The Yoga of Tai Chi

Here's an interesting article I came across whilst surfing on the interweb.

It's called the Yoga of Tai Chi by Greg Brodsky which looks at the Yogic Five Elements and how they can relate to Tai Chi.

The link is:  http://www.sacred-texts.com/jbh2yr/taichiyoga62.htm

Happy Reading.

Keep Ward Off

Keeping ward off in your upper and lower body allows for the development of a dynamic and lively energy.

Too often I see postures which are collapsed and are unable to receive incoming energy or express returning it.

Usually this type of collapse is mistaken for softness but it is weak and will allow incoming energy to crush you.

In the clip below I demonstrate the first few postures maintaining ward off. John Kells told me to keep the structure and learn to relax and soften within it.

Practise Tip

In single pushing hands, don't let the hand not in contact hang limply.

Ward off  energy runs through the body so you are disconnecting if you let the other hand go limp.

Keep a little bit of energy in it so the hand can be brought into play as needed.

It's the little things

Had a great day visiting my Sun style Instructors today.

It is always good to be open to corrections and suggestions, especially as we can end up lapsing into bad habits and sometimes postures we made up.

I've got a small number of things to work on in my taiji form and also drastic revision to some of my Xingyi.

Whilst it's great to have a lot of spirit and energy the "little" technical aspects can make a fundamental difference to your art.

Never be complacent!

Strike Tiger - Left

Practise Tip

Practise your T'ai Chi Ch'uan as if you have plenty of money in the Bank.

What this means is that you should drop any anxiety or worries so that you can practise in a calm, unruffled manner.