2 Parts Yang Taiji Form and a Dash Winter

Taiji on Thin Ice

Facing the Top of the World

There’s something magical about facing North…a pinpoint of stability in a vast, spiraling Universe. I wonder if facing South, if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, boasts similar magic?

  • It’s strange, I’m certain.

I won’t tell you what the magic should feel like and I won’t reveal why you should face the Pole. Instead…go try it…tell me in comments some of your profound realizations. There’s a number of great reasons to face North, whatever time of day you practice. Share yours.

Share your experience, not just a theory. The bigger problem is: we could sit here in front of our computers and theorize about what-for and why we face North while practicing form, but sitting and theorizing is…ah…un-real.

  • Every day, Why We Face North is fresh, alive, and new.

Go practice your form outside…here’s a short show of me practicing Taiji by the Bitterroot River.

2 Parts of Yang Lu-chan Form by the Bitterroot River

13 Responses to 2 Parts Yang Taiji Form and a Dash Winter

  1. Ben says:

    It’s good to see your Taiji. It’s good to see you still man up and get your socks wet as well. Thanks for putting this up, it’s really helpful to see this stuff done. Maybe put up a bit of the Circular Form as well? That’s been an area of interest recently.
    Ben
    PS: I thought I recognized “Taiji Tracks” in the beginning of the clip. It was fun to see the finished product and then watch them happen!

    • Steven Smith says:

      Circular Form? Like the short forms or YLC done with some rounded flourish?

      I could use a good tracker to check for stillness in my tracks…make sure I have an empty belly…

      • Ben says:

        Well I suppose this is a Taiji website, so I assume you won’t be posting any Bagua forms/articles…

        I don’t like facing any ONE direction. They all have their powers/purposes. For this time of year North is very fitting in my eyes, but there’s usually a good reason to face any direction if you look for it

  2. Zak says:

    Hi,

    Really enjoy your website and videos. Learned a lot and picked up several tips that have enhanced my practice.

    Quick question – should I face magnetic north or true north?

    Thanks

    • Steven Smith says:

      Zak…thank you…and yes.

      What I mean is…for some ideals we must discover meaning. Some things we can argue about later…idyllic reasons for practice or nuances of applications…but we’ll have better arguments or more powerful sharing session if each of our opinions grow from experience rather than theory.

      So…which works better? And how can you tell magnetic from actual North?

  3. Rick says:

    In the Wu style of Taijiquan, we traditionally face south. The reason I’ve been given was for better natural light.

    Many traditional Japanese martial arts will align their training space so that the teacher faces south. The reason is so the students can see the teacher better under conditions of natural light.

    • Steven Smith says:

      On a bright, sunny day, such a direction should make a easier for me to attack the teacher…sun in his eye, glaring from the sky and glinting off the snow. ;)

      Sounds like good reasons, really.

  4. Josh Young says:

    Ya gotta face somewhere to start right?
    north works as good as any direction

    Nice form dynamics.

  5. Rex says:

    Astute, Comments, nuff said Ha

  6. Rox says:

    All I know is this: there are many tribes and many Directionz, I Face them all: North is only One direction, Among the Others, that I Face, NeH? I worship aLL 4 tribes and aLL Four Directionz, neh?

    Strike a Pose, in the SNOW, neh?

    Taiji-Snow, Disco Dancing STEVEN, BwahS, hehS……………………………………

    Holly Jolly GOOD, neh?

  7. Rox says:

    Gaia ~ is ALL-EncompaSSinG & Magnetic, her Gravity Force, is enough, to Replenish thy SOUL & ENERGIES, neh? BwahS

    Not to mention, Fresh: OXYGEN, neh?

    Blood Steam, Slow Breathing, Deliberate “movements” how can the BODY: Compare, neh?

    SO: what I’m Saying is THIS: It don’t “matter” what or Which: DIRECTION, Just Stand, Up Right, then we Be Jammin’, we Jammin’, neh?

    Now: EVERYBODY: Taiji = Strike a POSE, BwahS

    Lub & HappineSS, bwahS, neh?

    Toodles, & MERRY X-MaS & REST OF: TWENTY-TEN, neh?

    Tee HEES, BwaHS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!