First I would like to say a big sorry to those who have been wondering why the newsletter suddenly stopped for a while – in fact September was the last release. Gary’s father has been ill and has taken up a lot of his focus, and we have stepped back from quite a few things relating to Taichido.com, Wheelswithinwheels.net and Purelandnotes.com to decide to take stock of what we were doing and where we wanted to go. Of the three websites, Pure Land Notes, the Buddhist aspect of Gary’s life now moves away from the other two sites and stands up on its own as the receptacle for the Pure Land Journal and related matters.
Taichido and wheels we realised would become stronger and more cohesive if they were in fact one merged website, so that is the next step, and it is quite an exciting way forward for us as it will bring together under one roof a vast range of ideas, information and ways of thinking about tai chi and its related aspects. This is due to start in the new year, so keep your visiting eyes open!
This newsletter has been extraordinary for us, 77 issues (including this one) – 7 years of writing! This will continue, but we are looking at changing the format a little to give more variety, and hopefully continue to make interesting reading after all this time. I know that there are a lot of readers who have been there since the beginning – wow, how time flies! The next newsletter then, will be in the new format.
Finally, after the successful launch of the new version of the complete Long Yang DVD-set and booklet, we are looking at during next year publishing our first standalone book about the Yang Form and tai chi philosophy.
In the meantime, sorry for the delay in this newsletter, and have a happy Christmas and see you in the new year!
From Gary:
First I must apologise for the long gap between this and the last newsletter. Mark explains most above but further to all of that I must add that that a great deal of my time has been taken up recently in accompanying my elderly father on frequent hospital visits. I must nevertheless say that the production of this newsletter is important to me, but in circumstances such as this I am sure you understand that my family must come first.
This, as Mark explains above will be our last newsletter in this particular format and I have decided to take this opportunity to round of this volume with a look at what I see as the bedrock of Tai Chi Form; BREATH. I deal with the fundamentals below - and will go into the same subject in more detail in our subsequent new format monthly issues of this newsletter.
To properly or fully benefit from Tai Chi it is important that we understand the breathing technique involved - and coordinate our movements with these breaths.
 Tai Chi functions (when done much faster) as a martial art fighting form - and in this respect - individual postures may be identified as either 'offensive' or 'defensive'. Accordingly, all defensive postures (or 'moves') are performed on an in breath - and all offensive postures/moves are made on an out breath. Furthermore, a defensive move is classified as a "Yin" and an offensive as "Yang". So the theory is: Defence on the Yin or In breath and offence on the Out or Yang breath.
CIRCULAR BREATHING. Whether sitting or standing - we imagine/visualise that we begin each breath cycle by picturing that we begin breathing in at the base of our spine (where our tail would be if we had one). As we breathe in we picture the breath coming up our backs - and we reach 'full' as the breath reaches our neck. We then 'hold full' as the breath goes over our heads - and begin to breath out just as we picture the cycle reaching a point between our eyes. We breath out, picturing the breath reaching our belly. We then 'hold full' as we picture the breath slipping underneath us - and begin to breath in again just as the cycle reaches our tail again.
THE YIN YANG SYMBOL. On the grand scale, the interlocking black and white shapes within the circumference of the circle are representative of the cyclical nature of the natural world. Day becomes night, summer becomes autumn, hot becomes cold … and life becomes death. The day is represented by the white section and night by the black. The dot (or 'seed') of black in the white and the seed of white in the black implies that 'nothing is all black and nothing is all white' … and therefore it follows that there is nothing that is 'all good' and there is nothing that is 'all bad', 'all right' or 'all wrong' … … … and so on.
Essentially - the black section of the Yin Yang represents the YIN - or as I call it, the Down and In. The black/Yin represents the passive, the slow, the quiet and withdrawn. The thinnest part of the black is 'minimum Yin' and the thickest maximum Yin. Maximum Yin moves on to 'minimum Yang i.e. the thinnest white bit.
The white YANG section represents the aggressive, the quick, the loud and bright - with the thinnest being just 'dim' or 'luke-warm' and the thickest being dazzling or 'white-hot'. Thus, the 'not very loud' and 'not too bright' or 'minimum but more than nothing' Yang more or less overlaps (or is the same thing as) the maximum 'just a little muted or slightly dulled' Yin.
CHI IS MOVED BY THE MIND - i.e. thought or intention.
You won't 'accidentally' or without intention push open a stuck door! You will need to put your mind to it. And should the door remain stuck shut after an initial effort, more Chi may be naturally applied to the task and power increased with the addition or coordination of breath with movement.
The natural and instinctive way to add power to you push is to first set yourself, breathe in and then … puuuussshhhhhh on the out breath. This here then is the physical enactment of the Yin Yang symbol - and if this breathing technique can be understood or 'felt' directly and on a personal or internal level then further technical or intellectual analysis is not at all necessary.
THERAPEUTIC TAI CHI.
Whist this coordinated intention of breath and movement is natural and instinctive, this function may for various reasons (stress, disability) be impaired. Tai Chi is an exercise designed particularly to improve coordination and encourage instinctual movement with positive intention triggered by breath alone.
A correct understanding of the technique of CIRCULAR BREATHING and movements might a provide a certain kind of spiritual assurance ("nothing is all good, nothing is all bad") that is beyond potions and pills. |
