July, 2008 Archive
The Vital Second Section of the Yang Chen Fu Long Form
This second third delivers vitality, unleashes kicking, coiling, and twisting powers of Taijiquan, and revs your fa-jing engine. The kicking movements of Separate-Legs and Heel-Kick drive us to deepen our balance. Cloud-Hands tightens Sung. Turn-around-and-Chop-with-Fist and Punch-Tiger-Left-and-Right wind us into hurricane intensity.
If every motion in your short form is the exact same speed, put down your Yin! This section contains the peak of the Yang Chen Fu Form: the crescendo, the climax, the potent spot. It’s subtle, but the motions feel sped up just a bit. It winds tight in the midst of Punching Tigers; it’s a whirlwind of delight. Funny, at it’s basic level, it’s still slow, calm, and meditative. But inside—it’s wrapped tight.
This second section is another complete energy cycle inside your body. These thirds are not thirds in terms of number of movements, but in terms of internal energy work. As such, this is a long third, motion by motion.
The First Complete Energetic Third of the Yang Chen Fu Long Form
The first third is an energetic warm-up. Warming the colon and lungs, energizing the stomach, liver, and heart, and revitalizing the central nervous system, this energetic first third introduces repetitive, refrain-like concepts of Grasp Swallow’s Tail, Single Whip, and Step-Parry-Punch.
This is an early Yang Chen Fu form: it maintains martial integrity. For example, Brush Knee Twist Step, in this version, utilizes weighted turning rather than removing weight from the turning leg. In various ways and for many reasons, an unweighted turn invites contortion at the knee joint. This form, by maintaining martial integrity, creates opportunities, unheard of in shorter “easy” forms, for fitness and joint health and mobility.
This early version also contains many motions unknown to many Yang Stylists: like Fishes in Eight! It’s a great form. After learning it, you’ll know why a long form is superior to a short form in many, many ways. Plus —learn this one and your transition into learning Grandpa Lu-chen’s form will be smooth and explosive.
Five Fundamentals
In Real Taiji we focus on fundamentals of T’ai Chi Chuan. Imagine big bricks and build the Tai Chi System of Fighting and Healing with
- form
- applications
- natural motions
- partner drills
- striking methods
While 5 physical fundamentals firmly found the fundamental foundation, advanced Tai Chi Chuan refines the fundamentals with finer points, fun, and finesse — c-back, explosive energy, eagle vision, dragon mind, death-point striking, healing energy, internal energy circulation, meditation, silk reeling, and weapon training, just to name a few. We focus on the fundamental foundation and we fine tune this subtle internal art by flirting with advanced training method of T’ai Chi Chuan.
Motility, Long Form, Applications, Pushing-Hands, Striking!
The system of Tai Chi Chuan begins and evolves through five methods: light, sensitive body exploration, properly executed form practice, amplified and visualized self-defense and/or healing scenarios, precise push-hands training, and coiling striking motions. Real Taiji classes include
- exploring natural joint motions
- form practice (and some Qi-gong)
- application visualizations
- push-hands training (structural, not spaghetti-style)
- striking practices
Classes and class components evolve and compound upon one another.
Many Martial Systems and Healing Schools base their advertising or their dialogue on philosophical statements. Ideas of integrity and honesty resound in such schools, across the country, and these schools often proclaim Wondrous Abilities and Dramatically Peaceful Ideologies. Fantastic, hopeful visions saturate our martial and healing arts.
Neither the philosophies nor the principles that guide our Institutions, Economies, or Nations are grounded. Religious fervor, manic profit motivations, and ideological agendas flood pulpits, corrupt corporate boardrooms, and blanket the news. And although Many Of Us search for Realistic Ideas, Compassion, and Acts of Kindness, we are, either through hope or despair, desperate for help.
Along comes Tai Chi Chuan and Yoga and a New Age. Sifus and Gurus and Masters demonstrate Apparent Powers by pushing students remarkable distances, contorting bodies, and reading into minds and futures. We live in an age where Fantasy suppresses Truth and Word oppresses Knowledge.
A Real Taiji Workshop — Friday 15 August 2008, 6 pm - 9 pm
Immerse in the fundamentals of internal work. The emphasis in this workshop is self-awareness and healing potential. You will have a chance to dismantle belief systems and disrupt thought processes by exploring feeling-awareness.
- natural breathing
- reverse breathe
- tense
- relax
- find subtle waves
- examine cranial fluid waves in particular
We’ll use specific bits from World Taiji Boxing Association’s Yang Chen Fu’s Long Form; in particular, know Lift Hands and Cloud Hands. Qigong and a bit of ground work will deepen the breathing and the being-breathed sensations.
