Dear
all, february heralds in the Chinese New Year, which this
year falls on the 18th, and is the year of the Pig. Not sounding
too auspicious to Western ears, it actually signifies the
boar, which is both yin and yang, and is thought of by Eastern
culture to be: Loving, gentle, innocent, gullible, affectionate,
sensual, intelligent, down to earth, practical, stamina, gallant,
good companions, honest and sincere, unselfish, unassurring,
non-competitive. Impartial, insecure.
The last time the Pig owned a year, it was 1995. The other
Chinese Zodiac animals are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Hare, Dragon,
Snake,Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, and Dog. Chinese New
Years Day is calculated as being the day after the second
New (Full) Moon after the Winter Solstice. The Winter Solstice
is the shortest day of the year (about 21st. December) . Therefore,
the date of the Chinese Year New will fluctuate from year
to year (usually around late January / early February) because
it is determined by the movement of the Moon. For more information
and to check out your chinese birth sign, see http://www.soton.ac.uk/~maa1/chi/philos/horo1.htm.
This newsletter
serves several purposes. I do hope most of all that the reading
of it stimulates, entertains or inspires our unseen, online
tai chi community. At last count there were more than 3,000
subscribers to this, the taichido newsletter; so if there is
such a thing as a taichido community or club it is me and Mark
knowing that there is at least that many people out there that
I shall never meet or have the pleasure of being in the personal,
three dimensional company of here at my little home dojo in
Southampton UK.
The number that do meet here with me (those that perhaps use
wheels.net more often than they do taichido.com) is a fraction
of a fraction of the number that subscribe to the newsletter
- and yet; if only because my encounters with these personal
visitors is three dimensional - it is usually those few that
motivate me to make the observations that I do and write the
stuff that goes on to be new articles posted to taichido.com
or wheelswithinwheels.net. sooner or later. In which case we
use this newsletter to preview or point towards all updates
to either or both of the websites. This month I take a detour
and bring you just a little nearer not to my home page but to
my home town with an informative two-parter. The second part
is the documenting of statistics that answer a question that
a beginner student asked me about the new taichido.com "Ruler"
DVD. But first ... ... ...
Just once a year I feel justified to use this newsletter to
communicate with those few nearby three dimensional friends
and announce our Annual Get Together; this being the only time
that this handful of people that meet here with me ever have
the opportunity to meet each other; because 'in person' I teach
on an individuals only basis.
I do know that realistically, only a percentage of a fraction
of a fraction of those that receive this newsletter will be
attending any part of the now fanfared event; nonetheless, and
if only to give you all an opportunity to be with us at least
in spirit on the day ... I am very please to confirm that on:
Sunday 4th March 2007.
This years taichido.com/wheels.net "For Those Who Can Get
to my home dojo - home of the wheels.net homepage - here in
Southampton UK - Annual Three Dimensional Get Together"
... will be on Sunday 4th March 2007 and be in the form of Two
separate Tai Chi related Workshops at The Friends Meeting House,
Ordinance Road, Southampton UK with then an After Party and
short Performance Program at my home dojo.
A full afternoon and early evening of events. However, feel
free to attend any of the one, two, three, four or all five
separate workshop/events.
TIMETABLE OF EVENTS:
Midday 12:00
Meet here - at my home dojo - anytime from midday onwards to
generally socialise (kids welcome) and/or observe or take part
in final practice/rehearsal of rare Tendai Buddhist Chant. Please
see below for details of 'live' performance programed for later
on.
1.50pm Set off together for a slow stroll down London Road to
a Quaker run Friends Meeting House in the historic Ordinance
Road.
2PM: Tai Chi related Workshops.
FREE! Please simply contact me suggesting your intention to
attend.
2pm - 3.15 Tai Chi Ruler Workshop - Presented by Matt Backhouse
(instructor on our new Ruler DVD).
3.30 - 4.45 Tessen (Tai Chi Fan) Workshop - Presented by Raymond
Wood, 8th Dan Hanshi. Read many of his Budo articles @MailScanner
has detected a possible fraud attempt from "www.wheelswithinwheels.net"
claiming to be wheels.net/within.
Equipment Provided: F.O.C. loan for duration of workshop.
We have 'on hand' on the day about 15 Rulers and 15 Fans. We
are realistic as far as numbers that are able to attend [only
about three thousand have been invited!] and therefore expect
to have enough pieces of equipment to provide all participants
with all equipment required.
Rulers and Ruler DVD's available for purchase throughout workshop
times. Rulers, Ruler DVD's and all other taichido.com learning
media products available for purchase at my home dojo on the
day and online @ MailScanner has detected a possible fraud attempt
from "www.wheelswithinwheels.net" claiming to be taichidoshop.com.
5.15 - 7.30 After Party.
Social gathering and Performance Program at my home dojo. Celebratory
finale of the days proceedings!
Our house can be seen with the naked eye from the front door
of the Friends Meeting House in Ordinance Road. As soon as the
workshops are over we intend to make the short walk past the
trendy bars and solicitors offices opposite the magistrates
court, where the worlds first Ordinance Survey map factory used
to be ... and back to my home dojo and conclude proceedings
in what has become the traditional manner - with good old fashioned
(non alcoholic) the more the merrier kids welcomed party and
a couple of 'live' tunes from me and my guitar. This year's
performance will include special extra presentation between
these tunes, a rare Buddhist Chant performed by the Soutampton
Shin Sangha, i.e. Matt, Mary (my partner) and myself. Honored
guests will be invited to participate.
Reverend Ganshin Rock, a Tendai Buddhist Priest and Reverend
Taira Sato, the head priest of Three Wheels, a Shin Buddhist
Temple in London, will be our other honored guest (invited not
to the workshops but to the After Party only.
The fundamental tradition of our annual get together is that
it takes place to coincide with The Lantern Festival which is
in turn commonly dedicated to the Taoist goddess Kuan Yin. Some
say that Kuan Yin is the female manifestation of Amida Buddha,
a central figure in Chan (Zen), Tendai and Shin interperations
of the Buddha's teachings. Images of Him/Her in various manifestations
abound within the walls of my home dojo and I am inclined to
call her "my Valentine", though this is as much just
a coincidence of dates ... appropriate none the less.
The Lantern Festival occurs on the first full moon following
the first new moon of the Chinese new year. What became taichido.com/wheels.net
and my home dojo was founded on Lantern Festival 1996; the 14th
of February I believe.
6pm - 6.30 Performance Program:
6.00 "Namu for Guitar". Solo guitar instrumental.
6.15 "Nembutsu Invocation" Tendai Buddhist Chant 'sung'
(most unusually with intentional a.k.a. 'western style' harmony's)
by the Soutampton Shin Sangha, i.e. Matt, Mary (my partner)
and myself. We three at least meet every Thursday here at my
home dojo.
In Buddhist tradition the 'Sangha' a.k.a. community is not just
those that are 'there' at any particular time or in one particular
place. The Sangha is inclusive of "all things in all time
and all space".
We have learnt this special chant by listening over and over
to an old home recorded cassette tape of Reverend Enshin Saito;
the teacher of Reverend Ganshin Rock, a Tendai Buddhist Priest
who lives in Romsey, a small market town near Southampton. A
decade ago I was a member of his weekly meditation group. I
copied the "Nembutsu Invocation Chant" from the original
lent me by Ganshin back then, with my copy dated 23.08.1997.
Reverend Ganshin will be an honored guest invited to this celebratory
portion and finale of the days proceedings. Given that they
are good friends and share a devotion to Amida Buddha, Reverend
Taira Sato, the head priest of Three Wheels, a Shin Buddhist
Temple in London, will be our other honored guest.
6.20 "The Riddle of the Three Bridges and Which Side Am
I On?" Solo guitar instrumental. Mary and I attended the
Three Wheels end of year Eza and Party. I was invited to play.
It was my pleasure to reprise those two tunes at our own annual
celebration.
"The Riddle of the Three Bridges and Which Side Am I On?"
is a short concept piece that I have been working on for a number
of years now. Its predecessor is called "Same As This,
Same As That". A recording of this piece as performed live
at out Y2k annual get together went on to be used as soundtrack
on various taichido.com media product. The new taichido.com
Ruler DVD features a brand new piece of music as soundtrack
to the Exercises as a Sequence. This piece is a piano version
of "The Riddle of the Three Bridges and Which Side Am I
On?"
my home dojo: http://www.wheels.taichido.comsouthcliff/homedojo.htm
Matt Backhouse (instructor on our new Ruler DVD): http://www.wheels.taichido.comtaichidoshop/rulerdvd.htm
Rays articles @wheels.net/within: http://www.wheels.taichido.comwithin/withinsplashpage.htm
Him/Her in various manifestations: http://www.wheels.taichido.com04eza.htm
Lantern Festival: http://www.wheels.taichido.comlantern.htm
A comment from one of my students has prompted me to say that
'there is more to our new Tai Chi Ruler DVD than meets the eye';
and even then I am referring to more than all of that which
is anyway intrinsic to this ancient Form which , at origination,
theory and technique, is a mix of Tai Chi and Yoga. What I am
in fact eluding to is the many aspects that we cover on our
DVD and the various angles of examination and approach that
we adopt; leaving no stone unturned to eventually render a presentation
that is as near as we can get to 'complete' or 'comprehensive'.
At some point or other I take all students through a few basic
Tai Chi Ruler exercises. I normally do this in the early days
of training, often within the first 6 months - because - as
I say in the blurb on the the back of our new DVD: "Tai
Chi Ruler serves as an excellent supplement to Form practice
and is particularly suitable for beginners because it is not
at all complicated and focuses attention upon the basics".
The student that prompted this clarification and breakdown of
the specific content of the Ruler DVD is one of those; one who
is just about (in a basic fashion) at the end of Part One of
the Yang Long Form, i.e. one who has been in training with me
for about 6 months. I take this opportunity to point out that
this - 6 mths. to basically learn Pt. 1 of said form is, in
my 10 years of experience of teaching it, the consistent average.
He, Mark, this beginner at Tai Chi who's every day occupation
is a Student of Computer Science remarked: "A whole full
length DVD - just on Ruler? Fact is, his comment is based upon
his experience of just one Ruler exercise; the one I taught
him - just to demonstrate or reinforce the basics of Tai Chi.
What I did not tell him at the time is that the one I showed
him was just one of dozens of variations! Notwithstanding this,
there are specific preparation and warm up exercise for Ruler
... ... ... and I hadn't told him about them either!
So, just for the record and for clarification I take this opportunity
to list the contents and section running times of our Ruler
DVD as approximately:
The Preliminaries
1. Holding the Ruler. 2min. 45sec.
2. Stances. 2 min.
3. Warming Up Sequence (with original music audio soundtrack
option). 7 min.
4. Opening Exercises. a) Teeth Chattering. b) Joining the Upper
and Lower Vessels. c) Swallowing. 3 min.
5. Starting Off. 3 min.
Running time of Preliminaries section: 17min. 45sec.
On the Spot Exercises
Empty Step Sitting. 6min. 30sec.
Pile Driver Sitting. 3min.
Rocking. 3min.
Low Valve. 2min. 30sec.
High Valve. 2min. 15sec.
Running time of On the Spot Exercises section: 17min. 15sec.
Walking Exercises
Bow Step. 2min. 30sec.
Pile Driver Walking. 1min. 30sec.
Running time of Walking Exercises section: 4min.
Closing Down.
Running time 2min 15sec.
The Exercises as a Sequence.
Running time 12min. 30sec.
Running times shown details only the time that Matt is seen
on screen - talking or demonstrating. In most instances this
on screen time does not equate at all to the amount of time
that may be spent first learning and then doing the exercises
(for the rest of your active life!). The first above i.e. Holding
the Ruler being the greatest exception of all.
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