OMG I am such a tai-chi newbie-- HELP!

[...]

when I do qigong or tai-chi, I usually just fuck around. I am in the process of learning yang-long style (private lessons-- W00t!).. but I still find myself just fucking around and doing whatever... getting more into the feeling of the qi than into the feeling of the form.

 

but I am really begining to question how you are supposed to manipulate the qi when you do tai-chi!! I learned how to 'really' feel it (I guess...I think...) via embracing the tree pose. ...So it was like I was holdng a ball of qi.

Now, I am experimenting trying to get a feel for all the qi in the room-- I think, and try to feel, as if, through my movements, I control a flow of qi through the room.

 

is this the right idea?

 

I have also tried experimenting as so... at every progressing stance, I will experiment by feeling more grounded, to feeling more 'airy', to feeling more grounded. (switching from heaven to earth every stance..)

 

Just today I have begun trying to feel the qi build up only inside my body, which makes me feel real thick and strong and want to hit things.

 

I have noticed there is a serious lack of real tai-chi instruction, beyond the 'this is how you move your arms and legs' shit! wtf! can someone help me???

[Smile]

To start with, finish learning the form. The second part is practicing it regularly for an hour a day. You start working with completely relaxing your upper body while you doing the form and the lower body following that. Relaxation and repetition is the key. All else will come from that. If you make the form a moving meditation, there will be no limit to what you can accomplish. Don't try manipulating the flow- let it go.

M.

[thaddeus]

I have noticed there is a serious lack of real tai-chi instruction, beyond the 'this is how you move your arms and legs' shit! wtf! can someone help me???

 

hey there...

just some thoughts and reactions..

first, alot of high level taichi masters never talk about chi. Those that do talk about chi use is it in extremely generic terms..like 'chi to back' 'chi to fingers'..which is probably completely different than what you are experiencing or looking for. so to talk about 'chi' is sorta meaningless, because it means different things to everyone and is used so generically.

You're in the 'how you move your arms' bit because you're just learning the form. You need to learn the choreography and the language first before you can go deeper and understand what your teacher is showing you.

I really doubt you will find a taichi teacher who is going to show you the taoist alchemy stuff you are referring to. I did encounter one who refers to the large heaveny circle when doing internal work and mentions kan/li type stuff.

In the beginning, you just want to learn the movements, then perhaps you can start to incorporate breathing. If your teacher is clued in, he/she may start to reference reverse breathing. With reverse breathing you can on the exhale start to release tension and release your heart fire down to your dantian area. At ths point you will start to feel alot of the chi feelings..it sounds like you're at this level when you feel heat in the shins and ankles and the orbits opening and you feel like 'hitting things' because your limbs feel swollen. That magnetic feeling is supposed to get stronger so you feel like there is something around your limbs that you can actually feel. I got to this level and I tend to drop down because i don't practice that much..

teachers that teach this stuff are rare. but you can learn it on your own, i feel, if you become astutely adept at finding and releasing tension in your body and keeping your body elongated and lengthened--no small task.

Enjoy Taichi..i think it's awesome..

T

[Buddy]

You have to remember that taiji started as a martial art. The most important thing to learn is the particular

way of moving the body with internal strength and whole body power. This is the shen fa. Study the idea of

liu-he, the six harmonys, with particular emphasis on the wai san-he at first. The qi will take care of itself until then.

[Trunk]

...

You're not the only one. Edited July 17, 2006 by Trunk

[rex]

Not Tai Chi but Alex Kozma's instruction films are worth a look:

Bagua & Xingyiquan

[thaddeus]

Not Tai Chi but Alex Kozma's instruction films are worth a look:

Bagua & Xingyiquan

any experience with him? his elbows are out...not sure if that's a santi in the middle pic, but in any case...hmmmmm

T

[rex]

any experience with him? his elbows are out...not sure if that's a santi in the middle pic, but in any case...hmmmmm

T

 

Can't comment on the pic but in the e-mail correspondences I've had with him he's always been responsive and approachable. I've heard nothing bad about him and he seems quite well connected. Haven't had the good fortune to train with him in person though his instructional material compares favourably with the live instruction I've had. Here's an except from a PM I sent to another taobum reviewing his "Developing Power in the Three Dan Tien" series:

 

As promised here's a summary of the contents of first series of Alex's films on the power of the three dan tien which concentrates on the lower tan tien and how to use it to express and issue power in the body. I don't think this very bare summary does this series any justice but here goes:

 

Volume 1-1 (c 40 mins)

Intro on the three dan tien as fields of power. Lower dan tien centre of raw physical strength and will power. Middle dan tien (solar plexus) centre of intutition and emotion. Upper dan tien (in centre of forehead) as source of focus and concentration. An exercise called the Spinal wave is given to connect the three dan tien for whole body power and some training methods are given for releasing force through pushes etc. There's also exercises for regaining balance.

 

Volume 1-2 (c 40 mins)

Lower dan tien rotation as source for all physical movement. Exercises in releasing tension in the body (including some simple qigong) and squatting and springing. Twisting and turning as methods to increase power in movements. Single palm change is covered in some depth as a core exercise in putting everything together i.e. training lower tan tien and learning how movements translate power into the arms and legs.

 

Volume 2-1 (c 35 mins)

Using the lower tan tien in the five fists of Hsing Yi (couldn't get the name of the art he said but the names correlated to the five fists of Hsing Yi). How to apply, using the five fists, five variations of force in clear directions.

 

Volume 2-2 (c 30 mins)

Continuing with the various finer points of using the lower dan tien for whole body power using the five fists and some explanation of five organs and their relationship with the five fists. Combining the lower dan tien with twisting power was also covered.

 

Volume 3-1 (c 40 mins)

Stone ball exercises to train the ligaments and tendons as opposed to just the muscles. Tai Chi/bagua movements with heavy objects.

 

Volume 3-2 ( c 3 mins!)

Lying on the ground and placing the stone ball on the lower abdomen and breathing into the lower tan tien.

Edited July 17, 2006 by rex

[thaddeus]

Can't comment on the pic but in the e-mail correspondences I've had with him he's always been responsive and approachable. I've heard nothing bad about him and he seems quite well connected. Haven't had the good fortune to train with him in person though his instructional material compares favourably with the live instruction I've had. Here's an except from a PM I sent to another taobum reviewing his "Developing Power in the Three Dan Tien" series:

It all sounds like very cool topics, imo. Would love to know more..i wonder where he specifies the LTT to be?

[GrandTrinity]

Check out the recent book by author Yang Yang. He is a very high Chen teacher with an awesomely Western and Eastern perspecive. This means he knows the science and spirit of Tai Chi, learning and teaching!!!!!!!!! I just read his book the other day, a quick read!

 

People are calling this a "new" classic on tai chi. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/097409900...7007058?ie=UTF8

 

There is only 1 copy left on Amazon (find yang yang's schools page and there should be more on there...)

[rex]

It all sounds like very cool topics, imo. Would love to know more..i wonder where he specifies the LTT to be?

This site is worth a poke around: http://www.whitecraneinstitute.com/en/home.htm

 

For training purposes and placing of the attention, the LTT is three finger widths below the navel, right in the centre of the lower abdomen.