My favourite Books

Chen by Jan Silberstoff is a great book about Chen style Taijiquan and discusses principles, Qi, Philosophy, Health, Martial Arts and more.

To be perfectly honest I just love the over photograph of Chen Xiaowang and the twining.

This book is a great addition to your library.

Systema 4 Pillar Flow

This is nice!

CUT

Exploring our Center

Still on the  theme of the Centre / DanTien, below is a really good article from Mark Cohen's Blog.

Interesting to note that the distinction he points out as a starting point between focusing on the lower Dan Tien in Zhan Zhuang and the Navel and area behind it in Taoist meditation.

Whatever your viewpoint ,the article can be read at the link below.

Exploring our Center

How Tai Chi Targets Fascia and Connective Tissues

Good article on the role of Fascia in Tai chi. Nothing new really, but interesting.







How Tai Chi Targets Fascia and Connective Tissues

20th Century Taoists

Came across this on Scribd - excerpted from Thomas cleary's book Vitality, Energy Spirit - A Taoist Sourcebook.

Interesting to note the different strands of thought, especially with reference to focusing on points or openings such as the lower Dan tien.

The short piece by Wu Tseng-Lin is quite interesting, advising that intense focus on a particular point may lead to illness.

The article can be read here

Tai Chi Tip #43: The Lower Tantien in Tai Chi

Where is the Dantien located?

This is the title of a post on the Qialance Blog and it provides a bit of information about what the Dantien is and how to find it.

The article can be read here.

I actually like working with the suggestion by Nakamura Tempu which is to locate the point four fingers width below the navel on the surface of the body. The mind rests there quite naturally.

There are many methods to locate this area in the body. I don't have it to hand but the book on Kyudo by Hans Joachim Stein gives a breathing method for it.

The Form is your Teacher

Somewhere you might come across the idea that the Form is your teacher.

In my own experience this means that you need to listen to the subtle feedback of your mind/body as you investigate your form. It means being open to the slightest nuances, the "oh that's interesting" moment as you make a discovery.

After having learnt a form, don't just parrot it. Investigate it. Find out what makes it "tick", what is going on, what are the connections etc.

Loosening the Buttocks

Article from Classical Tai Chi Blog

This is a really good article about "drooping the buttocks" and not making the mistake of forcibly tucking the pelvis.


The article can be read here

Model for learning Martial Arts Forms

This is a great post from Devon Boorman's blog which is just as applicable to Tai Chi. It discusses learning form, energy, intent etc.

Read the post here