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) 

Why is the root of wisdom so deep?

Because it must be planted in our lives.

The road to the precious capital is not for the inattentive.

(Loy Ching-Yuen) 

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.

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.

 Enlightenment is not an experience.

It is the state where you are left absolutely alone, nothing to know.

No object, however beautiful, is present.

Only in that moment does your consciousness, unobstructed by any object,

take a turn and move back to the source.

(Osho)

 He did each single thing as if he did nothing else.

(Charles Dickens)

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:

1. Natural stances - you should not stretch, stride or over-reach at any time

2. Smoothness - the movements must be gentle, flowing and relaxed

3. Small circle - the postures are natural and the waist turns are gentle

4. Stepping - agile footwork must be used rather than lengthy steps

5. Softness - muscle tension must be avoided at all costs

6. 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)

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.

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.

Be still,

when attacked by the opponent,

be tranquil and move in stillness;

changes caused by my opponent fill him with wonder.

(Song of the 13 Postures)