Train to Live
Live to Train
Over on the Tabby Cat Gamespace blog, Scott Meredith has posted of Ben Lo's teachings on Tai Chi.
Ben Lo was a student of Cheng Man Ching.
The link is benjamin-lo-teachings
I was going through old emails and came across one from John Kells in 2005.
In it he talks about yielding:
"yielding can be described as giving way to an oncoming force such as giving way to oncoming traffic, or a blow aimed at your jaw. But it is important to understand that avoiding the energy coming toward you and preserving what you think you are, that is what you have been, is not yielding.
Somehow the energy has to be contacted in a way that does not spoil its characteristics before you have time to understand them. Without understanding you have less than 100% chance of making sense of it.
The understanding comes as you lay alongside this energy which requires softness so that it can seep sufficiently into you so you can understand from the core outwards without use of the thinking mind.
The softness has to be very active, not pudding like or sleepy, but entering and gracious and interested so that there is no element of rejection or avoidance.
When this energy reaches your heart then it is the heart that reacts with the truth of it, so that your decision can be true."
The link below takes you a blog post on the deadly duels site about Ch'eng Man Ching's tai chi. It suggests you repeat the form a minimum of 5 times and up to 15 if the legs can take it.
How many times in a row do you repeat your form? Is there a reason for this?
I usually repeat my tai chi forms three times. The first one serves to open me up, the second for going deeper into the relaxation and energy and the third time for spirit.