TAI CHI
| Tai Chi is gentle exercise. Stand like a mountain ... move like a
tiger ... flow like the river. Hold your head high -- imagine that it is suspended by a
silk string from the sky. Your spine is straight. You become aware of your breathing. When you focus on breathing, you become aware of
yourself. You rejoice in the thought that your body is made for movement. As you put your
weight on the right leg, take a long breath and slowly raise your left leg. Step forward
with your left leg while you balance yourself on the right
leg. Gently put down your left leg; slowly shift your weight
to your left leg. That one move may take one in-breath and one out-breath. Practice Soft Chinese Exercises daily and your health will improve. Fish daily yet it is not necessary to catch a fish daily. As the years, months, weeks, and days go by you notice changes in yourself. Your mind and your body move together at the same speed. Your awareness about yourself and others increases. You see connections where you saw none before. You accept yourself and others as they are. You will be fulfilled as you find purpose and meaning in your life and in your community. You can experience Tai Chi as you practice Soft Chinese Exercises or a series of postures found in the Yang Form. As you make a move in a particular posture you will be in the present only. You are not aware of time. The past is the last move, the future is the next move and you get to it when you get there. Tai Chi is similar to an activity in which you lose yourself in whatever you are doing: Fishing, gardening, day dreaming, watching a campfire or any other activity that you find refreshing and revitalizing!
TAI Chi ... is Breathing Balance Shifting Health Awareness Connection Purpose and Meaning
Breathing Breathe in fully – Imagine you are stepping into a large room as you breathe in deeply – when you don’t breathe fully you are just at the threshold!
Breathe out fully – as you breathe out, become aware that you are letting go of tension and stress – as you breathe out you are releasing stress hormones and toxins from your body.
Become aware of your breathing Become aware how deeply you breathe Become aware how often you breathe. When doing Tai Chi make one move as you breathe in and make one move as you breathe out. When you are more advanced in your understanding and practice of Tai Chi, tense your muscles as you breathe in and let go as you breathe out. Balance Be in balance at any one time. You are always moving towards greater balance. As you move, move slowly and stay in balance. Shift your weight as you make a move. Balance is more than just physical balance – it involves balance in all the processes of your body. Your physical balance is the first of many balances you will attain within your body.
Shifting As you move forward or backward, shift your weight from one leg to the other As you shift your weight, be sure to keep your spine and head up so that you are facing straight ahead and not down.
Health Daily practice in breathing, balance, shifting will improve health. Your breathing will become deeper and slower, your balance will improve and your movements will become smooth. You will achieve improved health, improved energy, and an improved attitude towards yourself and others. With improved health you will have the energy to find purpose and meaning in your life journey.
Awareness With improved breathing, balance, and shifting of your body, you will become aware of body. You will accept yourself for what you are and not what you want to become. You will feel good about yourself, you will feel good about others. Day by day you feel that you are getting better, stronger, healthier. You will become more confident in yourself and more confident about others. And, you will sleep well at night. Connection As your awareness about yourself and others increases, you will see more and more how you are connected to others in many different ways. Darkness turns to light when you see a brother or sister in the stranger that you meet! You look forward to the message that every stranger has for you.
Purpose and Meaning With good a positive attitude about yourself and others you are truly connected to your global and local community. You wish to make a positive contribution to others and thereby you continue to grow in your connectiveness, awareness and Yang's Tai-Chi Chuan Beginning of Tai-Chi Ward-off left Ward-off right Roll-back Press Push Single Whip Lift hand White crane spreads wings Brush knee and twist step, left Playing guitar Brush knee and twist step, left Brush knee and twist step, right Brush knee and twist step, left Playing guitar Brush knee and twist step, left Step forward, deflect downward, intercept and punch Withdraw and push Cross hands Embrace tiger return to the mountain Grasp sparrow's tail Diagonal Single whip Fist under elbow Step back to drive away monkey, left Step back to drive away monkey, right Step back to drive away monkey, left Diagonal flying posture Lift hand White crane spreads wings Brush knee and twist step, left Needle at sea bottom Fan through the back Turn around and chop Step forward, deflect downward, intercept and punch Step forward, grasp sparrow's tail Single whip Waving hands like clouds (3 ½ times) Single whip High pat on horse Separate right foot Separate left foot Turn around and kick with left sole Brush knee and twist step, left Brush knee and twist step, right Step up and punch downward Turn around and chop Step forward, deflect downward, intercept and punch Kick right foot Hit tiger at left Hit tiger at right Kick right foot Strike opponent's ears with fists Kick left foot Turn around and kick with right sole Step forward, deflect downward, intercept and punch Withdraw and push Cross hands Embrace tiger return to mountain Grasp sparrow's tail Diagonal single whip Mustang ruffling its mane, right Mustang ruffling its mane, left Mustang ruffling its mane, right Grasp sparrow's tail Single whip Fair lady works at shuttles (1) Fair lady works at shuttles (2) Fair lady works at shuttles (3) Fair lady works at shuttles (4) Grasp sparrow's tail Single whip Waving hands like clouds (5 ½ times) Single whip Snake creeps down Golden pheasant stands with one leg, right Golden pheasant stands with one leg, left Step back to drive away monkey, left Step back to drive away monkey, right Step back to drive away monkey, left Diagonal flying posture Lift hand White crane spreads wings Brush knee and twist step, left Needle at sea bottom Fan through the back White snake turns body and sticks out tongue
Step forward, deflect downward, intercept and punch Step forward and grasp sparrow's tail Single whip Waving hands like clouds (2 ½ times) Single whip
High pat on horse Turn around and kick with right sole Punch the opponent's groin Step forward and grasp sparrow's tail Single whip Snake creeps down Step up to form seven stars of the dipper Step back to ride tiger Turn around and sweep lotus with one leg Shoot tiger with bow Step forward, deflect downward, intercept and punch Withdraw and push Conclusion of Tai-Chi
Chinese Soft Exercises Get into the spirit of Tai Chi while doing the following movements. Synchronize your breath with every move. Breathe evenly and slowly, relaxed all the time. Calming breaths – balance yourself, raise both hands to shoulder level with palms facing up and let them down while you turn the palms face down. Unlock the heart – raise arms to shoulder level, then swing them back to open position, repeat close and open 6 times. Rainbow dance – raise arms straight up, bend from side to side. Turning arms – row arms in the front in a relaxed manner. Retreating – fence off while retreating, but stand still. Butterfly stroke – move arms in a butterfly-stroke fashion. Pushing ball – raise one arm at a time to shoulder level and higher as if pushing the ball up. Looking at the moon – raise arms and turn towards the moon as if it is behind you. Twisting and pushing – push forward while turning (good exercise for the waist). Waving hands like clouds – same move as in Yang's Tai-Chi Chuan. Sea and sky – step forward with your left foot, reach for the bottom of the sea, fetch a bucket of water, and shower yourself. Change foot after 6 times. Push waves – same as Sea and sky but pretend you are pushing waves. Stretching wings – same as Sea and sky but move arms as if you are a bird, stretching wings. Punch – swing arms to punch forward or slightly sideways. Flying – move arms up and down as if you are flying like a bird. Rotating – rotate in a relaxed manner with arms extended. Dribble – pretend that you are dribbling a basketball. Calming down – same as Calming Breath above, but move with palm facing down. |