John’s Tai-Blog @ Camp Tai ChiTai Chi and anything I can relate to Tai Chi … like life

Summer Cold?

It’s pretty rare for me to get a cold.  If I do I’m usually sick for a day or two and that’s it.  Well, you guessed it.  This one of those times… and a Summer Cold no less!

This cold hasn’t really knocked me out but it has hung on for about 4 days and has somewhat drained my energy.  If I’m feeling tired and I do some tai chi I find myself more energized and last night really clinched it for me, again.  I was teaching class and was feeling particularly tired just before hand.  By the end of class I was full of energy despite being at the tail end of this cold.

Last fall I wrote a post, Cold And Flu Season, The Natural Flu Shot, where I talked about the positive impact of tai chi on the immune system (click on the title here if you’d like to read it).  This morning I woke up feeling a bit better yet still a little drained, so I did a few minutes grasp birds tail stationary drills and immediately felt better.  Now I know this because I’ve experienced it many times over the years.  The thing is it still amazes me.  It’s one of the benefits that really got me hooked on tai chi.

When I started taking tai chi I was also studying an external art and had no intention of going very deeply into it.  As time passed however, I met Master Cui, took some of his classes, and the enthusiasm of my teacher, Laoshi Holland, infected me as well.  Now I can’t imagine life without tai chi.

If you’re looking for a boost, either physical or mental, try tai chi.  If you’re wondering about sticking with it, try it when you’re down and then try it when you’re up.  If you’re really paying attention I’ll bet you’ll decide to stick with it.

Your thoughts?

John

P.S.  I found this Summer Cold pic here:  http://justbecause-res.blogspot.com/2008/12/sniffle-sneeze-achoo.html

The First Time Ever I “Saw Your …?”

Yesterday I talked a little about the beginner’s mind.  This morning I came across one of those little known historical facts that got me thinking again, and yes now you’re going to have to suffer the consequences.  Sorry about that, I really am.

I got to thinking about the first tai chi class I attended.  I knew the teacher from work and thought I’d give it a try.  I’d been studying various external styles for while and knew I needed something softer as well.  I wanted to be sure I could keep it up as I got older and was told tai chi would help.

I knew it would be very different from what I’d studied, but I never thought it would be as hard as it was.  Although it was slower, the workouts sometimes seemed to go on forever as sweat poured off my body and my legs burned from the effort.  My teacher was very kind and told me I had a “knack for it.”  I think she just wanted me to stick around.  Well I did, stick around that is, and she’s still my teacher.  Now though she is also my senior training sister, as well being responsible for me becoming a fellow disciple of Master Cui Zhongsan.  Her name is Miriam Holland.

I didn’t know anything at all back then, and although it may sound trite, now I feel like there is more to learn than when I started.  So what little known historical fact got me thinking about this, and why did I phrase the title of this post the way I did?  The word saw isn’t just a visual reference, it’s also the name of a tool.  The first time I really “saw” tai chi was as profound an experience for me as it must have been for people in the 18th Century when they witnessed a saw being used in a new way. 

1799 - Count de Grisley was the 1st magician to perform the trick of sawing a woman in half .

I’ll bet you didn’t see that one coming.  How was that for tying something completely unrelated back to tai chi?  And that picture of a seesaw, putting the two concepts together, pure genius.  OK, OK I’ll shut up now but you have to admit, it’s clever even it is a stretch.

John

P.S. I found this historical tidbit here: http://www.corsinet.com/trivia/1-triv.html and I found this great seesaw picture here: http://www.mccullagh.org/photo/1ds-10/burning-man-see-saw

Ready for World Tai Chi and Qigong Day?

Each year on the last Saturday in April, ten of thousands of people around the world participate in a wave of tai chi and qigong.  As the sun arches across the sky tomorrow, the 25th at 10:00am in every time zone around the world, people will be practicing tai chi and qigong.  This “One World, One Breath” Event was founded by Bill Douglas now residing in Overland Park, Kansas.

This Saturday morning I’ll be practicing with my school, Mei Zhong Yang Style Taiji Assoc., U.S.A., on the MARTA Plaza in Downtown Decatur, Georgia.  If you’re around, please feel free to stop by.  My teacher, Miriam Holland, and I would love to meet any new students as well as experienced tai chi players.  We’re not officially linked with the event but look forward to participating, as thousands of others will undoubtedly be doing also - everyone loves a party.

Check out the website for World Tai Chi and Qigong Day here: http://www.worldtaichiday.org/. On their site you’ll find locations around the world where you can participate, and I’m sure any school involved will welcome drop ins.  If you’re in Decatur please stop by.  If you’re not close to a school you can participate on your own by simply practicing at 10:00 in your own time zone.

Here’s wishing you a happy World Tai Chi and Qigong Day… oh, and thanks Bill.

John

P.S. I found this picture on the World Tai Chi and Qigong website.

Keep Those Feet On The Ground!

It’s hard to stay rooted with your feet rolling around on the floor.  It’s not always easy to do, but it’s important to keep your weighted foot in full contact with the ground.  Watch that your heel doesn’t roll up and that your entire foot is loose and firmly planted.

Pay attention to your feet for a while.  Other things may fall apart in the meantime, but when you bring your attention back to them after working on your feet, your stances will be stronger, your balance better, and you may even find you’re more focused.  The trick is to keep your mind on your feet for while and off other things… if you know what I mean.

Strange Fact: According to psychologists, the shoe and the foot are the most common sources of sexual fetishism in Western society.

What do you think?

John

P.S. I found this strange factoid on AmusingFacts.com: http://www.amusingfacts.com/

I found this pic on Flickr.com: http://www.flickr.com/photos/waqarbukhari/472189328/

The Fifth Principle of Tai Chi Chuan - “Shoulders and Elbows Are Down”

This has got to be one of the easiest principles of tai chi, and yet as with everything else in tai chi, there is more to the fifth principle than what you’d think.  You could always say that about life in general.  In my e-book The 10 Principles of Tai Chi Chuan for Beginners, that I give away with my video Beginning Tai Chi Exercises, I give a brief description of the Fifth Principle that’s geared toward beginners.

Shoulders and elbows are down: To allow the energy to flow freely between your arms and the rest of your body, your shoulders must be down and loose.  This does not mean limp.  You must also maintain the correct structure.  When the elbows rise the shoulders also rise.  You will find it helpful to put your focus on your hands as you lift your arms; this will keep the energy where you want it while keeping your elbows and shoulders down.

As with other aspects of tai chi it’s really all about awareness of your body.  While this appears to be one of the easiest of the 10 Principles to understand, it is also one of the most difficult for most students to implement.  This is usually the first, or one of the first things every student is taught and teachers understand they will be telling students “Relax your shoulders” for a long time to come.

One of my favorite stories about this principle comes from a training sister of mine who speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese.  She felt she had a bit of a hand up, being able to understand our Master in detail.  She asked him, “What is the one thing I can do to really improve my tai chi; what’s the secret?”  Master Cui simply answered, “Relax your shoulders.”  I’d been working at that for a few of years then, and now with 8 years of training under my belt, I’m still working at it.  I’m a whole lot better than when I started, but sometimes my shoulders still want to creep up.

Focus your attention on keeping your elbows down and put your attention on the part of your hand or arm where you should be making contact with an opponent.  You’ll find this principle easier to implement.  Over time you’ll begin to feel tension as it creeps into your shoulders, or you may find the energy cut off from your hands the moment you begin to raise your shoulders.

Good luck.  Your thoughts, experiences?

John

Are You A “Copper Head”?

The regular practice of tai chi aids in brain functioning.  I guess you could say it makes you smarter, and it changes the chemical composition of your hair to boot!

Did you know that intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.  And you thought a copper head was just a penny.

What do you think?

John