Old & young

The Tai Chi Classics tell us that an old man defeats a gang of youths. But he cannot be using strength. So how does he do it? A young, fit person can tense their muscles and force a result.

An old man cannot. He must rely upon:

1. The quality and effect of his touch (jing)
2. Whole-body strength (neigong)
3. Alignment (qigong and form)
4. His capacity to respond appropriately (combat)
5. Timing, positioning, rhythm

As you grow old, your external strength will drain away. Whole-body strength does not fade in quite the same way.

With understanding, and the correct application of the tai chi principles, you can hope to maintain a level of fitness and martial competence well into old age.

A tai chi person must behave as though they had the limited strength of an old person, and rely upon the internal rather than the external.

Understand

You must never resort to force or brute strength. The moment you start to tense your muscles, your whole-body strength is gone.

A lower level student has difficulty coming to terms with the nature of whole-body strength.

The reason why you train it for years is so that you do not have to consciously apply strength when you need it. Whole-body strength is inherent; it is there all the time.

If something never comes or goes, why would you need to deliberately summon strength?

Until you understand this for yourself and have the faith that comes from pressure-testing your whole-body strength, you will remain a beginner.

Falling into the well

Letting go of your old habits and trusting that whole-body strength is present requires a leap of faith. You must simply move and then evaluate the consequences later. How do you do it?

There is no doing. It is like the koan: When you can do nothing, what can you do?

Whole-body strength will be there when you stop all the doing, all the preparation, anticipation, the physical and psychological tension.

The doing was all the work that developed your whole-body strength. Like ingredients used to bake a cake.

To apply whole-body strength, you must simply relax and move as softly as you can - using the whole-body.

Being soft and gentle is the key - the less effort you make, the more whole-body strength will emerge.

 Those who use force soon exhaust themselves.

And what can be accomplished with exhaustion and struggle?

But those who follow Tao become one with the Tao.

Because they move with the world, they become one with the force of its moving.

Because they are one with the world, great things easily happen.

Therefore, those who trust the Way of the world are empowered by the world.

(Lao Tzu)

Ghost walking?

In Asia, ghosts are depicted as having no feet. They float. A tai chi student cannot float but their sense of being 'suspended from above' should feel as if they do.

Asian ghosts don't have heavy footfalls. In fact they make no sound on the ground at all.

Many people have very loud steps. Concussive. Vibrational. Loud. This indicates weak, collapsed muscles. They have succumbed to the pull of gravity...

Instead, we must lengthen upwards and be light and silent. Like the old Kung Fu TV show where Kwai Chang Caine must walk on rice paper without tearing it?

Our next induction course is Monday 7th September.

New starters are welcome! 

Resistance is futile

Students train whole-body strength but deny themselves the benefits of their hard work by clinging to old habits of tension. It is not enough to perform qigong, form and neigong.

If you want to use whole-body strength, then you must employ it. This means letting go of your past.

So long as you dither and doubt, and persist with the use of local tension, there will be no internal skill. Resisting force is simply not the way of tai chi.

 In order to escape from danger, one need only take the line of least resistance, just as liquid spills from a vessel over the lowest point of its rim.

Concentrate only on escaping.

(I Ching) 

Weapons range

As they progress through the syllabus, students study weapons and the associated training teaches agile footwork.

The range of a weapon is greater and you need to avoid being hit. In order to utilise the weapon fully, a student needs to move freely and comfortably. Lumbering footwork is not adequate.

Weapons practice teaches fast, responsive footwork and rapid direction changes.

90 minutes a day

Dr Michael Greger (author of How Not To Die) recommends 90 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every day.

The three doctors who wrote The Okinawa Program maintain that tai chi - with its ancient origins and incredible health benefits - is the ideal form of exercise for modern people.

If this sounds like a lot of exercise, why not chop it up into smaller increments spaced throughout the day?

Lazy

Most people start class with very lazy feet and poor physical sensitivity.

They are reluctant to step, and will stretch out their arms instead - effectively disconnecting the upper and lower body immediately.

Alternatively, they bend their knees too much and then find stepping difficult. A martial student must become nimble, agile and fluid.

Beginners

Beginners practice a variety of footwork drills from the very onset of training. In order to avoid being hit or caught-up in a struggle, it is necessary to get out of the way.

The yin/yang symbol is the interlocking, melting together of the flow of movement within a circle.

(Chungliang Al Huang)

Tai chi article

Adjustment

The Long Yang form encourages the student to perceive stepping as being an 'adjustment'. You alter position favourably by stepping. But you only step if and when you need to.

Long Yang form

The Long Yang form does not involve any fancy footwork. There is plenty of stepping throughout the form, but it is far from dynamic. How come?

Many beginners think that they do not need to warm-up. Skipping a warm-up will automatically result in pain later on, and that will restrict your fighting abilities. A good pre-workout warm-up protects against future aches and pains. Furthermore, it is also an immediate factor in improving performance.

(Frederic Delavier)

Our next induction course is Monday 7th September.

New starters are welcome! 

Clarity

Your mind perceives reality and then determines how, when or if to act. The clearer your perception, the more appropriate the course of action you take. 

Clarity does not emerge spontaneously.

Few people think clearly. Cultivating clarity takes time, contemplation, study, meditation and patience.

 When luxury and excess begin in high places,

the effects spread everywhere.

When leaders have more wealth than wisdom,

they prefer fancy clothes and exotic foods,

foolish amusements and self-indulgence.

When they place their own wellbeing

above the care of others,

They are worse than common thieves.

(Lao Tzu)

Quality of life

There is a danger in seeking to be gratified or entertained. Comfort is a sword that cuts both ways. A modicum of hardship keeps us alive and alert.

Rather than indulge in that trip to Cambodia, go and work at the soup kitchen. 

Instead of gorging at the trendy new restaurant, grow your own fresh vegetables and make the meal from scratch.

Wash your own dishes. Iron your own clothes. Clean your own house. Make things from scratch. Become self-sufficient and resilient...

Hobbies

The unfamiliar may cause apprehension and uncertainty but that is the entire point. Undertaking new pursuits and interests breaks you from lifelong bad habits and the risk of indolence.

You will also meet new and unexpected people.

Nutrition

You are what you eat. No matter what you do with your body or your mind, nutrition remains paramount. Take the time to find out what qualifies as high quality nutrition and eat to stay alive.

 Most studies agree that there are a number of key personality characteristics that are important for healthy aging: easygoing, cheerful, self-confident, adaptable, active, independent, creative, happy, relaxed, satisfied, calm, open, agreeable, conscientious, sociable and having a high tolerance for frustration being mentioned most often.

The traits that lead to an unhealthy, shorter life? Being repressed, dogmatic, stubborn, hostile, neurotic, angry, guilty, sad, fearful, anxious, depressed and aggressive.

(Dr Bradley Wilcox, Dr Craig Wilcox and Dr Makoto Suzuki)

A spanner in the works?

Most people exercise with extremely bad posture and poor habits of body use. Qigong and tai chi are trying to remedy these.

If you train another system frequently enough, the benefits of tai chi are nullified. It is OK to train a wide range of exercise methods without ruining your tai chi. The key concern is moderation.

Avoid over-doing it: over-stretching, straining or exerting. Be mindful of posture, poise and tension.

Cross-training?

Students often want to do other forms of exercise in addition to their tai chi. This is fine. The question is: does the other method conflict with the goals of tai chi? Balance? Relaxed muscles? Coordination?

If it does, the tai chi will not work and you will not get the desired fitness benefits or any martial skill.

A balanced body?

Tai chi is not aiming to produce a 'tai chi body'. Rather, it seeks to restore the body to a unified condition of wholeness. Balanced. Mobile. Coordinated. Agile. Supple. Youthful.

Balance is a good thing to think about, but can lead to a false idea of fixity. Our aim is not to be rigid and stable like a wardrobe or a house.

We want to be balancing... 'Balancing' is a process of adjustment; altering what we do in response to what is taking place. Now, that is healthy. Mentally and physically.

Hope

Our information-saturated culture has produced a distracted, lazy, bored, restless, stressed, unhealthy population. People expect instant gratification. They want to show off.

They want results without putting in any work. They want to share their opinions. Speculate. Talk politics.

Not a great starting place for a new starter? However, the very fact that the person wants to try something new is a good start. It offers hope. The possibility of change.

At some level the individual wants to change. This is good. However, to make any real progress in tai chi they have shed these modern, unproductive attitudes...

Thinking habits

The thinking patterns and habits of new students are often far worse than their bodies. Most people have never stuck any new endeavour long enough to understand what learning entails.

They tend to be impatient, overconfident and naive concerning their own abilities. e.g. we once had a man with an artificial hip who neglected to mention it on his 'medical liability disclaimer' because he personally didn't consider it to be a medical matter...

If you want to reconsider 'thinking', why not read Grit, Smarter Faster Better, 5 Elements of Effective Thinking and Peak...? Then put the suggested thinking skills into actual practice.

Body habits

New starters tend to have appalling body habits. These have been accumulated across a lifetime; producing a random, haphazard mess. Sometimes, the habits are the outcome of yoga, the gym or a sport.

The tai chi teacher usually wishes they could dismantle the student's body and start again, but it doesn't work like that because bodies are organic. The body needs to loosen up, relax and then re-grow.

This requires patience, focus and perseverance... like a gardener. Results won't come overnight.

Muscles

If your muscles are working optimally, they should move your body around without there being any sense of work taking place. Everything will feel comfortable, easy and smooth.

When you are chronically over-working your muscles, this is not the case at all. You exert constantly. You apply vast amounts of energy to the performance of simplistic tasks that require almost no energy to accomplish.

A big impediment

The largest impediment faced by a student of tai chi is their own perception of strength. Invariably, the student is convinced that their physical experience of strength is strength.

Quite often they are wrong. What they are feeling is not strength at all. It is tension.

Looking is narrow

Looking is focussed and narrow. Seeing is expansive and open. Meditation is the condition of being present, of seeing without impediment.

You are very much in the immediate moment: feeling, seeing, experiencing. There are no thoughts and no worries.

Spacing out

Modern people are seldom fully present. They try to 'multi-task'. Even when there are no obvious, visible distractions, they somehow manage to be elsewhere.

These same people worry about Alzheimer's disease...

The sage speaks. You hear what you want. I hear what I want.

(Chakravarty)

Our next induction course is Monday 7th September.

New starters are welcome!

What is science?

Science is the attempt to understand the nature of reality.

In martial terms it refers to the techniques and strategies used in real combat, as well as the physical requirements that make the system operate effectively.

In tai chi we must ask: how can natural law be used in combat?

 Tai chi is often described as "meditation in motion," but it might well be called "medication in motion." There is growing evidence that this mind-body practice, which originated in China as a martial art, has value in treating or preventing many health problems. And you can get started even if you aren't in top shape or the best of health.

Tai chi differs from other types of exercise in several respects. The movements are usually circular and never forced, the muscles are relaxed rather than tensed, the joints are not fully extended or bent, and connective tissues are not stretched. Tai chi addresses the key components of fitness — muscle strength, flexibility, balance, and, to a lesser degree, aerobic conditioning.

(Harvard Medical School’s Harvard Health Publication, May 2009)

 The Chinese exercise practice of tai chi can significantly boost the body's immune system response to virus infection.

(ABC Science, regarding a University of California study)

Jerky

Making very small movements is difficult initially. In modern society, our bodies are not encouraged to make small, smooth, controlled movement. Everything is jerky and abrupt.

Jerky movement agitates the nervous system and this in turn leads to anxiety and a lack of calm.

e.g. if you simply flick the wrist, the joint is not exercised properly but if you move the wrist extremely slowly, you feel a very notable stretch throughout the entire movement.

Think small...

It is easy for most people to perform large, extended movements that rotate the shoulder joint or bend the elbow. No particular skill is involved.

Whilst large movements may indeed exercise some of the muscles and the joints, they fail to address the full range of potential movement.

The real skill lies in the small, in the subtle. Your hands in particular need to be good with small movements.

Body building and weight lifting are fashionable activities today. The emphasis is upon developing external muscles which creates an armouring effect that can eventually distort the bony structure. It is the over developed musculature that actually torque's the bones and discourages them from bearing additional weight. The body attempts to compensate and problems arise.

Running does not necessarily in and of itself improve posture that is already poor and constricted. It often exaggerates problems due to the substitution of inappropriate muscles. The repetitive inappropriate development of the musculature (as in body building or weight lifting) often leads to diminished sensitivity. Stress occurs in the knees and lower back, encouraging injury.

Swimming is an activity that can either create structural problems or release them depending upon the way it is taught and practiced. Professional swimmers are known to develop shoulder tendonitis and kyphosis. Overriding head/neck righting reflexes (as occurs when the head is repeatedly turned but the body does not follow) eventually result in overdeveloping shoulder muscles, pinching nerves and distorting the rib cage.

Various sport activities emphasize strength, endurance and speed. Development of muscle control rather than skeletal balance takes precedence. Gaining speed at the expense of mounting tension, is too often the goal.

(Liz Koch) 

Curious

A student needs to be intensely curious about human biomechanics: balance, leverage, structure, stability, mobility, coordination, range & reach, natural order...

They should research different methods of using the body: other styles of tai chi, other martial arts, sports, yoga, Pilates, Alexander Technique, ergonomics, rehabilitation therapy.

Open your mind to new possibilities. Watch people use their body. Observe your own usage. Study how animals move and why.

What is biomechanics?

It is the study of the structure and function of biological systems.

Sacroiliac - the lost joint?

Many people have no idea what the sacroiliac is or what it does. Often the joint is frozen and other joints are required to compensate for the lack of movement.

Frequently the knees are tasked to do the work of the lower back.

Our next induction course is Monday 7th September.

New starters are welcome!

Hollow back

An alternative to upper back fat can be a serious lack of muscular development between the shoulder blades. This is the outcome of neglect. The back looks hollow and sunken. 

Fatty deposits

People who don't use their scapula in a healthy manner can develop extensive fatty deposits between the shoulder blades. This is essentially a large slab of fat located on the upper back.

Shoulders & neck

Shoulder and neck tension can occur from stooping, leaning the head forward/craning the neck and from exerting with the arms. (There are no doubt other reasons too).

Computers and TVs have flickering, hypnotic screens. Craning forward forces your shoulders to compensate for the weight of your head.

The risk of heart failure was more than double for men who sat for at least five hours a day outside of work and didn't exercise very much, compared with men who were physically active and sat for less than two hours a day.

(Dr. Deborah Rohm) 

Stop

Resting is not the same as relaxing. To rest is to stop all activity. If you make the time to rest properly your spine will widen and lengthen quite naturally.

Weight

The weight of your head and ribcage should be supported by the spine and by the strong muscles of the lower torso.

If the muscles are weak and the skeleton slumps forward, the weight of the bones/muscles/internal organs are supported by a slouched spine.

Only a spine that is upright and maintaining its natural curves can handle the weight of your upper body.

Slouching

Computers, driving the car, sitting and poor day-to-day standing can lead people to stoop and slouch. Modern technology does not help.

Naivety

Poor alignment, unrealistic ambitions and a failure to warm-up thoroughly enough result in back problems.

Many people go to the gym, lift heavy weights and then suffer from injuries, or run with an unhealthy, unbalanced, tension-filled technique.

Would-be martial artists do no training all week and yet expect to engage in challenging combat uninjured...

Losing the natural curvature

Instead of relaxing the lower back and allowing the pelvis to remain neutral, many people shorten the lower back.

The spine loses its natural curvature and becomes weaker; more vulnerable to injury. They are typically unaware of this habit because it is 'familiar' and seems 'normal' to them.

Releasing the lower back is easy. However, you need to monitor it repeatedly throughout the day until it becomes an established habit.

Seek out the calm

Finding quiet places requires some degree of effort. They may be subject to time, day or season. You might need to get up very early or stay up very late. These places can be found.

In order to find these places, you must slow down. You must want to step off the treadmill, into the shade and find peace.

Outdoors

There are quiet places to be found in every city and every town. You just have to seek them out. Lost places, where people seldom go. Leaves overgrown the streets and wildflowers are abundant.

Nature flourishes. The air is cleaner and there are no cars and few people.

A bubble of stimulation

Most people exist in a bubble. They wake in their own home, get into their car and then go to work/shops/wherever. There is seldom any time spent being calm.

Homes, cars and public places are usually filled with noise and stimulation. Visual images, flickering screens, twittering voices, gossip... Where is the peace in your life? The stillness?

 Adapt, conserving your efforts.

 (I Ching)

 Cord: Who are you?

Blind shepherd: Whoever you think I am or want me to be, I am.

(The Silent Flute)

Does your martial art work?

That is a good question.

The effectiveness of the martial art depends upon the person doing it and appropriateness of their actions when assaulted. It has nothing to do with strength, speed, gender or experience; it is your ability to keep a cool head and apply the art with awareness and skill.

Sifu Waller trains students to respond in a manner that feels right to the individual. Although everyone adheres to the tai chi principles of body usage, movement and relationship, the application of the material differs according to the person.

Edward De Bono:

A carpenter can use all the tools of carpentry but at any one moment uses the tool that seems appropriate for the situation.

Our next induction course is Monday 7th September.

New starters are welcome!

The Old Ways

Yoga has been practiced since the dawn of recorded history. So has qigong. The principles and precepts of tai chi are ancient... These methods have been proved over millennia.

Freedom from chit-chat

Talking is considered to be a form of restlessness, of agitation. Curious? Only when the mind is both silent and still can deeper thought take place, unimpeded by chit-chat.

The mind must settle. Relax. Stop.

Ceaseless activity

People seek to feel vital and alive as they grow older. They engage in vigorous activities and work hard to keep their thoughts continually occupied.

Hurrying around, taking on new commitments, watching the news, playing with technology, gossiping, getting upset about political issues...

This is not rejuvenation. It is a recipe for mental health issues, a heart attack or a stroke.

The 70% rule

If you remain well within your limits at all times there is less risk of injury.

Most people exceed their natural range of safe movement frequently throughout the day without realising it.

The 70% rule encourages them to be aware of their natural range.

In self defence, over-commitment is a serious flaw because you have little room for failure.

Holding 30% in reserve is a useful safety precaution.

100%

If you were to perform every tai chi action to 100% of your physical limit - in terms of stretch and endurance - you would be working at maximum capacity.

The 100% capacity approach is the 'no pain, no gain' attitude to exercise.

It opens you up for strain and injury because you are fully committed at all times.

We recommend following the 70% rule.

Slow movement

Making very small movements is difficult initially.

In modern society, our bodies are not encouraged to make small, smooth, controlled movement.

Everything is jerky and abrupt.

In the first movement of the form, we must place the palms down (as if on a table) then smoothly lift the arms up to shoulder height.

As the arms lift, the wrists must gradually flex so that the hand changes from a flat shape to a bent shape.

The arms then lower and the hand moves from bent back to flat again.

This movement of the wrist must be very slow, smooth and gradual.

If you simply flick the wrist, the joint is not exercised properly but if you move the wrist extremely slowly, you feel a very notable stretch throughout the entire exercise.

Seeing

When you slow down, you begin to notice things. The study of neigong is a refinement of awareness, in which certain qualities are allowed and cultivated. By being slow, you can pay attention to what is happening.

Rushing is not healthy. Fast movement is often at the expense of good body alignment and can indicate a loss of composure. The unhurried pace of tai chi allows you time to experience life in a more complete fashion.

Meditation

Modern life involves a lot of boring activities. People are accustomed to daydreaming or 'spacing out'. The difficulty of tai chi necessitates complete attention. It helps the mind to become calm and centred.

Slow motion practice encourages your mind to remain captivated by the immediacy of the moment, to feel every nuance of every movement. This degree of awareness is very healthy.

Tai chi is about changing our internal environment so that life becomes a joy to live and not a burden to drag into old age and death. It is about helping your body to let go of the past and your mind to slow down and cease churning. Tai chi encourages your internal focus to shift toward cherishing and remembering all that is wonderful in your life. It predisposes you to look forward to ways to make life better, rather than remembering how unsatisfying it has been.

Most importantly, tai chi gives us the ability to realise a greater human potential in ourselves and to have genuine compassion for others. Tai chi, with its gentle strength, moves us closer to feeling more truly alive.

(Bruce Frantzis)

Neigong

Neigong requires a certain kind of body movement that naturally produces fa jing. Nothing is forced.

Neigong naturally encourages the whole-body action necessary for fa jing - the process is continual and ongoing. You become capable of kinetic energy release without having to try.

Aggressive approaches

Some methods involve shouting and aggression, with abrupt jerky actions that may cause tension in the body and problems if you are prone to migraine.

Although the muscles remain soft, there is a definite jarring element to it.

Bruce Frantzis sees this approach as giving-in to your animal nature, instead of sublimating it within the human.

Secrets

Tai chi hides its secrets in the open. Your inability to comprehend them is a reflection of your own occluded nature. To unlock tai chi, you must change yourself.

If you are not discerning and scientific in your study, years may be spent practicing material that conflicts with The Tai Chi Classics, and does not really follow the way of tai chi.

 He taught me to vibrate the breath and body rather fiercely and loudly like a growling lion, stretch the tendons, turn the waist like the motions of a food mixer, hit my own body and then flap my arms in the air. I started accruing some fa jing, although of a more shocking nature, rather than the smooth kind that can come from tai chi.

The drawback is that it made my energy jumpy.

(Bruce Frantzis)

Mastery

Can you actually master tai chi? To do so suggests a degree of self-consciousness incongruent with tai chi practice. Surely you need to be mastered by tai chi?

Your body and mind must flow with what is happening; undisturbed and without resistance. Yielding, surrendering - until the 'you' is no longer present. When you and tai chi are indivisible, there is no master, no perfection.

Returning

Returning is an important theme in tai chi; the movements should not start and stop. Energy must release and return constantly as the body expands and contracts. Similarly, if your mind wanders, you return to what you doing and continue.

If you make a mistake, you identify, accept, correct and then begin again. Every time you practice, you start the form afresh by returning to the beginning. There is no end, no perfection. Just endless returning.

Virtue

Tai chi needs to be considered according to its own nature... Each movement has particular characteristics; both energetically and martially. 

What is the essence of each movement?

The body must adjust to express the appropriate energy, remaining utterly loose, balanced and relaxed at all times. Your muscles must be soft but not flaccid.

Sometimes we adjust so well to the current way of doing things that any other change seems unthinkable.

(Edward De Bono)

 The dynamic nature of their philosophy laid more stress upon the process through which perfection was sought than upon perfection itself.

(Kakuzo Okakura) 

In & out

Inhale when your arms come in, exhale as your arms move out.
Inhale as the arms lift, exhale as they lower.

Inhale as you lift to kick...

This may seem odd until you consider the difference between a hand or leg strike. With the hands or body, you shift from one leg to another as you strike. Yet, with a kick the weight is in one leg only - the supporting one. As you lift the body and kick, you inhale. If you exhaled as the leg rises, your balance would follow your breath.

We only exhale for kicks that are inclined downward, and are using gravity and weight.

Types of breathing

Methods of breathing used in tai chi:

1. Abdominal

2. Reverse

3. Pre-natal

4. Turtle

Natural

Your body knows how to breathe already. It is important to remember this before considering any kind of 'breath work'.

Tai chi should avoid interfering with what is natural.

 First of all, do not be caught by words - you understand?

The word is not the actual thing, the word 'tree' is not the actual tree - that's simple.

The word will not help you to touch the tree; you have to come into contact with it,

to put your hand upon it. We are slaves to words, slaves to ideas, images and symbols.

To come into touch with something directly the word must not interfere.

(Krishnamurti)

 Even more tragic than our separation from the world is our separation from ourselves.

How many times have you stood in the kitchen slicing tomatoes for supper?

Where was your mind? What was your soul feeling?

Were you aware of the feel of the knife against against the palm of your hand?

Did you feel the texture of the tomato as the knife sliced through it?

Were you aware of how your hips, shoulder, abdomen,

and wrist aided the hand in the slicing process?

The answer to all these questions is, probably, no.

(John Lash)

Who taught you how to use your body?

This is a reasonable question, and most people could not give a decent answer.
Did anyone teach you:

1. Timing

2. Balance

3. Rhythm

4. Leverage

5. Footwork

6. Biofeedback

7. Coordination

8. Biomechanics

9. Proprioception

10. Mind/body unity

11. Optimal body use

12. Kinaesthetic awareness

13. How your muscles work

14. Healthy skeletal alignment

15. Ambidextrous use of the limbs

16. How and why to relax your body

Your parents probably did not teach this to you.
School did not teach it either.
PE or physical education in school translates to mean 'sport' and sport is not teaching you how to use the body.

Lazy

It is not easy to commit to daily training. Your mind will resist. There are many pleasant alternatives.

Yet, over time, the habit of training takes hold and your body begins to  experience unexpected strength and mobility. Eventually, you reach a point where you could not imagine ever missing your daily training.

High repetitions?

High repetitions dull the mind. Aim to train little and often instead. Be thorough, accurate, aware. 

Cultivate familiarity and ease. You want your movements to be natural, relaxed, smooth and controlled.

What is condition?

Consider this situation:

You decide that you are unfit and you commit to a 3 mile daily walk every morning.
On the first day when you complete the walk, you are out of breath and your limbs are shaky.
After two weeks you can finish the walk without losing your breath and you feel pleasantly energised.
Eventually the walk feels too easy and you look to try a more challenging route.

Your friend joins you on the walk because they too want to get in shape.
They finish the walk exhausted and marvel at your stamina.

What has changed?

The walk is just as hard. You need to use just as much energy to complete it.
Yet, your body has grown stronger.
More efficient.
You can undertake the hardship of the walk without undue difficulty.

This is what condition means.
Increasing your strength, stamina, endurance and fitness.
Compared to somebody who does not undertake daily training you will be far more capable of sustained exercise.

Slow form

The Long Yang form is often known as the 'slow form'. The slow, deliberate movements encourage concentration and allow the student time to become familiar with the coordination.

There should be no attempt made to speed up the sequence. Slower movement will also develop muscular strength and body control.

Every pattern of movement has its nature, meaning and purpose, and must be researched and studied before it can be really understood.

(Yang Jwing-Ming)

Some of you have talked about learning a short form of tai chi, which has certain transitional motifs eliminated. The reason for these repeating transitions is to help you flow within the form - to ride over it without thinking. When these repetitions are cut out, some of the major movements become awkward and jam together. The sequence loses some of its smoothness.

 (Chungliang Al Huang)

Taoist principle

The Chinese symbol called 'tai chi' or the 'supreme ultimate' contains yin and yang. Yin is black and yang is white. Tai chi combines yin and yang to produce a process of dynamic balancing.

The art of tai chi employs this Taoist principle at all times.

What is Taoism?

Taoism is not a religion in the formal sense. It is concerned with the observation of life, of nature and then the literal application of insights gleaned through seeing and contemplating what took place.

There are 3 main books to read:

1. The Way and Its Power

2. The Way of Chuang Tzu

3. The Book of Changes

It is well worth exploring a variety of interpretations and translations in order to discover which one makes the most sense to you.

 The way most people do tai chi, it's not a martial art. They could never use it the way they're doing it. Everything's in their hands, they just fill in the rest with fantasy talk.

(Paul Gale)

Non-violence

We aim to address self defence without resorting to undue violence. Violence against violence can lead to further escalation. We simply desire to evade conflict and escape unharmed.

There is no ego involved, no desire to win or claim a trophy. We learn how to incapacitate the attacker smoothly and easily. Then we walk away.

Internal conflict

The source of all conflict resides within. We experience reality within our minds. Our minds interpret what our senses encounter, and we filter that information relative to our conditioning. The difference between a peaceful person and an aggressive individual is perception. 

If we want to get along with other people we must address our own mind and  emotions. This is where the problem lies.

Compassion

Compassion is not about being soppy or becoming a monk. It is about caring. When you wake up and see that everyone else is pretty much the same as you, you stop being such a jerk. Instead of treading on people, you help them. Instead of causing conflict, you avoid it.

People who see themselves in others start treating strangers quite differently. We all want pretty much the same things: love, food, shelter, piece of mind, security, kindness, financial and emotional comfort. What is so special about you? Aren't you just the same as everyone else?
 

Bully

A selfish person is pushy. They like to get their own way. They are quite comfortable pushing others around. Do you like being pushed around? How does it make you feel?

Bullying other people is unpleasant. It is one of the less savoury aspects of human conduct. Are you a bully?

You

If we can accept that the world does not revolve around you personally, then that is a starting place. Other people have wants, needs and feelings too.

Many people walk this earth as if they personally owned it. Everyone else is a cast member in some monumental production staged for their benefit. Wake up.

It is not all about you. Do not implicate yourself in every situation. Sometimes things happen and you are an unexpected victim. This is not nice, but it was not about you personally. Do not make everything personal.

Pride

We must not only listen to what the other person is saying, we must also listen to how we respond to it. Our reactions are very important.

If a friend jokingly insults you, you may just laugh it off. But if a stranger does the same you may be offended. Why? Do you not value your friend's opinion over that of a stranger? Why should you care what a stranger thinks? What difference can it possibly make?

Our responses need to be considered. Pay particular attention to emotions. Anger, aggression and resentment are extremely destructive. People often react on impulse. Their response may be ill-conceived and careless. 

Don't take yourself quite so seriously.

Conditioning

Conditioning is about strengthening the body so that it can cope with the demands of rigorous exercise without the risk of injury. It is directly related to stamina and endurance.

Negative emotions

Negative emotions are biologically harmful and can make you ill.

When you become angry, your body is flooded with hormones and adrenaline; you enter a 'fight or flight' mode which is only intended for extreme situations in which your life is endangered.

'Fight or flight' puts your body under duress.

Tai chi encourages a person to change the way they think in order to reduce the likelihood of becoming angry.

Humility, modesty and a keen eye for small details in the natural environment are key attributes.

(Andrew Juniper)  

Coordination

Coordination is all about combining different body parts in action. A simple example is eye-hand coordination.

The motor abilities of a tai chi person are exceedingly refined; they possess the grace, coordination and poise of a dancer.

Flexibility

Flexibility, mobility and suppleness are important concerns when it comes to avoiding injury. We explore many different ways to increase our range of movement.

Agility

Agility is the ability to change your position efficiently and effectively. It requires the student to combine balance, speed, strength and coordination.

 Our next induction course is Monday 7th September.

New starters are welcome!

How old do you need to be?

The minimum age is 18. 

Can you pay by card/online?

Please pay in cash

How much does the 2-week induction course cost?

£20 for 2 weeks.

Where is the class?

Community Hall, St Andrew's Church, Station Road, Benton, NE12 8AW.

Please enter via the car park.

When is the beginner's class?

Monday night 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM.

 Induction course registration is 

between 6:45 - 7:00 PM tonight

Our next induction course is Monday 6th July.

New starters are welcome!

Invest in your wellbeing

Newcastle Tai Chi classes are an opportunity to focus exclusively on YOU. Everybody needs 'me' time. Time to work on your body, relax your mind, calm your emotions and find balance. 

We teach people how to achieve the maximum results using the least amount of effort. The training attitude is: moderation, little & often, do what feels comfortable. Don't exert, push or strain.

YouTube

Some people want to learn tai chi from YouTube because it seems convenient and easy. 

The drawback is very simple: nobody is correcting your mistakes. And you will be making a LOT of them. As a beginner, every single tai chi movement and exercise needs correcting.

Why join?

A lot of people don't see the point of joining a tai chi school and taking regular classes. Yes, they want the health benefits, but they don't want the commitment.

This is akin to wanting to get paid without actually doing any work.

Standing, stepping and walking

When people say 'tai chi', they usually think of form. Form involves walking around the hall whilst performing a series of smooth, flowing, dynamic movements.

It involves quite a lot of stepping, mobility, balancing, motor skills and coordination (we teach this).

One of the main areas of concern in tai chi is balance - and in order to work on this, you need to be standing up, walking and mobile.

Is tai chi appropriate for me?

We receive a lot of e-mails from people who ask if tai chi is suitable for them. This is a rather tricky question...

We have never met the inquirer. We know nothing about them. We don't know what their tastes, expectations, requirements, personality is like...

We don't really know what they are looking for or what kind of exercise they are even capable of doing.

 

Oasis

Week in, week out, people attend tai chi classes. The instructor is always friendly. The lessons are always stimulating. Your fellow students are always courteous, well mannered and nice.

Your personal life may be in turmoil, your work life may be tedious or disappointing, yet tai chi class remains a constant: comfortable, familiar, friendly and fun.

Instead of being met by rivalry, one-upmanship and stress, you encounter friendship and warmth.

It’s crazy. I never thought I’d be getting more powerful as I got older!

I used to be able to hit pretty hard in karate but it was 100% effort. More than a handful of full power hits and I was getting fatigued. With Tai chi I’m hitting as hard, probably harder but no effort…I could carry on striking all day! It’s nuts! Also, with karate there was wind up or at least fist at waist or head so had space to travel before contact. Now I can almost hit as hard from touching the target!

The fact Sifu Waller has been able to transform my power generation as I age into my 40’s is all the proof I will ever need of both the art and Sifu as the real thing. I almost feel sorry for those that continue with slow old people tai chi or wushu style. They are missing the essence!

(Chris Young)

What do we teach?

Rachel specialises in teaching qigong. Qigong involves simple movements, mild stretches and cooperative partner work. The onus is upon relaxation, balance, good poise and coordination.

Students learn how to move their body in a healthy, comfortable way without the risk of injury.

Sifu Waller teaches taijiquan (martial art), tai chi for health and tai chi for fitness.

His martial classes that explore: taijiquan, biomechanics, neigong, jing, chin na, shuai jiao and self defence. He specialises in teaching the old/classical Yang style taijiquan. This is a very old style of kung fu (Chinese boxing). Authenticity is our primary goal; we teach a pragmatic, functional martial art.

An exercise class

Please bear in mind that you will be on your feet and moving around for approximately 90 minutes. Tai chi is a workout.

The training is gentle, but if you're unfit, you may find it tiring at first.

What don't we teach?

• We don't teach other martial arts e.g. karate, MMA, wing chun or judo

• Tailored sessions, such as: tai chi for the elderly, tai chi in a chair, tai chi for children, tai chi for people with mental health issues or tai chi as performance art

• We cannot teach kung fu to children or the elderly

These are not areas that we specialise in. We are not trained or qualified to teach these approaches, nor is our syllabus or insurance geared with these in mind.

Can you learn kung fu?

Learning kung fu is another matter entirely. This is subject to eligibility criteria.

Fitness exercises

Fitness is different to health. Being fit entails a wider range of concerns e.g. increased flexibility, suppleness, strength, cardiovascular health/fitness, agility... 

These considerations are addressed at length in the fitness syllabus. The fitness exercises are more challenging than qigong & tai chi.

Qigong & tai chi

Qigong and tai chi are suitable for most adults who can stand and walk without the aid of a stick.

 When you watch somebody perform Sifu Waller's tai chi it looks like nothing special is happening, but the power being produced is incredible. Surprising and very exciting! The biomechanics are remarkable; you learn so much about how to use your body in a healthier, more dynamic way.

(Dr Adriana Chilińska)

Is everyone in equal condition?

How fit and healthy are you? But what condition are you in? Are you fit or fat? Do you have back problems? Knee problems? Do you take any form of medication on a regular basis?

Aging badly is nothing to be proud of. You may want to get out of your big car, switch off your fancy phone, your laptop (and all the other devices) and get off your backside. Before it is too late.

Equal opportunity

Someone may struggle to begin with and then blossom later. Others may always struggle. This is simply the way things are. We treat all students equally.

Parity

Flattering the skilled and patronising the awkward is not the tai chi approach. 

Each student must be treated with respect and courtesy. Everyone comes from a different mental and physical background, and brings with them a unique set of quirks and habits. Shedding these takes time.

Pay-as-you-go?

We do not offer drop-in classes/pay-as-you-go.

I would strongly recommend Newcastle Tai Chi to anyone who is keen on trying out, learning & further developing tai chi skills for various health benefits or martial arts purposes. Even if you are a complete novice and don't know much about what tai chi is or how that might be of any benefit - just give it a go, you will find it worthwhile!

I have been working in healthcare for many years and I can assure, I found these skills to be of particular benefit for relaxation, stress-relief, improved movement control, balance and direct self-defence strategies. If you wish to pursue the martial arts route, the school has got a robust training syllabus/grading system which would also interest those who seek a more challenging form of tai chi.

(Dr Laxmikant Ekade)

 

   Our next induction course is Monday 6th July.

New starters are welcome!

Concessions?

Even if we wanted to be charitable with students, what could you expect from us? 

We cannot carry you through the form movements. We cannot download skills into your brain. We cannot cure laziness or apathy. We cannot make you brave. 

We cannot make you tall, small, rich or happy.

Fit for combat?

In martial arts, if you attend the lesson, the assumption is that you are fit enough to train. If there's anything preventing you from training properly that night, a kung fu lesson is not suitable for you.

Traditional kung fu does not offer concessions or tailored lessons. Nor does it offer age, gender or weight-specific concessions/classes. Everyone trains together. The only differentiation is ability.

How healthy do I need to be to do tai chi?

You don't need to be fit to start tai chi classes. But you do need to be able to stand up, walk and step without the aid of a stick. The qigong & tai chi classes are designed to cultivate a greater degree of fitness: stamina, balance, endurance, flexibility, mobility and coordination. 

In some respects the exercises will be just as challenging as yoga, but not exertive. Please bear in mind that you will be on your feet and moving around for approximately 90 minutes.

Fighting

Sifu Waller's approach to taijiquan has no interest whatsoever in fighting - there will never be competitions or full-contact bouts.

Fa jing, shuai jiao, striking and chin na are not toys to be treated carelessly. No sensible person would allow you to snap their joint just to prove that it can be done.

You must be far smarter than that if you want to learn taijiquan.

 Most of us experience a sense of being 'on edge' or jumpy. This is really a habitual over-reaction to our environment. One way of deepening your understanding of this is to experiment with habitual patterns of reacting to a familiar stimulus, such as a door-bell or a telephone ringing.

(Michael Gelb)

Yang style has something of the feeling of 'killer energy' about it; it is more martial in appearance.

A spectator can see the applications of the movements when they watch the form.

(Master Xu Shu Song)

Unselfconscious

Adults forget the advantage of play. Once you remove the barriers of right and wrong, approval and disapproval - you can totally relax. If you make a mistake, so what? It is only play.

When you can relax and just be yourself, your mind will open to new possibilities. You can see the wonder of things and laugh. You may start to play in other areas of your life...

Martial science

Our taijiquan cannot be learned by copying somebody else. You need a profound understanding of what you are doing and how it works. The imagination must be engaged.

Without play and exploration, you will have taijiquan classes filled with students who possess absolutely no grasp of what they are practicing.

Children at play

When a child plays, they seldom behave in the manner described. A child at play is usually engrossed in whatever they are doing; their minds are in the here and now.

It can be quite difficult to distract a child who is playing.

Find out for yourself

The beauty of play is that you do not have to believe anything. You can find out for yourself. If something works, examine the physics behind the success. Why did it work? Can it be improved upon?

If something fails, figure out why it failed...

Exploration

When a child discovers their universe, they do so through play. A playful mind is not tense or uptight. In taijiquan we learn in the same way.

Students are encouraged to explore every neigong, application and jing in partnership with other people. This approach is cooperative and experiential.

By practicing with others we can find out what works and what does not. Other students can offer assistance and obstruction - both of which require you to adapt, change and progress.

What play means to you

Can you see the danger here? If you think that play refers to an opportunity to behave an irresponsible, carefree, childish manner... then you have got the wrong idea about taijiquan.

Play is about immersion in the event itself. Beginners who want to talk rather than train (or dance around and act foolishly) are not in earnest. They are not focused at all.

An inexperienced student cannot talk and train competently at the same time. If they are talking, then they are talking. They are not training taijiquan.

The necessary balance

A student needs to concentrate in some respects, and be unselfconscious in other regards. Both facets of this requirement are addressed through the act of playfulness.