Here is a link to a video of me doing two Yang style forms that I did a long time ago.  

It has two forms on it, the first is Chen man ch'ings short form and starting at about 5:45 minutes is the traditional Yang style long form.

It's reasonable to think that after 2 or 3 months of the classes at Clocktower the first set of the Yang long form is in reach.

View / Download - Two Yang bare-hand (now weapons) forms. 

On YouTube

Depending on your browser or how your browser is setup you may need to download this video before viewing.

Please let me know if you have any questions, you can use the comments here.

Clocktower Place Tai Chi Class notes from 2014-11-06

Mediations cover

• Wu Chi (see prior posts)
• Standing like a tree
• When done following Wu Chi just extend the arms up and slightly front of center line turning your palms up as you go (there are actually many variations to how you hold your hands during this practice, we'll cover some in future classes).  Raise the hands to a comfortable level near shoulder height.
• The visualization is that you are like a tree. You have roots into the ground from you feet, your legs and torso are relaxed and comfortably supporting your body, your arms, hands and top of the head or focused up to recieve energy from the sun and sky.
• More info on Standing Like a tree
• Wave hands like (in ) clouds (also a move in the form in 2nd set)
• Stand in a slightly wider stance than Wu Chi with hands by your thighs.
• Practice one hand first and try both later (in a few weeks perhaps). I'll cover the right hand first.
• Start with hand at thigh, palm facing body
• Hand moves across lower abodomen (very relaxed hand) to the left side of the abdoman with the hand still facing the abdoman. Shoulder, elbow and hand very relaxed.  Have space in your armpit.
• Hand moves up the side of the abdoman towards the upper chest. Palm facing body.
• Hand moves across chest to right side of upper chest. Palm facing body.
• Palm starts to turn out
•   Wave Hands demonstration

Form Moves covered

• Move body over front foot then back foot Right side and Left side
• Added Right hand out moving forward and back to left lower abdoman at belt level, palm down.
• Although not exactly the way I do it, this is a good video to review.

My Tai Chi Teachers

In order of my training progress which started in the mid-1980s

Yang Chengfu

The person that started what is now the most taught version of Tai Chi in the world.  I wasn't born when he was teaching but all my teachers taught this style of Tai Chi.

Yang Chenfu's wiki page

Toni Dimoulin

My first instructor.  Fantastic person and truely a master Tai Chi instructor.  She studies with the Dong family that adheres very strictly to the traditional Yang Style Tai Chi.

Toni's Facebook Account

 Her Teacher's web site

Chris Luth

Toni introduced me to Chris and for many years I studied with him as well, mostly at his Push Hands retreats.  He is an expert in Chen Man ch'ing Tai Chi and is a national champion and domain expert in Push Hands.

Chris's web site

Cheng Man-chi'ing wiki page

 Video of Cheng Man-chi'ing doing his short form

Push hands demonstration (not Chris)

Don Miller

Don is a truely amazing Tai Chi teacher and a wonderful person.  He focuses on the detail of "why" each part of Tai Chi and appling Tai Chi techniques in martial ways, in push hands and in life. He has had many students that have won world champion push hands competitions.

I still study with Don intermittently today.

Don's Publishing Sites

Don's work at the Broolin Tai Chi School

I new workshop he is offering

Tai Chi Breathing

Dan Tien (lower abdomen) Breathing During Tai Chi

 

In the last class there were questions about my comments on how to breath while practicing Tai Chi.  I have to admit that I was not very clear and far too brief for such a complex subject.

I discussed Dan Tien Breathing (lower abdomen) and here are some points that I believe I covered;

• The Dan Tien, according to Chinese Tai Chi teaching,  is a physical point in the body which is about one inch below the navel and about 1 to 2 inches inwards.  It can be visualized as a ball or glowing orb.  One translation of "Boiling Cauldron".
• The breathing I covered is for relaxing and rooting and requires that the abdomen be loose and move outward on inhale and inward on exhale.

 There is also a more advance, energy building breath exercise were the abdomen movement is the opposite.  I don't teach this until much later as it doesn't directly address our goals of  "stress lease" and "better balance" and is considered an advanced technique.

Back to Dan Tien breathing.

Allowing the abdomen to expend and contract with the breath is very relaxing because;

• The abdomen muscles are soothed through the expansion and contraction
• The diaphragm moves more distance than breath that includes just chest and shoulder expansion and this;
• Brings more air (with it's oxygen) into the lungs and the body (when combined with chest and shoulder breathing)
• The internal organs get a gentle massage. 
• The body becomes more relaxed give us both stress release and improved rooting (balance)

An important point is to not try to hard to breath correctly, just let it happen and over time you'll see improvement.

Here are a couple of links if you would like more information.

An in-depth conversation on Tai Chi Breathing;

Diaphragmatic Breathing training video;

Clocktower Tai Chi Class Notes for 2014-10-30

Discussed;

• Relaxation practices
• Balance related practices
• Form related practices
• Things to be careful of during Tai Chi Practice

 Relaxation practices

• Wu Chi (see last week's notes)
• Remember; knees point where the toes point
• Gathering energy
• Added the movements of the hands to reach up with palms up and "gather" energy while taking an in breath.  Lower the hands in front and towards the body to move that energy down through the body and into the earth.
• This teaches us to be relaxed downwards and improves balance.

Balance related practices

• Remember that to improve balance these Tai Chi concepts are important.
• Relax downward
• Engage your abdomen muscles in all Tai Chi practices
• Strengthen the legs
• Bow stance each side
• Horse stance
• Stand on one leg, right side than left side

Form related practices

• Tai Chi beginning; 
• Remember; only the wrists go up.  Shoulders, elbows, etc.. all continue to go down.
• All Stepping form moves;
• See "stand on one leg" above.
• Link to the Tung family master who's training most influenced my Tai Chi (through my teachers).
• Excellent short video on the selected moves from the form (very low postures).
• Another good video of the slow form. 

IMPORTANT!!!; Things to be careful of with Tai Chi Practice

• Tai Chi is NOT recommended for someone with bad knees as it requires you to carry your full body weight often on one leg or the other.
• Never do what is being taught if you feel it is not correct for your body.
• Feel free to NOT do or modify anything that is taught in class to fit your special needs
• Stop and sit at anytime if you feel you need to.

Clocktower Tai Chi class - 2014-10-23

Tai Chi Class Notes - 2014-10-23

Goals set by class

• Improve Balance
• Decrease Stress
• Stretch (improve flexibility)

 Discussed Tai Chi in general

• What it is
• Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese Martial and Healing Art
• Learn more detail here 
• Based on Taoist Philosophy described int eh Tao Te Ching
•  Wiki on Tao_Te_Ching
• The style we are learning;
• There are several styles of Tai Chi that are named for the families that created them.  The style we are learning in this class is Yang Style.
• Wiki on Yang Style Tai Chi

Improve Balance

•  Wu Chi - also called "Standing like a Tree.
• Qigong, Pathway to Health - Wu Chi blog
• You'll find full instructions for this in an earlier blog that I did.
• What we covered in class that supports improving balance
• Strength training
• Bow Stance
•  Stand with your feet about 6 inches apart. Move 1 foot straight back about 12 inches. Set the heel down and turn the toes out 45°.
• Horse stance
•  Stand with your feet about a foot in the half to 2 feet apart. Your should be in the middle and your body should be relaxed. Bend your knees and lower your body as if starting to sit down. Only go as far down as required to feel some effort in the legs. You should never experience pain. If you have gone too far stand higher.
• The importance of relaxing downward
•  Being able to feel relaxed and as if your body is relaxing down is very important to becoming more balanced. The following three practices helped us teach our body how to be more relaxed.
• Sighing; description, practice we did
• Relaxing all muscles while standing in Wu Chi
• Discussed and demonstrated the need to keep the shoulders and elbows down and relaxed.

 Decrease Stress

• Breath work is Tai Chi and in life in general is an important key to managing stress.
• Dan Tien Breathing, This is the practice of standing in Wu Chi or any tai chi pose, and breathing into the lower abdomen below the navel and inward about an inch.
• To experience relaxing down we practiced sighing.
• Slow movement and Still Meditation help calm the body and mind
• Practice Tai Chi daily for 15 to 30 minutes and you'll be amazed at the improvements.

Stretching

• We discussed Tai chi instruction. In my opinion yoga is a much better stretching practice than Tai chi is. Tai chi does improve muscle tone and bone alignment and there are Qigong related exercises to lengthen ligaments and tendons.

Taiji forms as Qigong Exercises for Healing - 01

Practice of the Taiji form is also Qigong practice in that the movements are not just martial but develop the ability to move Chi through the body without obstruction and thus healing the body.

This is the first of a series of blogs to present a 20 minute routine that will introduce the concept of Taiji as a healing art and to improve your form work.

Wu Chi - standing meditation

• Stand in front of a tree (real or imagined)

• Legs apart about hips width, the knees lightly relaxed, shoulders relaxed, hands by the side (relaxed in a natural curve).

• Calm the body, allow the sense of relaxing downward to the earth as there tree reaches to the earth for nutrition and stability.

• Head lifts t the heavens as the tree reaches up for the sun's energy.

• Sink down to earth through “bubbling well” (yongquan, the part of the bottom of the foot that is like equivalent to the center of your palm.

• Imagine that you are like the tree, reaching (with the mind) up to the heavens to enhance the spirit and down to the earth for energy

• Do this meditation as long as you like. Perhaps start with 1 or 2 minutes. After a while you might try this for 108 breaths.

A small movement is better than a big movement,

No movement is better than a small movement,

Stillness is the mother of all movements.

Grandmaster Wang Xiang Zhai

Medical Qigong Certification

Passed the Qigong Certification Program

I am now a certified Qigong instructor.

Steve,
Thanks for your answers. Thanks for also making use of other resources for responding to the questions. It sounds like you have made progress in your own ways during this past year or so of study with me. I'll mail your certificate soon. Maybe you should up date me with your address.
yours
Michael