Yuen Biao

That is one of the best Taijiquan videos I have seen, thank you.

Yes you are correct. The knees are unlocked in every Taijiquan or Qigong I have ever known so they must also be with 'spine circles'. Incidentally I have studied at that very same place Black Bamboo Park, Beijing. Unfortunately not with Shi Ming as it was a little before my time but with Yu Lianqing. There is a picture of him here and some more information about spine, hip, shoulder circles etc - Ruyi Taijiquan

Interesting post although I'm unsure of the posture (pose). Can you share a link online perhaps? Namaste.

If it doesn't matter then why post for effect? I'm no master (in fact far from it) however I have studied with some very amazing people where I live and in Beijing and Wudangshan. These are the places where one can find 'real' Taijiquan. Please tell me about your trips there? I think you are mistaken. If Taijiquan does not do much for your back please tell me what you think 'supreme ultimate' refers to? Daoyin Yangsheng Gong and Taijiquan are similar and supplement each other. In contrast one can take each separate movement from a Taiji form and utilise it as either standing Qigong or exercise. As far as I am concerned Taijiquan and Qigong are parts of the same whole. I also agree. I also agree with this.

With all due respect you sound as though you know very little about Taijiquan. As it is a holistic system Taiji is focused equally on the spine, shoulders, hips and legs to develop transmission of force. If you are not learning how to open up the joints in these parts of the body and utilising them as whole I'm afraid you are not learning 'real' Taiji.

^ It looks pretty wrong to me (I was going to say awful). Ok the person in the video looks very awkward and their way of practising is different to how I was taught it from one of Shi Ming's top students. Firstly and most importantly each rotation should be much, much slower and also when you bend forward you should stay down for at least a minute before coming back up. The person is also not bending at the waist enough because their head should be as close to the floor as possible. Total time for each circle should probably be at least a few minutes. Also starting position should have feet parallel in wuji stance.

It is part of Ruyi Taijiquan (Shi Ming). Sorry this is difficult to describe without a video of which I've never seen anything similar. 'Silk Reeling' perhaps? Begining at wuji stance and push/expand through the hands and chest as you bend forward at the waist. At the end of the first circle the vertabrae will be open, after a few moments you begin to straighten the spine as you slowly move back to closing the vertabrae to assume natural posture. This is repeated several times as you widen the stance three times and again three times as you come back to a normal wuji stance. Sorry if my explanation is poor?

Interesting. This reminds me of when I studied in Beijing the teacher at the time said if you practised 'spine circles' everyday you will become so beautiful even your family will notice the difference. I think confidence is part of the benefit of training and this often makes the difference. Personally I would not be interested in people who were motivated by mere looks; besides I've been with my girlfriend for six years now so I'm not interested in appealing to the opposite sex. Sorry, waffle over!

If you do not know much about Reiki please refrain from what you 'think'. Reiki is very powerful and can perfectly balance others and yourself. Reiki can also be as intense and blissful as any deep meditation you care to discuss whether it be Zhan Zhuang or KAP. Remember these are all focused on a similar aspect be it that of pertaining to energy and relaxation and they are all just different means to the same end.

I used to have a similar feeling to astral projection when I used to practise Taijiquan forms repeatedly; I would often have the feeling that my consciousness was watching me practise the form from above and in the corner of the room. It was actually very cool and a sign that maybe I was doing things well as I was natural or void. I rarely get that feeling these days as I do not practise 'form' all that much. Maybe I should? Sorry to go off in a tangent. 'Kali' I'd be very careful if I was you.

Harrison followed the Hare Krishna tradition and in particular japa-yoga. I do not think Harrison's music was religious at all but only provided an understanding in following a spiritual path and knowing who we are.

^ Ok that helps. Thank you. Being natural and going with the flow is always the best advice.

I'm at about this juncture right now also. Can I ask if you alternate between which leg sits high on the thigh as a means to equally distribute the strwetch? Indeed is it even okay to do this? Thanks.

Yes this is correct at Wudangshan they refer to this as similar to a turtles back. It's only ever so slight though and not really "hunched" because the neck and head still need to be held straight which allows for the lengthening of the spine. Zhan Zhang is 'rounded' like Taijiquan and this gives us more stability.

Nice report 'findley', your writing is fine, informative and down-to-earth. Thanks for sharing! Of course buy the books and donate to the Michael Winn retirement fund! I was never really sure about that guy after reading his book but when he acts the way he did with you then he seems like an imbecile.

Dude has to stay! Certainly offers a fresh perspective around here because this place is often very boring...

It is a pertinent point though; we are all students.

I thought on inhalation the Qi was supposed to circulate up the spine to the top of the head and back down the front on exhalation? Well at least that is how I was taught; or is there no specific rule?

You mean Master Wong Shun Leung for example?

You took the words I was thinking and posted them before me. Qi is intention, breath (oxygen), heat, light, force, and energy.

Since the trip to Wudangshan we have now begun to adopt lower stances in Zhan Zhuang. However, we still hold the hands higher up and infront of the chest. Another point on the mind, does anyone run the MCO when training ZZ? Peace.

Sorry been off site for a few days.... Think of it like 'Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg' in Taijiquan (except with the knee not so high), the standing leg should not be locked but rooted and relaxed at 'bubbling spring'. One should also rotate clockwise at least this is natural for me. I actually start rotating with the ankle, then the knee and finally opening the hip. My only experience is based on Chinese thoughts and that of my teacher who has spent many years in China. I do not think it is necessarily a bad thing as over time these 'pops' will be less frequent the more you train in Taijiquan or Qigong because the joints will be relaxed, open and conditioned accordingly. But as I was aware the sound was interpreted as fluid from the Chinese perspective.

This is a good exercise and one often taught in Qigong. As far as I was aware it was to be practised in multiples of three, six or perhaps even nine times in each direction. Another variation is to stand on one leg, knee bent slightly (making sure the balance is rooted) and just rotate the knee clockwise in small circles. In the sense one is just letting the leg 'go' below the knee; this really opens up the joint. One can repaet accordingly and also do the same for the ankle. The 'popping' is actually fluid around the joints.

As I'm led to believe the two are different ways of training the same thing; relaxation is key to both as has been addressed earlier by 'Smile'. On my first visit to Beijing we were training Wuji. On my second visit we studied Zhan Zhuang at Wudangshan. Personally I think Wuji is easier and the most natural to learn. My teacher has taught both but mainly focuses on ZZ but claims they are the same. My teacher has also spent many years in China. Both aspects can equally be seen as martial and meditative (health) it depends on your skill level. Tim Cartmell hasn't a clue and that's about as kind as I can be to him.