Monday

Opportunity

Students who commit to all the classes have an opportunity to become an 'indoor/lineage student'.
They attend lessons twice a week and face a gruelling syllabus that is far more advanced than what a beginner encounters.

By training closely with Sifu Waller, the student has the opportunity to steal the art.
Hands-on work, receiving Sifu Waller's skill is called 'direct transmission'.
It will inform the student's own training by giving them the 'body feel' of the instructor.

Monday

The Exhibitionist

My neighbour mentioned that a lady did taijiquan on the beach…

Despite going there every morning, we hadn’t seen her. Then one day she arrived in her love heart sweater and short cropped hair. She stood on the shore in the most public place possible and did her yo-chi.

As time went by, we saw her repeatedly. She’d invite you to watch her. She sometimes brought her own audience; a short lady who got quite bored and resorted to jogging up and down or doing star jumps.

It may all sound sweet, but it had nothing to do with taijiquan. An earnest student finds a quiet secluded place and works intently on their form practice. They don't need an audience. They don't want an audience. taijiquan is not performance art.

This lady never did form. She was like a busker who couldn’t really play the guitar or sing, she just strummed the strings as a token gesture.

The rapturous expression and exaggerated arm waving of yo-chi were simply an attention-getting device. She may as well have stripped-off naked and jogged up the sand.

Sunday

Taoist yoga

Tao yin refers to a wide selection of stretching exercises designed to improve circulation and boost the flow of energy within the body. It is commonly referred to as 'taoist yoga'. The stretches work the legs, back and psoas in particular.
The aim is to relax into the release the muscles, rather than force the body. In order to further release muscular tension and aid flexibility, the body is sometimes massaged during the stretch. It is encouraged to lengthen naturally. Typically the same exercise is performed a few times to enable a fuller release.
Taoist yoga is a gentle way to exercise the body:
• Simple to perform
• Easy to learn
• Improves balance
• Stress-relief
• Meditation exercise
• Encourages a calm mind and composed emotions
• Energises
• Does not strain the body
• Strength-building
• Emphasis is placed upon allowing rather than forcing
• Improves skeletal alignment and poise
• Low-impact
• No exotic/strenuous postures
• Can be practiced by most people