Hi
and welcome to the latest installment of the Taichido Newsletter!
This month Gary focuses on self defense and spiritual tai
chi, and uses a very inetresting dicourse with a tai chi
practitioner concerning the roles of 'martial' aspects of
tai chi in a modern domestic environment.
At Taichidoshop we are introducing a new e-media product:
The Long Yang Style of Tai Chi Form, whcih is a DVD video
showing the entire LOng Yang Form, with bonus features,
Check it out at Taichidoshop.com
A couple of months ago I used this newsletter to ask you
to raise issues that might be discussed in future editions.
I am grateful for Mike Stannifor's responding email, published
in full last month. He suggested a variety of subjects that
I surmised as follows: 1. Self taught. 2. Not a 'credited
class'. 3. Drop out from classes. 4. Personal training.
5. Martial application. 6. History and Culture.
And then, in last months newsletter I indicated that
I would pick up on the subject of 'self defense' application
of tai chi and contributed my initial two cents on the
subject by saying that yes, it is well worth finding out
just why it is that this hand goes here and that foot
goes there, but sometimes perhaps that's a bit like worrying
about whether crossply tyres (US: tires) are better than
radial - when you don't have a car! Essentially [I say],
FORM MUST COME FIRST and this should be practiced for
at least eight years prior to consideration of martial
application.
I concluded that section of last months newsletter by
saying that it is my experience that the longer a person
trains in tai chi Form the more certain he/she becomes
that violence achieves nothing and the best self defense
is simply to not be there.
The complexity of this matter was further illustrated
with and extract from self-defense: a state of mind @
taichido.com - written by my (retired) Tai Chi teacher,
Ray Wood:
"Unfortunately an individual responds not to some
real environment but to a perceived environment. In other
words, its not whether you are going to be attacked that
counts, its whether you think you are that leads to increased
heart rate, muscle tension, breathing rate, blood pressure
and all the other bodily changes we experience in a crisis.
All too often we forget that we need to stop for an instant
and think about what we are doing. In psychology this
is known as cognitive restructuring or cognitive re-framing".
May I now please rephrase and simplify that last sentence
quoted above by saying: 'Look at it another way'.
I do not disagree with my teacher (Ray) at all. We are
both saying the same thing; it's just that he uses the
words "cognitive re-framing" whilst I would
prefer to say ... ... ... well, that's what this months
newsletter is about so ... read on.
It is my personal belief that eventually, the practice
of tai chi becomes everything you do and quite simply
"Your Way". When I meet with a new tai chi student
I say so at lesson one but put it in more abstract or
poetic terms such as "try to go with the flow"
and seek "the way of least resistance". I would
like to then also say that tai chi is all about "letting
go" - but as I don't know how to tell them how to
do that I just get on with what I do know and tai chi,
saying "left leg there, right arm there" etc.
and let them work that one out for themselves. In the
meantime I just keep saying "do this a thousand times
and it becomes yours".
It take me about 6 months to teach a person Part One
of the Long Form. I am inclined to call this the "do
this/do that" period of training. This initial period
includes (at the beginning and for obvious reasons) about
six weeks when I instruct in simple standing and breathing
techniques. Thus, in that time I manage to teach basic
Chi Kung - but at the same time something more important
occurs. The 'student' and I become more relaxed in each
others company - just standing and breathing.
This phase in the prospective student/teacher relationship
is for me the most critical. I'll teach basic Chi Kung
come what may (in those initial 6 wks), but secretly I
also call this the "where 'you' are coming from -
and where 'I' am coming from" period. The student
and I must be relax or comfortable in each other company
if only because I teach better when I am relaxed - and
no one can learn it until they can learn to relax! But,
I can't really teach people how to relax any more than
I teach them "letting go". I just teach Tai
Chi. This 'getting to know each other period' is crucial
because before I can teach tai chi to anyone I need to
know a little about what makes them tick, what they like
(what makes them happy and/or relaxed) and what it is
that makes them angry.
So far, in ten years of uninterrupted teaching I don't
think I have helped anyone deal with stress or anger -
or for that matter depression and/or anxiety by telling
them how to maneuver their arms and legs in curved motions.
There is more to it than that!
I need to make it very clear now that this 'get to know
each other' period is for me just that; and not a time
that I use to formulate judgments or arm myself to condemn
or condone whatever makes that person tick - BUT - it
must be understood that the kind of tai chi that I teach
is 'spiritual' tai chi. However, I do not 'teach' "spirituality"
(except perhaps by example - and this may well be considered
by others as a bad example!) any more than teach people
how to relax - I just instruct in tai chi and, as we go
along 'ordinary' subject such as the weather, the traffic,
jobs and so on are, if we a comfortable in each others
company, inevitably spoken about. I find that this is
the best time to discuss 'spirituality'; when it can be
related to our every day lives. For instance: It's raining.
My doorbell rings and its a student arriving for a session.
I open the door and he/she says "horrible weather
today". I reply, "No ... its just raining!"
What I am suggesting here is some "cognitive re-framing"
or just - 'look at it another way'. If I had to give a
summary of the spirituality I would like expound it is:
Everything is exactly the way it is. This may not always
be the way would like it to be ... but that's the way
it is.
A couple of months ago I used this newsletter to ask
you to raise issues that might be discussed in future
editions. I am grateful for Mike Stannifor's responding
email, published in full last month. He suggested a variety
of subjects that I surmised as follows: 1. Self taught.
2. Not a 'credited class'. 3. Drop out from classes. 4.
Personal training. 5. Martial application. 6. History
and Culture.
And then, in last months newsletter I indicated that
I would pick up on the subject of 'self defense' application
of tai chi and contributed my initial two cents on the
subject by saying that yes, it is well worth finding out
just why it is that this hand goes here and that foot
goes there, but sometimes perhaps that's a bit like worrying
about whether crossply tyres (US: tires) are better than
radial - when you don't have a car! Essentially [I say],
FORM MUST COME FIRST and this should be practiced for
at least eight years prior to consideration of martial
application.
I concluded that section of last months newsletter by
saying that it is my experience that the longer a person
trains in tai chi Form the more certain he/she becomes
that violence achieves nothing and the best self defense
is simply to not be there.
The complexity of this matter was further illustrated
with and extract from self-defense: a state of mind @
taichido.com - written by my (retired) Tai Chi teacher,
Ray Wood:
"Unfortunately an individual responds not to some
real environment but to a perceived environment. In other
words, its not whether you are going to be attacked that
counts, its whether you think you are that leads to increased
heart rate, muscle tension, breathing rate, blood pressure
and all the other bodily changes we experience in a crisis.
All too often we forget that we need to stop for an instant
and think about what we are doing. In psychology this
is known as cognitive restructuring or cognitive re-framing".
May I now please rephrase and simplify that last sentence
quoted above by saying: 'Look at it another way'.
I do not disagree with my teacher (Ray) at all. We are
both saying the same thing; it's just that he uses the
words "cognitive re-framing" whilst I would
prefer to say ... ... ... well, that's what this months
newsletter is about so ... read on.
It is my personal belief that eventually, the practice
of tai chi becomes everything you do and quite simply
"Your Way". When I meet with a new tai chi student
I say so at lesson one but put it in more abstract or
poetic terms such as "try to go with the flow"
and seek "the way of least resistance". I would
like to then also say that tai chi is all about "letting
go" - but as I don't know how to tell them how to
do that I just get on with what I do know and tai chi,
saying "left leg there, right arm there" etc.
and let them work that one out for themselves. In the
meantime I just keep saying "do this a thousand times
and it becomes yours".
It take me about 6 months to teach a person Part One
of the Long Form. I am inclined to call this the "do
this/do that" period of training. This initial period
includes (at the beginning and for obvious reasons) about
six weeks when I instruct in simple standing and breathing
techniques. Thus, in that time I manage to teach basic
Chi Kung - but at the same time something more important
occurs. The 'student' and I become more relaxed in each
others company - just standing and breathing.
This phase in the prospective student/teacher relationship
is for me the most critical. I'll teach basic Chi Kung
come what may (in those initial 6 wks), but secretly I
also call this the "where 'you' are coming from -
and where 'I' am coming from" period. The student
and I must be relax or comfortable in each other company
if only because I teach better when I am relaxed - and
no one can learn it until they can learn to relax! But,
I can't really teach people how to relax any more than
I teach them "letting go". I just teach Tai
Chi. This 'getting to know each other period' is crucial
because before I can teach tai chi to anyone I need to
know a little about what makes them tick, what they like
(what makes them happy and/or relaxed) and what it is
that makes them angry.
So far, in ten years of uninterrupted teaching I don't
think I have helped anyone deal with stress or anger -
or for that matter depression and/or anxiety by telling
them how to maneuver their arms and legs in curved motions.
There is more to it than that!
I need to make it very clear now that this 'get to know
each other' period is for me just that; and not a time
that I use to formulate judgments or arm myself to condemn
or condone whatever makes that person tick - BUT - it
must be understood that the kind of tai chi that I teach
is 'spiritual' tai chi. However, I do not 'teach' "spirituality"
(except perhaps by example - and this may well be considered
by others as a bad example!) any more than teach people
how to relax - I just instruct in tai chi and, as we go
along 'ordinary' subject such as the weather, the traffic,
jobs and so on are, if we a comfortable in each others
company, inevitably spoken about. I find that this is
the best time to discuss 'spirituality'; when it can be
related to our every day lives. For instance: It's raining.
My doorbell rings and its a student arriving for a session.
I open the door and he/she says "horrible weather
today". I reply, "No ... its just raining!"
What I am suggesting here is some "cognitive re-framing"
or just - 'look at it another way'. If I had to give a
summary of the spirituality I would like expound it is:
Everything is exactly the way it is. This may not always
be the way would like it to be ... but that's the way
it is.
Earlier this month, in response to my request for feedback
re. the content of this Newsletter, I received the following
from a subscriber named Hanh Nguyen. He tells me first that
he has been practicing tai chi for about a year and then
continues:
There is one particular thing in your info that I like
very much which is the Aspects & Characteristics of
the Form - Face:The lips lightly touch together and the
mouth curved upwards as if to make a smile. That's a small
note but, to me, it's so important, because I see many
photos of TC practitioners with severe mouth which makes
them look tensed instead of relaxed. I often ask myself
if it's concentration or constipation!. (Blame it on Somerset
Maugham for teaching me being dark-humored).
He continues by saying: "I'd like to participate
to the subject of self defense" and offers the following
observation. Please do note that his story centers around
an every day domestic chore at home and not set 'on the
mat' or in any kind of Dojo:
It starts with my gardening. The ground in front of my
house is in very steep slope (almost 45 degree) on which
the previous planting just dead. One day while doing the
cutting and pulling those long and hard roots out off
the ground I slipped and failed backward, I rolled a little
but didn't get hurt. What surprised me was I felt totally
calm during the fall, not panic at all. So later on, I
tried to find out the reason for that unexpected confidence.
Then I'd think I have to thank TC for that. How? This
is what I understand.
When I start doing one TC form, almost every part of
my body has to moves in different directions. However,
at the end of the form all of them meet in a stance which
represents a real fighting application (blocking, striking,
kicking, boxing).
There is more of Hanh communication to follow; however
if I may I would like to interrupt here and (as a teacher
of spiritual tai chi) suggest that the last thing that
should be going through your mind at the end of Form practice
is "block, strike, kick or box"! Sorry; No.
Hanh continues (returning eventually to his gardening
experience): If I do the forms with my arms and hands
relaxed, they seem to move on their own as if they get
held by gravity and they have to finish the (circular)
movement their way. By constantly separateing then unifying,
then separate again then back together again, unconsciously,
my body has learned to adjust itself to get back to its
own balance after being thrown off balance.
He then returns again to the subject of 'self-defense':
A similar example is if I'd be pushed by someone from
behind real hard. The force will throw my arms and feet
into different directions (we see that situation a lot
in movies, don't we?). If I don't have any martial art
training, I don't know how to resume my balance, I'll
panic and fall (oh yeah, and crawling, and crying,- all
the good stuff that would enjoy my attacker). But I know
Taiji, so I know how to step forward and bend the knees
down to form a sink to get back my equilibrium, I know
how to make a rotation to face the attacker, I also know
how to move the arms and hands to form a cool stance as
if I'm a kungfu master (I suggest to use Playing The Guitar
form, it looks really hard-core), then hopefully the predator
wouldnt want to mess around anymore and walk away. [Note
how the 'tone' of the language changes when the subject
is, essentially, violence; human to human - and P.S. training
in martial art is not the only way of improving ones balance.
GR]
Taiji forms, even when being practicing in gentle and
slow movements is still martial art movements. Taiji certainly
gives me more confidence. No, not the kind of confidence
to go thru dark alleys or streets, or into strange bars
in wee hours. It's the confidence that I can somehow control
the movement of my body. Oh, don't we all love those words
"to be able to control".
All the thinking above leads to another question: What
kind of exercises should I add to my practice to improve
that 'street smart' skill?
As far as that last question is concerned may I please
quote a verse of the Tao Tah Ching which says something
along the lines of "When you walk in the jungle do
not wear armor; this only gives the tiger something to
hook his claws into".
In further reference to the subject raised above I would
like to point out a very short article titled "Modesty
and Ignorance" @ wheels.net. - and at the same time
take this opportunity to inform you that I have just completed
updating 'wheels' to now include alternative indexed links
on the left hand side of the home page. The default shows
a list of Dojo (tai chi) Notes. "Modesty and Ignorance"
is one of the titles listed there. Click on DHARMA NOTES
(here, or bottom left of wheels pages) to reveal this
'alternative' index option. I have not included these
"Dharma Notes" to supplant the Dojo Notes but
they do I think make the point that there is always another
way of looking at things! These Dharma Notes were @ wheels.net
deleted a couple of years ago. The second part of this
newsletter (which in my view is directly connected with
the subject matter of the first part) briefly tells the
story of why I deleted "Dharma Notes" a couple
of years ago and why now, at this particular time, I put
them back!
What you are reading now is in actual fact the fourth
draft version of this issue that I have written this month
but clearly, only one can be published. This is it! Those
later abandoned were about an event that had significant
bearing upon the development of taichido.com - and wheels.net,
and "the area" and just about everything else
that I am involved in right now; but they were rejected
because the event was essentially a personal one and not
a lot to do with tai chi. That 'event' was my decision
to not follow through on a notion that I had to be ordained
as a Buddhist priest. If this had gone ahead it would
have happened two years ago this week - and I would have
left the UK almost immediately to take up residence in
a Temple in Japan. Consequently I would certainly not
have been authoring this newsletter now - or its 23 predecessors.
My 'not being ordained' was an epochal moment for me but
it passed by back then with hardly a mention of it in
this newsletter because not doing something makes really
bad copy! But I did make a few visible changes to this
family of websites and the biggest of these was to delete
all of my Dharma (Buddhist) Notes from wheelwithinwheels.net;
feeling perhaps that in this field I had no authority.
The creation of "the area" a couple of months
ago helped me finally get over these feelings of inadequacy
and this then led to the reinstatement of DHAMA NOTES
to wheelswithinwheels.
I first described "the area" as an "in-house
e-zine" - but really its more just about the other
things that myself and a small group of friends 'do' in
and around this house. - Its content is not necessarily
all about tai chi and includes links to lots of pages
documenting (with pictures) some of the other things that
I/we do here 'in the area'. Please do visit the area or
click here to go directly to a specially made index that
I call "INIT".
Now, in further consideration of the responses to requests
for feedback gratefully received, I get the distinct impression
that what you want from this, my monthly diatribe, is
that it be about tai chi. This is fair enough and I/we
are happy to oblige. However, I am fast coming to the
conclusion that present form of this publication is not
entirely suitable for such detailed discussions with the
martial application of postures ("Chuan") being
an aspect that must be handled with the greatest circumspect.
Aside from this and for technical reasons alone (sensitive
spam filters etc) I cannot use graphics or illustrations.
Mark and I have been discussing such matters recently
and then, becoming also aware that we have not posted
any new articles to taichido.com for some time, we have
come up with a scheme to further develop and hardiness/synchronize
this newsletter with the taichido.com website and its
growing family of alternate views. (Rollcall: wheels.net
- with either tai chi or buddhist notes, the blog style
"thearea" and the most recent INIT - which is
a kind of 'links farm' for thearea ... not to mention
taichidoshop!)
In future (not immediately because Mark are still discussing
details) this newsletter may not be presented as a single
(long!) article but more as a review/preview of brand
new pieces - specifically about details of tai chi/martial
arts practice - posted to the website on a regularly (monthly)
to coincide with the publication of this newsletter.
So, sensing already this change in the terrain, I turn
my attention now to writing my next article/s as opposed
to the next newsletter - and will start perhaps with the
title "The Internal Martial Art of Tai Chi Chuan"
and pick my way word by word through that sentence; focusing
then perhaps on the pairing of of the words 'Martial'
and 'Art'.
In final defense of my rather belligerent or perhaps
pedantic attitude towards the fighting forms of tai chi
may I please end by saying that I have never claimed to
teach Tai Chi Chuan but just Tai Chi Form or 'spiritual'
tai chi. I have been involved in tai chi practice long
enough now to have become acquainted with Yang aspects
but my personal practice does incline me towards to Yin
and I do kind of prefer to talk about the wetness rather
than the rain and ... as the Tao Teh Ching says: "dwell
in the gold and not in the glitter".
Gary. 17.05.05
Links refered to in this issue:
http://www.wheelswithinwheels.net/index.htm http://www.wheelswithinwheels
