Our syllabus was developed as the result of our own tai chi practice and teaching experience. The post-graduate professional teaching skills/qualification have proven invaluable in creating a syllabus.
Friday
Your part
Tai chi is easy in principle, yet difficult in execution. The problem lies with your own body and mind. After all, it is you that make the tai chi exist. Without your body, the system cannot become manifest - the tai chi can only be as good as you personally make it.
Focus
Do not look outside yourself for answers. The solution lies in this very moment, in the very process of doing. Your tai chi will improve relative to your ability to produce it.
Thursday
Standing without getting tired
When stood in tai chi, the feet are beneath the body so the legs are not fatigued. Your everyday stance should emulate this as closely as possible as often as possible.
Gentle
The trick with tai chi is to keep your training mild. It is not a gym workout. You are not meant to be sweating and straining. Go easy on yourself. Little and often is the key.
If the training is gentle but works your muscles nicely, then it is easy to sustain and your energy levels will stay high.
Not exercising
Conversely, people who do not exercise are also likely to become fatigued. How come? Their muscles are weak and we need muscular strength to move our bodies around.
By avoiding exercise, the problem of fatigue will not go away. It will not get easier. If you are lazy now, expect difficulties ahead of you. Your fitness level will not improve by ignoring it.Your aim should be to grow stronger, fitter and far more capable. But it will not happen by itself.
Tired when exercising?
If you are tired and struggle to focus, you are either unfit or using 'local limb' strength. Or both. Using this type of strength will drain you quite rapidly. You give out and nothing comes back.
The longer it lasts, the more worn out you will get. The more exertive your exercise, the quicker you will tire.
The longer it lasts, the more worn out you will get. The more exertive your exercise, the quicker you will tire.
Wednesday
Bad exercise
Many forms of exercise can actively develop bad posture. They often cause serious fatigue and adverse wear and tear on the body. The tension in the body uses energy and tires you out.
Poor sleep
Sleep problems occur as a consequence of stress, diet, noise pollution and physical apathy.
Many people feel drained each night, but their bodies are not actually tired.
The fatigue stems from chemical imbalances within the body. Additives, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol combine with overeating to make the body restless and unsettled.
Bad habits
Many health problems are caused by the way in which we stand, walk, sit and use our bodies during everyday activities.
Headache, fatigue, stiff neck, bad knees, back problems are usually caused by our own bad habits.
Incorrect muscle use, imbalance, poor physical awareness, work and many forms of exercise only serve to perpetuate poor fitness and muscle tension.
Tuesday
Tiring the mind...
Fatiguing the body can be addressed through careful, safe practice. By contrast, fatiguing the mind is far more insidious and difficult to detect.
Politics, news, gossip, media, TV, opinions, fashions, negative emotions, competitiveness - all put the mind under duress. They create frustration, anxiety and a feeling of helplessness.Continuously thinking about something that has no immediate bearing on your life right now uses energy and tires you out.
Take it easy
Instead of hammering and punishing your body, you treat it with respect and care.
Your body must last you a lifetime.
Stretching is vital
'Stretching' covers a wide range of approaches. A good tai chi class should offer a varied and versatile selection of stretching methods.
Home practice
Most people are not used to training at home. The key to home training is to work into it gently. Try doing a small amount every day. Nothing ambitious.
Monday
Tai chi is like a tonic
A tonic is a medicine taken daily in order to maintain and invigorate the body. It may significantly improve your fitness.
However, you should take note of the small print, the conditions of use:
It must be administered every day
When you stop taking it, the benefits go away
This is something to really think about. Re-read the paragraph if you need to.
A tonic
Tai chi is not going to fix you up. It was never intended (or designed) to be something employed for repair. At best, it may be seen as a tonic.
It helps to keep you fit, healthy and vital. It is a preventative measure, not a fix.
Metabolism slows down 90 percent after 30 minutes of sitting. The enzymes that move the bad fat from your arteries to your muscles, where it can get burned off, slow down. The muscles in your lower body are turned off. And after two hours, good cholesterol drops 20 percent. Just getting up for five minutes is going to get things going again. These things are so simple they’re almost stupid.
(Gavin Bradley)
Fitness
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 tai chi syllabus.
Friday
Wednesday
Know thyself
A trend for Western retirees is global travelling. In contrast with this, Taoism advocates seeing what is right in front of you. Rather than do more and more, begin to see.
It will serve to keep the brain healthy. Having genuine wisdom is better than boasting/bragging/self-promotion. Insight is worth more than commodities/experiences.
Understand rather than accumulate
A Taoist approach adopted by The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking is to look deeper into things. This runs contrary to the attitude of acquisition.
Understanding ensures interest. It encourages curiosity and can be the wellspring for new ideas and unknown directions.
Tuesday
Nervous system
The nervous system is responsible for gauging how much strength needs to be applied.
As you exert pressure upon an object, your body experiences resistance and there is biofeedback which tells you how much strength is necessary.
Tensing-up
People fail to release a contracted muscle after it has moved the bone, or they over-use one muscle group at the expense of another.
'Tensing-up' is the habitual over-contraction of a muscle, such that it impedes joint movement and distorts the skeleton. This causes imbalance, weakness and postural tension.
Tai chi
Tai chi is concerned with re-training the body for optimal functioning. To use the body skilfully, you must dynamically balance muscles within the body and use the bone structure in a healthy way.
We teach people to become incredibly aware of their own bodies.
Monday
Ease
A healthy nervous system is not simply a physical matter. The smoothness and grace of the tai chi movements must be complimented and enhanced by your composure.
A psychologically tense person will be incapable of skilled body movement. Neurologists maintain that the mind affects the physical nervous system, and the nervous system affects the mind.
Calm mind and body are connected.
Friday
Coordination
If you want to move smoothly and easily, and respond well in combat, train your nervous system. Weight-lifting and gym work can often result in large muscles but perhaps poor sensitivity.
These are not recommended supplements for tai chi. If you want larger muscles, do more qigong.
Biofeedback
Tai chi requires you to re-tune the nervous system. This is a lengthy process involving a lot of partner work and a serious amount of patience. It will not happen overnight.
Sensitivity work encourages you to feel how much pressure you are applying and how much is pressing against your body.
You learn to re-assess the information and accept when an excess of strength is being used. Typically, muscular exertion is constant and ongoing. It is normal, habitual and you never notice it.
Thursday
Only use what you need
If you were to pick up an egg or a glass and exert too much strength, then the object will break in your hand. The nervous system is responsible for gauging how much strength needs to be applied.
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing...
Some students want a few self defence techniques and that is all. They want a smattering of form applications and a cursory taste of combat skill. This is pointless.
Having a few crumbs of knowledge is dangerous. It can lead to a false feeling of competence.
If a student is unwilling to invest in the process of learning bona fide technical skills, they should do qigong & tai chi for health.
Symptoms of stress
Do you talk quickly? Is your body tense; particularly the neck, shoulders or lower back? Are you constantly using your phone, the web or watching TV? Do you feel worried, anxious or rushed?
Do you have difficulty getting out of bed in a morning? Are you argumentative? Do you feel frustrated, angry or irritable? Are you struggling to relax? Do you walk quickly? Do you drink too much?
Do you have difficulty slowing down? Do you comfort eat? Do you feel to have too few hours in the day? Do you know how to stop?
You may be suffering from stress.
Wednesday
No time?
A common excuse that taijiquan students make is that they don't have time to train at home between classes. This notion is based on a false understanding of yin/yang.
In order to get something, you have to give something. Our entire society is based on this, isn't it?
If you want a loaf of bread, you give up money. You want to watch a movie, you set aside the time. If you want to get good at taijiquan, you will need time to practice at home.
Therefore, if you want to practice taijiquan at home, you will need to give something up. Make space. This may mean less TV. Less internet. It's your choice...
Daily exercise
Dr Michael Greger (author of How Not To Die) recommends 90 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every day.
Dr Bradley Willcox, Dr Craig Willcox and Dr Makoto Suzuki who wrote The Okinawa Program maintain that taijiquan - 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?
I have recently being working through form applications. Surprisingly, they all felt quite easy and straightforward. They also worked very well. No difficulty at all. How come? Daily form practice. Sifu Waller did not have to waste time correcting my form during application practice. We could simply focus on the applications themselves. Correct form meant smooth, powerful, controlled, effective applications.
(Rachel)
Tuesday
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.
Leg stretches
We teach two sets of leg stretches that are great for releasing tension. The second set contains several exercises that are great for long journeys.
They are similar to the circulation exercises recommended when flying.
Self-massage
Massaging the body can really help to release stored tension and improve circulation.
Our routine starts with the head and works down throughout the entire body, paying special attention to problem areas such as the spine.
In time, the massages will feel easy and natural - it is not about remembering a routine - it is about moving down the body looking for tension.
Many of the exercises are passive - the area being worked does not perform the work itself. By manually-releasing the tension you avoid adding extra stiffness.
Open
Most of the movements in tai chi require the body to be open, lengthened and expansive. This reduces the risk of compression and enhances circulation.
Free, mobile and comfortable, the body moves spontaneously and without impediment.
Closed joints and tense muscles inhibit circulation by trapping fluids; so this is assiduously avoided in tai chi practice.
Monday
Becoming internal
A common misconception is that any martial art offers the opportunity to reach an 'internal' level of practice i.e. a karate man can become internal. This is not true.
Internal forms are quite different to external ones. They were designed to be a vehicle for the exploration of a very unique way of moving and using the body.Movement is initiated by the centre (not by the hips) and entails moving every part of the body as one fluid unit. The joints do very little work.
The combat skills and sensibilities of the internal martial arts require a perceptual shift: blending, yielding, listening, stickiness. There is no blocking, struggling or forcing involved.
Fighting style
Some tai chi people claim to be fighting in a 'tai chi way' but it looks suspiciously like kickboxing or MMA... If you watch wing chun applied in combat, it looks distinctly like wing chun.
The same could be said of judo, aikido, ju jitsu, pencat silat etc. By the same reasoning, the martial art of tai chi must look like tai chi.What does tai chi look like in combat? Tai chi looks like tai chi. The form, pushing hands, you know... tai chi.
If the martial expression of tai chi does not look like tai chi, it is probably not tai chi.
Yielding
(i) Resistance
Most beginners studying tai chi resist the idea of yielding and choose not to do it. Consequently, they do not understand yielding and strictly speaking are not training tai chi anymore.
The resistance is psychological and comes from a poor understanding of the physics involved. Without yielding, there is no tai chi. A common deceit is to yield a little and tense a little.
This is a well-know ploy and will only work against other beginners.
(ii) External attitudes
Yielding does not appeal to the hard-style external martial artist. It sounds ineffectual and soft. Weak.
When somebody is used to seeing martial arts as a contest of speed and strength, yielding sounds perplexing and unclear.
(iii) Practical yielding
There are a number of facets to yielding: 4 ounces of pressure, following the line of force, creating space, stepping, responding to space, offering no purchase and gravity.
If your instructor cannot demonstrate, apply and teach these to you, find someone who can.
Friday
Using qi
Qi alone is not going to defeat anyone. If it could, why bother to learn the system? Why not just hit people with your qi?
To apply tai chi effectively in combat you have to learn pretty much all the same skills you would learn in any martial art, but with a twist.Unlike the external arts, your focus will be upon whole-body movement, softness, gravity, sensitivity and going with the flow. There is no holding, blocking, bracing or forcing of any kind.
Commitment
Some people think that 'a bit of tai chi' will lead to some drastic improvement in fitness. Sorry, it won't. You may feel good after one lesson but nothing significant or fundamental has changed.
If you want meaningful results you will need to make an investment in tuition, time and effort.Losing weight
Weight loss usually involves balancing your food intake and activity. Undertaking a daily qigong and tai chi regime will most certainly help your body exercise.
This must be paired with a diet that best suits the individual.Thursday
Healing
Tai chi was developed as a martial art. Healing was first promoted by Yang Cheng Fu in the early part of the 20th Century.
The health benefits of tai chi are an off-shoot of good body use, relaxation and healthy attitudes.Fix me up
Tai chi is not going to fix you up. It was never intended (or designed) to be something employed for repair. At best, it may be seen as a tonic.
A tonic is a medicine taken daily in order to maintain and invigorate the body. It may significantly improve your fitness.
However, you should take note of the small print, the conditions of use:
1. It must be administered every day
2. When you stop taking it, the fitness benefits go away
This is something to really think about. Re-read the paragraph if you need to.
Learning from a book or DVD?
Books and DVDs may serve to supplement lessons but they are no substitute for actual tuition. The number of mistakes and misconceptions that will arise are astronomical in number.
Imagine trying to learn how to drive a car by watching a DVD or reading a book... No driving instructor. Just you.
Trying to study a physical art with no guidance is an equivalent folly.
The danger with seeking to learn qigong from a DVD is that you are guaranteed to make many, many mistakes but lack the wherewithal to recognise what those mistakes are and how to remedy them.
Wednesday
I strongly believe that students should limit themselves to learning and fully developing in just one style only. By learning many styles and collecting many forms we simply cannot have sufficient time to practice.
Few have the resources or talent to be the master of more than one style. The really good teachers focus on one style.
(Adam Hsu)
Stretching
Mild stretching occurs throughout the training but strong stretching is not advisable.
A stretched muscle can reduce the mobility of the joints, affect range, upset balance and inhibit correct skeletal alignment.
Form requires the student to move freely and easily. The limbs should have already been stretched when you warmed-up. There is no need to stretch further than 70% of your reach.
Over-stretching means needlessly burning energy like crazy; since stretching costs effort. This is not the tai chi way.
Postures
When tai chi is shown in books or photographs, the conclusion of the movement is shown. This is regarded as being a static 'posture' akin to a yoga posture e.g. warrior.
To see tai chi in this way is erroneous and will lead to a great misunderstanding of the art. The only static posture encountered in a tai chi class is standing qigong (and this is not tai chi).
Postures are static. Tai chi is about movement. Chang San-feng said: Tai chi is like a great river rolling on unceasingly.
Tuesday
Slow & boring
Modern people are highly stimulated. They want to be entertained, occupied and pandered to. Like spoiled children.
The highly agitated mind of the modern person - caffeinated, restless and emotive - is not at ease. There is no tranquillity, no calm, no peace. Of course tai chi will seem slow and boring. A settled, quiet, strong mind is still. It is at rest. It finds the world to be filled with wonder and curiosity.Tai chi and yoga
Tai chi first came to the widespread attention of Western students in the 1960's. A popular Eastern discipline at that time was yoga.
People saw tai chi as being 'moving yoga' - an erroneous and woefully simplistic comparison. This was an error.
Confusing tai chi and qigong
Taijiquan is a martial art. Tai chi for health is a non-martial health exercise adapted from taijiquan.
Qigong is a series of standing and moving exercises designed to encourage healthy body use.
There are no static postures in tai chi.
Just form?
With the advent of performance art tai chi people have begun to think of tai chi purely in terms of 'form'. This is simplistic. Form is just one facet of the art.
Friday
In condition
Being in condition means that your can train for hours and not feel worn out. Your body is filled with energy and you can perform your art with strength and ease.
If you ignore the importance of condition, you will remain mediocre. Your body must be familiar with the Way of moving we associate with tai chi.
In time, the movements feel to almost happen by themselves. It is hard enough learning the sophisticated skills of the art. Do not make it harder by being lazy.
Thursday
Everyday fitness
Becoming fit is a journey that brings considerable joy. Tai chi training will not stress your joints or damage your body. You will become notably stronger.
In your everyday life you will feel the benefits.
Fitness
In order to use a martial art, you need to be fit. The required degree of fitness will not occur if you simply attend classes once a week. It is not necessary to do the splits, break boards or fight people.
But you do need to train frequently.
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.
Tuesday
Conditioning
Being in condition entails:
• Increasing your strength
• Improving your ability to last (endurance)
• Overcoming fatigue
• Being fitter
• Being more efficient in your body use
• Being more capable
• Overcoming stress
• Improving circulation
Getting stronger
You can undertake the hardship of the walk without undue difficulty. You need to use just as much energy to complete it.
Yet, your body has grown stronger. More efficient. Compared to somebody who does not undertake daily training you will be far more capable of sustained exercise.
What is condition?
Consider this example:
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. What has changed?
Our energy is more precious than all the gold in the world. It is a more powerful anti-aging tool than anything else.
Energy regenerates our liver and other tissue cells, flushes toxic waste from the body, helps maintain our ideal weight, keeps our skin smooth and our hair healthy.
The more energy we have, the better we feel and the more beautiful we become.
(Kimberly Snyder)
Monday
Taking responsibility
School children are required to study 5 days a week in school and then go home and do the homework. Their performance, progress and competence is directly contingent upon these factors.
At college a student is more self-sufficient. There is less classroom time and more self-directed study.
At university the student must attend the required number of lectures and then flesh out the study all by themselves.
Thursday
Ideal workout
According to the book The Blue Zones it is important to think of exercise in terms of what you can reasonably do long-term. The ideal form of exercise is moderate enough that you can do it for the rest of your life. It needs to be joint-friendly, provide a gentle workout and be sustainable.
This sounds rather like tai chi, doesn't it?
Mid-life crisis?
There is more to life than working, buying goods, eating, sleeping, drinking alcohol and watching TV. You are more than this. Tai chi requires the student to expand their horizons.
And to chill out... Contemplation, meditation, settled emotions and calmness of mind are all wonderful additions to your life.
Instead of becoming the violent brute people often associate with the martial arts, you become relaxed and comfortable with yourself, and with those around you.
Care for your body
Qigong and tai chi training is different. It is not strenuous or stressful. You undertake regular training and let the mild exercise build up layers of strength.
Instead of feeling tired, you feel energised and full of vitality.
Strain is bad
Not everybody wants to sweat and strain their way to fitness. Conventional exercise has its drawbacks.
If you damage your body through goal-oriented exercise, you may have to live with it for the rest of your life.
Wednesday
We get good at what we do
If you want to get good at form, practice form. If you want to become proficient with weapons, then practice with weapons. The more often your body undertakes the practice, the more familiar it will be.
Learning tai chi
Our syllabus was designed in such a way that it creates habit patterns within the body. Many martial arts do this via forms and drills, so it is not without precedent, but our approach is slightly different.
We consider the essence, rather than the outcome, the product. This is a process-oriented approach.
Throughout the Tao Te Ching Lao Tzu is at a loss for words as he tries to describe that which cannot be described. This is also the problem for the taijiquan teacher. The teacher could talk for hours about taijiquan and never really be able to tell the student what it is. All that Lao Tzu and the taijiquan teacher can do is to try to give you glimpses of what the Tao and taijiquan are.
(John Lash)
Tuesday
Finding peace
Unless we stop our activity, we cannot find peace.
Tai chi is about doing less and less - we only do what needs to be done.
Why not try starting the day with a little time to yourself?
Make yourself a drink, sit outside and listen to the day begin...
It is a beautiful way of reclaiming your inner harmony and balance.
Not talking
It is good to talk, yet talking is also a problem.
If your mind is never still and quiet, you cannot possibly feel relaxed and at peace.
For many people talking is a compulsive habit, serving to mask the silence within.
Without the chatter, people feel alone and isolated.
Try this: become aware of your own need to talk.
When you feel the urge to speak arise, let it pass again.
Gradually, you become quieter inside and begin to notice more.
You speak when necessary but your sentences shorten, you are more succinct and direct.
You feel calmer.
Monday
Calm & ready
In tai chi we look to allow the mind to settle of its own accord.
Thoughts naturally dissipate and fade when you relax and become quiet.
Your emotions subside, you become still within.
Once empty inside, we can begin...
When a person is in a condition of emptiness, they are alert yet completely at ease.
They are capable of doing what needs to be done, of acting without anticipation or hesitation.
Empty & full
Consider a cup...
When empty, it has purpose, it can be used. It has potential.
When filled, it has completed its function and cannot be utilised again without being emptied once more.
A room is an empty space bordered by walls.
It is the space that we use.
When the emptiness is filled, the room becomes confined.
If your mind is already filled with thoughts, memories and chatter - it is full already.
Until you empty it, your mind is not ready for use.
Being empty
In Western culture, emptiness is considered to be something negative.
It has the connotation of absence.
When a person claims to 'feel empty', they are usually expressing displeasure and seek to find what they lack.
People look outside of themselves in a desperate search to fill this inner void.
In Taoism, it is different.
Thursday
Tai chi
The body must be exercised carefully, with a clear emphasis upon safety and relaxation.
Sifu Waller's approach to tai chi is ideal for people with arthritis because we keep certain considerations in mind at all times:
Natural stances - you should not stretch, stride or over-reach at any time
Smoothness - the movements must be gentle, flowing and relaxed
Small circle - the postures are natural and the waist turns are gentle
Stepping - agile footwork must be used rather than lengthy steps
Softness - muscle tension must be avoided at all costs
Balance – stability-awareness training and strength-building
These factors combine to produce a very gentle yet subtly demanding workout for people who suffer from arthritis.
What causes arthritis?
People aren't entirely sure.
The condition cannot be cured but it often responds to treatment.
Some possible causes of arthritis: obesity, repeated joint injuries and stress.
Joint problems
Arthritis is a joint-related condition that affects billions of people as they grow older.
It typically involves pain, inflammation and stiffness.
There is irrefutable evidence that exercise benefits most aspects of health.
Exercise is an essential part of therapeutic approach for arthritis.
Pain and stiffness of the joints tend to discourage patients from exercising.
However without exercise, joints can become even more stiff and painful.
This happens because exercise actually keeps bones, muscles and joints healthy.
It is important to keep muscles as strong as possible because the stronger the muscles and tissues around joints are, the better they will be able to support and protect those joints.
If people do not exercise, their muscles become weaker,
and their bones can become osteoporotic.
Exercise pumps blood and body fluid through to the muscles, tendons and the joints,
which will facilitate healing.
(Dr Paul Lam)
Friday
Internal
The substance and focus of the internal martial arts is quite different from external systems. This can be readily illustrated by every bona fide tai chi teacher.
If a tai chi teacher is incapable of demonstrating whole-body strength, whole-body movement and whole-body power, then they are not really a qualified instructor.Monday
Character
A tai chi student needs to have good character. They are held to a higher standard than other people.
Courtesy, manners, politeness and honesty are standard. Moral conduct and restraint are also expected.
It is important to take responsibility for what you are learning and show consideration to others who are less fortunate than you.
These may sound like old fashioned values but the martial arts tradition is an ancient one; and its values have proven their worth over the centuries.
Right conduct, courage, benevolence, respect, honour and self discipline are all a given in our classes.
Self defence
A tai chi class would not be a tai chi class without combat.
Tai chi chuan, however, is not about fighting - it is about self defence - and the two are rather different.
Fighting is about contesting yourself against another, besting them in combat and perhaps obtaining a prize.
Self defence is about escaping harm - using the minimum degree of effort and commitment.
There are no prizes or runners-up in self defence; if you lose in a real life confrontation, you could die.
Class practice must skirt the edge of reality; tasting the danger without running the risk of serious injury.
Internal
There have been some pretty weird definitions of 'internal' from various Instructors across the years. A lot of needless debate has been carried out.
Whole-body soft movement is quite unique and easy to identify. If you have received an internal strike, you are unlikely to confuse it with anything else.Anyone who has tried to grapple with a real tai chi person tends to be amazed by their malleability. The fluid, adaptive approach creates a sense of 'fighting with yourself' or with water.
What people find most odd about tai chi is the ease of the art. A small movement produces a disproportionate consequence; and no muscular tension is ever used. Yet it works.
To accomplish this, the Tai Chi Classics must be adhered to strictly, with no deviation. Yielding must be your first and last thought at all times.
What people find most odd about tai chi is the ease of the art. A small movement produces a disproportionate consequence; and no muscular tension is ever used. Yet it works.
To accomplish this, the Tai Chi Classics must be adhered to strictly, with no deviation. Yielding must be your first and last thought at all times.
Friday
What is the meaning of bump energy?
Its method is divided into the shoulder and back technique.
In slant flying posture use shoulder,
but within the shoulder technique
there is also some use of the back.
Once you have the opportunity and can take advantage of the posture,
the technique explodes like pounding a pestle.
Carefully maintain your own centre of gravity.
Those who lose it will have no achievement.
(Tan Meng-hsien)
What is the meaning of split energy?
It revolves like a spinning disc.
If something is thrown onto it,
it will immediately be cast more than ten feet away.
Have you not seen a whirlpool form in a swift flowing stream?
The waves roll in spiralling currents.
If a falling leaf drops into it,
it will suddenly sink from sight.
(Tan Meng-hsien)
What is the meaning of squeeze energy?
There are two aspects to its functional use:
The direct way is to go to meet the opponent
and attach gently in one movement.
The indirect way is to use the reaction force
like the rebound of a ball bouncing off a wall, or
a coin thrown on a drumhead,
bouncing off with a ringing sound.
(Tan Meng-hsien)
Thursday
Study
If you fail to read about Tao and simply focus on the martial art, you will miss everything.
Tai chi is not limited to the forms, postures or applications.
Your tai chi development is unequivocally tied to your understanding of Tao.
When you can see how and why, you are getting somewhere.
Masters
You should be vary wary of Instructors, masters and gurus.
Although you may not be skilled enough to assess the value of their knowledge, you must treat everything they say with caution.
Take the information, then explore what they have said.
This way, you can understand it for yourself.
The role of an Instructor must be to point the way. Do not ask them to hold your hand as well.
Taoism
Taoism is scientific; it is not a belief-system. Reality exists whether you believe in it or not.
Tangible factual substance lies at the root of Taoism.
If you cannot touch it or observe it, you do not waste time speculating about it.
Be open to what is happening around you and learn to appreciate the underlying principles involved.
This is how Tao pertains to tai chi.
Second-hand
Few people ever consider that their most cherished beliefs and opinions are simply received knowledge.
You did not come by the information yourself. Somebody told you.
People regard the world according to their conditioning.
Your education, parents, friends and society have determined how you regard the world.
What you have learned about the world is largely second-hand.
Wednesday
Barry was telling us a story about the woman who always cut the end of the ham and somebody asked her why she did it. She said, "Well I don't know, my mother always did it that way." And they asked her mother and she said, "I don't know, my mother always did it." And they asked grandma, and she said, "Well, I did it because otherwise it wouldn't fit into my biggest pot."
(Chungliang Al Huang)
Refinement of character
In traditional Chinese culture, tai chi was seen as a means for refining character.
It enabled the individual to balance all aspects of their being.
The challenge of learning tai chi removes conflict, macho urges and aggression.
A student learns how to move in a graceful, balanced, harmonious way and maintain composure at all times.
Wellbeing
Tai chi will help to ease ailments and ensure a general sense of wellbeing.
By improving posture and movement, reducing stress and strengthening the flow of energy - a person grows stronger and is less likely to become ill.
Tai chi involves a commitment to a healthier way of living that extends beyond the actual class and is the perfect way to start each day.
The fact that we are seeking is all important, and not what is being sought.
What one seeks is the projection of one's own desire.
Seeking is not the state of search;
it is a reaction, a process of denial and assertion with regard to an idea made by the mind.
To seek the proverbial needle in a haystack,
there must already be knowledge of the needle.
Similarly, to see God, happiness, silence or what you will,
is already to have known, formulated or imagined it.
Seeking, as it's called, is always for something known.
Finding is recognizing, and recognition is based on previous knowledge.
The mind that's seeking is waiting, expecting, desiring,
and what it finds is recognizable, therefore already known.
Seeking is the action of the past.
(Krishnamurti)
Tuesday
Freedom
Letting-go is not easy.
Doing less, wanting less, finding space and freedom in your life will require change.
And people are often reluctant to change.
But, as with all things in tai chi, nothing is forced.
If you want something, and value it, you will find the time and it will not be a chore.
Slow
Not all tai chi practice is slow. But many of the exercise are fairly slow.
There is no need for rushing.
Rushing is the outcome of anxiety, of conflict between activities or choices.
We encourage students to settle, to give-up the race, to be relaxed, rested and composed.
This is usually not a familiar condition.
Harmony
Harmony is the outcome of finding balance between yourself and other people, circumstances and events.
This requires a significant change of consciousness.
Mere physical exercise alone will not accomplish this shift of perception.
It is necessary to see life differently, to take the lessons of the art into your daily life.
Monday
A person who is considered to be fit in the West may be able to do over 100 push-ups, run a marathon, possess a beautiful, muscular physique – and yet not be internally healthy.
He or she may have a bad back, damaged joints, liver problems, unbalanced emotions, an inability to handle stress and sexual weakness or dysfunction.
(Bruce Frantzis)
If an instructor really feels that a youngster not yet into puberty is worthy of a black belt ranking in an art, what does that say about the sophistication and profundity of the art? What would you think of a college that awarded degrees to kids learning their multiplication tables?
The only people who were ever impressed by a black belt were the absurdly uninformed general public.
(Dave Lowry)
I strongly believe that students should limit themselves to learning and fully developing in just one style only. By learning many styles and collecting many forms we simply cannot have sufficient time to practice.
Few have the resources or talent to be the master of more than one style. The really good teachers focus on one style.
(Adam Hsu)
Like a lot of people, I thought Tai Chi was just something that old folks did in the park, but the depth of information on the website grabbed my interest, so I gave it a try. So glad I did. This is real Tai Chi taught to an exceptional standard. At the health and fitness level it teaches you to move efficiently, minimise stress on your joints, and restores flexibility, strength and balance. But if you want to take it further it opens up the martial art of tai chi, which teaches you to read your opponents and use their own strength against them. When you see this demonstrated by Sifu Waller you forget any preconceptions. I admire the way that Sifu Waller constantly adapts classes to fill the gaps he sees in our practice.
I enjoy every class and workshop and really appreciate the skill and thought (not to mention patience) that goes into preparing and adapting them to suit the class.
(Malcolm)
Speed
Abrupt, jerky, fast movement alerts the nervous system and tenses your muscles. Seek to be smooth, soft, calm and comfortable. Do not rush or dither. Take decisive action, but work at easy, normal-seeming movement.
A hurried person has no control, no composure. Use your sensitivity. Be cunning. 4 ounces of pressure, root, yielding and calm are essential. Avoid aggression at all costs.
Caught up?
If 'caught up', distraction is best. It divides the attention and will create an opening for you to exploit.
This is part of 'see the left, see the right' from the 13 methods.
Ultimately, you can strike/seize/press almost anywhere and cause pain.
Different angles offer different targets but the entire body is alarmingly vulnerable to pain.
Tensing-up the muscles only serves to lock the joints and brings the nerves closer to the surface.
Friday
Seeking a result
Many things in life require us to have an intent in mind.
This is a natural requirement since we cannot always simply drift.
One of the dangers of having a target or a result is that we may become fixated on the end.
If we fail to pay adequate attention to the means, this can cause problems.
How we do something, the way in which it is accomplished is really what tai chi is concerned with.
Natural range
In tai chi you must always remain within your natural range of movement.
Any stretching is done subtly and never forced; the body is allowed to open by itself, rather than be forced.
By encouraging the joints to be free, mobility increases radically and the body can move more comfortably.
Tai chi should never strain or hurt the body.
Some movements may feel uncomfortable if you have bad postural habits and this is to be expected - your body is already used to set patterns of movement and poise - and the tai chi is gently changing these.
Tai chi works in a way that is completely opposite from many forms of dance, specifically ballet. It seems that more and more people interested in dance and movement are turning to Eastern forms of movement as they search for a richer and more supple expression.
In tai chi the body is placed in a position where the six outward rotators are eccentricity contracting with the abdominals and gluteals relaxed. This eccentric contraction of the the six outward rotators counteracts the short resting length of the iliopsoas as well as gravity. Being in the tai chi posture utilizes gravity to one's advantage. The main difference then is in the use of the abdominals and the gluteals, and that in tai chi the force of gravity is utilized to stretch the iliopsoas and flexors, while in ballet gravity is not used.
It is possible to use gravity to stretch the flexors and iliopsoas in ballet but this is not understood in the teaching of this art.
(Liz Koch)
Thursday
Look after your feet
Many people don't look after their feet. They have poor sense of balance, dry skin, cracked heels, limited flexibility and exceedingly poor sensitivity.
Invest in your feet. You use them all day long. Slough off the dry skin, massage them, apply cream to keep the skin soft and pliable.A deliberate, conscious program of foot care will significantly improve foot health.
We walk, and our religion is shown (even to the dullest and most insensitive person) in how we walk. Or to put it more accurately, living in this world means choosing, choosing to walk, and the way we choose to walk is infallibly and perfectly expressed in the walk itself. Nothing can disguise it. The walk of an ordinary man and of an enlightened man are as different as that of a snake and a giraffe.
(R.H. Blyth)
Walking
When you walk quickly, you do not really notice the walk. Our style of tai chi is process-oriented - so the how, the way is most important - we need to be aware of our walking habits.
If you stroll, amble, wander... you cease to put stress upon your body.Don't advertise
If your noises advertise your movements, they are way too loud. Noisy footwork and clumsy habits reflect your lack of sensitivity. Slow down. Stop rushing. Let your scattered mind settle.
Feeling feet
Feet are exceptionally sensitive. Your body must interpret a vast quantity of data and respond very rapidly.
Inactivity and neglect can reduce the sensitivity of the feet, as can certain types of shoe that are harmful.A minor imbalance in how we use the foot can affect the overall fitness of the body, usually in a subtle, indirect fashion.
Wednesday
Time
When your mind is calm and still, you will absorb information without forcing.
You will see rather than look, hear rather than listen.An alert passivity exists. This condition takes time to cultivate.
Whole-body strength has many qualities and attributes that simply emerge by themselves once the seeds have been planted.
They cannot be forced.
Students suddenly find it easy to do things that were formerly difficult.
The 'doing' fades and the outcome seems to happen by itself.
The doing is still there. You have internalised it and forgotten to try. You no longer stand in your own way.
Equity
People like to be treated with fairness and respect.
Some want more than this:
They want to feel special, important, above other people.
Their insecurity leads them to abuse: they take more than they need, they demand recognition, prestige.
This behaviour has consequences; it affects everything else, it creates an imbalance that spans the world.
When people only look after their own wellbeing and think nothing of others or the future, they make life difficult for others.
Pushing
Impatient people push for results.
Yet, who are they really pushing, who is suffering the pressure of their impatience?
They are.
Pushing is a form of exertion.
Relaxing deliberately
Once you realise that conscious thought can affect tension, you can begin to let-go of it and relax.
Feel where your body is holding, and soften the muscles by thinking them longer, looser and heavier.
Sweating
If you are sweating, you are exerting.
Why?
This is tai chi, and tai chi does not involve exertion of any kind.
Tao Te Ching (chapter 55) counsels you to be like a child that can cry all day without getting hoarse.
It also speaks against aggression.
Aggression is a tool of 'pushing', of forcing - and force is not the way of tai chi.
Get help
If you find yourself prowling the web looking for some way to assuage your boredom and vent your wrath, you may have some problems.
Rather than pour your heart out via TikTok, why not talk to a real person?There are counsellors and therapists in most cities around the world.
Seek them out. Talk to them.
Find a constructive release for your frustrations.
Let a caring professional assist you. Find meaning and balance once again.
Online manners?
One of the problems with the internet is that it encourages all manner of unpleasantness.
Blogs and chatrooms allow malignant people to insult strangers anonymously.Bad feeling and gossip are rampant.
Troubled people are free to pour out hatred and malice, with no risk of consequence.
This is not healthy.
Do Nothing Day
Make the time to do nothing at all.
Have a 'do nothing day' in which you ignore:
the phone
chores
responsibilities
commitments
Release your burden
Shedding unnecessary belongings, commitments and habits can free up your life. Instead of doing 15 things, you do 3.
As with all things in life, your success in this endeavour is entirely relative to how earnest you are.Tuesday
Monday
Tai chi chuan?
Tai chi chuan is a Chinese martial art. It was developed hundreds of years ago and draws upon Taoist observations, Chinese traditional medicine, biomechanics, physics and combat. 13 patterns of movement are used to express power.
To train the art correctly you need a highly-skilled Instructor who can offer a very comprehensive syllabus.A good health-only class will offer
1. Exercises to improve strength, balance, relaxation (qigong)
2. Optimal body use
3. Learning a complex sequence of movements (form)
4. Meditation training
5. Partnered drills
Locked knees?
Locked knees or overly-straightened legs prevent the knee from acting as suspension for the body.
Relax the knees but do not bend unless squatting down to lift something.Hamstrings?
Most people have very tight hamstrings.
Unfortunately, the back compensates for tight hamstring muscles (by slouching); giving the illusion of greater flexibility than is actually present.We address this in the syllabus by way of psoas exercises and leg stretches. The training is done carefully, gently - in a controlled manner - without exertion or strain.
Buttocks
Most men and women sit too much. This can lead to under-developed gluteus maximus muscles; which is bad for the back in particular. Weakness in these large muscles can affect the whole body.
Buttock muscles are supposed to be akin to a vertical oval for each buttock. There should be notable muscular development; the outcome of healthy everyday squatting.Shoulder tension?
A lot of people experience pain in their shoulders and reduced movement.
If you ignore the shoulders entirely and focus instead on their legs you will inevitably discover that their legs are tense.Once the legs are freed up the shoulder problems fade...
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