of the new DVD,
no new videos were shot - so the existent (Mk2) text could have been
used. That would have been convenient and easy - but this was also
when the near pathological pursuit of precision kicked in and I took
it upon myself to start again all over again and rewrite every step
and every hand movement of the Yang Long Form - using a finite
number of standardized and ordered [repeated and shifting patterns]
sentences and concise grammar!
By this time - now - I have been teaching the Yang
Long Form for around about nine years and I do believe that I have
not only developed my own style of doing it; I have similarly
refined the words and phrases I use to describe what I do - given
that I have the additional benefit of being able to see my digital
self there on screen, doing it over and over again.
So, if I have
got better at saying what I do, I achieved it by saying it over and
over again to the twenty or so
students that I meet here with personally in the dojo every
week; and I got better at teaching it because the students keep
coming. By turning up every week they inspire me to teach the tai
chi that my teacher taught me. Tai Chi with "nothing added and
nothing taken away".
I end this
months newsletter with some extra notes (not published elsewhere)
regarding the details of hand movements intrinsic to "Grasp the
Sparrows Tail" at the start of the Yang Long Form and then a few
postures later in "Turn and Press". It is my pleasure to offer you
subscribers to this newsletter this little extra in gratitude of the
support and encouragement that you have provided over the
years.
"From Yin to
Yang and Back Again"
.... Raise the left arm in an upward and outward diagonal N to
shoulder level, palm up. Move the right hand first forward a little
with palm outward and then inwards towards your right hip in
downward diagonal arc.
As
the hands approach each other make them a little harder (stiffen the
fingers) with each becoming hardest as they pass each other midway
(right above/left below) and soft again upon completion.
One application
(Chuan) of Grasp the Sparrows Tail is - to defensively lead with the
(left) forearm used as a "Ward-Off" or "Press". Another is to lead
offensively with the hand (thumb) to strike.
Chuan theories
are carried on through to Form and expressed through the legs by way
of the continuous shifting of your weight 70/30 from one to the
other; and by the hands that rise and fall and go hard/soft,
hard/soft … and "from yin to yang and back again".
The same theory
is applied to a tai chi style "press" or 'push. This begins with the
hands held above the elbows with the palms and fingers soft and
relaxed. As the arms are extended away from your body the hands are
raised at the wrists to position the palms to face away from you. As
the press/push is performed both hands are gradually made harder
(stiffen the fingers) and then soft and relaxed with the palms
facing down again upon completion. "From Yin to Yang and Back
Again".
Gary 17th Dec 04.
Some hints & tips on practice
Tai chi moves are
circular: as you get more experienced with the moves, make hand
movements more circular in motion, eg: in grasp the sparrows tail,
rather than move your arm down to your opposite hip in a straight
line, 'scoop' it in a circular movement instead. This increases the
fluidity of the motion, and brings expression into the form.
Any form is not
rigid: as you become more experienced, bring your own expression
into the moves.
Think about yin
and yang as you practice: inward motions are yin, or passive, so
'suck' into them, and outward motions are aggressive - yang, so
'push' them out. Breathe out as you push out, and breathe in as you
bring your movements in.
An important
aspect of tai chi is the breathing. Once you have got the movements
to the point where they are automatic and you don't have to think
about them, concentrate on your breathing. Slow down you breaths,
and take longer inhalations and exhalations. As stated above,
breathe in as you bring your arms into your body - yin - and breathe
out as you push away from the body - yang.
Always be
relaxed: especially in your arms. Your hands are never rigid, but
always 'limp' or relaxed, even for yang moves. Once you are able to
do this, you will find an increase in your chi and your
relaxation.
The form should really be done as slowly as possible, but
essentially do it at the pace that suits you. Later on, you can
begin to slow down.
Some of the moves, normally the ones where the leg is raised,
such as lift hands or the kicks, are not always easy for those with
rheumatic or arthritic problems, or those with collapsed arches -
just adapt the move, and raise your leg to the level that is
comfortable, even if this is only just off the floor. Be wary of
pains, especially in your knees - ease off a bit. Often if you are
experiencing pains then you may not be doing the move in balance -
adapt.
Sometimes it is difficult to get into doing some tai chi - your
mind may be buzzing ('monkey mind', unfocussed and all over the
place), and you just can't concentrate properly. Try making a
practice of spending a few minutes doing some (even just a couple)
of chi kung excersises before you start. As chi kung is essentially
about breathing and slowing your breaths, this really helps to calm
everything down.
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